Bird injection system
First Claim
1. Apparatus for injecting breast muscle tissue of a bird, comprising breast supporting structure adapted to support a bird with its breast keel bone pointing downwardly and extending lengthwise of the structure, said structure including means to engage the sides and opposite end portions of the bird'"'"'s body for determining its sidewise and lengthwise position in the structure, and said structure being adapted to permit the legs of a bird so positioned in the structure to extend downwardly and close enough together to be gripped by one hand of a person operating the apparatus, means holding said supporting structure stationary during operation of the apparatus, a pair of injection needles, separate means mounting the respective needles to move upwardly from their respective starting positions and convergently toward and into injection positions in breast muscle tissue on opposite sides of the keel bone of a bird so positioned in said supporting structure, separate means connected to move said needles from said starting positions into said injection positions and back to said starting positions, and means to cause emissions of liquid from the needles while substantially at said injection positions.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bird is positively positioned in a fixed cradle and a motor drives injection needles at convergent angles into the bird'"'"'s breast muscle tissue on opposite sides of the keel bone, actuates injection, and retracts the needles. Starting is initiated by the operator'"'"'s hand which grasps the bird'"'"'s legs.
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Citations
10 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for injecting breast muscle tissue of a bird, comprising breast supporting structure adapted to support a bird with its breast keel bone pointing downwardly and extending lengthwise of the structure, said structure including means to engage the sides and opposite end portions of the bird'"'"'s body for determining its sidewise and lengthwise position in the structure, and said structure being adapted to permit the legs of a bird so positioned in the structure to extend downwardly and close enough together to be gripped by one hand of a person operating the apparatus, means holding said supporting structure stationary during operation of the apparatus, a pair of injection needles, separate means mounting the respective needles to move upwardly from their respective starting positions and convergently toward and into injection positions in breast muscle tissue on opposite sides of the keel bone of a bird so positioned in said supporting structure, separate means connected to move said needles from said starting positions into said injection positions and back to said starting positions, and means to cause emissions of liquid from the needles while substantially at said injection positions.
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9. Apparatus for injecting the breast muscles of a bird simultaneously at different angles of thrust of the injection needles, comprising a pair of injection needles, means to hold a bird'"'"'s breast stationary in a predetermined position relative to the needles, means mounting the needles to reciprocate in paths converging towards opposite sides of the keel bone of a bird'"'"'s breast held in said position, means to adjust said holding means to cause the needles to penetrate to the muscle tissue on the opposite sides of the keel bone, drive means to move the needles at the same time into the breast muscle tissue, to retract them, and to eject fluid from both needles at substantially the ends of their movements into the breast muscle tissue, and means to start the drive means, said starting means being positioned to be activated by a hand grasping the legs of a bird whose breast is held in said predetermined position.
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10. A method of injecting a bird comprising the steps of holding the bird in a fixed position by placing the bird on a fixed cradle with its legs extending downwardly, using one hand to grasp said downwardly extending legs while initiating the step of simultaneously moving a pair of injection needles at converging angles into the breast muscles tissue on opposite sides of the keel bone of the bird, and injecting a liquid dosage into said tissue through said needles.
Specification