Sausage casing discharge means for link-sausage-peeling apparatus

Claim 2

Means for discharging sausage casings or the like comprising a hollow vacuum wheel, having perforations therethrough, means rotatably driving said wheel, housing structure arranged about said wheel defining an intake opening adjacent the exterior of said wheel through which the casings or the like are adapted to gain entrance to the exterior of the wheel, exhaust means leading from the interior of said wheel to a vacuum source for causing air to flow through said intake opening and through said wheel to the interior thereof to cause the casings to adhere at least to a portion of the exterior of said wheel, said housing structure being open to the outside atmosphere along a part thereof adjacent a portion of said wheel to define an exit opening spaced circumferentially of said wheel from said entrance opening and through which the casing is adapted to pass to the outside atmosphere; and outside seal means including gate means for contacting the outside of the sausage casings just before the exiting thereof into the outside atmosphere.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, in which said gate means includes a pivoted gate member having roller means mounted thereon for rollingly engaging the sausage casings.

Claim 4

In apparatus for peeling link sausages or the like having pneumatic conduit means for conveying the meat-free sausage casing, sausage casing discharged means interposedly arranged in said pneumatic conduit means for discharging the sausage casings from said conduit means while maintaining vacuum in said conduit means comprising a hollow vacuum wheel having a broad generally cylindrical radially perforated rim having a multiplicity of perforations, bearing means rotatively supporting said wheel on its axis, means for driving said wheel unidirectionally, housing structure arranged about said wheel defining intake and exhaust openings communicating said wheel respectively with upstream and downstream sections of said conveying conduit relative to said vacuum wheel, said intake opening being oriented generally radially outwardly relative to said wheel rim and arranged for causing flow of the casing elements against the outside of the rim and flow of air though the rim into the hollow interior of the wheel, said exhaust opening being oriented generally axially outwardly relative to said wheel substantially sealingly communicating the hollow interior of said wheel with the downstream section of the conveyor conduit means, said housing structure defining also a sausage-casing passageway defined in part by the outer periphery of said wheel rim, and with said passageway communicating with said intake opening and extending therefrom in the direction of rotation of said wheel along the periphery of said wheel rim and opening into the atmosphere, inside seal means arranged in the interior of said wheel at least along a circumferential section of said wheel rim for occluding passage of air through the perforations of said wheel rim along said wheel section, said inside seal means including leading edge structure arranged substantially directly inwardly from the downstream terminus of said casing passageway.

Claim 5

In apparatus for peeling link sausages or the like having pneumatic conduit means for conveying the meat-free sausage casing, sausage casing discharged means interposedly arranged in said pneumatic conduit means for discharging the sausage casings from said conduit means while maintaining vacuum in said conduit means comprising a hollow vacuum wheel having a broad generally cylindrical radially perforated rim having a multiplicity of perforations, bearing means rotatively supporting said wheel on its axis, means for driving said wheel unidirectionally, housing structure arranged about said wheel defining intake and exhaust openings communicating said wheel respectively with upstream and downstream sections of said conveying conduit relative to said vacuum wheel, said intake opening being oriented generally radially outwardly relative to said wheel rim and arranged for causing flow of the casing elements against the outside of the rim and flow of air though the rim into the hollow interior of the wheel, said exhaust opening being oriented generally axially outwardly relative to said wheel substantially sealingly communicating the hollow interior of said wheel with the downstream section of the conveyor conduit means, said housing structure defining also a sausage-casing passageway defined in part by the outer periphery of said wheel rim, and with said passageway communicating with said intake opening and extending therefrom in the direction of rotation of said wheel along the periphery of said wheel rim and opening into the atmosphere, inside seal means arranged in the interior of said wheel at least along a circumferential section of said wheel rim for occluding passage of air through the perforations of said wheel rim along said wheel section, said inside seal means including leading edge structure arranged substantially directly inwardly from the downstream terminus of said casing passageway.

Claim 6

The means for discharging sausage casings as defined in claim 3, wherein said vacuum wheel is generally cup-shaped and having a thin-walled multiperforated cylindrical rim, and wherein said bearing means rotatingly supporting said vacuum wheel is arranged on one side only of said wheel, and wherein said vacuumed air flows through said intake openings, through the perforated rim of the wheel into the wheel interior, and out of the wheel interior axially of said wheel and substantially on that side only of said wheel opposite from said bearing means.

Claim 7

The means for discharging sausage casings as defined in claim 4, wherein said inside seal means arranged in the interior of said vacuum wheel is generally in the form of a crescent-shaped projection projecting axially inwardly from the open side of said wheel and with said projection having a plain curve configured outer surface corresponding substantially in radii proportions with the inner cylindrical surface structure of the rim of said vacuum wheel, and wherein said crescent-shaped projection is supported with said outer surface arranged in close and corresponding proximity to the inner cylindrical surface structure of said vacuum wheel rim.

Claim 8

The means for discharging sausage casings as defined in claim 3, which additionally includes outside seal means arranged externally of said wheel rim including a gate member generally superjacently arranged relative to said vacuum wheel rim and snugly but freely received in said casing passageway, said gate member being secured at the leading edge portion thereof at a place adjacent said intake opening, said gate member being movable inwardly and outwardly relative to said wheel rim and including a trailing edge portion arranged substantially directly radially outwardly of the leading edge structure of said inside seal means; the leading edge structure of said inside seal means and the trailing edge structure of said gate member of said outside seal means being coactingly operative respectively on opposite sides of said wheel rim and defining vacuum seal elements for maintaining vacuum in said vacuum wheel means while permitting passage of sausage casing elements.

Claim 9

The means for discharging sausage casings as defined in claim 6, wherein said sausage-casing passageway is defined in part by opposingly arranged housing rib structures arranged substantially on opposite sides of said vacuum wheel and defining confrontingly facing side surfaces, and wherein said gate member is generally flattened tonguelike in form and having oppositely facing side surfaces, and wherein said outside seal means includes means pivotally supporting said gate member at its leading edge structure at a disposition substantially between said opposingly arranged housing rib structures and with the oppositely facing side surfaces of said gate member being correspondingly closely spaced respectively from the confrontingly facing side surfaces of said housing rib structures.

Claim 10

The means for discharging sausage casings as defined in claim 7, wherein said vacuum wheel is journaled on a horizontal axis and wherein said gate member is arranged substantially entirely above a horizontal plane lying coincident with the axis of said wheel, and further with the relative arrangement of said wheel and said gate member, and the pivot axis of the gate member being such as to utilize at least in part the force of gravity in urGing the gate member toward the vacuum wheel rim.