Machine for meat treatment and maceration, with automatic loading and unloading

An apparatus for meat treatment and maceration with automatic loading and unloading comprising:

• a large hollow drum;
• a loading and unloading aperture at one end of said drum;
• means integrated on the wall of the drum for regulating temperature of meat contained in the drum;
• means to produce alternate stages of variable duration of vacuum and pressure inside said drum;
• a fixed support structure;
• a tilting frame having one end pivotally mounted on said support structure and an opposite end rotatable supporting a rear end of said drum on an axis of rotation thereof coinciding with the symmetrical axis of said drum;
• roller support means mounted on said tilting frame near said one end thereof for supporting said drum on the outer surface thereof for rotation about said axis of rotation;
• means for tilting said tilting frame about the pivotal end thereof for raising and lowering the rear end of said drum between a lowered position for loading said drum through the aperture therein, a fully raised position for unloading said drum through the aperture thereof, and an intermediate treating position for treating meat within said drum;
• drive means for rotating said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a door engageable over said aperture for closing and opening said aperture;
• door support arm means pivotally mounted on said tilting frame;
• door support mean connected to said door support arm means and rotatably connected to said door for allowing rotation of said door with respect to said support arm and tilting frame about said axis of rotation of said drum;
• means to move said door into and from the closed position in a hermetically sealed relationship against said aperture;
• door locking means mounted on said door for locking said door in said hermetically sealed relationship against said aperture;
• hopper means engageable with said aperture when said door is in the open position for feeding meat into said drum when said drum is in the loading position;
• hopper support means supporting said hopper for movement between a nonloading position spaced from said drum and a loading position wherein said hopper is positioned adjacent said drum when said drum is in the loading position for feeding meat in said hopper into said drum;
• an annular container support structure surrounding said drum and being rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane around said drum;
• a plurality of containers supported in spaced relationship on said annular structure, each container having an open top;
• means for rotating said annular structure with said containers thereon in intermittent steps to position one of said containers in a container-emptying position for emptying meat in said container into said hopper when said hopper is in the loading position, and for positioning said empty container into a next succeeding position wherein the open top thereof is under said aperture in said drum when said drum is in said unloading position with said door in said open position;
• and
• lifting and tilting means engageable with each container for raising and tilting said container for emptying meat therein into said hopper when in the loading position and returning said container to said annular structure after emptying thereof.