Claims for Patent: 4,974,290
✉ Email this page to a colleague
Summary for Patent: 4,974,290
Title: | Mechanical loin knife |
Abstract: | A mechanical loin knife for removing a pork loin from the belly, ribs and fatback portion of a pork carcass is disclosed. A sustantially U-shaped knife blade 28 is supported within an elongated track 26 and adapted to pull or separate the pork loin therefrom. A pair of handles 25,27 are disposed one on each end and in a 90.degree. relationship with respect to elongated blade track 26. Blade 28 undergoes oscillating movement in response to an oscillating bar 49 connected thereto. Oscillating bar 49 is actuated by an oscillator cam 53 driven by a reduction gear output 48 leading from an overhead suspended electric motor 11. An overhead, house pressure, 180.degree. F. water supply 32 is connected through conduit 29 to blade track 26 and distributes sanitizing water via a manifold 68 housed therein to the base of blade 28. The 180.degree. F. water supply serves to maintain blade 28 clean and at an elevated temperature during use thereof. |
Inventor(s): | Cloninger; Norman L. (Rescue, VA) |
Assignee: | |
Application Number: | 07/391,951 |
Patent Claims: | 1. A mechanical loin knife for removing a pork loin from the pork belly, ribs and fatback portion of a
pork carcass having a scribe line previously cut through the ribs thereof, comprising:
a curved substantially U-shaped blade adapted to extend through the scribe line and beneath the loin portion of the pork carcass, a curved substantially U-shaped blade track having a blade receiving groove therein for supporting said blade, a pair of handles disposed one on each end and in a substantially 90.degree. relationship with said blade track, means attached to said blade track for mechanically producing oscillating motion to said blade, and means received by said blade track for maintaining said blade at an elevated temperature during use. 2. A mechanical loin knife for removing a pork loin from the pork belly, ribs and fatback portion of a pork carcass having a scribe line previously cut through the ribs thereof, comprising: a curved substantially U-shaped blade adapted to extend through the scribe line and beneath the loin portion of the pork carcass, a pair of handles disposed one on each end and in a substantially 90.degree. relationship with said blade, means for maintaining said blade at an elevated temperature during use, said means for mechanically producing oscillating motion to said blade including an electric motor, a flexible drive cable driven by said motor, said flexible drive cable having a square ended flexible rotating inner shaft, a reduction gear box having a coupling thereon connected to said inner shaft and serving to reduce the input from said inner shaft to a reduced rotative output, an oscillating mechanism connected to said reduced rotative output and serving to change the rotative output to an oscillating motion, said oscillating mechanism being connected to said blade, said oscillating mechanism including a circular cam, said circular cam having an off-center opening therein received by and attached to said reduced rotative output of said reduction gear box, an oscillator bar disposed within said housing, and having a rectangular opening therein, said circular cam being disposed within and engaging the side surfaces of said rectangular opening of said oscillator bar, and said blade having one end thereof connected to and movable with said oscillating bar, whereby, as said circular cam rotates within said rectangular opening of said oscillating bar, said oscillating bar and the attached blade undergo oscillating movement. 3. The mechanical loin knife of claim 2 wherein said blade is provided with a pair of spaced openings therethrough on the end connected to and movable with said oscillating bar, a pin member integral with and projecting from a surface on said oscillating bar, said pin member being received by one of said spaced openings provided in said blade and a screw member positioned through the other of said openings in said blade and threadingly received in a tapped opening provided in said oscillating bar. 4. The mechanical loin knife of claim 3 including a curved substantially U-shaped blade track housing said blade, said track having a first end connected to said oscillating mechanism housing adjacent one of said handles, and a second end connected to the other of said handles, said second end of said blade track provided with a transverse pin extending transversely therethrough and said blade having a slotted end received by said transverse pin and wherein said transverse pin serves as a guide for said blade during oscillating movement thereof. 5. A mechanical loin knife for removing a pork loin from the pork belly, ribs and fatback portion of a pork carcass having a scribe line previously cut through the ribs thereof, comprising: a curved substantially U-shaped blade adapted to extend through the scribe line and beneath the loin portion of the pork carcass, a pair of handles disposed one on each end and in a substantially 90.degree. relationship with said blade, means for mechanically producing oscillating motion to said blade, means for maintaining said blade at an elevated temperature during use, said blade being provide with a sharp cutting edge, a pair of flat substantially parallel sides, and a relatively flat base edge joining said flat sides, a blade track for said blade, said blade track permitting oscillating movement of said blade relative thereto while maintaining said pair of sides and said relatively flat base edge of said blade covered and leaving the said sharp cutting edge of said blade exposed, said blade track being connected at opposite ends thereof to said pair of handles, said means for maintaining said blade at an elevated temperature during use including a hot water source connected to said blade track and serving to supply a constant supply of hot water to said blade during use thereof to maintain said blade at an elevated temperature, an elongated hot water manifold contained within said blade track, a plurality of spaced orifices in said manifold and adjacent to said blade, a hot water inlet connecting said manifold to said hot water source, said hot water source supplying water at substantially 180.degree. F. to said manifold whereby, said hot water received and distributed by said manifold maintains said blade track and said blade constantly exposed to sterile water and maintains said blade at an elevated temperature during use thereof. 