Auto-cleaning marination filter for poultry injector system

1. An auto-cleaning marination filter for a poultry injector system for continuously filtering the marinate and also continuously and automatically cleaning the marination filter, comprising:

(a) a longitudinal outer housing having an interior, an inlet and an outlet;

(b) a screen having a top and a bottom, the screen shaped into an enclosed configuration within the housing to define an exterior having a surface and an interior having a surface;

(c) the exterior of the screen and the interior of the housing defining a first liquid containable space;

(d) the interior of the screen defining a second liquid containable space, with the screen forming an interface between the first and second liquid containable spaces;

(e) the inlet of the housing configured to receive a mixture containing a liquid and solids into the second liquid containable space;

the outlet of the housing configured for continuously passing the liquid from the first liquid containable space out of the housing;

(g) the screen configured to allow continuous passage of the liquid from the second liquid containable space into the first liquid containable space but not the solids constituting the liquid-solid mixture;

(h) a wiper disposed within the interior of the screen and surrounded by the interior surface of the screen;

(i) an elongated hollow tube disposed within the interior of the screen and extending longitudinally relative to the outer housing, the hollow tube having an entrance end and an exit end, the wiper being attached to the entrance end of the hollow tube, the exit end of the hollow tube extending beyond the top of the screen and outward of the outer housing;

(j) a powered actuator for continuously reciprocating the hollow tube within and relative to the housing to continuously move the wiper along the interior surface of the screen during the filtering of the marinate; and

(k) the wiper configured to define a passageway from the inside surface of the screen through the wiper and into the entrance end of the reciprocating hollow tube for liquid from the first liquid containing space to pass through the screen, through the wiper and into the entrance end of the hollow tube along with the solids disposed along the inside surface of the screen, the exit end of the hollow tube configured to expel the liquid and solids from the hollow tube.

2. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 1 , wherein the powered actuator comprises a pneumatic cylinder in communication with the hollow tube.

3. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 2 , wherein the pneumatic cylinder is reciprocally coupled to the hollow tube to reciprocate the hollow tube relative to the screen.

4. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 1 , wherein said wiper has a first piece and a second piece, wherein a gap is formed between said first piece of said wiper and said second piece of said wiper, wherein said hollow tube is in communication with a valve having an open position and a closed position, wherein said liquid is passable from the first liquid containable space through the screen and into and through said gap and then into said hollow tube when said valve is in said open position.

5. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 4 , wherein the wiper comprises an upper circumferential section and a lower circumferential section spaced from the upper circumferential section to define a gap therebetween, said gap defining the liquid passageway from the filter to the hollow interior of the entrance end of the hollow tube.

6. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 1 , wherein said hollow tube is received by a cap positioned above said outer housing.

7. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 1 , wherein said auto-cleaning filter is in communication with a back-up filter.

8. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 1 , wherein said auto-cleaning filter is in communication with a poultry injector.

9. The auto-cleaning filter of claim 1 , wherein the exit end of the hollow tube projects outwardly from the outer housing.