Injection apparatus for the treatment of meat

Claim 1

INJECTION APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF MEAT CHUNKS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A BATTERY OF HOLLOW NEEDLES TO PIERCE THE MEAT CHUNK, SAID NEEDLES HAVING FORWARD END PORTIONS PROVIDED WITH ORIFICES FOR THE RELEASE OF TREATING FLUID INTO THE CHUNK, A TRANSVERSE SUPPORT MEMBER UPON WHICH THE NEEDLES ARE MOUNTED IN SPACED SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING THE SUPPORT MEMBER AND THE NEEDLES THEREON TOWARD AND FROM A MEAT CHUNK LOCATED IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLES, MEANS MOUNTING THE NEEDLES UPON THE SUPPORT MEMBER FOR LIMITED RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE SUPPORT MEMBER, CONDUIT MEANS FOR SUPPLYING TREATING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO THE HOLLOW NEEDLES AT LOCATIONS REMOTE FROM THE ORIFICES THEREOF, A NORMALLY CLOSED VALVE UNIT FOR EACH CONDUIT MEANS INCLUDING A BODY AND A SLIDE ELEMENT THEREIN, MEANS OPERATIVELY COUPLING EACH NEEDLE WITH ITS RESPECTIVE VALVE UNIT SLIDE ELEMENT WHEREBY THE VALVE WILL BE OPENED BY MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLE IN RESPONSE TO RESISTANCE TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLE TOWARD OR INTO A MEAT CHUNK, EACH VALVE UNIT BEING MOVABLE WITH THE NEEDLE RELATIVE TO THE SUPPORT MEMBER, AND STRAIN RELIEF MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND EACH OF SAID VALVE UNITS TO YIELD WHEN THE SUPPORT MEMBER IS ADVANCING TOWARD THE CHUNK WHEN THE NEEDLE IS STOPPED IN ITS MOVEMENT BY THE SUPPORT MEMBER TOWARD THE MEAT CHUNK, AS BY IMPINGEMENT UPON A BONE, WHEREBY OTHER NEEDLES MAY CONTINUE TO BE MOVED BY THE SUPPORT MEMBER TOWARD AND INTO THE MEAT CHUNK.