# US 2021/0274795 A1 · Method and apparatus for removing skin from animal parts > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0274795 A1 - Document ID: US20210274795A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/190,526 - Filed: 2021-03-03 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-04 - Assignees: Foodmate US, Inc. - Applicants: Foodmate US, Inc. - Inventors: Robert Steve Sosebee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210274795A1 ## CPC - A22C 21/0092: {Skinning poultry or parts of poultry} - A22C 21/0007: {Poultry shackles} - A22C 21/0053: {Transferring or conveying devices for poultry} - A22B 5/166: {Drum skinners} - A22C: PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH (preserving A23B; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs A23J1/00; fish, meat or poultry preparations A23L; disintegrating, e.g. chopping meat, B02C18/00; preparation of proteins C07K1/00) - A22B: SLAUGHTERING ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, comprising engaging each animal part with a first guide wheel biasing the animal part towards the series of skinning rolls. ### Claim 3 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. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, comprising 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. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the bone part is an elongate bone part extending through the animal part and has a bone portion protruding outwardly from the animal part. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein biasing the animal parts toward a series of skinning rolls comprises rotating a guide wheel into engagement with the animal parts. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the guide wheel comprises a resilient material and has a series of cavities configured to enable compression of portions of the guide wheel as the first guide wheel is rotated against the animal parts. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3 wherein the skinning rolls extend at an angle downwardly with respect to the path of travel of the animal parts and exert a downward force to pull the skin away from the meat. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the conveyor is an overhead conveyor including shackles depending from the overhead conveyor and on which the animal parts are received. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is part of a meat processing operation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the meat processing operation is one for separating meat from thigh bones. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the skin from thigh is removed prior to separating the meat from the thigh bone extending therein. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the animal part is an item of poultry. ### Claim 14 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. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, 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. ### Claim 16 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. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, including at least one guide configured to, in use, bias the animal parts toward the 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. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the at least one guide comprises at least one guide wheel rotatable into engagement with the animal parts. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one guide wheel has a resilient and/or compressible outer circumferential portion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one guide wheel is formed from a resilient and/or compressible material. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one guide wheel has a series of recesses and/or cavities configured to enable compression of portions of the at least one guide wheel as the portions of the at least one guide wheel are rotated against the animal parts. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a circumferential pitch of the recesses and/or cavities matches a pitch of animal parts on the conveyor. ### Claim 23 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the skinning rolls are rotated in opposite directions and at a rate that substantially matches a rate of movement of the animal parts moving along the overhead conveyor to facilitate a substantially straight, downward pulling of the skin away from the meat of the animal parts. ### Claim 24 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to any of claim 16, including at least one cutting station arranged along the path of travel of the animal parts; ### Claim 25 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to any of claim 16, wherein the conveyor comprises an overhead conveyor, and a series of shackles rotatably depending from the overhead conveyor and carrying the animal parts. ### Claim 26 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to any of claim 16, wherein the skinning unit is adjustably mounted to a machine frame via an arm. ### Claim 27 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to any of claim 16, further comprising an animal part loading station and a meat stripper station. ### Claim 28 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the skinning unit is positioned after at least one cutting station, and before a meat stripper station.