Patent Description:
During the automated processing of poultry various types of operations are performed on the carcasses. Normally the poultry is hung with their legs attached in shackles or brackets to transport the poultry along a predetermined transport path. Such transport path is usually dictated by an overhead conveyor. Various types of shackle structures and conveyor types for such poultry transportation are known. During transportation of the poultry hanging on the shackles various types of processes may be performed on the poultry carcasses. For instance after stunning the poultry the stunned animals are attached to shackles by securing the legs in dedicated tapered shackle apertures. As a result the poultry are hanging with their heads downwards and the legs attached in the shackles to be moved along a poultry processing path. Normally the poultry is first hung in shackles in a slaughtering line after which they are plucked and then transferred to a subsequent poultry processing line for instance for at least partial evisceration of the carcasses. A next step is to cool the carcasses to lower temperatures after which cooling subsequent processing steps are performed on the carcasses or remaining carcass parts (as carcasses parts may be removed during the processing). During all these carcass processing steps on industrial scale transporting of the poultry carcasses takes place, often for a relative long time period (especially the cooling) and thus numerous shackles (in the order of several thousand shackles per line) may be attached to only a single overhead conveyor used in an industrial scale poultry processing plant while there may also be several parallel and/or subsequent transporting lines carrying shackles may be used in a single processing plant. As a result it may be clear that "standardised" shackles for processing hanging poultry are used in large numbers in the poultry processing industry.

<CIT> discloses an article-release shackle for trolley-supported handling systems to facilitate processing, such as the evisceration of poultry, which utilizes a multiplicity of vertically suspended shackle elements suspended at upper ends from the trolley system and having adjacent the lower extremities thereof retaining elements for interconnection of the suspended articles. In operation and functional structure, an abutment and/or deflection elements are fixedly mounted at a point or points in the course of travel of the shackles for striking against and preferably camming the shackles and particularly the retaining elements in such a way as to release the articles which then drop with the aid of gravity.

<CIT> discloses a removable break-away shackle assembly for suspending an animal carcass during processing includes a shackle connected to a drop rod, where the drop rod is connected to a conveyor system. The drop rod includes an elongated body with a connector at one end. The shackle includes bendable opposing arms forming a widenable gap. The shackle is separable from the drop rod by passing the drop rod through the widenable gap causing the arms to bend and the gap to widen, or by passing the widenable gap across a depression in the drop rod.

<CIT> discloses a method and device for mechanical removal of the viscera package (<NUM>) from the belly cavity of slaughtered poultry (<NUM>) hanging by the legs from hooks (<NUM>) which are moved in a conveyor (<NUM>) along a drawing device (<NUM>). For removal of the viscera package (<NUM>), the body of the poultry (<NUM>) is tilted from the hanging, vertical position through a predetermined angle about an axis (<NUM>) parallel to a line through the hip joints to a second position, in which the shoulder joints are situated at essentially the same height as or higher up than the hip joints.

A problem with the shackles for processing hanging poultry according the prior art is that the shackles sometimes get positioned in undesired positions. Examples of such undesired shackle positions are the interference (entanglement) of adjoining shackles, interference of shackles with processing equipment along the transport path of the shackles and shackles being stuck in non-vertical (non-hanging) orientation like a more or less horizontal orientation. A further problem of the prior art shackles is the difficulty of disconnecting from and attaching to an overhead conveyor of shackles.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved shackle for processing hanging poultry and a method for attaching such a shackle which overcome the abovementioned drawbacks.

The invention thereto provides a shackle for processing hanging poultry according to claim <NUM>. The pivotable connection of the fastening hook and the suspension rod - which in the hanging position of the shackle is on the upper side of the suspension rod - and the parallel pivotable connection of the suspension rod and poultry catching element around a first hinge axis - which in the hanging position of the shackle is on the lower side of the suspension rod - enable the poultry catching element to be moved side-wards relative to the overhead conveyor and thus enables to move the poultry towards for instance towards processing equipment. The additional freedom of movement provided by the coupling of the suspension rod and poultry catching element (the second degree of freedom; pivotation (hinging) around the second hinge axis perpendicular to the first hinge axis and the longitudinal direction of the suspension rod) makes the positioning of the poultry catching element more "forgiving", yet all within clear limitations. This combination of required freedom of movement to enable easy and smooth processing of the poultry with also a substantial limitation in the freedom of movement within the shackles prevents the shackle to be oriented such that the shackles according the present invention get positioned in undesired positions, get entanglement with adjoining shackles, undesired interfere with processing equipment and/or get stuck in non-vertical (non-hanging) orientation.

