Meat tenderizer

Claim 2

A meat tenderizer comprising, a horizontally extending U-shaped frame having a pair of forwardly extending parallel opposed side arms interconnected by a rear cross arm, a vertically extending channel-shaped bracket mounted on each side arm, legs extending downwardly from the frame and including channel-shaped bracket portions on their upper ends in mating connected engagement with the brackets on the side arms to support the tenderizer on a work surface, a motor mounted on the rear arm, a gear box mounted on one of the side arms having an input and a pair of outputs, clutch members carried by the outputs, means connecting the motor to the input, a horizontally extending U-shaped housing secured to said legs and enclosing said frame, motor and gear box and leaving said legs extending therebelow, said frame and housing being aligned to define a vertically extending bottomless meat tenderizing chamber, a cover hinged to said housing for closing the top and front of said chamber and leaving the bottom open, said cover having a meat receiving opening through which meat may be delivered to said meat tenderizing chamber, a knife frame assembly adapted to be mounted in said tenderizing chamber and to be covered by said cover having a pair of rotatable knife rolls with a clutch member on one end of each roll and aligning with the meat receiving opening, support pins extending from said gear box to support one side of said knife frame assembly and align the clutch members of said knife rolls to the clutch members of the outputs, and support pins extending from the side arm opposite the gear box to support the other end of the knife frame assembly.

Claim 3

A meat tenderizer comprising, a horizontally extending Ushaped frame having a pair of forwardly extending parallel opposed side arms interconnected by a rear cross arm, a vertically extending channel-shaped bracket mounted on each side arm, legs extending downwardly from the frame and including channel-shaped bracket portions on their upper ends in mating connected engagement with the brackets on the side arms to support the tenderizer on a work surface, a motor mounted on the rear arm, a gear box mounted on one of the side arms having an input and a pair of outputs, clutch members carried by the outputs, means connecting the motor to the input, a horizontally extending U-shaped housing secured to said legs and enclosing said frame, motor and gear box and leaving said legs extending therebelow, said frame and housing being aligned to define a vertically extending bottomless meat tenderizing chamber, a cover hinged to said housing for closing the top and front of said chamber and leaving the bottom open, said cover having a meat receiving opening through which meat may be delivered to said meat tenderizing chamber, a knife frame assembly adapted to be mounted in said tenderizing chamber and to be covered by said cover having a pair of rotatable knife rolls with a clutch member on one end of each roll and aligning with the meat receiving opening, support pins extending from said gear box to support one side of said knife frame assembly and align the clutch members of said knife rolls to the clutch members of the outputs, and support pins extending from the side arm opposite the gear box to support the other end of the knife frame assembly.

Claim 4

A meat tenderizer comprising, a horizontally extending Ushaped frame having a pair of forwardly extending parallel opposed side arms interconnected by a rear cross arm, a vertically extending channel-shaped bracket mounted on each side arm, legs extending downwardly from the frame and including channel-shaped bracket portions on their upper ends in mating connected engagement with the brackets on the side arms to support the tenderizer on a work surface, a motor mounted on the rear arm, a gear box mounted on one of the side arms having an input and a pair of outputs, clutch members carried by the outputs, means connecting the motor to the input, a horizontally extending U-shaped housing secured to said legs and enclosing said frame, motor and gear box and leaving said legs extending therebelow, said frame and housing being aligned to define a vertically extending bottomless meat tenderizing chamber, a cover hinged to said housing for closing the top and front of said chamber and leaving the bottom open, said cover having a meat receiving opening through which meat may be delivered to said meat tenderizing chamber, a knife frame assembly adapted to be mounted in said tenderizing chamber and to be covered by said cover having a pair of rotatable knife rolls with a clutch member on one end of each roll and aligning with the meat receiving opening, support pins extending from said gear box to support one side of said knife frame assembly and align the clutch members of said knife rolls to the clutch members of the outputs, and support pins extending from the side arm opposite the gear box to support the other end of the knife frame assembly.

Claim 5

A meat tenderizer as defined in claim 1, and a proximity switch for said motor having a first magnet coacting with a second magnet on said cover to prevent operation of the motor when the cover is not in the closed position.

