US2285999A

US2285999A - Method of and apparatus for spreading carcasses

Info

Publication number: US2285999A
Application number: US363999A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry L Murphy
Original assignee: Armour and Co
Current assignee: Armour and Co
Priority date: 1940-11-02
Filing date: 1940-11-02
Publication date: 1942-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 1959-06-09

Description

June 9, 1942.

H. L. MURPHY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPREADING A CARCASS Filed Nov. 2, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l June 9, 1942.

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METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPREADING A CARCASS Filed Nov. 2, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I I I I I 21 J9 l M J5 J J4 3 J2 17 fiverzfw:

June 9, 1942. H. L. MURPHY 2,285,999

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPREADING A CARCASS Filed Nov. 2, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 QZiZZ/TZZOW' Err j a7- Patented June 9, 1942 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPREAD- ING OARCASSES Harry L. Murphy, La Grange,v 111., assignor to Armour and Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application November 2, 1940, Serial No. 363,999

13 Claims.

Inthe packing industry, it has. been common practice to suspend carcasses such as those of beef by means of two hooks, one in each hind leg of the carcass, the two hooks then being carried by means ofrollers. on a track with means for propelling. the carcass along the track. During this time, the carcassis split. in two by sawing and chopping down through the: center of the spine. Difiiculty. arises in the cutting operation since the angle of cleavage diminishes as the cut moves down the carcass.

An object of this invention is to provide means for automatically spreading the hind legs ofthe carcass while the split is being made, thereby greatly. facilitating the cutting operation.

This and other objects are accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 1a when combined on the lines X--X form a top plan view of the apparatus embodying my invention;

Figs. 2 and 2a are partial sections on the line 22a.of Fig. 1, the samebeing combined on the lines Y-Y;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section through the chains and their supports;

Fig. 4 is a reduced side elevation of the hook support and chain for driving the same;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of a portion of the differential speed mechanism, including one link of the chain for driving the same; and

Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of the device.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, comprises two spaced parallel supporting members l0 and I I which in this instance are I-beams supported from any suitable structure not shown. A horizontal track I2 is suspended preferably directly beneath the beam H by means of a series of lugs l4, which extend around the flanges of the I-beam and are secured to the hangers by means of bolts Hi. The track I2 is secured to the bottom of the hanger 13 by means of bolts I'l. On this track runs a series of grooved rollers l8 which are journaled on suitable pins l9 extending through one side of a metal strap 20, the upper end of the strap beingbent around to form a spaced leg 2| through which the opposite end of the pin l9 extends. The upper end of this inverted U-shaped strap member has an arcuate top 22 by means of which the strap member and its associated parts are driven as will later be explained. The lower end of the strap member is preferably turned outwardly to form a lug 23 which has a hole therein through which is pivotally mounted an eye 24 in which is hingedly mounted a meat hook 25.

The chain for driving this series of hooks will now be described. The chain, as shown in Fig. 4, consists of a series of links 30 and 3i pivotally secured together by means of vertically extending pins 32. The links 3!, shown in cross-section in Fig. 3, carry slide plates 33 above and dropfinger attachment plates 34 beneath, these platesbeing secured to the chain by means of a bolt 35.

The hanger I3 is provided with inwardly turned ears 35, 31 to which are secured

longitudinal guides

39, 39 which extend throughout the length of the track l2 and which themselves form a track on which the plates 33 slide for supporting the chain.

The plate 34 has dependent spaced ears between which is pivotally mounted a pusher finger 49 which is pivotally mounted upon a bolt 41 which passes through the depending ears. Each pusher finger is provided with a ledge 42 which engages a stop 43 carried by the plate 34. Thus, as will beseen by reference to Fig. 4, the pusher finger will yield if moved to the right with reference to the chain to let an object such as the arcuate top 22 of the strap 20 pass underneath, but will not yield in the opposite direction. Thus if the chain moves to the right in Fig. 4 it will positively drive the strap 29 so long as the latter is in contact with the front face of the drop finger.

The chain 39 is driven by any suitable means such as'the sprocket or sheave. 44.

The means for spreading the carcass will now be. described. This consists, in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, of a pin or the like set to travel in front of the strap and hook for suspending a rearward leg of the carcass as shown in Figs. 2 and 2a so that as the carcass advances the suspending means will gradually be separated during the time the carcass is split down its backbone. In order to do this I have provided an additional chain 59 as shown in Fig. 1 which passes around suitable sheaves or sprockets 5|, 52 and extends only parallel to so much of the chain 30 as is necessary for the splitting operation to take place. This chain is similar to the chain 30 and carries slide plates 53 which run on horizontal guides 54 similar to the guides 38 as previously described. To these is secured an attachment plate 55 which carries a pin 56 which extends into the path of the straps 20 during that portion of the travel of the latter when the carcass is being split or halved.

