Apparatus for stuffing large meat articles

In an apparatus for stuffing large meat articles into discrete lengths of flexible tubular casing comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• a stuffing horn mounted on said frame, having a discharge end and an inlet end an article-loading chamber in communication with the inlet end of the stuffing horn;
• a compression member extending longitudinally in said article-loading chamber, movable between a retracted position and an extended position;
• piston means disposed in longitudinally axial alignment with the article-loading chamber and stuffing horn, having an article contacting face;
• actuating means operably connected to said piston means arranged and disposed to move said piston means in multistage operations sequentially in a first stage through said article-loading chamber, and in a second stage through said stuffing horn to the discharge end thereof;
• and a shirred casing supply disposed coaxially on the stuffing horn arranged and disposed to provide a continuous deshirred casing to be stuffed with said meat articles;
• the improvement whereby said meat articles can be packaged without substantial loss of liquidous materials contained in said articles;
• said improvement comprising, in combination:
• (a) a first stage piston comprising a first elongated tubular member and an annular piston head mounted to the forward end of said tubular member and carrying an article contacting face, said first tubular member and said annular piston head being of a size which will enable both to fit snugly inside the article-loading chamber after said compression member has been moved to its extended position, and having a combined length such that they are substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with said article-loading chamber;
• and
• (b) a second stage piston comprising a second elongated tubular member having a separate article contacting face, coaxially mounted inside the first elongated tubular member of said first stage piston, said second elongated tubular member being of a size which will enable it to fit snugly inside said stuffing horn and having a length such that said second elongated tubular member is substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with said stuffing horn.

An apparatus for stuffing large meat articles into discrete lengths of flexible tubular casing comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• a stuffing horn assembly mounted on said frame and including a central support tube disposed coaxially within said stuffing horn assembly, having a discharge end and a flared inlet end;
• an article-loading chamber in communication with the flared inlet end of the central support tube;
• a closure on said article-loading chamber movable between open and closed positions providing lateral access to said article-loading chamber when in the open position;
• a compression bar extending longitudinally of said article-loading chamber, movable between a retracted position and an extended position, having a formed face which defines a wall portion of the article-loading chamber when in said extended position;
• actuating means operably connected to move the compression bar selectively into its retracted and extended position;
• a multistage piston assembly disposed in longitudinally axial alignment with the central support tube of the stuffing horn assembly, including a first stage piston having an article contacting face, adapted to move from a first position wherein said article contacting face is disposed at the rearward end of the article-loading chamber, through said article-loading chamber into a second position wherein said article contacting face is disposed at the flared inlet end of said central support tube, and a second stage piston having an article contacting face, coaxially mounted inside said first stage piston and adapted to move from a first position wherein said article contacting face is disposed at the flared inlet end of the central support tube, through the central support tube into a second position wherein said article contacting face is disposed at the discharge end of the central support tube, said first stage piston comprising a first elongated tubular member and an annular piston head mounted at the forward end of said first elongated tubular member and carrying said article contacting face, said first elongated tubular member and annular piston head being of a size which will enable both to fit snugly inside said article-loading chamber after said compression bar has been moved to its extended position but without prohibiting movement therethrough and having a length such that the combined first elongated tubular member and annular piston head are substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with said article-loading chamber, and said second stage piston comprising a second elongated tubular member carrying said article contacting face at the forward end thereof, said second elongated tubular member being of a size which will enable it to fit snugly inside the central support tube of said stuffing horn assembly but without prohibiting movement therethrough and having a length such that said second elongated tubular member is substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with said central support tube;
• air passage means arranged and disposed for the venting of air expelled from said central support tube and from the packaged article being formed;
• shirred casing holding means disposed coaxially on the stuffing horn assembly, arranged and disposed to provide a continuous shirred supply of casing to be stuffed with said meat articles;
• and
• holding means arranged and disposed for restraining said continuous shirred supply of casing during stuffing of said flexible tubular casing.

An apparatus for stuffing large meat articles into discrete lengths of flexible tubular casing comprising, in combination:

• a frame;
• a stuffing horn mounted on said frame, having a discharge end and an inlet end;
• an article-loading chamber in communication with the inlet end of the stuffing horn;
• a compression member extending longitudinally in said article-loading chamber, movable between a retracted position and an extended position, the size of said article-loading chamber being approximately the same in cross section as the size of said stuffing horn when said compression member is moved fully to its extended position;
• an elongated piston disposed in longitudinally axial alignment with the article-loading chamber and stuffing horn, said piston comprising the outer tubular wall of a pneumatic cylinder having an actuating rod extending outwardly from an end thereof in a direction opposite to said stuffing horn, said outer tubular wall being of a size which will enable said pneumatic cylinder to fit snugly inside said article-loading chamber and stuffing horn and having a length such that said cylinder is substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with said chamber and stuffing horn;
• means operably connected to said pneumatic cylinder for actuating and moving said cylinder through said article-loading chamber and said stuffing horn;
• and a shirred casing supply disposed coaxially on the stuffing horn arranged and disposed to provide a continuous deshirred casing to be stuffed with said meat article.