Loin puller scribe saw assembly

Abstract

A scribe saw assembly is provided for a loin puller and has substantially reduced wear and increased life of the assembly components. A pinion assembly includes a double keyway and opposing cutouts on the pinion shaft, with dual needle bearings. A bevel gear assembly includes pins for holding the scribe saw blade and dual bearings on the bevel gear shaft to eliminate shaft flex and blade wear. The standard is mounted to the motor housing with load bearing pins to prevent loosening of the mounting bolts. An adjustable ski is provided on the standard to control the cutting depth of the scribe saw blade.

Claims

1. A scribe saw assembly for a loin puller machine, comprising: a standard to drivingly support a scribe saw rotary blade; a rotary scribe saw blade mounted on the standard for cutting a carcass middle; a motor operatively connected to the blade for rotating the blade; a pinion gear and a bevel gear meshingly mounted in the standard, with the motor drivingly connected to the pinion gear and the blade drivingly connected to the bevel gear; and a shaft interconnecting the bevel gear and the blade, and a pair of bearings on the shaft to eliminate shaft deflection.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a ski slidably mounted on the standard to permit adjustment of the blade cutting depth.

3. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a double key slot on the shaft to equalize pressure on both sides of the shaft.

4. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a pair of needle bearings on the shaft to provide shaft contact along the length of the bearings.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the standard has a plurality of mounting screws and a pair of load bearing pins to preclude transfer of side loads to the mounting screws.

6. A scribe saw assembly for a loin puller machine, comprising: a standard to drivingly support a scribe saw rotary blade; a rotary scribe saw blade mounted on the standard for cutting a carcass middle; a motor operatively connected to the blade for rotating the blade; a pinion gear and a bevel gear meshingly mounted in the standard, with the motor drivingly connected to the pinion gear and the blade drivingly connected to the bevel gear; and a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a double key slot on the shaft to equalize pressure on both sides of the shaft.

7. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising a ski slidably mounted on the standard to permit adjustment of the blade cutting depth.

8. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a pair of needle bearings on the shaft to provide shaft contact along the length of the bearings.

9. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the bevel gear and the blade, and a pair of bearings on the shaft to eliminate shaft deflection.

10. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the standard has a plurality of mounting screws and a pair of load bearing pins to preclude transfer of side loads to the mounting screws.

11. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the bevel gear and the blade, and a pair of bearings on the shaft to eliminate shaft deflection.

12. A scribe saw assembly for a loin puller machine, comprising: a standard to drivingly support a scribe saw rotary blade; a rotary scribe saw blade mounted on the standard for cutting a carcass middle; a motor operatively connected to the blade for rotating the blade; a pinion gear and a bevel gear meshingly mounted in the standard, with the motor drivingly connected to the pinion gear and the blade drivingly connected to the bevel gear; and the standard having a plurality of mounting screws and a pair of load bearing pins to preclude transfer of side loads to the mounting screws.

13. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a double key slot on the shaft to equalize pressure on both sides of the shaft.

14. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a pair of needle bearings on the shaft to provide shaft contact along the length of the bearings.

15. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a ski slidably mounted on the standard to permit adjustment of the blade cutting depth.

16. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the pinion gear and the motor, with a double key slot on the shaft to equalize pressure on both sides of the shaft.

17. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a shaft interconnecting the bevel gear and the blade, and a pair of bearings on the shaft to eliminate shaft deflection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the scribe saw assembly of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a view showing the assembled pinion components of the scribe saw assembly.

(3) FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the beveled gear components of the scribe saw assembly.

(4) FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the assembled components of the scribe saw assembly.

(5) FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the scribe saw standard with the adjustable ski in a retracted position.

(6) FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the adjustable ski in an extended position.

(7) FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the standard with the adjustable ski in a retracted position.

(8) FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 with the adjustable ski in an extended position.

(9) FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a loin puller machine having the scribe saw assembly of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 10 is an elevation view of the mounting end of the standard of the scribe saw assembly.

