SWEEP EDGE BLADES FOR LOIN PULLER MACHINE

Abstract

A knife blade for a loin puller machine to cut pork carcasses includes an elongated member with opposite upper and lower mounting ends to mount the blade to the machine. The mounting ends are offset with respect to one another, with a cutting edge extending angularly between the opposite mounting ends. Angular orientation of the cutting edge causes the cutting edge to enter the meat sequentially between the opposite ends of the cutting edge, thereby providing a cleaner cut with improved yield and less blade wear when the carcass is not firm.

Claims

1. A knife blade for a loin puller machine, comprising: an elongated member having portions along its length, including: an upper mount portion adapted to mount to the machine; a lower mount portion adapted to mount to the machine; a cutting edge between the upper and lower mount portions of the member; and the cutting edge being angularly offset with respect to an axis of the upper mount portion and the axis of the lower mount portion.

2. The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower mount portions are longitudinally offset with to one another.

3. The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the cutting edge has opposite first and second ends which are adapted to enter a meat carcass sequentially.

4. The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the upper mount portion has a first longitudinal axis, the lower central portion has a second longitudinal axis, and the cutting edge has a third longitudinal axis, and the first and second longitudinal axes being parallel and offset to one another.

5. The knife blade of claim 4 wherein the third longitudinal axis is angularly disposed to the first and second longitudinal axes.

6. The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the member is a Z blade.

7. The blade of claim 6 further comprising a shelf portion and a belly cut portion.

8. The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the member is a J blade.

9. The knife blade of claim 8 further comprising a straight fatback trimming portion and a sweeping radius portion.

10. A loin puller machine, comprising: a conveyor for moving a carcass past a blade for cutting the carcass; the blade having an elongated member having opposite mounting ends adapted to be mounted to the loin puller machine; the mounting ends being longitudinally offset with respect to one another; a cutting edge on the member between the opposite mounting ends, and the cutting edge having opposite first and second cutting ends; the cutting edge extending angularly with respect to both mounting ends so as to be adapted to cut into a meat carcass sequentially from the first cutting end to the second cutting end.

11. The machine of claim 10 wherein the blade is Z-shaped.

12. The machine of claim 11 wherein the blade has a shelf portion and a belly cut portion.

13. The machine of claim 10 wherein the blade is J-shaped.

14. The machine of claim 13 wherein the blade has a trimming portion and a radius portion.

15. The machine of claim 10 wherein the mounting ends have parallel and offset axis.

16. A method of cutting meat from a pork carcass moving on a loin pulling machine, the method comprising: gradually introducing a cutting edge of a blade into the carcass, from one end of the cutting edge to another end of the cutting edge, to prevent buckling of the meat and to achieve a clean cut of the meat.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein one end of the cutting edge enters the meat before an opposite end of the cutting edge enters the meat.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the blade is a Z blade.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the blade is a J blade.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the blade is a trim blade.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Z-blade for a loin pulling machine, according to the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the Z-blade shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the Z-blade shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a left side elevation view of the Z-blade shown in FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 5 is on right side elevation view of the Z-blade shown in FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the Z-blade shown in FIG. 1.

[0019] FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the Z-blade shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the J-blade for use on a loin pulling machine, according to the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the J-blade shown in FIG. 7.

[0022] FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the J-blade shown in FIG. 7.

[0023] FIG. 11 is a left side elevation view of the J-blade shown in FIG. 7.

[0024] FIG. 12 is a right side elevation view of the J-blade shown in FIG. 7.

[0025] FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of the J-blade shown in FIG. 7.

[0026] FIG. 14 is a rear elevation view of the J-blade shown in FIG. 7.

[0027] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a trim blade for use on a loin puller machine, according to the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the trim blade shown in FIG. 14.

[0029] FIG. 17 is a bottom plan view of the trim blade shown in FIG. 14.

[0030] FIG. 18 is a left side elevation view of the trim blade shown in FIG. 14.

[0031] FIG. 19 is a right side elevation view of the trim blade shown in FIG. 14.

[0032] FIG. 20 is a front elevation view of the trim blade shown in FIG. 14.

[0033] FIG. 21 is a rear elevation of the trim blade shown in FIG. 14.

[0034] FIG. 22 is a sectional view showing the orientation of a Z blade and trim blade and the carcass on a loin pulling machine.

[0035] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a conveyor with the J, Z, and trim blades for a loin pulling machine.

[0036] FIG. 24 is a side elevation view of the conveyor and blades shown in FIG. 23.

[0037] FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the conveyor and blades shown in FIG. 23.