Claim 6

A meat tenderizer as defined in claim 2, wherein said proximity switch includes a switch arm movable between an out pOsition near the meat tenderizer chamber where the switch is open and an in position away from the chamber where the switch is closed, and said first magnet being carried on said switch arm with polarities opposite those of said second magnet when aligned therewith and the cover being closed, wherein the switch arm will be moved to the in position when the cover is closed and said first magnet is under the influence of said second magnet and the switch arm will move to the out position when the magnets are displaced from each other.

Claim 7

A meat tenderizer comprising, a horizontally extending U-shaped frame having a pair of forwardly extending parallel opposed side arms interconnected by a rear cross arm, legs extending downwardly from the frame to support the tenderizer on a work surface, a motor mounted on the rear arm, a gear box mounted on one of the side arms having an input and a pair of outputs, clutch members carried by the outputs, means connecting the motor to the input, said gear box including first, second and third parallel spaced shafts, said first shaft corresponding to said input and said second and third shafts corresponding to said outputs, a pinion gear fixed on said first shaft for rotation therewith, an idler gear member freely rotatable on said second shaft having a first pinion gear section in meshing engagement with the pinion gear on said first shaft and a second pinion gear section, a gear member fixed on said third shaft having a first pinion gear section in meshing engagement with the second pinion gear section of said idler gear member and a second pinion gear section, and a pinion gear fixed on said second shaft for rotation therewith and in meshing engagement with said second pinion gear section of said third shaft gear member, said gears and gear sections being sized to provide an output speed substantially less than the input speed, a horizontally extending U-shaped housing secured to said legs and enclosing said frame, motor and gear box and leaving said legs extending therebelow, said frame and housing being aligned to define a vertically extending bottomless meat tenderizing chamber, a cover hinged to said housing for closing the top and front of said chamber and leaving the bottom open, said cover having a meat receiving opening through which meat may be delivered to said meat tenderizing chamber, a knife frame assembly adapted to be mounted in said tenderizing chamber and to be covered by said cover having a pair of rotatable knife rolls with a clutch member on one end of each roll and aligning with the meat receiving opening, support pins extending from said gear box to support one side of said knife frame assembly and align the clutch members of said knife rolls to the clutch members of the outputs, and support pins extending from the side arm opposite the gear box to support the other end of the knife frame assembly.

Claim 8

A meat tenderizer comprising, a horizontally extending U-shaped frame having a pair of forwardly extending parallel opposed side arms interconnected by a rear cross arm, legs extending downwardly from the frame to support the tenderizer on a work surface, a motor mounted on the rear arm, a gear box mounted on one of the side arms having an input and a pair of outputs, clutch members carried by the outputs, means connecting the motor to the input, said gear box including first, second and third parallel spaced shafts, said first shaft corresponding to said input and said second and third shafts corresponding to said outputs, a pinion gear fixed on said first shaft for rotation therewith, an idler gear member freely rotatable on said second shaft having a first pinion gear section in meshing engagement with the pinion gear on said first shaft and a second pinion gear section, a gear member fixed on said third shaft having a first pinion gear section in meshing engagement with the second pinion gear section of said idler gear member and a second pinion gear section, and a pinion gear fixed on said second shaft for rotation therewith and in meshing engagement with said second pinion gear section of said third shaft gear member, said gears and gear sections being sized to provide an output speed substantially less than the input speed, a horizontally extending U-shaped housing secured to said legs and enclosing said frame, motor and gear box and leaving said legs extending therebelow, said frame and housing being aligned to define a vertically extending bottomless meat tenderizing chamber, a cover hinged to said housing for closing the top and front of said chamber and leaving the bottom open, said cover having a meat receiving opening through which meat may be delivered to said meat tenderizing chamber, a knife frame assembly adapted to be mounted in said tenderizing chamber and to be covered by said cover having a pair of rotatable knife rolls with a clutch member on one end of each roll and aligning with the meat receiving opening, support pins extending from said gear box to support one side of said knife frame assembly and align the clutch members of said knife rolls to the clutch members of the outputs, and support pins extending from the side arm opposite the gear box to support the other end of the knife frame assembly.

Claim 9

A meat tenderizer as defined in claim 4, wherein the size of the first pinion gear section of the idler gear member is substantially larger than the first shaft pinion gear, the size of the second pinion gear section of the idler gear member is smaller than the first pinion gear section thereof, the size of the first pinion gear section of the third shaft gear member is larger than the second pinion gear section of the second shaft idler gear member, and the size of the second pinion gear section of the third shaft gear member is equal to said second shaft pinion gear.