Patent ID: 8882571

Claim:
An apparatus for separating and collecting meat from animal thighs, each animal thigh having a thigh bone with a hip knuckle at one end. and a knee knuckle at an opposite end, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor defining and movable along a processing path; a plurality of bone holders coupled to the conveyor in spaced relationship and movable with the conveyor along the processing path to define a path of conveyance, each bone holder comprising a hip knuckle gripper for gripping a configured to grip the thigh bone of an animal thigh adjacent the hip knuckle thereof: a first processing station disposed along the processing path and comprising at least one cutting blade arranged to cut meat tissue attaching the meat to the thigh bone at a designated location adjacent the hip lower knee knuckle as the animal thigh is conveyed past the first processing station; a second processing station disposed along the processing path and comprising at least one cutting blade arranged to cut meat tissue attaching the meat to the thigh bone at a designated location adjacent the knee upper hip knuckle as the animal thigh is conveyed past the second processing station; a third processing station disposed along the processing path and comprising a meat stripper configured to engage and substantially surround the thigh bone at a location between the hip knuckle gripper and the knee knuckle; a mechanism for moving the meat stripper and the hip knuckle gripper away from each other to strip the eat tissue from the bone in a direction toward the knee knuckle, the meat stripper moving over the knee knuckle to separate the meat tissue from, the thigh bone; and a collection station for collecting the meat separated from the thigh bone.