CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the priority of United States provisional application Serial No. 63/196,589, filed on June 3, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a meat mixing machines, in particular to machines for mixing and blending different types of meat product into a homogeneous blend.

BACKGROUND

[0003] A meat mixer or blender is generally used to mix meat product, such as coarsely chopped meat particles, during a mixing operation prior to performance of a final grinding operation. A mixer generally includes a tub for containing the meat product, a paddle assembly for performing the mixing operation, a screw conveyor for conveying the mixed material to a discharge, and one or more motors for driving the components. An opening is provided in the top of the tub to permit the meat product to be introduced to the paddle assembly and screw conveyor. The screw conveyor is at the bottom of the tub and moves the meat product from one end of the tub to the other during the mixing operation, and discharges the materials after mixing. The auger may project outwardly from the tub, and is surrounded by a housing for discharging mixed materials from the tub.

SUMMARY

[0004] A mixer configured to receive meat product includes a tub, a paddle assembly, first and second openable doors, and a plurality of injectors configured to supply a fluid into the tub. The paddle assembly agitates meat product within the tub. Mixed meat product can exit the tub through the opened doors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the disclosed embodiments, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which:

[0006] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a mixing machine in a closed position;

[0007] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of the mixing machine in an open position;

[0008] FIG. 3 depicts a top plan view of a mixing machine in the closed position;

[0009] FIG. 4 depicts a top plan view of the mixing machine in the open position;

[0010] FIG. 5 depicts a bottom plan view of a mixing machine in the closed position;

[0011] FIG. 6 depicts a bottom plan view of the mixing machine in the open position;

[0012] FIG. 7 depicts a bottom plan view of a mixing machine in the closed position; and

[0013] FIG. 8 depicts a bottom plan view of the mixing machine in the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] While the disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, a specific embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure, and is not intended to limit the disclosure to that as illustrated and described herein. Therefore, unless otherwise noted, features disclosed herein may be combined together to form additional combinations that were not otherwise shown for purposes of brevity. It will be further appreciated that in some embodiments, one or more elements illustrated by way of example in a drawing(s) may be eliminated and/or substituted with alternative elements within the scope of the disclosure.

[0015] A mixer 20 mixes and chills ground meat product to create a homogeneous meat mixture having uniform characteristics throughout. As shown, the mixer 20 includes a tub 22 and a driving assembly 24 for actuating the components of the mixer 20. The tub 22 and the driving assembly 24 are mounted on a frame 26.

[0016] The tub 22 has a bottom wall 28, end walls 30, 32 extending upwardly from opposite ends of the bottom wall 28, and side walls 34, 36 extending upwardly from opposite sides of the bottom wall 28 and extending between the end walls 30, 32. In the embodiment as shown, the bottom wall 28 is curved such that the walls 28, 34, 36 generally form a U- shape in cross-section. An openable upper cover 38 closes upper ends of the walls 30, 32, 34, 36. A first and second openable lower doors 40, 42 are provided in the bottom wall 28. The walls 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 and the doors 40, 42, when closed, form a receiving cavity 44 into which the ground meat product is deposited through the open cover 38. A longitudinal axis 46 extends between the end walls 30, 32.

[0017] The upper cover 38 may be slid relative to the walls 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 to expose the receiving cavity 44, may be lifted off of the walls 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 to expose the receiving cavity 44, or may be hinged to one of the walls 30, 32, 34, 36 such that when the cover 38 is pivoted, the receiving cavity 44 is exposed. As shown, the upper cover 38 is mounted on wheels 48 which roll along rails 50 that form part of the frame 26 to permit the upper cover 38 to slide relative to the walls 28, 30, 32, 34, 36. As an alternative, the cover 38 can be fixed in place and an opening provided through one of the walls 30, 32, 34, 36 to allow the ground meat product to be moved into the receiving cavity 44.

