A power operated rotary knife including an annular rotary knife blade supported for rotation in a blade housing. The rotary knife blade including a body and a blade section extending from the body. The body includes an outer wall including an arcuate surface having an upper region extending from a first upper end portion to a second intermediate portion and a lower region extending from the second intermediate portion to a third lower end portion. A plurality of gear teeth extend downwardly from the upper end of the body, each of the plurality of gear teeth including an outer peripheral face forming a portion of the upper region of the arcuate surface of the outer wall. The body outer wall includes a bearing surface having a lower bearing face in the lower region of the arcuate surface and an upper bearing face in the upper region of the arcuate surface.

A blade housing assembly for a power operated rotary knife including a split blade housing and a cam mechanism actuatable for changing a blade housing diameter between a blade supporting position and a blade changing position. The blade housing including an annular blade support section, a mounting section and a radially extending split extending through the mounting section and an inner wall of the blade support section and defining a split distance between first and second circumferential ends of the inner wall. The mounting section includes a first body portion and a second body portion on opposite sides of the radially extending split. The cam mechanism includes a cam plate bridging the first and second body portions and a cam member rotatably supported by the cam plate. The cam member is rotatable between a first, closed position and a second, open position to change the blade housing diameter.

An integrated shaving mechanism (ISM) comprises a 28- x 50-mm perforated arbor of 40-mm cylindrical radius supporting a 50-m 300-mg inverted-headfoil-like cutterfoil with a 2540-mm cutting pattern, held slideably under an attached complementary-patterned headfoil. Arbor, cutterfoil, and headfoil provide a few-mm thick shaving mechanism coupled to a shaver body having a motor and eccentric drive shaft that in minor design variations scans the cutterfoil either 1-mm in reciprocation (R-ISM) or 1-mm-R in circulation (C-ISM) at 0.16K-cpm. With its 10-cm.sup.2 area of 0.7-mm-spaced cutting edges capable of firm facial contact, it cuts short hairs at up to 10 the rate of conventional shavers for fast closest-cutting. Arbor-supported cutterfoils and headfoils can be fabricated as thin and lightweight monolayers and multilayers of hard materials and coatings by mechanical and non-mechanical processes. ISMs can be embodied in the size and shape of reciprocator and rotary shavers.

A power operated rotary knife assembly including a power operated rotary knife having an annular rotary knife blade, a trim guide, and a drive mechanism for driving the rotary knife blade about an axis of rotation. The assembly also includes a portable power unit, a vacuum assembly and a flexible shaft drive transmission coupled between the power operated rotary knife and the portable power unit. The portable power unit includes a drive motor assembly providing a rotational power source which is operatively coupled to the drive mechanism through the flexible drive transmission to rotate the rotary knife blade. The portable power unit also includes a blower assembly providing vacuum pressure at an inlet duct side, the vacuum assembly being in fluid communication with the inlet duct side to generate a vacuum pressure condition in a region of a cutting opening defined by the rotary knife blade and the trim guide.

A powered rotary knife includes a handle, a blade housing, an annular blade, and a blade bushing for rotatably mounting the blade within the housing. The blade housing includes an inner groove that is operable to receive the blade bushing therein. The blade housing and blade bushing are split in order to expand and receive the blade. The blade includes an outer groove that is also operable to receive the blade bushing. Thus, the blade bushing is spaced between the blade housing and blade and rotatably secures the blade within the blade housing.

A power operated rotary knife including an annular rotary knife blade supported for rotation in a blade housing. The rotary knife blade including a body and a blade section extending from the body. The body section including an outer wall including an upper, middle and lower portions. The upper portion of the outer wall including a bearing race extending radially inwardly into the outer wall. The lower portion of the outer wall including the driven gear. In one embodiment, the intermediate portion includes an annular land having an outer surface defining a radially outermost portion of the outer wall of the body, the outer surface of the annular land being radially outward of the driven gear and the bearing race. In another embodiment, the intermediate portion includes an annular channel having an inner surface being radially inward of first and second ends of the bearing race and the driven gear.

A power operated rotary knife including: a handle assembly, a head assembly and a vacuum attachment assembly. The handle assembly includes an elongated cylindrical handle housing defining a handle assembly longitudinal axis extending through a throughbore of the handle housing. The head assembly includes a rotary knife blade rotatably supported for rotation about an axis of rotation in a blade housing and a frame securing the blade housing to the distal end of the handle assembly in a position offset from the handle housing, the axis of rotation of the rotary knife blade being spaced apart from and parallel to the handle longitudinal axis. The vacuum attachment assembly includes an adapter extending at an angle away from the handle housing such that a central axis of the adapter is transverse to the with respect to the rotary knife blade axis of rotation and the handle assembly longitudinal axis.

The invention relates to a tool for manual or especially automatic removal of tenderloins from half-carcasses of slaughtered animals. The tool comprises a circular knife blade, a blade housing supporting the knife blade, and a movable knife blade protector. The tool is connected to a motor capable of driving the knife blade. A tenderloin is partly cut free with the knife, the knife blade protector is activated to protect the knife blade and the tool is used to pull the tenderloin free from the half-carcass without damaging the tenderloin with the knife. The tool can be arranged on a robot and can be used for automatic removal of tenderloins from half-carcasses at slaughterhouses.

A rotary knife includes a frame, an annular blade, and a blade housing mounted to the frame. The housing presents a circumferential mounting surface in contact with the frame. The housing supports the blade on the frame for rotation about a central axis. The housing includes a blade-supporting race defined along a circle centered on the central axis. The mounting surface is defined along a circular arc with a center point spaced from the central axis, such that the blade-supporting race and mounting surface are eccentric relative to one another. The housing presents opposite inner and outer annular faces. At least one of the faces presents a proximal-most end in contact with the frame and a distal-most end spaced from the frame. The proximal-most end is spaced from the central axis a first distance. The distal-most end is spaced from the central axis a second distance. The distances are different.

A rolling bearing strip for a power operated rotary knife providing bearing support for rotation of a rotary knife blade with respect to a blade housing. The rolling bearing strip includes: a plurality of rolling bearings disposed in spaced apart relation; and a flexible separator cage for positioning the plurality of spaced apart rolling bearings, the flexible separator cage including interlocking first and second ends, the first end of the separator cage including a wall defining a projecting member and the second end of the separator cage including a wall defining a receiving member, the first end projecting member and the second end receiving member being in opposed facing relationship and the first end projecting member extending into the second end receiving member to secure the first end to the second end and form an annular, continuous rolling bearing ring.