By reference to Figs. 1, 1a, 2 and 2a it will be seen that the chain 30 carries a number of spaced pusher or drop fingers 40 which are adapted to be engaged by straps 20 whose hooks carry the forward legs of the carcass suspended thereon so as to positively propel the carcass along the track 12 by means of these pusher fingers. It will also be noted that forwardly facing pusher fingers 40a are placed between the pusher fingers 40. The former serves to propel the carcass up to the time it is cut in half and after that the fingers 40a serve to propel the rearward half of the carcass while the pusher fingers 40 propel the forward half.

Hold back fingers 40b and 400, two in number, are preferably placed between each pair of pusher fingers 40 and 40a. These fingers are mounted exactly the same as the pusher fingers except that they are set in the reverse direction and serve to hold the rear leg of the carcass separated from the forward leg after it has passed a hold back finger.

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: With the chain traveling from right to left as shown in Figs, 2 and 2a, the carcass suspended by its hind legs on two spaced hooks 25 carried by straps is brought in on the track l2 from a previous packing operation and when it arrives at station E the following operation begins. At this point, the two parallel chains are so timed that a finger 56, as shown in Figs. 1a and 2a, carried .by the chain 50 turns in front of a rearward strap 20. The chain 50 is set to travel at a somewhat slower rate of speed than that of the chain 30 with the result that as the carcass advances the rearward strap 20, as shown in station D, is drawn back so as to be out of contact with its hold back fingers 4%. As the carcass advances, the pin 56 falls father and farther behind the forward strap 20 with the result that the two straps, together with the two legs of the carcass which they suspend are separated more and more thereby greatly facilitating the longitudinal cutting of the carcass of the beef or other animal into two halves. This progression is shown through stations C and B, the operation of cutting the carcass into halves being shown completed at station A.

As a modification of the invention, I have shown in Fig. 6 a construction wherein the carcass is carried on similar hooks 56 suspended on straps 20a from a track I2a. In this case the pin 56a is similarly mounted on a chain not shown but in the same manner as the pins 56 of Fig. 1. In this case, however, the pin runs at a differential speed to the chain 30a but faster than the chain, whereas the pin 56 runs slower than the chain. In this case the actual propulsion of the carcass is by means of the pins 56a, during the time it is in engagement with the strap 200., whereas in the form shown in Figs, 1

' to 5, inclusive, the carcass was propelled by the pusher fingers 40. The operation of spreading the legs of the carcass during the operation'of cutting is otherwise the same.

The mechanism which has been set out in detail is for the purpose of explaining the invention; other specific mechanism could obviously be used just as well. While I have shown and described but a few embodiments of my invention it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, may be made in the construction and arrangements may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the apmeans in the direction of travel thereof as the carcass advances.

3. The method of spreading a carcass comprising suspending the carcass by its hind legs, propelling one of the suspending means at one speed, and propelling the other suspending means at another speed,

4. The method of spreading a carcass comprising suspending the carcass by its hind legs, propelling one of the suspending means at one speed, and propelling the other suspending means at a slower speed.

5. The method of spreading a carcass comprising suspending the carcass by its hind legs, propelling one of the suspending means at one speed, and propelling the other suspending means at a faster speed.

6. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising means for suspending each hind leg of the carcass, means for conveying the carcass by the suspending means, and means for spreading the suspending means in the direction of travel thereof as the carcass advances.

7. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising means for suspending each hind leg of the carcass, means for continuously conveying the carcass by the suspending means, and means for spreading the suspending means in the direction of travel thereof as the carcass advances.

8. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising means for suspending each hind leg of the carcass, means for propelling one of the sus pending means at one speed, and means for propelling the other suspending means at another speed.

9. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising means for suspending each hind leg of the carcass, means for propelling one of the suspending means at one speed, and means for propelling the other suspending means at a slower speed.

10. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising means for suspending each hind leg of the carcass, means for propelling one of the suspending means at one speed, and means for propelling the other suspending means at a faster speed.

11. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising a track, hooks for the carcass each having associated therewith a roller running on the track, a chain parallel to the track, pawl-like fingers carried by the chain for propelling the hooks in one direction but permitting the hooks to pass in the other, a second chain parallel to the first for a predetermined interval, the two chains being driven at different speeds, and a means on the second chains operable between the hooks to cause the hooks to separate further as the chains advance.

l2. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising independently movable hooks for suspending each leg of a carcass, means for moving said hooks to advance the carcass, and means for spreading the hooks apart in the direction of travel thereof during movement of the carcass.

13. Mechanism for spreading a carcass comprising a pair of hooks spaced apart in a line, means mounting said hooks for movement along said line, said hooks being adapted for suspending the legs of a carcass, and means for moving said hooks at different speeds whereby they will be separated along the line of motion thereof.

HARRY L. MURPHY,