Poultry-handling assembly
AssigneeBritish Technology Group Limited
InventorPaul S. Berry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A poultry-handling assembly (10) (FIG. 6) comprises two endless conveyors (12,13) arranged side-by-side and adapted to move poultry from a first location (15) to a second location (17). Access means at the first location allows birds to enter the assembly (10) one by one e.g. with one foot on one conveyor (12) and the other foot on the other conveyor (13). Conveyor guide means constrain the conveyors (12,13) to present an open-bottomed V-shaped trough configuration at the second location, where the legs of the birds will slip between the two conveyors (12,13) for engagement by a restraint device (19) and subsequent take-up by the shackles of a processing plant shackle line (20). In an alternative embodiment (FIG. 9), the conveyors (12,13) are replaced by two side-by-side conveyors 38,39 which grip the birds laterally.
Claims14
A poultry handling assembly comprising:
- shackling means disposed at a shackling site including open-fronted shackles;
- conveying means for moving a bird in the upright position to the shackling site, said conveying means being constructed and arranged to support the bird with at least lower leg regions thereof free of the conveying means for engagement by a shackle and subsequent take-up thereby, said conveying means including support means for supporting a portion of the bird at the shackling site while the leg regions thereof are engaged by a shackle;
- and
- separating means for separating the leg portion of the bird as the bird is being conveyed by the conveying means so as to be engaged by a shackle,
- said conveying means including at least two conveyors.
A poultry handling assembly comprising:
- shackling means disposed at a shackling site including open-fronted shackles;
- conveying means for moving a bird in the upright position to the shackling site, said conveying means being constructed and arranged to support the bird with at least lower leg regions thereof free of the conveying means for engagement by a shackle and subsequent take-up thereby, said conveying means including support means for supporting a portion of the bird at the shackling site while the leg regions thereof are engaged by a shackle;
- and
- separating means for separating the leg portion of the bird as the bird is being conveyed by the conveyor means so as to be engaged by a shackle.
A poultry handling assembly comprising:
- shackling means disposed at a shackling site including open-fronted shackles;
- conveying means for moving a bird to the shackling site, said conveying means being constructed and arranged to support the bird with at least lower leg regions thereof free of the conveying means for engagement by a shackle and subsequent take-up thereby, said conveying means including support means for supporting a portion of the bird at the shackling site while the leg regions thereof are engaged by a shackle;
- separating means for separating the leg portion of the bird as the bird is being conveyed by the conveyor means so as to be engaged by a shackle;
- a detection device operative to detect the arrival of a bird at the shackling site;
- a shackled accumulator;
- and
- transfer means operative at the command of the detection device to transfer a shackle from the shackle accumulator to the shackling site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.