GB2077567A

GB2077567A - Method of and apparatus for inserting prepared giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens

Info

Publication number: GB2077567A
Application number: GB8112502A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: STOLLE Gebr & CO KG GmbH
Current assignee: STOLLE Gebr & CO KG GmbH
Priority date: 1980-04-22
Filing date: 1981-04-22
Publication date: 1981-12-23
Also published as: DE3015336C2; NL8101752A; FR2480566B1; FR2480566A1; GB2077567B; BE888504A; DK178981A; DE3015336A1

Abstract

Prepared giblets packaged in bags are inserted into dressed slaughtered chickens, each chicken being guided along a first conveyor track 4 whilst depending from a leg hook 7. Each giblet bag, which is disposed in a dish 12, is brought into the region of the first conveyor track 4 and from there to above the chicken body 8 by a second conveyor track 9, each giblet bag being inserted by a pusher 18 from the dish 12 into the slaughter opening(s) of the chicken bodies which are spread open and disposed above. The apparatus has portions of the first conveyor track 4 for the chicken bodies 8 arranged around the central superstructure and portions of the second conveyor track 9 situated at a lower level than the first conveyor track. The portions are arranged around the superstructure, which is frusto-conical, and means for sliding the pushers 18 against the dishes 12 are disposed on the superstructure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and apparatus for inserting prepared giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for inserting prepared giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens.

Slaughtered poultry dispatched by poultry slaughtering houses is packaged together with the valuble giblets, such as heart and liver, which are intended for consumption. These giblets are preferably wrapped in bags and inserted in the dressed slaughtered poultry. Up to six amd more workers are engaged in this operation in large poultry slaughtering houses.

According to the invention, there is provided a method of inserting prepared giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens, which comprises each chicken being guided along a first conveyortrackwhilst depending from a leg hook, wherein each giblet bag, disposed on a dish, is brought into the region of the first conveyor track and from there to above the chicken body by a second conveyor track, each giblet bag being inserted by a pusher from the dish into the slaughter opening(s) of the chicken bodies which are spread open and are disposed above.

The invention sets out to disclose a method of and apparatus for inserting prepared giblets into the dressed slaughtered poultry, with the aim of saving labour.

The method of the invention is reliably and simply performed by mechanical means. The giblets, packaged in bags, are inserted from above into the chicken bodies. The giblet bags can be pushed off laterally from the dishes by means of the pushers and can be inserted into the chicken bodies. The system can however also be arranged so that the dishes are pivotably disposed and the giblet bags are pushed downwardly by the pushers while the dishes are downwardly pivoted. Other methods of emptying the dishes are within the scope of the invention.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the dishes themselves are centrally opened for pushing through the giblet bags, so that these can be moved quasi perpendicularly through the dishes.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the dishes, which are shaped as an inverted cone, are particularly lowered into the slaughter openings of the chicken bodies before the giblet bags are pushed through. This ensures that the giblet bags enter the associated chicken bodies accurately in every case.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for performing the above-mentioned method of the invention, which comprises a central structure about which portions of a first conveyor track for the chicken bodies are guided, portions of a second conveyor track situated at a lower level than the first conveyor track, the portions of the second conveyor track having dishes for the giblet bags and being guided about the superstructure and means for sliding the pushers against the dishes being disposed on the superstructure.

The superstructure is frusto-conical with a surface which tapers upwardly in a conical form.

The frusto-conical superstructure has a top rotating part with guide rods on which the pushers can slide by means of sliding blocks which in turn are guided by a cam track in the conical surface. Each pusher is moved once downwards and once upwards during each rotation of the rotating part.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the dishes are arranged on associated crabs so as to be vertically slidable, more particularly also with the aid of sliding blocks which are guided by a second cam track in the conical surface. During the above-mentioned circulation of the rotating parts of the frusto-conical superstructure, the dishes are moved in phase with the pushers, once downwards and once again upwards, and during the downward motion the pushers approach the dishes and penetratethrough the opening dishes in order to lower the giblet bags into the slaughtered chickens. The dishes are preferably downwardly tapered and are conical. They comprise a plurality of dish portions which are jointed at the top and are connected to each other in a spring-biased manner. The dishes are themselves lowered into the slaughter openings of the chickens.

It is within the scope of the invention that control means, more particularly electronic control means, are provided to ensure that giblet bags are pushed off the dishes by the pushers if an associated chicken has actually been brought into position on the first conveyor track.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for inserting prepared giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a conveyor track for the prepared giblets in the region of the apparatus as shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an enlarged side view of a dish for the prepared giblets with a pusher disposed thereabove in a first operating position; and Figure 4 shows an enlarged side view of the dish for the prepared giblets with the pusher in a second operating position.

Figure 1 shows the apparatus in a simplified form.

A frusto-conical superstructure 2 is disposed centrally on a column la on a base frame 1 of the apparatus. The external circumference of the superstructure is in the form of a conical surface 2a which tapers in an upward direction. A subsequent track 4 of known construction for the slaughtered chickens 8 is connected around the apparatus at a distance from the top region of the frusto-conical superstructure 2. Crabs 5 with rollers 6 are movable on the conveyortrack 4 at uniform distances one behind the other. Leg hooks 7 freely depend from the crabs 4.

The slaughtered and dressed chickens 8 are attached to the leg hooks 7.

