US-12616215-B2 - Dismountable poultry processing knife and a mounting frame

US12616215B2US 12616215 B2US12616215 B2US 12616215B2US-12616215-B2

Abstract

A dismountable poultry processing knife and mounting frame. The mounting frame provided with a quick release mechanism for quickly mounting or dismounting of a poultry processing knife while avoiding screw connections. The poultry processing knife provided with quick release features which are arranged to cooperate with the quick release mechanism of the mounting frame.

Inventors

Bas NAGEL

Assignees

MEYN FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY B.V.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221011
Priority Date: 20211018

Claims (11)

1 . A mounting frame for a dismountable poultry processing knife, the processing knife having a rim and quick release features, the mounting frame comprising: a body including a longitudinal mating surface and equipped with at least one protrusion that is arranged to i) guide the processing knife during its mounting on or dismounting from the body of the mounting frame, ii) to secure the position of the poultry processing knife with respect to the mounting frame, or iii) both; and a quick release mechanism for quickly mounting or dismounting of the poultry processing knife, the quick release mechanism in cooperation with the quick release features of the poultry processing knife, the quick release mechanism including a releasable clamping portion for releasably clamping the rim of the processing knife, the clamping portion comprising at least one arresting pin extending through the body of the mounting frame, the at least one arresting pin comprising a clamping head, the at least one arresting pin longitudinally moveable with respect to the body of the mounting frame so as to move the clamping head between a position in which it clampingly engages the rim of the poultry processing knife and another position in which it is disengaged or loose from the rim of the poultry processing knife while remaining mounted or attached to the mounting frame; and wherein the at least one arresting pin includes an external flat portion extending perpendicular to the clamping head, and wherein the external flat portion of the at least one arresting pin is engaged with the longitudinal mating surface of the body so as to prevent rotation of the at least one arresting pin.
2 . The mounting frame of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arresting pin is provided with an external screw thread and is arranged to cooperate with a nut so as to clampingly engage the rim of the poultry processing knife with the clamping head of the pin.
3 . The mounting frame of claim 1 , wherein the pin is provided with a longitudinal through-hole with internal screw thread and arranged to cooperate with a bolt so as to clampingly engage the rim of the poultry processing knife with the clamping head of the pin.
4 . A dismountable poultry processing knife for mounting on a mounting frame according to claim 1 , the processing knife having quick release features arranged to cooperate with the quick release mechanism of the mounting frame, the quick release features comprising at least one receptacle for the at least one arresting pin of the mounting frame, the at least one receptacle provided on the rim of the poultry processing knife, wherein the rim is arranged to be clamped by the releasable clamping portion of the mounting frame.
5 . The dismountable poultry processing knife of claim 4 , wherein the at least one receptacle is equipped to snugly receive the at least one arresting pin therein that forms part of the quick release mechanism of the mounting frame.
6 . The dismountable poultry processing knife of claim 4 , wherein the rim of the poultry processing knife is provided with at least one guiding slit which is tailored to a protrusion or protrusions provided on the body of the mounting frame to guide the poultry processing knife during its mounting on or dismounting from the body of the mounting frame or to secure the position of the poultry processing knife with respect to the mounting frame.
7 . The dismountable poultry processing knife of claim 4 , wherein the poultry processing knife has a curved cutting edge pointing away from the rim of the poultry processing knife that is designed to cooperate with the mounting frame.
8 . A poultry processing line that is equipped with a mounting frame according to claim 1 for mounting a dismountable poultry processing knife.
9 . A poultry processing line that is equipped with a dismountable poultry processing knife according to claim 4 , the dismountable poultry processing knife mounted on the mounting frame.
10 . A mounting frame for a dismountable poultry processing knife, the processing knife having a rim and quick release features, the mounting frame comprising: a body; and a quick release mechanism for quickly mounting or dismounting of the poultry processing knife, the quick release mechanism including a clamping portion for releasably clamping the rim of the processing knife, the clamping portion comprising at least two arresting pins extending through the body of the mounting frame and jointly movable towards and away from the body of the mounting frame, the at least two arresting pins each comprising a clamping head, the at least two arresting pins longitudinally moveable with respect to the body of the mounting frame so as to move each clamping head towards and away from the body between a first position in which the clamping head engages the rim of the poultry processing knife and a second position in which the clamping head is disengaged or loose from the rim of the poultry processing knife while remaining mounted or attached to the mounting frame, wherein the at least two arresting pins are connected with a rod that extends generally parallel to the body of the mounting frame so as to enable that movement of the rod in a direction transverse to the body of the mounting frame causes movement of the at least two arresting pins, wherein at least one of the two arresting pins defines a slit in a vicinity of a respective clamping head of at least one of the two arresting pins, wherein the slit is dimensioned to receive, or enable passage of, the rim of the processing knife; and a lever for moving the at least two arresting pins between the first position and the second position, the lever having an indented portion arranged to stably receive the rod connecting the at least two arresting pins when the quick release mechanism is in a locked position, the lever movable for moving the rod relative to the body of the mounting frame in a direction transverse to the body of the mounting frame, the lever configured to change the quick release mechanism between the locked position and an unlocked position.
11 . The mounting frame of claim 10 , wherein the body of the mounting frame is equipped with at least one protrusion that is arranged to i) guide the processing knife during its mounting on or dismounting from the body of the mounting frame, ii) to secure the position of the poultry processing knife with respect to the mounting frame, or iii) both.

