CA1039910A - Hide pulling method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The invention involves pulling the hide mechanically from beef carcasses, in a manner such as to avoid hide and carcass damage without resorting to electric stimulus, and without the need for trimming knife labor in removing the hide effectively and advantageously from the skull of the carcass.
The invention thus provides a method of removing the hide from a meat carcass including a head having the hide slitted lengthwise along the belly, the hide being partially detached from the carcass to provide side flaps disposed along opposite sides of the carcass, including flap portions resulting from peeling the hide from the forelegs, said method comprising the steps of: suspending the carcass from the hind legs with the unskinned head and the skinned forelegs lowermost; gripping the side flaps at opposite sides of the carcass near the forelegs, and forcibly pulling the hide over and off the head while restraining the forelegs against movement in the direction of the hide pulling force.

Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various methods have been employed heretofore ~
in mechanically pulling the hides from meat animals, -as a step in the processing of meat on a rapid produc-tion basis. According to one method, as disclosed in ;
U. S. Patent 3,626,550, a carcass is suspended by the ~;
hind legs and mechanical means are provided for strip-ping a loosened hide from the hindquarters toward the head. In this patent, electric stimulus is employed to cause carcass muscle contraction, which is said to ~`
stiffen the carcass and facilitate progressi~e removal : of the hide from the body and the skull as a continu- ;-ous operation. A somewhat similar operation is dis-closed in the U. S. Patent 3,537,130.
The prior methods above mentioned have been em- `
ployed both with and without the aid of electric stimu-lus, with varying degrees of success. In some forms of mechanical apparatus for hide removal, the hide stripping operation commenced at the skull and pro~
gressed toward the hindquarters. This usually entailed a preliminary burden of skillful hand knifing at the skull, as well as along the sides of the carcass, with-out decreasing the liklihood of damage to the hide, ` -flesh, and spine of the carcass. Such devices usually ; pulled the hide laterally then upwardly toward the hind-quarters of the suspended carcass, as disclosed in a general way by the drawings hereto appended.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION i'-', In accordance with the present invention, the `
hides of a suspended carcass is slitted along the belly ,~
and throat of the carcass, whereupon with the use of a , ' "Jarvis" air knife or equivalent cutting or trimming implement, flaps of hide are produced at opposite sides of the carcass along substantially the full length there~
of in accordance with common practice. The carcass, sus- ~
pended from its hind legs, is conveyed to a hide puller ,-'~,' ' which comprises a plurality of moving upstanding hooks ,'5,!. ','"'.,, which travel for a distance along a somewhat lateral ~' ' course, away from the spine of the carcass, and then , digress approximately vertically upwardly to an upper limit of travel well above the point of suspension of ,~
the carcass.
`1~ A yoke member preferably in the form of a chain, ,' with opposite fTee ends and an intermediate anchor por~
;~ tion, is used for pul~ing the hide progressively from ;~' ', ~ the skull and thereafter from the remainder of the car~
cass, as a selected hook of the hide'puller advances the '' yoke member steadily from a lower or base position toward ' the upper limit of travel. ;~
'~ The opposite free ends of the yoke member are pro-, ~ided with flap grippers or loops, which securely grip opposite side flaps o the hide produced by an advance ' skinning of the forelegs and chest. The intermediate or anchor portion of the yoke member is adapted to engage -~

