Patent Application
20220030891
The present disclosure relates generally to a device and method for hanging an animal carcass, and more specifically to a device and method for hanging an animal carcass from its front quarter.
Most methods of butchering involve hanging an animal carcass vertically by its two rear limbs and cutting the breastbone to remove internal organs. The carcass is then split along the backbone, splitting the beef in half, which makes it easier to handle the carcass. However, this causes meat contamination through spinal cord exposure and requires an extended cooling period that increases the total time needed for butchering. Further, butchering cooled meat can increase instances of injury to butchers.
To overcome these drawbacks, a new apparatus for butchering an animal carcass has been developed which does not require splitting the carcass and does not require that the carcass be cooled. That apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/774,753, which is incorporated herein by reference. It includes a pair of spreading plates on which an animal carcass is arranged such that the front quarter of the carcass is aligned above its hindquarter. However, the known methods and apparatuses currently used to hang an animal carcass are not suitable for use with the spreading plate apparatus. Thus, there is a need for a device and method for hanging an animal carcass by its front quarter, whether for use with the above-noted apparatus or with other butchering methods.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an animal carcass hanging device for hanging a beef carcass by its front quarter for butchering. The device could also be used with similar carcasses of hogs, pigs, sheep, goats, and deer, to name a few. The carcass hanging device has a base, at least one projection connected with the base, and a connection device connected with the projection. The base has an axis and a generally circular configuration. The projection is connected with the base at a first end. When the carcass hanging device is inserted into a central cavity of a carcass that contains an opening at its front quarter, the connection device extends through the opening, the base contacts a central cavity wall, and the connection device is connected with a structure to hang the carcass from its front quarter.
In a first embodiment, the carcass hanging device includes a base having an upper surface, a projection connected at one end with the base upper surface, and a connection device connected with a second end of the projection. The projection has a width that is less than a width of the base, and the connection device preferably includes a chain connected with its second end.
Preferably, the carcass hanging device of the first embodiment further includes at least one vertical support wall having a first edge connected with the base upper surface and a second edge connected with a surface of the projection. The vertical support wall preferably has a triangular configuration.
In a second embodiment, the base has an annular configuration and contains a central opening. Three projections are provided, each having a first end connected in spaced relation with the base and extending at an angle from the base toward a common location on the base axis. The hanging device forms a generally cone-shaped configuration. Preferably, the base has a circular configuration in a vertical cross section.
It is also an object of the present disclosure to provide a method for hanging an animal carcass, including the steps of providing a carcass hanging device, attaching the device with a carcass front quarter, connecting the device with a structure, and hanging the carcass from its front quarter to position the front quarter above the carcass hindquarter. Preferably, the carcass hanging device includes a base having an upper surface, a projection connected with the upper surface at a first end, and a connection device connected with a second end of the projection. The device is inserted into a cavity of a carcass and a portion of the device extends through a front quarter opening.
Other objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:
The present disclosure relates to a device and method for hanging an animal carcass by its front quarter. The device and method disclosed herein are described at times in reference to use with beef and/or a cow. It will be understood by those with skill in the art that the device and method can also be used in the processing application of other animals, for instance with hogs, pigs, sheep, goats, and deer.
Referring to
The device further includes support walls 14 that have a lower edge 16 connected with the base 4 and a side edge 18 connected with the projection. A free edge 20 of each wall is angled to provide additional contact with the central cavity wall of a beef carcass, as discussed in detail below. There is also a chain 22 connected with the connection device 10 which is used to hang the device, and in turn a beef carcass, from a support structure. Preferably, the base and projection have circular and cylindrical configurations, respectively. It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that a horizontal cross section of the base and projection could form various shapes, such as a triangle, square, or any other polygon.
As shown in
Referring now to
In addition to the above described device, the present disclosure also relates to a method for hanging an animal carcass. As shown in
Preferably, attaching the carcass hanging device is performed by inserting a hanging device into the central cavity of a carcass, extending a portion of the device through an opening in the front quarter of the carcass, and contacting a central cavity inner surface with a portion of the device to prevent the entire device from passing through the front quarter opening.
Although the above description references particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised and employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
