Dehiding Apparatus

Abstract

Dehiding apparatus that, in a single tool, provides a handle with longitudinal passages for pressure air to and exhaust air from an air motor housed and disposed transversely within a transverse enlargement of the forward end portion of the handle, and a forward extension of the motor housing mounting a pair of oppositely oscillating disc blades for dehiding a carcass, said blades being oscillated by eccentrically operated linkage interconnecting the output shaft of the air motor with the mentioned disc blades

Description

BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The separation of a hide from a carcass by severance of membranes connecting such hide and the flesh of the carcass.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A comprehensive search in the related art revealed dehiding devices in Class 17, subclasses 21 and 22, and Class 30, sub-classes 206,208,215,219, and 347. Of these, only U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,397 in Class 30, subclass 219 need be discussed in relation to the present apparatus. The same discloses a device that has an air motor which oscillates a pair of dehiding disc blades, the motor having an elongated form and is housed in the handle of the tool, and the output of said motor actuating a pair of transmission arms, that through the medium of an angular speed-reducing transmission and direct connection with said blades, effects such oscillation of the disc blades.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Dehiding apparatus in the form of a hand tool that embodies an air motor of a diametral size substantially larger than the handle of the tool and generating its power at a slower and more powerful rate of speed in contradistinction to the lesser power that would be generated at the higher speed of an air motor of diametral size to fit within the handle of the tool, the output power of said diametrally larger slower speed air motor being applied directly to the disc blades of the apparatus at said slower speed of the motor.

An object of the present invention is to provide dehiding appartus as above characterized that improves the efficienty of an air motor-driven pair of dehiding disc blades by enlarging the diametral size of the motor and, thereby rendering its power greater and yet enabling the elimination of transmission means between the output of the motor and the disc blades.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified direct drive connection between the motor and the disc oscillating arms to utilize the full power output of said motor at the speed of rotation thereof.

A further object of the invention is to obviate the need for gearing down from the high speed of small-diameter air motors by positioning the motor beyond the handle so the same can be disposed on a transverse axis in a housing therefor substatially larger than the handle of the tool.

A still further object is to provide a dehider that is light in weight, of simpler construction by lowering the mass of the air motor and effecting a direct drive from the motor to the disc blades.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawings merely show, and the following specification merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a forshortened side view, partly in longitudinal section, of a dehiding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial elevational and partial longitudinal sectional view of the upper portion of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, with a portion of the housing thereof removed.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view as taken on the plane of line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the lower portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an expanded perspective view of the mechanism that is housed in the upper end portion of the apparatus, the same showing the disc blades and the components that oscillate the same under power of the air motor.

The present dehiding apparatus comprises, generally, a tool that has a handle section 10, an air motor housing section 11 of generally tubular form and disposed on an axis transverse to the handle section and extending from the forward end of said handle section, and a disc blade mounting section 12 extending forwardly from the motor housing section.

The handle section 11 is fitted on its rearward end with a fitting 13 for a pressure air inlet hose and forward of said fitting with a normally closed valve 14 that is controlled by a lever 15 actuatable by the hand gripping the handle 16 of said section 10. A longitudinal passage 17 conducts flow of pressure air released by valve 14, when opened, toward the motor housing section 11.

Said handle section 11 is also provided at its rearward end with an air exhaust fitting 18 which may be controlled by a deflector 19 to direct exhaust air flowing in a longitudinal passage 20. It will be understood that the air motor 21 that is housed in section 11 is operated by the pressure air flowing in passage 17, the pasage 20 exhausting said air as it leaves the motor.

It will be noted that the motor 21 is disposed on an axis transverse to the longitudinal extent of the handle section 10. Since the diametral size of said motor is not limited to a size that may be conveniently housed in the handle 16, said diametral size can be greater, as shown best in FIGS. 4 and 5. A small diameter air motor, in order to develop the torque and power desired, must be designed to have a length substantially greater than a motor developing the same torque and power and having a greater diametral size and a proportionally lesser length. The first-mentioned design must operate at high speed to obtain desired torque and power, while the second-mentioned design can produce the same torque and power at substantially lower speeds. In this instance, the latter is desired, as will be later made clear.

From FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, it will be seen that the air motor 21 is disposed on an axis 22 that is transverse to the longitudinal dimension of the apparatus. The rotor 23 of said motor has end pintles 24 fitted in aligned bearings 25 in the section 11 of the apparatus. In the usual manner said rotor 23 is fitted with vanes 26 that operate in the motor cylinder 27. The latter, as is usual, is provided with ports that pass pressure air from passage 17 to the interior of said cylinder 27 to act on the vanes 26 and cause rotation of the rotor 23. Such air is exhausted through the passage 20 as previously explained.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotor 23 is keyed to an eccentric 28 which, through a needle bearing 29 around said eccentric, causes eccentric movement of a collar 30.

The section 12 of the apparatus is shown as comprising a housing body 31 that may be integral with or affixed to the air motor housing 11. A front cover 32 is removably affixed to said body 31 and a blade cover 33 forms a chamber 34 between itself and the outer wall of the body cover 32. Between said blade cover 33 and the housing body 31 a space 35 is provided for a pair of cooperating disc blades 36 and 37 that are provided with sharpened serrations 38 and which are rotationally mounted on an axle 39 extending across said space 35 between the housing body 31 and the cover 32.

Said disc blades 36 and 37 are oppositely oscillated by means 40 that is disposed in the mentioned space 34 and is operatively connected to the eccentrically movable collar 30 engaged with the eccentric 28 that is driven by the motor 21.

With particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, said means 40 is shown as a pair of straight-armed levers 41 and 42, both being pivotally mounted on the mentioned axle 39. One arm 43 of lever 41 is provided with an end pin 44 that passes through a clearance slot 45 in the blade cover 33, passes through a clearance hole 46 in the disc blade 36, and enters hole 47 in blade 37. The other arm 48 of lever 41 is connected to a connecting rod 49 that has operative engagement with the collar 30. Similarly, one arm 50 of the lever 42 is provided with a pin 51 that passes through a clearance slot 52 in the cover 33 and enters hole 53 in the disc blade 36. The other arm 54 of lever 42 is connected to a second connecting rod 55 that has similar operative engagement with said eccentrically movable collar 30. In order that the blades 36 and 37 may be interchangeable, the blade 37 is also provided with a clearance hole 56 similar to the hole 46. Thus, the pins 44 and 51 may be extended into recesses 57 housing body 31 to insure proper engagement of the latter pins with the respective disc blades.

It will be evident from the arrangement of the levers 41 and 42 and of the connecting rods 49 and 55 that, as the eccentric 28 alternately pulls down and pushes up on the connecting rods 49 and 55, the levers 41 and 42 will perform a scissors movement resulting in partial and alternate rotative movement of the disc blades on the axle 39. The mentioned shearing engagement of the sharpened serration 38 of said blades cut through the membranes connecting the carcass and hide, thereby effecting dehiding of a carcass in a facile and rapid manner.

It will be understood that suitable seals, especially in the area around the disc blades, may be provided to keep clogging and/or corrosive matter from accumulating in or on the tool.

From FIG. 4 it will be seen that the axis 22 and 39 are, advantageously parallel and disposed on a plane that is the longitudinal center of the tool.

While the foregoing has illustrated and desribed what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Dehiding apparatus in the form of a hand tool comprising, in combination:

an elongated handle section having two longitudinal, side-by-side passages, one for passing inlet compressed air to the forward end of said section and the other for passing exhaust air received by said forward end, to and out of the rearward end of the handle, said handle being provided with a normally closed valve across the passage passing the inlet air and having a control lever operable by the hand that grips the handle section for opening said inlet passage to flow of compressed air forwardly, the exhaust air passage being constantly open,

an intermediate section extending from the forward end of the handle section provided with a transversely disposed air motor connected to receive compressed air from the above-mentioned inlet passage and discharge exhaust air into the mentioned exhaust passage, said motor having a rotor disposed on an axis transverse to the longitudinal extent of the handle section and provided at one end with and eccentric cam having a rotational collar thereon,

an elongated forwardly extending forward section having a transverse axle parallel to the axis of the air motor, a pair of cutter discs mounted to rotate on said axle, means to operatively connect said rotational collar and said discs comprising lever means mounted for oscillating movement on said axle and having arms connected to said discs outwardly of said axle, and connecting rod means engaged at one end with the above-mentioned rotational collar, and at the other end with the mentioned lever means, whereby rotational movement of the rotor of the air motor produces opposite oscillatory movement of the shearing discs.

2. Dehiding apparatus according to claim 1, in which said lever and connecting rod means comprise similar but oppositely arranged assemblages, one operatively interconnecting the collar on the mentioned eccentric with one of the dehiding discs to oscillate said disc, and the other operatively interconnecting said collar with the other dehiding disc to oscillate it in directions opposite to the directions of oscillation of the first-mentioned disc, thereby causing the peripheral portions of the discs to shear membranes that connect the hide and flesh of a carcass.

3. Dehiding apparatus in the form of a hand tool having an elongated body and comprising, in combination:

an elongated handle section having a longitudinal inlet passage for compressed air and a longitudinal passage for exhaust air, said handle being provided with a normally closed valve across the inlet passage and with a control lever, operable by the hand that grips the handle for opening said inlet passage to flow of compressed air toward the end of said handle,

an intermediate section, an air motor housed in said section and extending from the forward end of the handle section, said housing section being of generally cylindrical form and disposed, together with the motor therein, on an axis transverse to the longitudinal extent of the handle section, the mentioned inlet and exhaust air passages opening on the interior of said housing section and connected to the inlet and outlet of said motor, and

an air motor having a rotor that is provided with an eccentric by means of which the blades-oscillating means are actuated,

two straight-armed levers, mounted on the axle of the disc blades, one arm of each lever being connected to one of said disc blades at a point between the center and the serrated peripheries thereof,

a pair of connecting rods each operatively engaged at one end with the mentioned eccentric, and the other arm of each said lever being pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said connecting rods, and

an elongated forwardly extending section provided with a transverse axle, a pair of disc blades mounted on said axle, and means driven by the air motor and connected to said blades in a scissor's action to cause shearing of membranes that connect the hide and the flesh of a carcass, said means being housed in said forwardly extending section.

4. Dehiding apparatus according to claim 3 in which the second-mentioned arms of the levers are oppositely directed with relation to the axle of the disc blades to cause the disc blades-connecting arms of said levers to rotate oppositely to effect the mentioned shearing action of the blades.