A device for separating bone material from a meat piece

Abstract: A device for separating bone material from meat tissue in a meat piece, such as a spine from a half part of a slaughtered animal, which device is provided with a support (1) for the meat piece for processing and a separating member (2) with a curved separating edge which is movably driven relative to the support and consists of plate material, wherein the separating edge is provided with a series of teeth (3), each of which is embodied with a guide surface directed toward the inner side of the bend such that when bone material is severed it is carried away to the inside and contamination of the meat material is thereby avoided.

Description: The invention relates to a device for separating bone material from meat tissue in a meat piece, such as a spine from a half part of a slaughtered animal, which device is provided with a support for the meat piece for processing and a separating member with a curved separating edge which is movably driven relative to the support and consists of plate material. Such a device has already been described in the earlier Netherlands patent application 9402036 of applicant. The tubular separating member is provided on the end edge with a saw tooth which serves to saw through the bone tissue. It has been determined experimentally however that a conventional saw for the meat tissue functions less well. There is moreover the danger that the material chipped from the bone remains behind in the meat piece, which adversely affects the quality of the end product. The invention has for its object to provide a device of the type described in the preamble with which the above stated drawbacks are obviated. The device according to the invention is distinguished in that the separating edge is provided with a series of teeth, each of which is embodied with a guide surface directed toward the inner side of the bend. Due to the guide surface located on the inner side of the bend in the separating member, the chipping edge of each tooth becomes considerably narrower, whereby the chipped tissue becomes less in volume, thereby decreasing the danger of chipped bone tissue in the meat. The guide surface located on the inside moreover ensures that the chipped material is carried away to the inside of the separating member. In one embodiment the separating member takes a tubular form. The invention is nevertheless also suitable for a band saw type of device. In order to obtain optimum operation, at least a part of the series of teeth is offset in outward direction, which part is a maximum of 40% of the whole number of the teeth in the series. For low-noise operation the outwardly offset teeth are distributed at random over the series of teeth. The invention further proposes to place the teeth obliquely relative to the direction of rotation. According to the invention the tooth is provided with a cutting edge which, as seen in the sawing direction, runs forward from the inner side of the bend in oblique and/or sharply bent manner, wherein the guide surface connects onto the first part thereof such that the cutting edge is larger than the thickness of the blade material. It has further been established in tests that an optimal operation is obtained if the area bounded by the chipping surface of a tooth and the rear edge of the preceding tooth is a maximum of 4 mm 2 . Above mentioned and other features of the invention will be further elucidated in the figure description of an embodiment hereinbelow. In the drawing: fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a separating member according to the invention which is mounted in a pipe-shaped carrier which is arranged rotatably relative to a meat support, fig. 2 shows a view corresponding with fig. 1 on larger scale, fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the tubular separating member as applied in the device of fig. 1, fig. 4 shows a detail of a tooth for a tubular separating member as according for instance to fig. 2. In the figures the numeral 1 indicates the support on which a meat piece V can be moved in the direction of arrow P1 by any random means which otherwise fall outside the scope of the invention. Meat piece V comprises a bone tissue, here in the form of a spine, which must be separated from meat piece V. Separating member 2 takes a tubular form and is provided on the leading edge with a series of teeth 3. Thus results on the leading side in a saw-like system of teeth which, driven in the direction of arrow P2, is capable of sawing through bone tissue B. The series of teeth must however also be suitable for separating meat tissue where this is necessary. It has been determined experimentally that this dual function cannot be performed properly with a conventional saw. According to the invention the tooth is adapted by arranging a guide surface 4 on the inner side of the tooth, i.e. the guide surface is directed toward the centre line of tube 2. On the outside the tubular separating member is practically cylindrical. Guide surface 4 can be formed for instance by means of a grinding operation on the inner side of the tubular member, which guide surface extends as far as the cutting edge 5 of each tooth. The cutting edge of the saw tooth is thereby given a sharply bent form and becomes longer than the thickness d of the material from which the tubular separating member is manufactured. Fig. 4 shows clearly that tooth 3 is provided with a cutting edge which runs obliquely relative to the direction of rotation P2. At least the first part 5' onto which the guide surface 4 connects runs obliquely forward from the inner side of the bend, whereafter the second part 5" of the cutting edge is defined by the width of guide surface 4. The width of the chipping surface 4' connecting onto the second part of the cutting edge 5" is thereby defined. The width of this chipping surface 4' is roughly one-third to one-half the depth d of the material from which the saw blade is manufactured. The invention further proposes that the imaginary line A-A connecting both end points of cutting edge 5 encloses an angle with the perpendicular lying transversely of the direction of rotation P2, which angle lies between 30 and 75° and is preferably 40 to 50°. It has been determined experimentally that the teeth must have a particular size for optimal severing of the bone tissue. This size is determined by the hatched area A in fig. 3 which is bounded by the chipping surface 4' of a tooth and the rear edge 6 of a preceding tooth. The area thereof is a maximum of 4 mm 2 . It is further desirable according to the invention to embody the tubular sawing member as a bush 7. The series of teeth can take any desired form within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: Device for separating bone material (B) from meat tissue in a meat piece (V), such as a spine from a half part of a slaughtered animal, which device is provided with a support (1) for the meat piece (V) for processing and a tubular separating member (2) with a bend separating edge which is movably driven relative to the support (1) and consists of plate material, and provided with a series of teeth (3) characterized in that , each tooth is embodied with a guide surface (4) directed toward the inner side of the bend. Device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that at least a part of the series of teeth (3) is offset in outward direction, which part is a maximum of 40% of the whole number of the teeth (3) in the series. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the outwardly offset teeth (3) are distributed at random over the series of teeth (3). Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the tooth (3) is provided with a cutting edge (5) which, as seen in the sawing direction (P1), runs forward from the inner side of the bend in oblique and/or sharply bent manner, such that the cutting edge (5) is larger than the thickness of the blade material. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims 1-4, characterized in that the guide surface (4) connects onto the first part of the cutting surface and the chipping surface (4') onto the second part of the cutting surface, which chipping surface (4') has a width which is about a third to a half the thickness of the plate. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the imaginary line A-A through the end point of the cutting edge (5) located at the guide surface (4) and the other end point of the cutting edge (5) encloses an angle with the perpendicular to the saw blade which lies between 30 and 75° and is preferably 40 to 50°. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the chipping surface (4') is placed obliquely relative to the direction of rotation (P2). Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the area as seen transversely of the blade and bounded by the chipping surface (4') of a tooth (3) and the rear edge of the preceding tooth (3) is a maximum of 4 mm 2 .

Inventors: LEENEN GERARDUS, MEERDINK JAN JOHANNES, LEENEN, GERARDUS, MEERDINK, JAN JOHANNES
Applicants: TOWNSEND ENGINEERING CO, TOWNSEND ENGINEERING COMPANY
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A22C17
IPC codes: A22C17