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a traveling hook of the hide puller, by the simple act of throwing the anchor portion over the upstanding end of the hook.
During adrancement of the yoke member by a travel- -ing hook as stated, the previously skinned forelegs of ~-the animal are drawn away from said hook in a direction . :
opposite to the direction of the initial hook advance-ment. This withdrawal of the forelegs tends to arch the ;~
neck and spine of the carcass over the shoulders and back, while the yoke member continues to advance and to eventu-ally skin the skull clear of hide. Further advancement `
of the yoke member dehides the shoulders, back, and hind- `i quarters progressively and usually without the need for ~ ~-any knife work.
It has been determined that the procedure above .~ , outlined dehides the carcass without damage to the spine, i~ `
the hide, or the flesh of the carcass, and this is accom-plished without the use of electric stimulus. It is be~
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lieved that contraction of the spine, rather than elonga~
tion or stretching thereof, results from arching the ~; ,, ~, spine as stated, during detachment of the hide therefrom.
By eliminating or minimizing stretch, and possible tear-ing of tissue or muscle connecting the vertebrae of the ;:! ' ' ~' spine, the present invention ensures the production of `~
meat which will readily pass inspection and reach the rr~ '.' ~ :' market in palatable condition.
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,,''-: ' Additional advantages resulting from practice of the present in~ention are that one man can be eliminated at kill rates as low as 35 cattle per hour, and about one pound o additional head meat is left on the car-:: .
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Another pronounced and important ad~antage is : that an improved hide take-off from the upper back occurs due to the inclination imparted to the carcass by the stanchion, or secondary puller.
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BRrEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ~-.. . .
Fig~ 1 is a side elerational view of a carcass suspended from a conveyor before an up-pulling hide puller, and showing a counterpuller in conjunction there- ~
with, the components being illustrated in a condition ~ -free of stress.
. Fig. 2 is a side view similar to Fig. 1, show-ing the carcass undergoing dehiding in accordance with the teaching oE the present invention.
i DE~CRIPTION OF THE PREFERR~D EMBODIMENTS
A~ is usual, the meat processing plant includes a conveyor system from which a multiplicity of carcasses 6 are suspended by the hind legs 8~ The head 10 and -~
forelegs 12 are lowermost, as shown. The conveyor sys tem, denoted generally by the reference numeral 14, may be conventional, and will serve to carry the carcasses successively into position for removal of the hide 16.
Before reaching the hide remover or hide puller mechanism 20, the hide will have been slitted along the belly, and `:
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trimmed at the legs and shanks by means of a knife to ;~- -provide flaps 18 at opposite sides o-f the carcass, the flaps extending from the region of the jawbones to the -rear of the hind leg shanks, approximately.
A conventional hide puller denoted generally by the numeral 20 may comprise a heavy frame 22 in which is journaled a series of sprockets or wheels 24, 26, 28, over which is trained an endless chain or conveyor 30 that carries a plurality of outwardly extending hooks ~-32 equally spaced along the chain. A curved guide rail 34 mounted upon the machine frame, guides the chain to provide a substantially lateral section or reach 36, `~
and an upwardly directed section or reach 38. The chain may be advanced upon the several sprockets by means of ., ~ , : ..: - .
a motor 40 and speed reducer 41, or any suitable drive ;; mechanism9 in the direction of the arrow shown. The hooks of the chain reach an elevation considerably above i the suspension point of carcass 6.
The reference numeral 42 indicates a guide means ~ , for control of the hide undergoing removal, and forms ti.
- no part of the present invention.
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, At 44 is indicated a chain or equivalent flexi ble element, formed as a yoke having two hide gripper - T
arms 46 and 48 divergent from an intermediate connecting I portion 50. The free ends of arms 46 and 48 carry flap - grippers to securely grip the foreleg hide flaps at 54.
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- The connecting portion 50 is adapted to engage a hook ~ such as 32 of the movable conveyor chain 30. The portion ;

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: .. ; . ; ,, . .. . , ; i , . , j .. .~ ,:,: .; .: .. . , :, 9~ r '',; ~'' 50 may be referred to as an anchor portion of the yoke member~ The anchor portion 50 is easily and quickly - -:.
placed manually in engagement with a hook 32, where it ;`
will remain until the hide has been stripped from the carcass. The anchor portion disengages from the hook after the detached hide is drawn upwardly under a hood ~ -52 and falls by gravi~y at the rear of the hide puller.
In accordance with the present invention, there - is provided in conjunction with the up-pull type pri-mary hide puller, a secondary or auxiliary puller or stanchion denoted generally by the numeral 60. Puller ... . .
60 operates to draw the previously skinned forelegs 12 in a direction substantially opposite to the pull ini- ~ -tially exerted upon the hide by hook 32 The secondary puller 60 comprises a base or fixed platform 62 upon which is pivoted at 64 an inclined stanchion 66~ the stanchion being provided along a por~
tion of its length with a series of studs or anchor mem-bers 68 located at di~ferent distances from pivot 64. ;~
Members 68 furnish means for anchoring a pair of pull chains 7Q, 70 to the stanchion, which chains at their opposite ends 72 are secured about the forelegs 12, one chain being attached to each foreleg. The attachments at 72 may be formed by loops in the chains, to facilitate and expedite securement and release of the leg connections.
The stanchion 66 may be swung about pivot 64 by "~
power means, between the inoperative full line position of ., ~ -8 ,.
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Fig. 1 and the operative broken line position thereof. - -~
One form of power means is shown by way of example, as , a pneumatic cylinder motor 74 under the control of a valve 76 located preferably near the attendant's station ~-at the primary hide puller. The pneumatic cylinder may have pivotal connections at 76~ 78 with the platform 62 and stanchion 66, respectively, for proper operation.
As shown, the secondary puller appears to employ ~ -a single pneumatic cylinder operative upon a single up~
right stanchion member 66, which member 66 provides anchorage for two identical oreleg chains 70, one being `~
attachable to each foreleg of the carcass. In practice ? `., howe~er, it may be desirable to construct the stanchion - -as a rigid open frame having two uprights, such as 66, ~ ~
arranged in a common plane, and movable in unison by ~a'"' 1 .
two pneumatic cylinders each operative upon one of the uprights. The open frame may be rectangular in form. --It is important, of course, that the two cylinders operate ;
simultaneously to apply equal pull.ing forces to the two 29 foreleg chains.
OPERATION OF THE DEVICE ..
The carcass 6 is prepared in advance of the hide ~
removal operation, by slitting the hide lengthwise al~ng i -`
the belly, and knie-trimming the hide from the forelegs, ',',!~.~, ., the hind legs and shanks, to form the longitudinal flaps ;~
18 along opposite sides of the carcass. The head 10 is not to be skimled in advance, because the hide will be ~ ~
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peeled from the head incident to the pulling procedure, with substantial advantage resulting.
The carcass prepared as stated, is conveyed ;~
` head down, to the vicinity of the primary and secondary hide pullers, where an attendant attaches the skinned forelegs by means of chains 70 to the forwardly inclined stanchion 66, (see full lines 66 of Fig. l); also, the yoke chains 46, 48 will be secured to the foreleg sîde flaps at 54 at opposite sides of the neck or shoulders.
Then the attendant engages the intermediate anchor portion 50 of the yoke onto the nearest hook 32 of the primary - hide puller. Hook 32 in advancing will exert an initial lateral pull upon the side flaps at 54, by way of chain sections 46 and 48. After said chain sections have reached a state of tension, the attendant may manipulate ` valve 76 to effect pneumatic withdrawal of stanchion 66 to or toward the operative position of Fig 2.
As shown by Fig. 2, continued advancement of the operative hook 32 laterally, effects remo~al of hide from ~-~
., 20 the shoulders and head 10, while the forelegs are drawn in the opposite direction ~y the secondary puller. Fur-ther advancement of hook 32, in upward direction, effects .' ~, .
removal of hide completely from the back and rump, where-upon the attendant may manipulate valve 76 to restore stanchion 66 to the initial inoperative position, at which the chains 70 free of stress, may be detached from the forelegs of the carcass.

