Poultry halving machine

Birds transported by an overhead poultry shackle line suspended by their hocks are led into engagement with bird orientation devices moving with a horizontal endless conveyor element below and parallel to the path of movement of the overhead shackle line. The orientation devices, which are under influence of an endless camming mechanism, engage the birds through openings between their legs and pull the birds to positions of stability under tension as the birds are transported through a relatively stationary severing blade along their path of movement to achieve clean halving of each bird in succession across the backbone between the breast and hind quarters. The machine is adjustable to process birds of varying sizes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The objective of the present invention is to provide a simpler, more 
efficient and more practical machine for halving eviscerated poultry with 
uniformity on a high production basis. A further objective is to provide a 
poultry halving machine which can process birds of various sizes through a 
system of simple adjustments of key machine components. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved bird 
orientation and holding device, together with simplified endless camming 
means for the orientation device as it moves on an endless path in a 
horizontal plane with the conveyor element of the machine. 
Another object and feature of the invention resides in the provision of a 
relatively stationary adjustable angled elongated bird severing blade 
which progressively cuts through each bird to halve the same while the 
bird is being transported with the movable orientation device through the 
halving zone where the blade is situated. 
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to 
those skilled in the art during the course of the following detailed 
description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like 
parts, a poultry halving machine shown in its entirety in FIGS. 1 and 2 is 
horizontally disposed below and parallel to an overhead shackle line, not 
shown, whose spaced shackles 20 carry birds B suspended heads down by 
their hocks. The birds, prior to entering the halving machine, have been 
eviscerated and have body cavity openings C, FIG. 3, between their legs. 
As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each bird in succession is conveyed by the 
overhead shackle line substantially tangentially toward a bird orientation 
and holding device 21, as the latter travels around the periphery of a 
vertical axis sprocket gear 22 at the upstream end of the halving machine. 
The device 21 comprises a key element of the invention, together with 
endless camming means to regulate its positioning during the poultry 
halving operation, as will be completely described hereinafter. 
The machine further comprises a downstream vertical axis sprocket gear 23, 
one of the two sprocket gears being power driven by a conventional power 
take-off shaft from the overhead shackle line, not shown. The sprocket 
gears 22 and 23 are engaged by an endless horizontal conveyor chain 24 
which follows a horizontal frame plate 25 extending between the sprocket 
gears 22 and 23 and acting as a guide for the chain 24. 
The plate 25 also serves to mount a pair of uprights 26 which serve as 
supports for an elongated angled poultry halving or severing knife blade 
27 held in the path of movement of the birds as the latter travel with the 
chain 24. 
The uprights 26 are fitted with vertically adjustable sleeves 28, locked by 
set screws, not shown. Welded at right angles to the vertical axis sleeves 
28 are horizontal axis sleeves 29 which receive horizontally adjustable 
blade holding arms 30, lockable relative to the sleeves 29 by set screws 
31. 
At their forward ends, the arms 30 have yokes 32 pivoted thereto by bolts 
33. Each yoke 32 is welded to a down tube 34 through which extends 
adjustably a screw-threaded shaft 35. The lower ends of screw-threaded 
shafts 35 are fixed to an elongated blade holding bar 36 to which the 
blade 27 is firmly anchored along its length. 
The upstream threaded shaft 35 is fixedly held in the down tube 34 by lock 
nuts 37, whereas the downstream shaft 35 is biased downwardly by a coil 
spring 38 surrounding the shaft and bearing against a fixed washer 39 
thereon. An upper adjusting nut 40 on the downstream shaft 35 regulates 
the elevation of the downstream spring-loaded end of the blade 27. This 
particular yielding mounting of the blade 27 enables the efficient halving 
of birds ranging in size from large to small. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7, a bird back engaging bar 41 is preferably 
provided to firmly stabilize each bird B during its passage across the 
halving blade 27. The bar 41 is not absolutely essential and may be 
omitted in some cases. The bar 41 is carried by an arm 42 held in a tube 
43 adjustably, and locked therein by a set screw 44. The supporting tube 
33 may be fixed to the frame of the halving machine, or may form part of a 
separate and independent support near one side of the halving machine. 
