Poultry gizzard splitting and washing apparatus

Claim 1

POULTRY GIZZARD TREATMENT APPARATUS INCLUDING A FRAME STRUCTURE, A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL CHAINS COOPERATING TO FORM A FEED CONVEYOR FOR FEEDING GIZZARDS LONGITUDINALLY OF THE APPARATUS, GUIDE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HORIZONTAL CHAINS FOR POSITIONING SAID GIZZARDS WITH RESPECT TO SAID HORIZONTAL CHAINS, AND A SECONDARY CONVEYOR INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL PAIR OF PARALLEL CHAINS DISPOSED IN A PLANE BELOW SAID FIRST MENTIONED PAIR OF CHAINS AND COOPERATING THEREWITH TO RECEIVE GIZZARDS FROM SAID FIRST PAIR OF CHAINS TO CONTINUE THE MOVEMENT OF THE GIZZARDS LONGITUDINALLY OF THE APPARATUS AND A KNIFE VERTICALLY DISPOSED IN A PLANE BETWEEN SAID CHAIN OF SAID SECONDARY CONVEYOR AND PROJECTING BELOW THE UPPER PLANE OF SAID FIRST MENTIONED HORIZONTAL CHAINS FOR PARTIALLY SEVERING EACH OF SAID GIZZARDS AS IT IS CONVEYED THEREPAST, THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID BLADE BEING POSITIONED ABOVE THE PLANE OF SAID GUIDE MEANS BY A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE VERTICAL HEIGHT OF SAID GIZZARDS WHEN CARRIED ON SAID HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR.