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Title: Spring-biased, instantly unloaded knives for penetrating and tenderizing meat, and hydraulically controlled stripping means
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. In a meat tenderizing apparatus having a frame, support means for supporting meat to be tenderized, a ram, means mounted on said frame operatively associated with said ram for guiding said ram for vertical reciprocation toward and away from said support means, a plurality of module means disposed in said ram each said module means carrying a downwardly directed meat tenderizing knife, means effective to reciprocate said ram to cut said meat, a stripper carriage operably disposed to move in coordination with said ram to strip said meat on the upward stroke of said ram, and means for locking said stripper carriage in relation to said reciprocable ram, the improvement wherein said module means comprises a housing having first, second and third stepped coaxial bores, said first bore slidably accomodating a shaft from which said knife depends, said second bore having displaceably disposed therein plural balls instantly responsive to upward displacement of said shaft, and said third bore having displaceably disposed therein keeper means supported on said balls said keeper means having a passage through which said shaft may be slidably longitudinally translated, and spring biasing means with preselected spring constant to bias said keeper means against said balls so that a knife-retarding obstruction in said meat which exerts an upward force sufficient to displace said balls into said third bore essentially instantaneously releases said shaft so that there is no downward force on said shaft after it is released. 2. In a meat tenderizer having a ram movable toward and away from a piece of meat to be tenderized, a spring-biased tenderizing knife to be carried by the ram for piercing a piece of meat, the improvement comprising mounting means for mounting said knife in said ram in which there is provided first, second and third stepped coaxial bores, said third bore having a larger diameter than said second bore which has a larger diameter than said first bore; a shaft slidably disposed in said first bore, said knife being operably attached to said shaft, plural balls held coplanarly in said second bore to exert a downward force against said shaft, said balls being displaceable from said second bore into said third bore responsive to an upward displacement of said shaft, said third bore having displaceably disposed therein a keeper means supported on said balls, said keeper means having a passage through which said shaft may be slidably translated, and coil spring means to exert a preselected force on said keeper means, so that an opposing axial force on said shaft greater than said preselected force will cause sufficient compression of said spring means to displace said balls from said second bore into said third bore, and to essentially instantaneously release said shaft and cause it to be translated through said passage. 3. The meat tenderizing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shaft is provided with an annular groove near its upper end in which groove said plural balls are engaged to prevent downward displacement of said shaft through said first bore. 4. The meat tenderizing apparatus of claim 3 wherein said annular groove is provided near its lower edge with an inclined surface having a slope of about 60.degree. from the horizontal to facilitate displacement of said balls by said shaft. 5. The meat tenderizing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wall of said second bore is chamfered to facilitate displacement of said balls from said second bore into said third bore. 6. In a meat tenderizing apparatus having a frame, support means for supporting meat to be tenderized, a ram, means mounted on said frame operatively associated with said ram for guiding said ram for vertical reciprocation toward and away from said support means, a plurality of module means disposed in said ram each said module means carrying a downwardly directed meat tenderizing knife, means effective to reciprocate said ram to cut said meat, a stripper carriage operably disposed to move in coordination with said ram to strip said meat on the upward stroke of said ram, and means for locking said stripper carriage in relation to said reciprocable ram, the improvement wherein said module means comprises a housing having first, second and third stepped coaxial bores, said first bore slidably accomodating a shaft from which said knife depends, said second bore having displaceably disposed therein plural balls instantly responsive to upward displacement of said shaft, and said third bore having non-displaceably disposed therein keeper means supported on said balls, spring biasing means to bias said keeper means against said balls, and plate means operatively disposed on said ram to prevent displacement of said keeper means. Other info: Inventors: McCullough, Timothy J. (Vermilion, OH, US) Application Number: 854375 Filing Date: 1977-11-23 Publication_date: 1979-10-02 Assignee: Primary Class(es): 452/141 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Abercrombie, Willie G. Assistant Examiner: Attorney: |
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