[0038] FIG. 26 is an end elevation view of the conveyor and blades shown in FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] A loin pulling machine 10 includes multiple blades for cutting a carcass to produce edible portions for sale. The carcass 12 includes a shoulder portion 18 and a loin portion 16. The carcass moves along a conveyor bed 18 which pulls the carcass 12 through the blades to cut the desired portions.

[0040] The Z-blade of this invention is designated by the reference numeral 20 in FIGS. 1-7. The Z-blade 20 includes a mounting portion 22, and upper central blade portion 24, a rib bone radius portion 26, a shelf portion 28 having an upper finger shelf portion 30, a shelf bend portion 32, a lower shelf portion 34, a belly cut off radius 36, a belly cut off blade portion 38, and a lower mount portion 40. The upper and lower mount portions 22 and 40 mount the Z-blade 20 to the loin puller machine 10. The general function of the Z-blade is described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,471, which is incorporated herein by reference. In comparison to the straight Z-blade shown in FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,471, the Z-blade 20 of the present invention has an angular profile, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The upper and lower mount portions 22, 40 in FIGS. 2 and 3 are laterally offset with respect to one another, with the blade edge 6 extends angularly between the upper and lower mount portions 22, 40. The cutting edge 46 has an upper end point 48 and lower end point 50. The length of the cutting edge 46, and thus the location of the upper and lower endpoints 48, 50, may vary, depending on the loin pulling machine 10 and the size of the carcass 12 processed. The cutting edge 46 may be either a single bevel and/or a double bevel edge.

[0041] The J-blade 60 of this invention is shown in FIGS. 8-14. The J-blade 60 includes a cutting edge 62, which may be either a single bevel or double bevel edge. The J-blade 60 further includes an upper mount portion 68, an upper central blade portion 70, a rib bone radius portion 72, a lower central blade portion with a flat back trimming portion 74, a transition area 76, a sweeping radius portion 78, a cut off angle bend 80, a cut off portion 82, and a lower leg mount portion 84. The upper and lower mount portion 68, 84 mount the J-blade 62 to the loin polling machine 10. The general function of the J-blade 60 is described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,471, which is incorporated herein by reference. As compared to the straight profile J blade of the U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,471, the J-blade 60 of the current invention has an angular profile, with the upper and lower mount portions 68, 84 being laterally offset with respect to one another, and the cutting edge 62 extending angularly between the upper and lower mount portions 68, 84.

[0042] The trim blade 90 of the present invention is essentially a mirror image of the J-blade 60. The trim blade 90 includes an upper mount portion 92 and a lower mount portion 94 which mount the trim blade 90 to the machine 10. The upper and lower mount portions 92, 94 are laterally offset in respect to one another, with a cutting edge 96 extending angularly between the upper and lower mount portions 92, 94.

[0043] In each of the Z, J and trim blades, the upper and lower mounting portions have parallel and offset longitudinal axes, with the axis of the respective cutting edge of each blade extending angularly between the upper and lower mount portions. In each of the Z-blade 20, J-blade 60, and trim blade 90, the angular or sweeping configuration of the cutting edges 46, 62, 96 respectively, allows the blade to gradually enter the carcass 12 from the upper end of the cutting edge to a lower end of the cutting edge, rather than the full length of the cutting edge entering the carcass 12, as in the blades of Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,471. This sequential or serial entrance of the cutting edges into the meat provides a clean cut when the meat is soft or pliable. Because the cutting edges 46, 62, 96 of the Z-blade 20, J-blade 60, and trim blade 90 do not enter the meat all at once, the meat does not buckle, as the cutting edge gradually slices into the meat. By providing a clean cut, more accurate cutting is achieved with improved yield and less stress on the blade, thereby extending the life of each blade and reducing the time requirements for replacement of worn blades.

[0044] FIG. 23 shows a slat conveyor assembly for a loin pulling machine, as described in Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. ______, (reference number P14118US00) filed contemporaneously herewith. FIGS. 23-26 also show the Z blade 20 and the J blade 60 and the sloped orientation of their respective cutting edges relative to the direction of travel (shown by the arrow in FIG. 23) for the carcass. For clarity, the trim blade 90 is not shown in FIG. 23, but is similarly mounted so as to have a sloped cutting edge. In FIG. 23, the cutting edges slope forwardly from bottom to top. It is understood that the blades can be oriented so that their cutting edges slope rearwardly from bottom to top, opposite the arrangement shown in FIG. 23. In either the forward or rearward sloping orientation, the cutting edges of the blades will gradually enter the carcass, to facilitate cutting when the carcass is relatively soft and/or pliable. Thus, the central or primary portions of the cutting edges of the Z, J and trim blades are not vertically oriented.

[0045] The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The scope of the disclosure is further qualified as including any possible modification to any of the aspects and/or embodiments disclosed herein which would result in other embodiments, combinations, subcombinations, or the like that would be obvious to those skilled in the art.