Automatic poultry processor and method

A poultry processor for automatically receiving and handling dressed birds delivered thereto by a conventional overhead track having leg hooks by which dressed birds are hung in an inverted position and advanced at predetermined spacing intervals, said processor comprising:

• processor conveyor means for establishing a processing flow through said processor and for advancing poultry along said flow from a poultry loading position thereof to at least one poultry cutting position thereof;
• at least one loading cone carried on and advanced by said processor conveyor means such that said cone is inserted into the body cavity of an inverted dressed bird delivered by the overhead track into proximity of said loading position relative said processor conveyor means;
• drag means, adjacent said loading position, for temporarily engaging the legs of an inverted dressed bird during insertion of said loading cone into the body cavity thereof so that said loading cone becomes fully seated in such cavity as said cone is advanced through said loading position by said processor conveyor means;
• and
• at least one cutting means, situated along said processing flow adjacent said poultry cutting position downstream from said poultry loading position, for separating the bird hind quarters from the bird breast half, with such hind quarters thereafter being advanced by the overhead track for further processing, and with such breast half thereafter being advanced by said loading cone for further processing.

Process for an automatic poultry processing apparatus, comprising:

• operating a carriage means for advancing poultry through said apparatus for processing;
• providing poultry engagement means, carried on said carriage means, for being received in the body cavity of a bird so as to effect a positive driving force thereto during operation of said carriage means;
• and
• providing and operating loading means for automatically seating said poultry engagement means into the body cavity of a bird as said poultry engagement means is carried and advanced by said carriage means, so that processing of poultry may be automatically continued without manual intervention as to birds received from processing equipment relatively upstream from said apparatus.

A method for automatically receiving and handling dressed birds delivered thereto by a conventional overhead track having leg hooks by which dressed birds are hung in an inverted position and advanced at predetermined spacing intervals, said method comprising:

• establishing a processing flow with a conveyor for advancing poultry along said flow from a poultry loading position thereof to at least one poultry cutting position thereof;
• providing at least one loading cone carried on and advanced by said conveyor such that said cone is inserted into the body cavity of an inverted dressed bird delivered by the overhead track into proximity of said loading position relative said conveyor;
• adjacent said loading position, temporarily engaging the legs of an inverted dressed bird during insertion of said loading cone into the body cavity thereof so that said loading cone becomes fully seated in such cavity as said cone is advanced through said loading position by said conveyor;
• and
• using cutting means, situated along said processing flow adjacent said poultry cutting position downstream from said poultry loading position, for separating the bird hind quarters from the bird breast half, and thereafter advancing such hind quarters by using the overhead track for further processing and advancing such breast half by using said loading cone for further processing.