Patent ID: 7458886

Claim:
An apparatus for washing the neck area of an animal carcass, comprising: a pair of longitudinally disposed, parallel, upwardly inclined, elongate brushes sharing a common angle of inclination and being transversely spaced apart from one another by a distance sufficient to accommodate an animal carcass therebetween; a first motor means for rotating said upwardly inclined brushes about respective axes of rotation in counter-rotating relation to one another; a first pair of vertically disposed brushes disposed in transversely spaced apart relation to one another by a distance sufficient to accommodate an animal carcass therebetween; a second motor means for rotating said first pair of vertically disposed brushes about respective axes of rotation in counter-rotating relation to one another; a second pair of vertically disposed brushes disposed in transversely spaced apart relation to one another by a distance sufficient to accommodate an animal carcass therebetween, said second pair of vertically disposed brushes being disposed in longitudinal alignment with said first pair of vertically disposed brushes; a third motor means for rotating said second pair of vertically disposed brushes about respective axes of rotation in counter-rotating relation to one another; a pair of longitudinally disposed, parallel, downwardly inclined, elongate brushes sharing a common angle of inclination and being transversely spaced apart from one another by a distance sufficient to accommodate an animal carcass therebetween; a fourth motor means for rotating said pair of downwardly inclined brushes about respective axes of rotation in counter-rotating relation to one another; whereby a neck area of a carcass is cleaned in sequence by said pair of upwardly inclined brushes, said first pair of vertical brushes, said second pair of vertical brushes, and said pair of downwardly inclined brushes.