Slightly above the larger circumference of the frusto-conical superstructure 2 and at a distance therefrom, a second conveyor track 9 is guided around the apparatus extending approximately para Ilel to the first conveyor track 4. Crabs 10disposed at uniform distances from each other are also movable on the second conveyor track 9. Dishes 12 for receiv ing the giblet packages are disposed beneath the crabs 10 on the second conveyortrack 9 in such a mannerthatthe dishes 12 are vertically slidable on rods 11 which are downwardly oriented from the crabs 10 as shown in Figure 3. Arrows A in Figures 1 and 2 indicate the conveying direction of the two conveyor tracks 4 and 9 and the direction of rotation of a turning part 3.

The turning part 3 is disposed above the frustoconical superstructure 2 and is coaxial therewith.

The turning part3 isdragingly rotated art a circumferential speed which corresponds to the feed rate of the crabs 5 and 10 on the two conveyor tracks 4 and 9.

Guide rods 15, disposed at uniform distances from each other, extend downwardly from the turning part 3 and are parallel with the conical surfaces 2a of the frusto-conical superstructure 2. Sliding blocks 16 are vertically and reciprocatingly slidable on the guide rods 15 and are guided on the insides of a cam track 17 associated with the conical surface 2a. A downwardly extending pusher 18 is provided on the outside of each sliding block 16. Rotation of the rotating part3 during one circulation causes the pushers 18 to be downwardly guided by the cam track 17 so that the pushers plunge into the dishes 12.

As can be seen by reference to Figures 3 and 4, the dishes 12, which taper downwardly in conical form, comprise a plurality of dish sections 1 2a which are pivotably jointed at the top and are held together at the bottom by spring elements not shown. The bottom ends can be spread open so that the dishes open downwardly. On the side nearest to the conical surface 2a, each dish 12 is provided with a sliding block 13 which is guided in a cam track 19 of the conical surface 2a.

The apparatus functions as follows: The slaughtered and dressed chicken bodies 8 are supplied to the apparatus on the first conveyor track 4. The distances between the crabs on the first conveyor track and on the second conveyor track, the arrangement of the pushers 18 and of the dishes 12, as well as the feed rates of these elements, are such that one chicken body 8, one dish 12 and one pusher 18 respectively are associated with each other in the circulating region around the frusto-conical superstructure 2.

The giblets, which are to be inserted into the chicken bodies, are disposed on dishes 12 and are advantageously packaged in bags. The giblets are supplied on the second conveyor track 9. Insertion of the giblet bag 13 is initiated by the appropriate pusher 18 controlled by the cam track 17. The pusher 18 travels downwardly into the dish 12, grips the giblet bag and pushes it downwardly out of the dish 12 which opens in a downward direction. At the same time, the dish 12, controlled by the cam track 19, will have lowered to the extent that the bottom conical part of the dish is inserted into the opening of the chicken body before the dish is opened in the above-described manner under the action of the pusher 18. This ensuresthatthe giblet bags are actually inserted by the pusher 18 into the chicken bodies.

The cam tracks 17 and 19 are constructed so that initially the pusher 18 retracts upwardly and the dish 12 then returns upwardly and is thus released from the chicken body. The circulating first conveyor trask will then transfer the chickens, filled with the giblet bags, to a packaging place where chickens are again attached. The circulating second conveyor track is again fed with packaged giblet bags at a feeding location.

Claims

1. Amethodofinserting prepared giblets packaged in bags into dressed slaughtered chickens, each chicken being guided along a first conveyor track whilst depending from a leg hook, wherein each giblet bag, disposed on a dish, is brought into the region of the first conveyor track and from there to above the chicken body by a second conveyor track, each giblet bag being inserted by a pusher from the dish into thsslaughter opening(s) of the chicken bodies which: are spread open and are disposed above.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the dishes are centrally opened for pushing through the giblet bags.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dishes, which are conical at the bottom, are partially lowered into the slaughter openings of chicken bodies prior to the insertion of the giblet bags into the chicken bodies.

4. A method of inserting giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

5. An apparatus for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a central superstructure has portions of a first con veyor track for the chicken bodies, which are arranged around the central superstructure portions of a second conveyor track situated at a lower level than the first conveyor track, the portions of the second conveyortrackhaving dishes for the giblet bags and the portions being arranged around the superstructure and means for sliding the pushers against the dishes being disposed on the superstructure.

6. An apparatus,according to claim 5, wherein the superstructure isfrusto-conical, and has a conical surface tapering in an upward direction.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the frusto-conicalisuperstructure has a top rotating part fromwhich guide rods extend downwardly, the pushers engaging the guide rods slidably by sliding blocks which are guided by a cam track in the conical surface

8. An apparatus according to any one of claims5 to 7, uvhereinthe dishes are vertically adjustable on rods which extend downwardly from associated crabs and have sliding blocks by which they are guided in a cam track in the conical surface.

9. An apparatus according to any one of claim 5 to 8, wherein the dishes are conical and taper downwardly, the dishes comprising a plurality of dish portions which are jointed at the top and are connected to each other in a spring-biased manner and are spread at the bottom to release a bottom opening.

10. An appparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the feed motion of the pushers extends through the dishes which are spread open at the bottom.

11. An apparatus for inserting prepared giblets into dressed slaughtered chickens substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.