Referring again to the bird orientation and holding device 21, it may be 
seen that the chain 24 is equipped at spaced intervals with brackets 45 
having collars 46 embraced by yokes 47 which are pivotally held by bolts 
48. Each yoke 47 is welded through its arms 49 to a pair of slide tubes 
50. The slide tubes 50 are equipped with upper and lower guides 51 formed 
of dry lube material, such as teflon. These guides receive pairs of slide 
rods 52 therethrough which are parts of each device 21. At their upper 
ends, the slide rods 52 are bent to form horizontal extensions 53, leading 
to vertical extensions 54. The tops of the vertical extensions 54 carry 
additional right angular extensions 55 which converge to a point where 
they are joined with a short dependent somewhat V-shaped bird engaging 
tang 56. The tang 56 is adapted to enter the body cavity opening C of the 
bird B to orient, hold and tension the bird as it passes the severing 
blade 27 to be halved thereby. 
Collars 57 are fixed on the slide rods 52 near their lower ends and are 
interconnected by a crossbar 58 for the sake of rigidity. A pair of 
preferably nylon cam rollers 59 is journaled on the lower end portions of 
slide rods 52 and held thereon by additional collars 60. These cam rollers 
59 are embraced interiorly and exteriorly by a pair of endless camming 
rods 61 and 62. Each crossbar 58 carries an axle 63, FIG. 4, extending 
from the interior side thereof, on which axle is journaled a preferably 
nylon cam roller 64, secured by a collar 65. The cam roller 65 is embraced 
above and below by endless camming rods 66 and 61, the same rod 61 acting 
on the interior sides of the paired rollers 59. The camming rods 61, 62 
and 66 act in unison on the cam rollers 59 to pivot the orientation 
devices 21 about the axes of the bolts 48, thereby raising and lowering 
the depending tang 56 relative to the bird body cavity opening C. 
Simultaneously, cam follower rollers 64 are being continuously acted upon 
by camming rods 61 and 66 to elevate and lower the slide rods 52 within 
the tubes 50. The combined action of the three camming rods upon the three 
rollers 59 and 64 of each device 21 produces proper orientation, 
positioning and tensioning of each bird B as it travels across the 
severing blade 27 to be halved thereby. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the three camming rods 61, 62 and 66 are shaped 
approximately at the location 67 to first hold each device 21 
substantially vertically for ready acceptance of an oncoming bird B, FIG. 
4. At the location 68, FIG. 1, the camming rods are shaped to act on the 
device 21 to elevate the tang 56 and swing it outwardly over the body 
cavity opening C, as shown in FIG. 5. At approximately the location 69, 
the three camming rods are further shaped to draw the tang 56 down into 
the bird opening C, as shown in FIG. 6, while simultaneously stretching 
the breast portion of the bird inwardly and away from the back and legs by 
pivoting around the axis of bolt 48. The slide rods 52 reciprocate through 
their guides 51 to enable these movements. 
At location 70, FIG. 1, the rods 61, 62 and 66 are shaped to cause each 
device 21 to pivot further inwardly to the inclined bird stretching 
position of FIG. 7 which is the final position of each bird as it is 
carried across the severing blade 27 to be cleanly halved by such blade, 
as shown in FIG. 8. The entire breast, wing and neck portion of the bird 
is separated from the lower back and legs, as shown. As the bird is thus 
halved, the tension of the flesh on the tang 56 is released, and the 
device 21 can make its return along the rear side of the machine where it 
is again positioned by the camming rods at location 67, FIG. 4, to accept 
and engage another bird coming into the machine. 
The three camming rods 61, 62 and 66 are rendered adjustable vertically 
through screw-threaded rods 71 attached thereto carrying locking nuts 72. 
The camming rods are adjusted horizontally through sliding sleeves 73 on 
transverse arms 74 which are fixed to the frame of the machine. The 
arrangement is such that tightening of the nuts 72 not only locks the 
vertical rods 71 but also locks the sleeves 73 on the arms 74. 
One further feature of the machine should be mentioned, namely, the 
provision of a pair of threaded adjusting rods 75 above and parallel to 
the arms 30 and being attached at their forward ends to the tubes 34. The 
arrangement provides for finely adjusting the tubes 34 and shafts 35 by 
swinging them around the axes of the bolts 33 which connect the yokes 32 
to the arms 30. 
It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and 
described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that 
various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be 
resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope 
of the subjoined claims.