Device for moulding meat in vacuo

Claim 1

A device for moulding meat in vacuo comprising a mandril, the external shape of which substantially corresponds with the internal shape of a mould for meat and which is traversed by a hollow cylinder, the upper part of which communicates with the outlet of a meat feeding device, the mould to be filled being slipped from below onto the mandril until its bottom comes into contact with the lower surface of the mandril, an airtight joint being provided between the upper rim of the mould, and the external surface of the mandril, whilst the vacuum channels open out at the bottom of the mandril, characterized in that said channels opening ot below the mandril can be connected with a source of pressurized air, whilst means are provided to disconnect the exhaust pump from said channels and for connecting from with the ambient asmospheric pressure for a source of pressurized air at the termination of each mould filling operation.

Claim 2

A device for moulding meat in vacuo comprising a mandril, the external shape of which substantially corresponds with the internal shape of a mould for meat and which is traversed by a hollow cylinder, the upper part of which communicates with the outlet of a meat feeding device, the mould to be filled being slipped from below onto the mandril until its bottom comes into contact with the lower surface of the mandril, an airtight joint being provided between the upper rim of the mould, and the external surface of the mandril, whilst the vacuum channels open out at the bottom of the mandril, characterized in that said channels opening ot below the mandril can be connected with a source of pressurized air, whilst means are provided to disconnect the exhaust pump from said channels and for connecting from with the ambient asmospheric pressure for a source of pressurized air at the termination of each mould filling operation.

Claim 5

A device as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 3. characterized in that in the thickness of the lower surface of the mandril there is arranged a slidable plate held in the grooves provided in the thickness of the lower surface of the mandril, whilst the lower surface of the plate is coplanar with said lower surface of the mandril, the plate being withdrawn to release the passage during the filling operation and being pushed on to partially block the outlet of said cylinder at the termination of each filling operation, whilst a rotary cutting blade is provided below said lower surface, which blade is turned away during the filling operation and turned after each filling operation to cut the remainder of the piece of meat passing through the opening and being reduced in section by said plate.

Claim 6

A device as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that in that a dosing cock is mounted in said cylinder, the axis of said measuring space being at right angles to the axis of the cylinder.

Claim 10

A device as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the airtight joint has holes subjected to vacuum and opening out between the external lateral wall of the mandril and the lateral internal surface of the mould.

Claim 11

A device as claimed in anyone of the previous claims, characterized in that an annular means enveloping said mould is provided with an upper rim cooperating with said airtight joint.