Apparatus for tenderizing and separating meat from bones

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TENDERIZING AND SEPARATING MEAT FROM BONES, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME, AN ELONGATED PLATEN CARRIED BY SAID FRAME, THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID PLATEN HAVING A FACING OF YIELDABLE MATERIAL WITH A PLURALITY OF DEPENDING FRUSTO-CONICAL YIELDABLE PROJECTIONS, A PULLEY ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME ADJACENT EACH END OF SAID PLATEN, A BELT TRAINED OVER SAID PULLEYS WITH THE UPPER FLIGHT DISPOSED IN SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION BELOW SAID PLATEN, A PLURALITY OF YIELDABLE FRUSTOCONICAL PROJECTIONS ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID BELT, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID PLATEN AND THE UPPER FLIGHT OF SAID BELT, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE UPPER FLIGHT OF SAID BELT AT A PLURALITY OF SPACED POINTS THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID PLATEN COMPRISING A PLATE SECURED TO SAID FRAME BELOW SAID UPPER FLIGHT, A PLURALITY OF ROWS OF SPACED OPENINGS IN SAID PLATE, ROLLERS PROJECTING THROUGH SAID OPENINGS AND ENGAGING THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID UPPER FLIGHT, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID BELT, WHEREBY MEAT-CARRYING BONES PASSING BETWEEN SAID PLATEN AND SAID BELT WILL BE KNEADED BY SAID PROJECTIONS TO TENDERIZE, SHRED, AND REMOVE MEAT FROM THE BONES, AN ELONGATED SIFTING DRUM OPEN AT BOTH ENDS AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF BELOW SAID BELT, SAID DRUM COMPRISING SPACED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PARALLEL BARS AND SPACED REINFORCING RINGS SURROUNDING SAID DRUM AND SECURED TO SAID BARS, MEANS TO DRIVE SAID DRUM, A FEED HOOPER ABOVE SAID BELT ADJACENT ONE END, STRIPPING MEANS COMPRISING A BRUSH ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND ENGAGING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID BELT WHERE THE SAME PASSES OVER SAID PULLEY AT THE END OPPOSITE SAID HOPPER AND MEANS TO DRIVE SAID BRUSH AT A SURFACE SPEED GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID BELT, SAID STRIPPING MEANS SERVING TO STRIP MEAT AND BONES FROM THE PROJECTIONS ON SAID BELT, A CHUTE BELOW SAID STRIPPING MEANS AND THE ADJACENT END OF SAID BELT FOR RECEIVING MEAT AND BONES AND DISCHARGING THE SAME INTO ONE END OF SAID DRUM, A CONVEYOR BELT DISPOSED BELOW SAID DRUM AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID FRAME FOR RECEIVING MEAT PASSING BETWEEN THE BARS OF SAID DRUM, THE BONES BEING DISCHARGED FROM SAID DRUM AT THE END OPPOSITE SAID CHUTE, MEANS TO DRIVE SAID CONVEYOR BELT, A ROTARY BRUSH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CONVEYOR BELT AND INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL TO CLEAN THE SURFACE OF SAID CONVEYOR BELT AND DIRECT THE MEAT CARRIED THEREBY TOWARD ONE SIDE AND MEANS TO DRIVE SAID ROTARY BRUSH.