Patent ID: 9615591
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: A22B,A22C

Claim:
1. An apparatus for separating and collecting meat from animal parts, each animal part having meat surrounding a bone with a first knuckle at one end and a second knuckle at an opposite end, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor defining and moving along a processing path; a plurality of bone holders coupled to the conveyor in spaced relationship and movable with the conveyor along the processing path, each bone holder being configured to hold the bone of an animal part from the first knuckle to suspend the animal part from the bone holder; a meat stripper station disposed along the processing path and comprising at least one meat stripper having a first stripper plate and a second stripper plate movable toward and away from one another, the at least one meat stripper being moved synchronously along the processing path below one of the plurality of bone holders; a mechanism for moving the first and second stripper plates together to engage and substantially surround a bone held by one of the plurality of bone holders at a location adjacent the bone holder; a mechanism for moving the meat stripper and the bone holder progressively away from one another to strip the meat from the bone in a direction toward the second knuckle, the mechanism further moving the meat stripper over the second knuckle to separate the meat from the bone; a mechanism for articulating at least one of the stripper plates in such a way that meat lodged in or on the meat stripper is dislodged and dropped from the meat stripper; and a collection station for collecting the meat separated from the bone.