TREA

Method and means for stuffing natural casings with a sausage emulsion

Follow

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 7182684
  • Patent Number
    7,182,684
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, September 10, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 27, 2007
    17 years ago
Information
Abstract
A method of stuffing natural casings with emulsion involves placing a follower against an upstream end of the natural casing to slide the natural casing forwardly along a hollow meat stuffing tube. The follower is mounted on the stuffing tube and advances the natural casing towards a discharge end of the stuffing tube, where sausage emulsion is injected into the natural casing. The follower pushes the filled casing through a hollow conical-shaped restricting device adjacent the discharge end which limits the outer diameter of the filled natural casing to ensure the uniform shape of the casing as it enters the twisting mechanism. The follower is connected to a longitudinally movable shaft that is parallel to the stuffing tube. A machine includes the foregoing components to accomplish this method.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, sausages have been made by filling the natural intestines of sheep or other animals with a sausage product whereupon the filled natural casing was formed into links for cooking. In more modern times, sausages are predominantly made by introducing an emulsion into an artificial casing, which encases the sausage material through linking and preliminary cooking. Machines for making sausages with artificial casings have a high volume capability (up to 30,000 sausages per hour). Efforts have been made to use these high-speed machines with natural casings. However, because of the nature of the natural casings including their relatively shorter and variable length and non-uniform diameter, modern sausage encasing machines have not achieved the volume and capacity with natural casings as they do with artificial casings.


U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,580 to Hergott et al. discloses a method and means for stuffing natural casings with sausage emulsion. Hergott et al. teaches the use of a slidable collar 28 that works in conjunction with a sensor 24A to position a natural casing 32 about the stuffing tube 14. As the natural casing 32 is stuffed with emulsion, collar 28 advances the natural casing 32 towards the twisting mechanism 16, which prepares the natural casing 32 for linking.


One disadvantage with conventional methods of stuffing natural casings with sausage emulsion, such as that taught by Hergott et al. above, is that the natural casing, as it is being stuffed with emulsion, does not easily advance towards the twisting mechanism. Typical methods will push the natural casing towards the twisting mechanism, which may cause the natural casing to become shirred as it approaches the twisting mechanism.


It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a method and a machine for encasing sausages whereby the natural casing is uniformly shaped when stuffed with the sausage emulsion.


A further object of this invention is to provide a method and a machine for encasing sausages whereby the natural casing is advanced on the stuffing tube by a follower mounted on the stuffing tube and moved longitudinally by a longitudinally moving shaft connected thereto.


These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.


BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of stuffing natural casings with emulsion involves placing a follower against an upstream end of the natural casing to slide the natural casing forwardly along a hollow meat stuffing tube. The follower is mounted on the stuffing tube and advances the natural casing towards a discharge end of the stuffing tube, where sausage emulsion is injected into the natural casing. The follower pushes the filled casing through a hollow conical-shaped restricting device adjacent the discharge end which limits the outer diameter of the filled natural casing to ensure the uniform shape of the casing as it enters the twisting mechanism. The follower is connected to a longitudinally movable shaft that is parallel to the stuffing tube.


A machine includes the foregoing components to accomplish this method.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS


FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sausage making machine showing the conventional components, as modified by this invention;



FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the present invention showing the forward end of the stuffing tube with the follower and the shape restricting device adjacent the twisting mechanism.





DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term “emulsion” as used herein includes meat or any other edible substance.


With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional sausage making machine 10 has a frame 11, a pump 12 connected to a source of emulsion (not shown), a hollow meat stuffing tube 14 with discharge end 14A, a twisting mechanism 16, a linking mechanism 18, a discharge horn 20, and a conveyor 22.


With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a follower 24 is shown to advance natural casing 26 about hollow meat stuffing tube 14. Follower 24 is slidably mounted about stuffing tube 14. A driving shaft 28 is attached to follower 24. Shaft 28 is driven by a servo motor (not shown) or similar devices as is common in the art.


A conical shaped restricting device 30 is mounted about the discharge end 14A of the stuffing tube 14. Conical shaped restrictor 30 an exterior side wall that extends from a smaller diameter end adjacent the discharge end 14A of the stuffing tube 14 to a larger diameter end to decrease the diameter of the natural casing 26 as it is being slidably moved towards the discharge end 14A of the stuffing tube 14 and through twisting mechanism 16. Restrictor 30 may be adapted to rotate about discharge end 14A as follower 24 pushes the natural casing 32 towards the twisting mechanism 16.


In operation, natural casing 26 is positioned about stuffing tube 14. Follower 24, driven by shaft 28, slides about stuffing tube 14 towards the discharge end 14A, thereby pushing the natural casing 26 towards the twisting mechanism 16. As natural casing 26 moves towards the twisting mechanism 16, it engages with conical shaped restricting device 30. Restrictor 30 limits the outer diameter of the natural casing 26 such that it is of a uniform diameter as it is filled with sausage emulsion and enters twisting mechanism 16. Follower 24 pushes the natural casing 26 through the restrictor 30 and advances it towards the twisting mechanism 16, where the natural casing 26 is linked in conjunction with linking mechanism 18.


It is therefore seen that by the use of a shape restricting device and a follower, this invention permits the smooth advancement of natural casings during the emulsion stuffing process to ensure the uniform shape of the casing as it is filled with sausage as it enters the twisting mechanism.