6. A mechanical loin knife for removing a pork loin from the pork belly, ribs and fatback portion of a pork carcass having a scribe line previously cut through the ribs thereof, comprising: a curved substantially U-shaped blade adapted to extend through the scribe line and beneath the loin portion of the pork carcass, a pair of handles disposed one on each end and in a substantially 90.degree. relationship with said blade, means for mechanically producing oscillating motion to said blade including an electric motor, means for maintaining said blade at an elevated temperature during use, said means for maintaining said blade at an elevated temperature during use including a blade track supporting said blade, a source of hot water connected to said blade track, and manifold means within said blade track for distributing hot water received from said source of hot water over said blade to maintain said blade and said blade track sterile, clean and at an elevated temperature during use thereof. 7. A mechanical loin pulling knife for separating pork loins from a hog carcass comprising, in combination: an electric drive motor, said electric drive motor being connected to a power source, and disposed overhead of a cutting table, a flexible drive cable having a square flexible rotating inner shaft depending from said electric motor, said flexible rotating shaft having an end thereof provided with a square cross-sectional area, a gear box coupled to said square end of said flexible rotating inner shaft, said gear box serving to reduce the speed and increase the torque output from said rotating inner shaft, an oscillating mechanism affixed to and receiving the reduced speed and increased torque output from said gear box, a loin knife blade connected to said oscillating mechanism, a blade track having a blade receiving groove therein for supporting said loin knife blade during oscillating movement thereof, a 180.degree. F. sterile water supply in fluid communication with said blade track groove and serving to continuously supply hot water to said blade from the inside of said blade track during blade use, and handle means attached to said blade track to guide said blade during a loin pulling operation. 8. The mechanical loin pulling knife of claim 7 wherein said handle means comprises a pair of handles disposed on opposite ends of said blade track, and said switch means being positioned on one of said handles for selectively activating and inactivating the power supply to said electric motor. 9. The mechanical loin pulling knife of claim 7 including said 180.degree. F. sterile water supply includes a sterile water conduit extending from a sterile water source and leading to an inlet on said blade track, and including a valve cut-off and quick disconnect means being disposed in said conduit to selectively start and stop the flow of 180.degree. F. water to said blade track. 10. The mechanical loin pulling knife of claim 9 including a sterile water receiving manifold in said blade track and a plurality of spaced openings in said manifold to permit sterile water received therein to be continuously expelled onto said blade and thereby continuously sterilize said blade and maintain said blade and said blade track at an elevated temperature during use thereof. 11. The mechanical loin pulling knife of claim 9 including said electric motor being pivotally attached to a wheeled trolly, said trolly being linearly movable along a support beam in parallel relationship to said cutting table, an electric power line leading from said motor to said switch means on one of said handles, said flexible drive cable, said sterile water conduit and said electric power line all being releasably connected to each other to extend as a unit to connect to the respective parts of said loin pulling knife. 12. A mechanical knife for use in processing animal carcasses comprising: an elongated curved substantially U-shaped, bifurcated blade track, a pair of handles attached one at each end of said elongated blade track and in a substantially 90.degree. relationship therewith. a curved substantially U-shaped knife blade slidably disposed within said blade track, and means attached to one end of said knife blade for producing an oscillating motion to said blade. 13. A mechanical knife for use in processing animal carcasses comprising: an elongated bifurcated blade track, a pair of handles attached one at each end of said elongated blade track, a knife blade slidably disposed within said blade track, means attached to said knife blade for producing an oscillating motion to said blade; said means attached to said knife blade for producing an oscillating motion to said blade including an electric motor, a flexible drive shaft extending from said electric motor, a gear box having an input shaft and an output shaft, said input shaft of said gear box being releasably connected to and driven by said flexible drive shaft, and an oscillating mechanism attached to and driven by said output shaft; said oscillating mechanism including a circular cam wheel having an off-center opening therein received by and attached to said output shaft, an oscillating bar having a first end provided with a rectangular opening therein, said rectangular opening being of substantially the same width as the diameter of said circular cam wheel and receiving said circular cam wheel, said oscillating bar having a second end attached to said knife blade, whereby as said output shaft rotates in response to said flexible drive shaft driving said input shaft, said cam wheel rotates in said rectangular opening and causes oscillation of said oscillating bar and said attached knife blade. 14. The mechanical knife of claim 13 wherein said blade track is of a curved substantially U-shaped configuration and said pair of handles are attached in a substantially 90.degree. relationship thereto. 15. The mechanical knife of claim 13 including means for supplying hot water to said knife blade to maintain said blade at an elevated temperature during use thereof. |
Details for Patent 4,974,290
Applicant | Tradename | Biologic Ingredient | Dosage Form | BLA | Approval Date | Patent No. | Expiredate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. | ZOSTAVAX | zoster vaccine live | For Injection | 125123 | 05/25/2006 | ⤷ Try a Trial | 2039-09-23 |
>Applicant | >Tradename | >Biologic Ingredient | >Dosage Form | >BLA | >Approval Date | >Patent No. | >Expiredate |
Make Better Decisions: Try a trial or see plans & pricing
Drugs may be covered by multiple patents or regulatory protections. All trademarks and applicant names are the property of their respective owners or licensors. Although great care is taken in the proper and correct provision of this service, thinkBiotech LLC does not accept any responsibility for possible consequences of errors or omissions in the provided data. The data presented herein is for information purposes only. There is no warranty that the data contained herein is error free. thinkBiotech performs no independent verification of facts as provided by public sources nor are attempts made to provide legal or investing advice. Any reliance on data provided herein is done solely at the discretion of the user. Users of this service are advised to seek professional advice and independent confirmation before considering acting on any of the provided information. thinkBiotech LLC reserves the right to amend, extend or withdraw any part or all of the offered service without notice.