Patent ID: 7018283

Claim:
An apparatus for transferring poultry carcasses suspended from shackles from a first overhead conveyor to a second overhead conveyor, comprising: a transfer wheel having a perimeter rotatable about a vertical axis for positioning between the first and the second overhead conveyors, said transfer wheel being provided with carcass holders at the perimeter of the transfer wheel that are movable with the transfer wheel and revolve about the vertical axis of the transfer wheel, said carcass holders each being rotatable with respect to said transfer wheel about its own vertical axis at the perimeter of said transfer wheel, holder orientation means operatively associated with said transfer wheel configured for rotating the carcass holders with respect to the transfer wheel about their respective axes and for equalizing the rotational orientation of the carcass holders from receipt of the carcasses on the transfer wheel to the discharge of the carcasses from the transfer wheel, the initial rotational orientation and the final rotational orientation of the carcasses being identical relative to the first overhead conveyor and to the second overhead conveyor.