In an embodiment the fastening hook is an open hook, which allows the shackle according the present invention to be coupled and/or uncoupled from an overhead conveyor system easily and without the necessity of tools. Although the hook is open the coupling with the overhead conveyor may still be reliable if and when the open side of the hook is turned away from the transport direction of the overhead conveyor. When the inside of the hook of the fastening hook is also provided with a retaining protrusion, this may further enhance the reliability of the coupling of the shackle with an overhead conveyor as the retaining protrusion may act as a "threshold" or safeguard that prevents (or at least limits the chance) of undesired loosening of a shackle. The retaining protrusion will thus act as an additional security. The retaining protrusion may also provide a "tactile feedback" for the operator coupling a shackle according the present invention with an overhead conveyor as the passage of the retaining protrusion of a shackle carrying element of the overhead conveyor may provide a sensible feed-back that ensures the operator that the hackle is brought in a correct coupled position. Furthermore the retaining protrusion may further prevent that the shackle will end up in a substantial horizontal equilibrium position (instead of ending up a "normal" hanging down position) as such substantial horizontal shackle position is undesired and may hinder the poultry processing, operators or processing equipment and may even lead to product losses and/or damage on shackles or equipment. To prevent such "balancing" non-vertical shackle positions the location of the retaining protrusion is preferably located there where the centre of gravity of the shackle is located in an empty shackle situation.

In a further embodiment of the present invention the pivotable connection of the suspension rod with the fastening hook comprises a least one abutment limiting the pivotation to a maximum pivoted position, but this pivotable connection may also comprise two abutments limiting the pivotation between two maximum pivoted positions. The limitation in pivotable freedom of movement prevents the shackle to swing to far outwards and may thus be useful to prevent the shackle to interfere with for instance processing equipment along the transport path of the shackles or product guides. This limitation in the movement may also prevent any operators along the transport path of the shackles to be hindered by too far outward swinging shackles. To enable the shackles to resist the movement limiting loads on parts of the shackle by distribution of the pressures exerted the shackle may be provided with cooperating contact surfaces on suspension rod and the fastening hook, preferably cooperating flat surfaces. In practise good results may be realised when the pivotable connection of the suspension rod with the fastening hook is pivotable over maximum <NUM>°, maximum <NUM>° or maximum <NUM>°. In a simple construction the pivotable connection of the suspension rod with the fastening hook comprises a connecting shaft.

In a further embodiment the moveable coupling of the suspension rod and the poultry catching element comprises: a coupling fork with two opposite apertures, the coupling fork being part of the poultry catching element; a coupling shaft; and a passage in the coupling rod, which coupling shaft transpierces the two apertures in the coupling fork and the passage in the coupling rod that is located between the two apertures in the coupling fork. The coupling fork has two opposing legs, both having an opening to hold a coupling shaft. The set apart openings in the legs are preferably co-axially aligned so that the coupling shaft may easy be fixed in the aperture while also being inserted in the passage in the coupling rod.

The passage in the coupling rod may be widening to the sides, for instance by providing a passage in the coupling rod with an inner surface of the passage being convex (with the result that the passage is concave). As the passage widens to the sides this provides the additional freedom of movement to enable the poultry catching element to pivot around the second hinge axis (that is thus perpendicular to the first hinge axis and the longitudinal direction of the suspension rod). As an alternative for (or in combination with) the widening passage in the coupling rod the coupling shaft there where contacting the passage in the coupling rod is convex. The pivotable connection of the suspension rod and the poultry catching element around the second hinge axis according to the invention is pivotable over only a limited angle of maximum <NUM>°, optionally of maximum <NUM>° or maximum <NUM>°.

The poultry catching element, the suspension rod and/or the fastening hook may be made from a fibre-reinforced Polyamide, for instance a glass-fibre-reinforced impact-modified Polyamide. As the shackle according the present invention is to be used in the food industry it is important that is fulfils all requirements for such application. Furthermore the chance of material particles loosening from the shackle has to be limited, the shackle has to be form-retaining, is preferably light in weight and easy to produce. A fibre-reinforced Polyamide, like a glass-fibre-reinforced impact-modified Polyamide, fulfils all these requirement. However as an alternative the shackle, or part of the shackle, may also be made from a metal. As the connecting shaft connecting the poultry catching element and the suspension rod and/or connecting the suspension rod and the fastening hook is used differently (with different typical loads) these connecting shafts may be preferably be made from another plastic, for instance POM.

