Claims
- 1. A method for processing meat, wherein a carcass moves along a meat processing line, the method comprising:
removing viscera from the carcass; accumulating the carcass at an accumulation area along the meat processing line; washing the carcass; and inspecting the carcass at an inspection station following the act of washing the carcass.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the meat processing line contains a first power chain segment and a second power chain segment, and wherein the accumulation area is positioned between the first power chain segment and the second power chain segment.
- 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising running the first power chain segment at a slower rate than the second power chain segment.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the accumulation area is a dead rail stack.
- 5. The method of claim 3 wherein the accumulation area is a rail-out section.
- 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising weighing the carcass before the act of inspecting.
- 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising weighing the carcass before the act of accumulating and after the act of removing viscera.
- 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising trimming unwanted portions from the carcass after the act of weighing.
- 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after the removing step, diverting at least one problem carcass to a further processing line.
- 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising thoroughly washing and pre-inspecting the at least one problem carcass as it travels along the further processing line and returning the at least one problem carcass to the meat processing line.
- 11. A meat processing line comprising:
a rail running through the meat processing line upon which a trolley carrying a carcass may travel; a gutter station for gutting and removing viscera from the carcass; an accumulation area operably coupled to the rail and following the gutter station, the accumulation area for accumulating the carcass along the meat processing line; a washing station following the accumulation area; and an inspection station following the washing station.
- 12. The meat processing line of claim 11 wherein the accumulation area is a dead rail stack.
- 13. The meat processing line of claim 11 wherein the accumulation area is a rail-out section.
- 14. The meat processing line of claim 11 wherein the accumulation area is located between a first power chain segment and a second power chain segment.
- 15. The meat processing line of claim 14 wherein the operating speeds of the first power chain segment and the second power chain segment are independent.
- 16. The meat processing line of claim 11 further comprising a scale for weighing the carcass, the scale being positioned along the meat processing line before the inspection station.
- 17. The meat processing line of claim 16 further comprising a trimming station positioned along the meat processing line after the scale and before the inspection station.
- 18. A method for processing a carcass, the method comprising:
attaching the carcass to a trolley and propelling the trolley along a rail of a meat processing line through the use of a power chain, wherein the power chain comprises a first power chain segment and a second power chain segment; removing viscera from the carcass; accumulating the carcass in an accumulation area along the meat processing line, wherein the accumulation area is formed generally between the first power chain segment and the second power chain segment; washing the carcass following the act of accumulating; and inspecting the carcass following the act of washing the carcass.
- 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the act of accumulating comprises stacking a number of carcasses in a dead rail stack along the meat processing line.
- 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the act of accumulating comprises accumulating a number of carcasses in a rail-out area along the meat processing line.
- 21. The method of claim 18 further comprising stopping the second power chain segment while continuing to run the first power chain segment, wherein the act of stopping the second power chain segment initiates the act of accumulating.
- 22. The method of claim 18 wherein the second power chain segment runs at a faster rate than the first power chain segment, after the accumulating step has occurred.
- 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the first power chain segment runs at a rate of about 250 to 350 head per hour and the second power chain segment runs at a rate of about 325 to 375 head per hour.
- 24. The method of claim 18 further comprising, prior to the inspecting step, the step of trimming the carcass.
- 25. A method for processing a plurality of carcasses along a meat processing line including a first rail, a second rail, and a third rail, the method comprising:
attaching the plurality of carcasses to a plurality of trolleys and propelling the trolleys along the first rail; identifying at least one selected carcass; diverting the at least one selected carcass to the second rail for processing; transferring the remainder of the plurality of carcasses to the third rail; returning the at least one selected carcass to the third rail following the processing; and inspecting the plurality of carcasses moving along the third rail.
- 26. The method of claim 25 wherein the third rail includes a first power chain and a second power chain and further comprising, prior to the inspecting step, accumulating the plurality of carcasses in an accumulation area, the accumulation area located between the first power chain and the second power chain.
- 27. The method of claim 25 wherein the rate at which the plurality of carcasses travels along the third rail is greater than the rate at which the plurality of carcasses travels along the first rail.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application claims priority from provisional Application No. 60/245,956, filed Nov. 3, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60245956 |
Nov 2000 |
US |