Automatic tendon removal apparatus

An apparatus for the automated removal of a tendon from a meat fillet comprising, in combination;

• a) a support base;
• b) a conveyor mounted on said base and including an upper surface mounted for movement along a selected path and configured to receive and carry a meat fillet along said path between a loading and unloading station, and including at least one tendon receiving opening disposed along a lateral edge of said upper surface;
• c) a tendon removal station disposed between said loading and unloading station and including
• i) a plurality of radially extending fins mounted to said base below said upper surface of said conveyor for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, each of said fins terminating in an outer edge aligned to pass under and adjacent to said tendon-receiving opening;
• ii) a pinch plate fixed to said base below said upper surface of said conveyor adjacent to said fins and including a convex wall surface which is closely spaced to a portion of an arc of travel of said outer edges of said fins for cooperatively engaging a strip of tendon disposed between said outer edges and said wall surface to exert a pulling force on said strip of tendon sufficient to separate the total length of said tendon from its normal connection with a meat fillet.

An apparatus for removal of a tendon from a meat fillet, comprising, in combination;

• a) a supporting base;
• b) a conveyor mounted on said base and including a movable mounted upper surface configured to receive and support a meat fillet for travel between a loading and an unloading station, said upper surface including a plurality of tendon receiving openings disposed along a lateral edge of said upper surface in spaced relationship from one another;
• c) a pinch plate mounted in a fixed position below said upper surface of said conveyor between said loading and unloading stations and including a curved wall surface defining in cross section a circular arc;
• d) a plurality of radially extending fins mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis disposed below said upper surface of said conveyor and adjacently spaced to said curved wall surface of said pinch block, the terminal outer end of said fins aligned to rotatably pass in a predetermined spaced relationship under the path of said tendon-receiving openings and in a close fit mated relationship to said curved wall surface of said pinch plate for engaging an exposed portion of a strip of tendon of a meat fillet disposed on said upper surface which is vertically depending through one of said tendon-receiving openings between successive different ones of said outer edges and said curved surface to pull said strip of tendon downwardly along said wall surface and away from said meat fillet;
• e) a motor operatively connected to said conveyor and to a shaft carrying said rotatable fins for driving said conveyor and fins along their respective paths of travel.