Apparatus for automatically removing a tail from poultry
AssigneeMeyn Food Processing Technology B.V.
InventorsEric Adriaan van Hillo, Eric de Jong, Antonius Jozef Veraart
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to an apparatus for automatically removing a tail from poultry. An overhead conveyor moves the poultry or part of a bird suspended by the legs, and a guiding device is disposed underneath the overhead conveyor for supporting and guiding the poultry. A cutting device is functionally disposed behind a lead element for the poultry and which is part of the guiding device. The overhead conveyor is designed to convey the poultry with the back facing forward while the guiding device supports and guides the poultry substantially at the side of the back. The cutting device is disposed in or under an effective supporting surface of the guiding device.
Claims7
An automated apparatus for automatically removing a tail from poultry, comprising:
- an overhead conveyor from which the poultry is suspended and conveyed with its tail oriented and leading in a conveying direction of said conveyor;
- a guiding device disposed under said overhead conveyor at a position to support and guide the poultry as it is conveyed overhead;
- said guiding device comprising a support surface disposed so as to engage the poultry's tail and support the back of the poultry as the poultry is conveyed overhead so that the poultry's tail is positioned at the same height or lower than a plane of said support surface along which the poultry's back is supported and conveyed;
- and
- a cutting device disposed relative to said support surface to cut the tail from the poultry at or below said plane of said support surface as the poultry is conveyed along said support surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.