Claims
  • 1. A method of advancing a natural casing along the length of a hollow meat stuffing tube, comprising, placing a hollow natural casing on the outside surface of a hollow stuffing tube having a meat emulsion discharge end,placing a follower against an upstream end of the natural casing to slide the natural casing forwardly along the stuffing tube towards a discharge end,placing a hollow conical shaped restrictor on the stuffing tube having a side wall extending from a smaller diameter end adjacent the discharge end of the stuffing tube to a larger diameter end,decreasing the diameter of the natural casing with the side wall of the conical shaped restrictor as the natural casing is being slidably moved towards the discharge end of the tube, andplacing a twisting mechanism in spaced relation to and located downstream from the hollow conical shaped restrictor.
  • 2. A machine for stuffing natural casings with emulsion, comprising, a hollow meat stuffing tube on the machine having a first end and a discharge end for extruding emulsion into a natural casing on an outer surface of the stuffing tube,a follower slidably mounted on the stuffing tube adjacent an end of the natural casing nearest the first end of the stuffing tube,a hollow conical shaped restrictor on the stuffing tube having a side wall with an exterior extending from a smaller diameter end adjacent the discharge end of the stuffing tube to a larger diameter end to decrease the diameter of the natural casing, anda twisting mechanism in spaced relation to and located downstream from the hollow conical shaped restrictor.
  • 3. The machine of claim 2 further comprising, a longitudinally movable shaft that is parallel to the stuffing tube and connected to the follower and drives the follower longitudinally about the stuffing tube, thereby pushing the natural casing towards the discharge end of the stuffing tube as the casing is filled with emulsion.
US Referenced Citations (86)
Number Name Date Kind
872294 Hambruch Nov 1907 A
990547 Gunuskey Apr 1911 A
1038912 Loerke Sep 1912 A
1395967 Merli et al. Nov 1921 A
1486476 Bloss Mar 1924 A
2568491 Edwards Sep 1951 A
3122779 Blcchschmidt Mar 1964 A
3150410 Washburn Sep 1964 A
3195176 Washburn Jul 1965 A
3253297 Nuckles May 1966 A
3404430 Kielsmeier et al. Oct 1968 A
3480449 Sumption Nov 1969 A
3672001 Greider Jun 1972 A
3724030 Rassbach et al. Apr 1973 A
3731346 Kupcikevicius May 1973 A
3805329 Kollross Apr 1974 A
3805480 Cherio et al. Apr 1974 A
3826852 Levaco et al. Jul 1974 A
3860996 Kupcikevicius et al. Jan 1975 A
3952370 Greider Apr 1976 A
3964128 Townsend et al. Jun 1976 A
3964236 Smith Jun 1976 A
4112546 Muller Sep 1978 A
4202075 Michel et al. May 1980 A
RE30390 Kupcikevicius et al. Sep 1980 E
4257146 Karp Mar 1981 A
4335488 Becker Jun 1982 A
4417368 Washburn Nov 1983 A
4419790 Niedecker Dec 1983 A
4430772 Michel et al. Feb 1984 A
4434527 Staudenrausch et al. Mar 1984 A
4434528 Niedecker Mar 1984 A
4437209 Duroyon Mar 1984 A
4438545 Kupcikevicius et al. Mar 1984 A
4447933 Spiegelberg May 1984 A
4489460 Nausedas Dec 1984 A
4525895 Raudys Jul 1985 A
4570300 Nausedas Feb 1986 A
4580316 Gunter Apr 1986 A
4593433 Nausedas Jun 1986 A
4642848 Kollross Feb 1987 A
4649602 Kupcikevicius Mar 1987 A
4670942 Townsend Jun 1987 A
4683617 Raudys Aug 1987 A
4768261 Nakamura Sep 1988 A
4776062 Bacon Oct 1988 A
4893377 Evans et al. Jan 1990 A
4920611 Townsend May 1990 A
4970758 Naples et al. Nov 1990 A
4991260 Nausedas Feb 1991 A
5046219 Stanley Sep 1991 A
5067313 Evans Nov 1991 A
5074386 Evans Dec 1991 A
5083970 Reutter Jan 1992 A
5092814 Kasai et al. Mar 1992 A
5104348 Powers et al. Apr 1992 A
5147239 Staudenrausch Sep 1992 A
5152712 Nausedas Oct 1992 A
5156565 Jonnard Oct 1992 A
5197914 Powers Mar 1993 A
5199921 Townsend Apr 1993 A
5203735 Stanek Apr 1993 A
5273482 Beckman et al. Dec 1993 A
5297983 Mueller et al. Mar 1994 A
5352151 Piereder Oct 1994 A
5354228 Smith et al. Oct 1994 A
5399213 Oxley Mar 1995 A
5512012 Lendle et al. Apr 1996 A
5743792 Hanten et al. Apr 1998 A
5813906 Phillips Sep 1998 A
5830050 Nakamura et al. Nov 1998 A
5842914 Vermeer et al. Dec 1998 A
6050888 Nakamura et al. Apr 2000 A
6056635 Vermeer et al. May 2000 A
6066035 Hergott et al. May 2000 A
6066036 Carollo May 2000 A
6117003 Brinson Sep 2000 A
6139416 Toepfer Oct 2000 A
6524177 Bolzacchini Feb 2003 B2
6558241 Hergott et al. May 2003 B2
6572464 Hergott et al. Jun 2003 B1
6585580 Hergott et al. Jul 2003 B1
6638154 Misiewicz et al. Oct 2003 B1
6659853 Hergott et al. Dec 2003 B1
6659854 Hergott et al. Dec 2003 B1
6669545 Hergott et al. Dec 2003 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number Date Country
1136604 Sep 1962 DE
3608777 Mar 1986 DE
4232759 Mar 1994 DE
29819328 Oct 1998 DE
10001423 Jan 2000 DE
0379123 Jul 1990 EP
2780246 Dec 1999 FR
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20050059330 A1 Mar 2005 US