Apparatus for continuously processing frankfurters

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY FORMING SKINLESS FRANKFURTERS FROM A PLURALITY OF MEAT SUFFED CELLULOSE CASINGS ARRANGED IN A SPACED SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION, PROCESSING TANK MEANS HAVING AN INLET END AND AN OUTLET END, AND ENDLESS CONVEYOR POSITIONED SO THAT IT ENTERS THE TANK MEANS AT THE INLET END AND EMERGES FROM THE OUTLET END THEREOF, CRIMPER ASSEMBLIES MOUNTED ON SAID EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID CONVEYOR, SAID CRIMPER ASSEMBLIES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY SPACED-APART IN A DIRECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID CONVEYOR SO THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN AJACENT ASEMBLIES CORRESPONDS SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE DESIRED LENGTH OF SAID FRANKFURTERS, EACH OF SAID ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A FIXED PLATE HAVING GRIPPING FINGERS PROJECTING FROM ONE EDGE THEREOF, A SLIDING PLATE MOUNTED IN A SIDE-BY-SIDE CLOSELY SPACED RELATION WITH SAID FIXED PLATE AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF GRIPPING FINGERS PROJECTING FROM ONE EDGE THEREOF AND ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE FNGERS ON SAID FIXED PLATE, SAID SLIDING PLATE BEING MOVABLE BETWEN A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH SAID PLATES FORM A PLURALITY OF OPEN-SIDED CAVTIES FOR THE RECEPTION OF SAID STUFFED FRANKFURTHER CASINGS AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH CERTAIN OF SAID FINGERS ARE MOVED TOWARD EACH OTHER TO CRIMP PORTIONS OF SAID CASINGS THEREBETWEEN SO AS TO DIVIDE EACH CASING INTO FRANKFURTHER LENGTH SECTIONS CRIMPER ACTUATING MEANS ON SAID SLIDING PLATE, MEANS ADJACENT THE INLET END OF SAID TANK MEANS MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CONVEYOR AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE ACTUATING MEANS ON EACH OF SAID CRIMPER ASSEMBLIES SO AS TO MOVE SAID SLIDING PLATE TO SAID SECOND POSITION, KNIFE MEANS SPACED FROM THE OUTLET END OF SAID TANK MEANS AND MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE PLATES IN EACH CRIMPER ASSEMBLY SO AS TO SEVER THE POR TIONS OF SAID CASINGS CRIMPED THEREBETWEEN AND RELEASE CERTAIN OF SAID FRANKFURTHER LENGTH SECTIONS FROM SAID CONVEYOR, MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ACTUATING MEANS ON EACH CRIMPER ASSEMBLY SO AS TO MOVE THE SLIDING PLATE THEREIN TO SAID FIRST POSITION FOLLOWING MOVEMENT OF SAID KNIFE MEANS BETWEEN THE PLATES FOR SAID ASSEMBLY, PEELER MEANS FOR REMOVING SAID CASING SECTIONS FROM THE PROCESSED MEAT THEREIN, AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING STUFFED SECTIONS RELEASED FROM SAID CONVEYOR AT SAID KNIFE MEANS TO SAID PEELER MEANS.