Patent ID: 7934442

Claim:
An automated stockinette remover for removing a stockinette from meat, the meat having an end, sides, and a length, comprising: a) a conveyor having a conveying member configured and arranged to support and transport the meat in a first direction; b) a first knife proximate the conveying member, the first knife being positioned for making a first cut in the stockinette proximate the end of the meat parallel to the first direction as the meat is transported in the first direction, the first cut extending perpendicular to the sides and the length of the meat; c) a passageway proximate the conveying member, the passageway extending outward from the conveying member in a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction; d) a transfer member to transport the meat from the conveying member in the second direction into and through the passageway; e) a second knife and a third knife positioned proximate the passageway, the second knife and the third knife positioned for concurrently making a second cut and a third cut in the stockinette proximate the sides of the meat as the meat is transported through the passageway, the second cut and the third cut intersecting the first cut and extending along the length of the meat; and f) an engaging member proximate the passageway configured and arranged to engage the stockinette between the cuts in the stockinette to remove the stockinette from the meat.