(11) FIG. 11 is an elevation view of one side of the bevel gear of the scribe saw assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) The scribe saw assembly of the present invention is generally designated in the drawings by the reference numeral 10. The assembly 10 is part of a loin puller machine 12. The scribe saw assembly 10 has a standard or head 14. The standard 14 is mounted to a motor housing 16 with a motor therein having an output or drive shaft. More particularly, the standard 14 has a circular flange 18 with a plurality of mounting holes 20 for receiving bolts 22 which extend through the flange 18 and into threaded holes in the motor housing 16. The flange 18 also includes a pair of holes 24 through which pins 26 extend into the motor housing 16. The pins 26 prevent operational side loads from transferring to the bolts 22, thereby preventing the bolts from loosening and becoming lost during operation of the loin puller 12.

(13) A pinion assembly 30 is adapted to receive the motor drive shaft. The pinion shaft 32 also has an output shaft 36 upon which a pinion gear 38 is mounted. The body 40 of the pinion gear 38 has an internal bore 42 to receive the output shaft 36. A pair of needle bearings 44 are mounted on the pinion body 30. The use of the needle bearing 44 on the pinion shaft 32 provides contact substantially along the full length of the needle, as opposed to a line contact provided by prior art roller bearings. Thus, the needle bearing provides approximately one hundred times more contact for better control of the pinion assembly 30, increasing the longevity of the motor shaft, pinion shaft, and bearing.

(14) Pinion assembly 30 extends substantially into the hollow body 48 of the standard 14. The pinion shaft 32 also includes a pair of external cutouts 36, each of which receive a key for providing a tight fit of the pinion to the pinion shaft 32. This double cutout and key construction allows for equal pressure on both side of the motor shaft, thereby precluding uneven forces on the motor shaft and extending the life of the motor shaft.

(15) A bevel gear assembly 50 is mounted in the standard 14 and generally extends perpendicular to the pinion assembly 30. The bevel gear assembly 50 includes a bevel gear 52 mounted on a bushing 54, and a shaft 56 extending through the gear 52, bushing 54, and the standard 14. The end 58 of the shaft 56 is threaded, and extends beyond the back wall of the standard 14 to receive a retaining nut 60. The shaft 56 extends to a first bearing 62 fit within the bushing 54, and a second bearing 64 fit within the standard 14. The shaft 56 is locked to the standard 14 by a pin 66 to prevent rotation of the shaft 56. The pin 66 extends into a transverse hole 68 in the shaft 56, with the outer end of the pin 66 being received in a slot or notch formed in the back wall of the standard 14.

(16) The gears 62, 64, which reside within the bushing 54, provide substantial contact with the gear shaft 56, without the use of a conventional spacer. This construction minimizes or eliminates side loads on the gear shaft 56, and thereby prevents deflection of the shaft 56, which would otherwise be transferred to the scribe saw blade 70.

(17) The scribe saw blade 70 is mounted to the bevel gear 52 via four pins 72 press fit into holes or sockets in the front face of the bevel gear 52. The pins 72 provide constant holding power for the blade 70. A grease shield 74 may reside between the blade 70 and the bevel gear 52 to seal the bevel assembly 50 against exterior contamination. A blade nut 76 is threadably mounted on the bevel gear ring 78 to retain the blade 70 on the bevel gear assembly 50. The ring 78 includes internal threads for threadable coupling of a bear lock nut 80.

(18) The depth of cut of the blade 70 is controlled by an adjustable ski 82 mounted on the standard 14. In a preferred embodiment, the ski 82 has a mounting bracket comprised of a pair of arms 84 each having a slot 86 therein. A bolt 88 extends through each of the slots 86 and into the back of the standard 14. The vertical position of the ski 82 can be adjusted by loosening the bolts 88 and sliding the ski arms up or down via the slots 86 to a desired position. Then the bolts 88 are re-tightened to maintain the ski 82 in the selected position.

(19) Preferably, the standard 14 is machined so as to produce a smooth finish, as compared to prior art cast standards. The smooth finish makes cleaning easier and minimizes bacteria traps. The back wall 15 of the standard 14 has been increased in thickness by approximately one-half inch, from 0.20 to 0.70.

(20) The addition of a second bearing inside the head of the standard 14 helps maintain proper meshing alignment of the pinion gear 38 with the bevel gear 52, by eliminating flex which is otherwise present with only a single bearing. Thus, the double bearing bevel gear assembly 50 minimizes wear on the blade 70 and eventual failure of the blade 70, which is a significant safety risk.

(21) The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes as least all of its stated objectives.