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It is here to be noted that the counterforce imposed upon the forelegs of the carcass by the secondary `
puller 60, limits the extent to which the primary puller may contort the neck, head and vertebrae of the spine, as hook 32 proceeds toward and onto the upswing of its ad~ancing movement One important effect of said counter-force is evidenced by a clean and complete dehiding of the head, without the aid of the trimming knife. The head is cleanly dehided without objectionable tearing of flesh or fat therefrom. Accordingly, there is suf-fered no unnecessary loss of carcass weight, and the : ~ .
hide removed is found unusually clean and clear of un- -wanted flesh.
Another important accomplishment of the instant procedure, concerns the quality and appearance of the meat produced. Heretofore it was considered necessary to contract ~nd stiffen the spine and surrounding muscles during dehiding, by applying electric stimulus or shock ` to the carcass, in order to preclude tearing, mutilation, ~5;
and discoloration of the carcass meat as the hide was ~ :fi - ~ : . .: . `
stripped therefrom. The present invention renders un~
necessary the labor and expense of such electric stimu~
lation, as the same results are realized by the proper application of pulling forces as herein taught, It is believed that the opposing forces applied ., .i to the carcass by the primary and secondary hide pullers as herein taught, result in a controlled inward flexing``
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(Fig. 2) of the spine which cramps and stiffens, rather .
- than stretch the vertebral structure and its supporting `
muscles and tissues, so that these parts may not readily yield and tear apart under the stress of hide stripping.
Use of the method and apparatus herein dis-~ closed minimizes the labor and expense of meat production, ; improves the quality and the appearance of meat produced, and results in the production of high quality unblemished hides on a major scale. By avoiding damage to the car-cass in processing, this method facilitates and ex ~`-pedites inspection and passage in the application of health standards.
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Claims (3)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS;

1. The method of removing the hide from a meat car-cass including a head having the hide slitted lengthwise along the belly, the hide being partially detached from the carcass to provide side flaps disposed along opposite sides of the car-cass, including flap portions resulting from peeling the hide from the forelegs, said method comprising the steps of: sus-pending the carcass from the hind legs with the unskinned head and the skinned forelegs lowermost; gripping the side flaps at opposite sides of the carcass near the forelegs, and forcibly pulling the hide over and off the head while simultaneously pulling the forelegs in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of said lateral force, thereby to curve the spine in a direction tending to shorten the spine and oppose stretch-ing thereof lengthwise during the hide removal procedure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hide pulling force is applied first laterally and then longitudinally of the spine of the carcass.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising attaching the forelegs to a pivoted stanchion member, and applying the force for pulling said forelegs with the aid of a piston and cylinder arrangement coupled to said stanchion member.