Description

PRIORITY STATEMENT The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Dutch patent application No. 2029457, filed on Oct. 18, 2021. FIELD OF THE INVENTION In general, the present disclosure relates to a mounting frame for a dismountable poultry processing knife and also to a dismountable poultry processing knife. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In poultry processing, frequent use is made of poultry processing knives. The known poultry processing knives are used for simply cutting poultry parts longitudinally or transversely and also for boning of particular parts of the poultry. As an example, EP 0 201 980 discloses a boning apparatus that is provided with boning blades having facing cutting edges that are adjusted to the bones to be processed. The boning blades are releasably connected to blade carriers and are able to move rectilinearly towards and away from each other. A problem with known poultry processing equipment in which poultry processing knives are applied is that it is laborious to change the poultry processing knives for maintenance or other purposes such as cleaning. It is therefore an object of the invention to make removal or placement of the poultry processing knives less laborious and less cumbersome. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Exemplary embodiments of the invention include a mounting frame and a dismountable poultry processing knife, as well as a processing line for processing poultry, according to the description that follows and as set forth in one or more of the appended claims. Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a mounting frame is provided with a quick release mechanism for quickly mounting or dismounting of a poultry processing knife. The quick release mechanism is designed for cooperation with quick release features of the poultry processing knife. The quick release mechanism may include a clamping portion for releasably clamping a rim of the processing knife. The clamping portion may include at least one arresting pin with a clamping head. The at least one arresting pin may be longitudinally moveable with respect to a body of the mounting frame so as to move the clamping head between a position in which it clampingly engages the rim of the poultry processing knife and another position in which it is disengaged or loose from the rim of the poultry processing knife while remaining mounted or attached to the mounting frame. In another exemplary embodiment the invention, a dismountable poultry processing knife is provided for mounting on a mounting frame. The poultry processing knife may be provided with quick release features that are arranged to cooperate with a quick release mechanism of the mounting frame. The quick release features of the poultry processing knife may include at least one receptacle for the at least one arresting pin of the mounting frame. The at least one receptacle may be provided on a rim of the poultry processing knife where the rim is arranged to be clamped by the releasable clamping portion of the mounting frame. In an exemplary aspect, the at least one receptacle of the dismountable poultry processing knife may be equipped to snugly receive the at least one arresting pin therein that forms part of the quick release mechanism of the mounting frame. With reference to the mounting frame, multiple exemplary embodiments are provided. For example, in one embodiment the pin may be provided with an external screw thread and arranged to cooperate with a nut so as to clampingly engage the rim of the poultry processing knife with the clamping head of the pin. In another exemplary embodiment, the pin is provided with a longitudinal through hole with internal screw thread and arranged to cooperate with a bolt so as to clampingly engage the rim of the poultry processing knife with the clamping head of the pin. The above mentioned exemplary embodiments are well suited to make quick mounting and dismounting of the poultry processing knife possible, in particular since the pin may simply remain attached or connected to the mounting frame during placement or replacement of the poultry processing knife. In another exemplary aspect, the pin may be provided with external flat portions arranged to cooperate with mating surfaces forming part of the mounting frame so as to prevent rotation of the pin. In another exemplary aspect, the body of the mounting frame may be equipped with at least one protrusion arranged to guide the processing knife during its mounting on or dismounting from the body of the mounting frame and/or to secure the position of the knife with respect to the mounting frame. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the clamping portion of the mounting frame may include at least two arresting pins at a preselected distance from each other, wherein each of t