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US 4,766,791 AGranted
Slicing apparatus
AssigneeSouthland Frozen Meat Limited
InventorsRichard A. McMillan, Bruce M. Gavin, Edward A. Senner
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSouthland Frozen Meat Limited
InventorsRichard A. McMillan, Bruce M. Gavin, Edward A. Senner
Estimating the term…
A slicing apparatus particularly suitable for slicing livers. A plurality of adjacently spaced apart blades are mounted within a drum rotatable about the blades. The blades are disposed toward one side of the drum in close proximity to the peripheral wall thereof to form a cutting zone. Pockets are provided in the peripheral wall of the drum, the pockets being formed with gaps which align with the blades. As the drum and the pockets rotate through the cutting zone, the blades pass through the pockets and slice livers therein. The cutting zone is positioned in a lower quadrant of the drum and, with respect to the drum's rotational direction, immediately before lower dead-center thereof. Thus as a pocket enters the cutting zone it is being inverted and on exiting the cutting zone a pocket has been completely inverted. On exiting the cutting zone the sliced contents are deposited into a tray provided on a packaging tray conveyor positioned adjacently beneath the drum. The action of the drum and the conveyor are co-ordinated to register the positioning of a tray with the arrival of the pockets at the lower dead-center position. A retaining block mounted on pneumatic rams is provided to impinge on to a liver as the supporting pocket therefor becomes inverted and passes through the cutting zone. The retaining block retracts as a pocket leaves the cutting zone to register with the next set of pockets as they enter the cutting zone.
A slicing apparatus comprising a plurality of cutting elements disposed in adjacent spaced apart parallel relationship within an interior of a drum, the drum being rotatably supported about a horizontally disposed axis of rotation and the parallel disposition of the cutting elements extending longitudinally of the drum with cutting edges of the cutting elements being operative in a cutting zone disposed in juxtaposition to an inner side of a peripheral wall of the drum, at least one outwardly opening pocket set into the peripheral wall of the drum, said at least one pocket being formed by a plurality of adjacently spaced apart elements forming open slots therebetween, the slots being aligned with the cutting elements which can thus pass through said at least one pocket with rotation of the drum, a workpiece retaining element mounted externally of the drum in conjunction with actuation means operable to impinge the workpiece retaining element onto a workpiece in said at least one pocket as said at least one pocket, with rotation of the drum approaches the cutting zone, to be rotated about with said at least one pocket, the workpiece retaining element being mounted externally of the drum on a guide extending adjacently about the cutting zone and the actuating means retracting and resetting the workpiece retaining element upon exiting the cutting zone, and means to support a packaging element as to collect a sliced workpiece deposited from said at least one pocket after said at least one pocket exits the cutting zone and is inverted with rotation of the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.