The present invention also provides a method for attaching a shackle for processing hanging poultry according the present invention with an open fastening hook on an overhead conveyor according claim <NUM>. Due to the open hook of the fastening hook being attached to a hook holder on the overhead conveyor such that the closed side of the fastening hook is located ahead the open side of the fastening hook when seen in the transport direction of the overhead conveyor, the shackle will be solidly coupled with the overhead conveyor with hardly any chance of undesired uncoupling. The advantage of the open hook construction (easy coupling and uncoupling without the need of tools as already mentioned earlier in relation to the shackle according the present invention) are thus combined with the desired solidity of the coupling of the shackle and the overhead conveyor during use. To provide the operator feed-back on the correct coupling of the shackle and the overhead conveyor a retaining protrusion on the inside of the hook of the fastening hook with resistance is moved over the hook holder. The retaining protrusion furthermore also provided an additional safeguard against undesired uncoupling. The open side of the hook may thus be related to the direction of movement of the hook (on the side turned away from the forward transport hook side),. Dependent on the type of transport and processing system used the location of the open side is thus determined. However also hooks with two open hook versions ("left and right shackles") dual hooks may be used in combination, for instance when shackles are split up with a line-divider in two (or more) rows to still enable veterinary inspection even when (very) high line speeds are applied.

All technical features of each of the embodiments of the shackle according the present invention as described above may be combined randomly with one or more of the other embodiments of the shackle according the present invention as described above.

The invention will be further elucidated herein below on the basis of the non-limitative exemplary embodiments shown in the following figures.

<FIG> shows a perspective view on a shackle <NUM> wherein a chicken <NUM> is attached in a hanging position with the legs <NUM> of the chicken <NUM> clamped in tapering slots <NUM> of a poultry catching element <NUM>. The poultry catching element <NUM> is in the industry also referred to as bracket. The poultry catching element <NUM> is also provided with a fork-shaped coupling element <NUM> that is moveable connected to a suspension rod <NUM>. The moveable connection of the poultry catching element <NUM> and the suspension rod <NUM> has a first hinge axis <NUM>' (that is embodied by a shaft <NUM>) and a second hinge axis <NUM>' that is perpendicular to the first hinge axis <NUM> and the longitudinal direction of the suspension rod <NUM>. The physical realisation of the second hinge axis <NUM>' will be further clarified in relation to <FIG>.

On the side of the suspension rod <NUM> opposite the side where the suspension rod <NUM> is moveable coupled with the catching element <NUM> the suspension rod <NUM> is pivotable connected with a fastening hook <NUM>. The fastening hook <NUM> and the suspension rod hinge around third axis <NUM>' which is embodied by a shaft <NUM>. The third axis <NUM>' is parallel to the first hinge axis <NUM>' connecting the poultry catching element <NUM> and the suspension rod <NUM> thus allowing the poultry catching element <NUM> to move side wards compared to the fastening hook <NUM>.

The fastening hook <NUM> has an opening <NUM> that allows easy coupling and uncoupling of the fastening hook <NUM> to a carrying structure (e.g. and overhead conveyor, not shown in this figure). On the inside of the carrying hook <NUM> a retaining protrusion <NUM> is provided to enhance the reliability of the coupling and as explained above.

<FIG> shows a detailed exploded view on the moveable coupling of the poultry catching element <NUM> and the suspension rod <NUM> being part of a shackle <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. In the suspension rod <NUM> an aperture <NUM> (passage) is provided that widens to the sides (as depicted the passage is concave). From the - partial represented - poultry catching element <NUM> the fork-shaped coupling element <NUM> protrudes with two legs <NUM>, <NUM> wherein aligned openings <NUM>, <NUM> are provided. By inserting a pen <NUM> (or shaft) though the aligned openings <NUM>, <NUM> and the passage <NUM> (while the passage <NUM> is located in between the openings <NUM>, <NUM>) the catching element <NUM> and the suspension rod <NUM> are coupled. The freedom of movement exists of a rotational freedom around the shaft <NUM> but additionally also the aperture <NUM> in the suspension rod <NUM> may be rotated (over a limited angle) over shaft <NUM> in a sideward direction along a second hinge axis <NUM>' (see also <FIG>), at least in case there is some spare room between the legs <NUM>, <NUM> and the suspension rod <NUM>.

Claim 1:
Shackle (<NUM>) for processing hanging poultry (<NUM>) comprising:
- a poultry catching element (<NUM>);
- a suspension rod (<NUM>); and
- a fastening hook (<NUM>);
wherein one side of the suspension rod is pivotably connected with a pivotable connection with the fastening hook and the opposite side of the suspension rod is moveably coupled with the poultry catching element by a moveable coupling, which moveable coupling of the suspension rod and the poultry catching element is pivotable parallel to a first hinge axis (<NUM>') of the pivotable connection of the suspension rod and fastening hook, and which moveable coupling of the suspension rod and the poultry catching element is also pivotable around a second hinge (<NUM>') axis which second hinge axis is perpendicular to both the first hinge axis and the longitudinal direction of the suspension rod,
characterized in that
the moveable coupling of the suspension rod and the poultry catching element is pivotable around the second hinge axis over only a limited angle, wherein said limited angle is maximum <NUM>°.