Method and apparatus for removing skin from animal parts
AssigneeFoodmate US, Inc.
InventorRobert Steve Sosebee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of mechanically removing skin from animal parts that have a bone part extending therein, including: moving the animal parts, suspended on shackles depending from an overhead conveyor, along a path of travel and cutting the part to separate the skin therefrom. The part moved into a skinning station in which the part is urged into engagement with skinning rolls. The skinning rolls are rotated and engage and draw the skin of the part therebetween. The skin is progressively pulled downwardly and away from underlying meat of the animal part as the part moved forwardly along its path of travel.
Claims28
A method of mechanically removing skin from animal parts that have a bone part extending therein, comprising:
- moving the animal parts along a path of travel suspended from a conveyor;
- engaging each animal part with a series of skinning rolls;
- entrapping a portion of skin of the animal part between the skinning rolls;
- and
- as the animal parts continue movement along their path of travel, pulling the skin downwardly and at a rate and at an angle sufficient to pull the skin in a substantially straight downward motion and away from underlying meat of the animal part.
A method of mechanically removing skin from animal parts that have a bone part extending therein, comprising:
- moving the animal parts along a path of travel suspended from a conveyor;
- engaging each animal part with a first guide wheel;
- biasing the animal parts toward a series of skinning rolls;
- entrapping a portion of skin of the animal part between the skinning rolls;
- and
- as the animal parts continue movement along their path of travel, pulling the skin away from underlying meat of the animal part.
An apparatus for processing animal parts, comprising:
- a conveyor moving the animal parts along a predefined path of travel;
- and
- a skinning unit arranged along the path of travel and including at least one guide configured to, in use, bias the animal parts toward a series of skinning rolls, the at least one guide being resilient and/or compressible so as to urge the animal parts against the skinning rolls so as to cause a portion of skin of the animal parts to be pulled between a gap of the skinning rolls and away from meat of the animal parts, without pressing the meat into engagement with the skinning rolls.
An apparatus for processing animal parts, comprising:
- a conveyor moving the animal parts along a predefined path of travel;
- and
- a skinning unit arranged along the path of travel and including a series of skinning rolls, wherein the skinning rolls comprise elongated rolls each having extending teeth, and wherein the skinning rolls are oriented at a downwardly sloping angle with respect to the path of travel of the animal parts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.