Safety method and means for stopping meat skinning machines

A meat skinning machine having a frame, an elongated skinning blade, a rotatable gripping roll closely positioned adjacent said blade, and an electrical motor operatively connected to said gripping roll and to a source of electrical power and a danger zone defined by the area proximate to said gripping roll closely adjacent said blade, the improvement comprising,

• said motor being a braking motor having a normally inoperative breaking means adapted to stop said motor substantially instantaneously when becoming operative,
• spaced apart electroconducting members on said machine in said danger zone,
• a safety circuit electrically connecting said braking motor and said electroconducting members,
• a safety circuit normally being open and adapted to be closed when said electroconducting members are electrically connected by an electroconducting glove on the hand of a machine operator, and which is free from being hard-wired connected to said machine, that simultaneously comes into electrical contact with said electroconducting members, whereupon said braking means will be actuated substantially instantaneously to stop said braking motor and to stop substantially instantaneously the rotation of said gripping roll,
• said electroconducting glove comprising the only electroconducting means between said operator and said machine.

A meat skinning machine having a frame, an elongated skinning blade, a rotatable gripping roll closely positioned adjacent said blade, and an electrical motor operatively connected to said gripping roll and to a source of electrical power and a danger zone defined by the area proximate to said gripping roll closely adjacent said blade, the improvement comprising,

• said motor being a braking motor having a normally inoperative breaking means adapted to stop said motor substantially instantaneously when becoming operative,
• an electroconducting means on said machine in said danger zone,
• a safety circuit electrically connecting said braking motor and said electroconducting members,
• a safety circuit normally being open and adapted to be closed when said electroconducting members are electrically connected by an electroconducting glove on the hand of a machine operator, and which is free from being hard-wired connected to said machine, that simultaneously comes into electrical contact with said electroconducting members, whereupon said braking means will be actuated substantially instantaneously to stop said braking motor and to stop substantially instantaneously the rotation of said gripping roll,
• said safety circuit normally being open and adapted to be closed when said electroconducting means in said danger zone is electrically contacted by any second electroconducting means that comes into contact with said first-mentioned electroconducting means, whereupon said braking means will be actuated substantially instantaneously to stop said braking motor and to stop substantially instantaneously the rotation of said gripping roll,
• said electroconducting glove comprising the only electroconducting means between said operator and said machine.

The method of stopping a meat skinning machine having an elongated skinning blade, a rotatable gripping roll closely positioned adjacent said blade, and an electrical motor operatively connected to said gripping roll, comprising,

• connecting said blade, said gripping roll and said motor in a normally open safety circuit to be closed by electrically connecting said blade and said gripping roll,
• placing an electroconducting glove on the hand of the machine operator comprised of electroconducting material,
• said closing said safety circuit by simultaneously contacting said blade and said gripping roll with said electroconducting glove to close said safety circuit to substantially instantaneously stop the rotation of said gripping roll,
• whereby said electroconducting glove comprises the only electroconducting means between said operator and said machine.

A meat skinning machine having a frame, an elongated skinning blade, a rotatable gripping roll closely positioned adjacent said blade, and an electrical motor operatively connected to said gripping roll and to a source of electrical power and a danger zone defined by the area proximate to said gripping roll closely adjacent said blade, the improvement comprising,

• electrically operated rotational control means operatively connected to said motor to normally permit said motor to rotate said gripping roll when operational,
• spaced apart electroconducting members on said machine in said danger zone,
• a safety circuit electrically connecting said motor, said rotational control means, and said electroconducting means, to control said rotational control means,
• said rotational control means adapted to stop the rotation of said gripping roll when said electroconducting members are electrically connected by an electroconducting glove on the hand of a machine operator, and which is free from being hard-wired to said machine, that simultaneously comes into contact with said electroconducting members;
• wherein said electroconducting glove comprises the only electroconducting means between said operator and said machine was inserted.