Patent Application
20250234872
The invention relates to knife blades used on a loin puller machine to separate a loin portion from the belly and fatback portions of a pork carcass.
Automatic loin pulling machines carry pork carcasses past a number of blades to remove the loin portion from the belly and fatback portions. The blades include a J-shaped blade, a Z-shaped blade, a trim blade, and a U-shaped hoop blade, The Z-blade separates the loin portion from the belly portion of a hog carcass and leaves a “belly shelf” and fingers of lean meat on the belly of a hog. The J-blade cuts from the chine or backbone side of the carcass to separate the fatback portion from the loin portion.
When the pork carcass is leaner, the meat does not stiffen as much during cooling, and the knife edge does not cut cleanly into the meat. Rather, the meat tends to buckle when the meat hits the full length of the blade edge all at once. This leads to loss of yield and consistency. The softer, pliable meat also increases the force on the blade, leading to premature wear. As the meat moves past the blade, there is cutting drag which increases wear on the blade components as well as the blade mounting components. Worn blades and components must be replaced in a timely manner to avoid yield losses, broken carcass bones, and improper meat cutting. Thus, the blades have a shorter useful life when the meat is soft.
Carcasses also tend to be firmer when they are colder.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for improved cutting blades for use with leaner pork carcasses.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of improved cutting blades which can be used with leaner pork carcasses which causes the meat to be soft or pliable.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of improved cutting blades for loin puller machines which can be used on soft and/or pliable meat.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of improved loin puller machine blades having a sweeping cutting edge so as to gradually cut into the meat as the meat is conveyed through the machine.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved Z-blade, the blade, and trim blade, for a loin puller machine which have angled cutting edges so as to gradually cut into the carcass as the carcass is conveyed past each blade.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of improved cutting blades for a loin puller machine which maximizes yield and consistency of loins cut from the carcasses.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
The J-blade, Z-blade, and trim blade of a loin puller machine are each formed with opposite mounting ends and a sweeping cutting edge. The sweeping edge of each blade is angled or sloped between the opposite mounting ends which are offset with respect to one another. The angled cutting edge of each blade gradually enters the meat product as the carcass moves along the machine and past the blades. These angled cutting edges produce a clean cut, even when the meat product is at a relatively lean wherein the meat is soft and/or pliable, so as to increase yield and consistency of the loins cut by the blades. The swept or angled cutting edges also reduce force or stress on the blade, thereby enhancing the life of the blade and minimizing downtime of the carcass cutting process for blade replacement.
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.
The Z-blade of this invention is designated by the reference numeral 20 in
The J-blade 60 of this invention is shown in
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.
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.
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.
