Patent ID: 7452266

Claim:
A system for processing poultry breasts, comprising: (a) a scanner for scanning the poultry breasts as the poultry breasts are being transported past the scanner; (b) a data processor for processing the data from the scanner and using such data to determine the thickness profile of the poultry breasts; (c) wherein the data processor is programmed to determine the angular orientation of the poultry breasts relative to a reference line by making one or more determinations selected from the group consisting of: determining the axis of least inertia from the second moment of the volume or area distribution of the poultry breasts and converting the axis of least inertia into the axis of symmetry of the poultry breasts; utilizing the data from the scanner to determine the location of a directional line extending between a pronounced concavity in the margin of the poultry breasts corresponding to the location of the neck notch and a projection from the poultry breasts corresponding to the location of the tail; and utilizing the data from the scanner to determine the location of a linear depression corresponding to the location of the keel channel of the poultry breasts; and (d) wherein the data processor is programmed to use one or more of the foregoing determinations to establish the angular orientation of the poultry breast relative to a reference line.