[0018] Each lower door 40, 42 has opposite end edges 52, 54 and side edges 56, 58 extending between the end edges 52, 54, which forms an upper wall surface 60 and a lower wall surface 62. Each end edge 52 is proximate to the end wall 30 and each end edge 54 is proximate to the end wall 32. The end edges 52, 54 may be parallel to each other, and the side edges 56, 58 may be parallel to each other, parallel to the longitudinal axis 46, and perpendicular to the end edges 52, 54. The side edges 56, 58 are proximate to each other. In the embodiment as shown, each lower door 40, 42 is curved to conform to the U-shaped formed by the bottom wall 28. Each lower door 40, 42 closes an exit opening 64, 66 in the bottom wall 28. The openings 64, 66 can be exposed by the lower doors 40, 42 by being lifted away from the bottom wall 28 by an opener 68. In an embodiment, the opener 68 includes a rotatable shaft 70 attached to an upper end of each door 40, 42 which is actuated for rotation by a hydraulic piston 72 mounted on each end walls 30, 32 and a linkage 74 extending between the hydraulic piston 72 and the respective shaft 70. Each door 40, 42 is connected to its shaft 70 by arms 76 fixedly attached to the shafts 70. When the doors 40, 42 are lifted by the opener 68, the doors 40, 42 are lifted completely away from the bottom wall 28 to completely expose the openings 64, 66. Other openers are within the scope of the present disclosure. The doors 40, 42 may remain hingedly attached to the bottom wall 28. [0019] Deflector plates 78, 80 are fixed to the bottom wall 28 and extend downward from the bottom wall 28. The deflector plates 78, 80 are proximate to the side edge 56 of each closed door 40, 42 and each extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 46. Each deflector plate 78, 80 has an upper portion 82 which extends longitudinally and a lower portion 84 which extends therefrom at an angle. The lower portion 84 of each deflector plate 78, 80 may be vertical.

[0020] A cooling assembly 86 is attached to the bottom wall 28. The cooling assembly 86 includes a plurality of hydraulic lines 88, each having an injector 90, such as a nozzle, at an end thereof which extends through the bottom wall 28 and communicates with the receiving cavity 44. The injectors 90 are positioned through the portion of the bottom wall 28 that is between the doors 40, 42 and are positioned between the deflector plates 78, 80. In an embodiment, two rows of injectors 90 are provided parallel to the longitudinal axis 46, with the injectors 90 in the rows being offset from each other as shown in FIG. 5. A cryogen, such as liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide, is pumped from a source (not shown), through the lines 88 and injectors 90 and into the receiving cavity 44 when the cover 38 is closed in order to chill or partially freeze the ground meat product being mixed by the mixer 20. The cryogen is used to chill the ground meat product to approximately freezing to cause liquid retention within the ground meat product. In an embodiment, each injector 90 is positioned at a 15 degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis 46 to ensure optimal entry of the cryogen into the receiving cavity 44.

[0021] A paddle assembly 92 extends between the end walls 30, 32. The paddle assembly 92 has a shaft 94, which extends longitudinally parallel to the longitudinal axis 46, a plurality of arms 96 extending from the shaft 94, and paddles 98 at the ends of the arms 96. The shaft 94 is positioned over the portion of the bottom wall 28 that is between the doors 40, 42, and is between the rows of injectors 90. In an embodiment, some of the paddles 98 extend parallel to the longitudinal axis 46 and some of the paddles 98 extend perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 46. The driving assembly 24 can rotate the shaft 94 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. When the paddle assembly 92 is rotated, by a driver, such as a motor, the ground meat product is moved within the tub 22. By injecting the cryogen into the bottom of the tub 22, the cryogen comes into direct contact with the ground meat product being agitated by the paddle assembly 92. The agitation of the ground meat product by the paddle assembly 92 ensures the equal dispersal of the cryogen throughout the ground meat product.

[0022] In use, the cover 38 is opened and the ground meat product is dumped into the receiving cavity 44. Thereafter, the cover 38 is closed. The cryogen is injected into the receiving cavity 44 by the cooling assembly 86 and the paddle assembly 92 agitates or mixes the ground meat product. Once the ground meat product is mixed and cooled to the desired amount, the cooling assembly 86 is deactivated and the opener 68 is actuated to open the doors 40, 42 to expose the openings 64, 66. As the paddle assembly 92 continues to rotate, the paddles 98 push the chilled ground meat through the openings 64, 66 to dump the chilled ground meat out of the receiving cavity 44. The doors 40, 42 are lifted completely away from the openings 64, 66 by the opener 68 so as not to impede the flow of the chilled meat product through the openings 64, 66. The chilled ground meat may come into contact with the deflector plates 78, 80 which direct the chilled ground meat to a desired location. The deflector plates 78, 80 also prevent the chilled ground meat product from coming into contact with the lines 88 and the injectors 90. The structure of the mixer 20 provides for a quick load time for loading the ground meat product into the tub 22 through the cover 38 when it is opened, a quick chill time for chilling the meat product by the cooling assembly 86, and a quick release time for releasing the chilled meat product from the tub 22 through the doors 40, 42. In an embodiment, the mixer 20 provides for a one minute load through the open cover 38 and a dump through the doors 40, 42, and provides for a one minute chill cycle. [0023] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these disclosed embodiments pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated within the scope of the disclosure. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

[0024] While particular embodiments are illustrated in and described with respect to the drawings, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in and discussed with respect to the drawings and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure and appended drawings. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims.