What is claimed is:
1. A vulcanized rubber floor mat comprising a face surface, a backing surface, and a label vulcanized to said backing surface, said label having been thermally printed with indicia being selected from the group consisting of letters, numbers, characters, symbols, and combinations thereof.
2. The floor mat of claim 1, wherein said label is comprised of thermoplastic elastomer.
3. The floor mat of claim 2, wherein said label has a thickness, before vulcanization, of about 0.01 inches.
4. The floor mat of claim 1, wherein said indicia printed on said label is selected from the group consisting of manufacturer information, product information, customer information, and combinations thereof.
5. The floor mat of claim 4, wherein said indicia printed on said label further includes bar coding information.
6. The floor mat of claim 1, wherein said face surface comprises a textile material.
7. The floor mat of claim 1, wherein said face surface comprises a plurality of cleats projecting from said surface thereof.
8. The floor mat of claim 1, wherein said backing surface comprises a plurality of cleats inward of a non-cleated perimeter border, said label being vulcanized to said border.
9. A process for producing vulcanized flooring articles that comprise a face surface, a backing surface, and a label vulcanized to said backing surface, said process comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a label blank comprised of a label material, said label material being selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomer, acrylonitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene diamine monomer, and combinations thereof;
(b) thermally printing said label blank to create a printed label;
(c) positioning said printed label on said backing surface of said flooring article; and
(d) vulcanizing said flooring article and said printed label to produce a vulcanized flooring article having said printed label thereon.
10. The process of claim 9, wherein said label blank is thermoplastic elastomer.
11. The process of claim 9, wherein said thermal printing is accomplished by a thermal transfer printer having a resinwax thermal transfer ribbon.
12. The process of claim 9, wherein said printed label includes indicia selected from the group consisting of letters, numbers, symbols, characters, bar codes, and combinations thereof.
13. The process of claim 9, wherein said flooring article is comprised of a rubber selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene diamine monomer, and combinations thereof.
14. The process of claim 13, wherein said flooring article is comprised of acrylonitrile rubber.
15. The process of claim 14, wherein said label is comprised of acrylonitrile rubber.
16. The process of claim 15, wherein said label is partially cured before step (b).
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. System for cleaning a carcass or carcass part of slaughtered poultry, which carcass or carcass part at least still comprises a part of the breast fillet and skin, which skin comprises at least a part of the breast skin, at least a part of the neck skin and at least a part of the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin, wherein the breast skin which is present and the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin rest at least partly against the muscular tissue of the breast fillet, from which carcass or carcass part the muscular tissue of the neck and the neck vertebrae are substantially removed, which system comprises a neck skin removing device, which neck skin removing device comprises:
a gripper for engaging a part of the neck skin that is connected to the rest of the carcass or carcass part,
a stretching station, which stretching station is configured to exert a force on the neck skin engaged by the gripper in such a way that the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin is stretched and becomes detached from the muscular tissue of the breast fillet,
a blade which is adapted to cut into or to cut through the stretched skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin while the neck skin in the stretching station is subjected to the force.
2. System according to claim 1, wherein the force in the stretching station of the neck skin removing device is exerted via the gripper.
3. System according to claim 1, wherein the stretching station of the neck skin removing device comprises two rotatable gripper rolls which are provided with a profile, which profile is preferably rectilinear or helical.
4. System according to claim 3, wherein the distance between gripper rolls is variable.
5. System according to claim 3, wherein the distance between grippcr rolls is variable.
6. System according to claim 3, wherein the profile is detachable from the gripper rolls.
7. System according to one of claim 1, wherein the gripper of the neck skin removing device comprises two jaw parts which are preferably movable with respect to each other.
8. System according to one of the prccoding claima claim 1, wherein the gripper of the neck skin removing device comprises a skewer or toothed plate which is provided with one or more points for piercing the neck skin.
9. System according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:
one or more product carriers for carrying a carcass or carcass part to be processed,
a conveying system for moving the product carrier in a direction of conveyance so that the carcasses or carcass parts to be processed are moved along a path,
wherein the neck skin removing device is arranged with respect to the path of the carcasses or carcass parts in such a way that a carcass or carcass part arranged on the product carrier can be processed through the system.
10. System according to claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a neck piece removing device for removing neck muscular tissue and neck vertebrae, which neck piece removing device is arranged upstream of the neck skin removing device along the path of the carcasses or carcass parts.
11. System according to claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a dressing device for eviscerating a carcass or carcass part of slaughtered poultry, in which system the dressing device is arranged upstream of the neck skin removing device along the path of the carcasses or carcass parts.
12. System according to claim 9, wherein the distance between the gripper and the product carrier is smaller on entry of a product into the stretching station than at the location of the blade.
13. System according to claim 9, wherein the vertical distance between the blade and product carrier is adjustable.
14. System according to claim 1, wherein the system also comprises a device for harvesting breast skin.
15. System according to claim 1, wherein the system also comprises a guide for supporting the carcass or carcass part to be processed counter to the force exerted by the stretching station.
16. System according to claim 1, wherein the blade is arranged outside the region within which the breast fillets of the processed carcasses or carcass parts move.
17. System according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of grippers which are attached to an endless carrier.
18. System according to claim 17, wherein the pitch between successive grippers is in all cases the same.
19. System according to claim 9, wherein the grippcr can he moved by means of a drive along a gripper path, and the drive is configured to make the gripper move synchronously with the product carrier for at least part of the time.
20. System according to claim 17, wherein the system comprises a plurality of product carriers which are at a fixed mutual distance, the pitch between successive grippers being equal to the mutual distance of the product carriers.
21. System according to claim 20, wherein the grippers move over at least a part of their path at the same speed and in the same direction as the product carriers.
22. System according to claim 1, wherein the gripper has an open and closed position, and wherein a guide ensures or contributes to the opening andor closing of the gripper.
23. System according to claim 1, wherein the gripper has an open and closed position, and wherein a spring causes or contributes to the opening andor closing of the gripper.
24. System according to claim 1, wherein the neck skin removing device is accommodated in a carousel.
25. System according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a neck skin stretching device for making the neck skin hang freely with respect to the carcass or carcass part, which neck skin stretching device is placed upstream of the neck skin removing device, which neck skin stretching device preferably comprises one or more rolls andor one or more scrapers for engaging the neck skin.
26. System according to claim 1, wherein the force which is exerted in the neck skin removing device on the neck skin is adjustable andor alterable.
27. Method for cleaning a carcass or carcass part of slaughtered poultry, which carcass or carcass part at least still comprises a part of the breast fillet and skin, which skin comprises at least a part of the breast skin, at least a part of the neck skin and at least a part of the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin, wherein the breast skin which is present and the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin rest at least partly against the muscular tissue of the breast fillet, from which carcass or carcass part the muscular tissue of the neck and the neck vertebrae are substantially removed, which method includes the following steps:
arranging the carcass or carcass part to be processed on a product carrier, which product carrier can move in a direction of conveyance along a path,
using a gripper to engage a clinging part of the neck skin of the carcass or carcass part to be processed,
exerting a force on the neck skin engaged by the gripper, in such a way that the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin is stretched and becomes detached from the muscular tissue of the breast fillet,
cutting into or cutting through the stretched skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin while the neck skin is subjected to the force,
removing the neck skin from the carcass or carcass part.
28. Method according to claim 27, wherein the force is exerted by increasing the distance between the gripper and product carrier.
29. Method according to claim 27, wherein the method also includes the step of harvesting breast skin.
30. Method according to claim 27, wherein the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin is pulled loose from the muscular tissue of the breast fillet sufficiently far that the muscular tissue of the breast fillet remains out of reach of the blade with which the skin in the region of transition between the breast skin and neck skin is cut through or cut into.
31. Method according to claim 27, wherein the neck skin is cut loose from the carcass or carcass part.
32. Method according to claim 27, wherein the neck skin is partly cut loose and partly torn loose from the carcass or carcass part.
33. Method according to claim 27, wherein the carcass or carcass part to be processed is a breast cap, front half or dressed carcass of slaughtered poultry.
34. Breast skin, harvested using the method according to claim 27.
35. Method according to claim 27, wherein the carcass or carcass part to be processed initially still comprises skin from one or more of the following anatomical regions:
regio colli ventralis, anterior part,
regio colli ventralis, posterior part,
regio colli lateralis,
dorsum anterius colli,
dorsum posterius colli,
and wherein this skin is removed from the carcass or carcass part during the carrying-out of the method, and wherein any skin present on the carcass or carcass part in the regio interscapularis is not removed.
36. Method according to claim 27, wherein the skin is removed from the crop region of the carcass or carcass part.