Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
B~CKGROUi~D OF TML I~IV:EL~iTIO,~
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a me-tl1od anci an aP~aratus
for processing Eish in the re~ioll of their ~ill cavikies,
commonly also called throating or cJullctincl, antl feeclln-~
them into ~he conveyor pa-th of a quttit1~JIn~c~ e :eor Eish.
2. Descri~-tion of Prior Art
By DE-PS I 219 356 there is disclosed a process and
an apparatus for throating unslaughtered white fish and
the like on board catcher or factory ships, in which the
skin extencling between the last gill arches and the collar
bones is pierced below the qullet and severed from the
en-try poin-t along the collar bones/ by leng-thening this
cutting line -the connection between the collar bones and
the lower jaw, i.e~ the isthmus is cut throuyh and the
gullet is severed with an opposed cut extending to the
spine. This is efEected in that the fish is pushed onto
the point of a cantilevered spilce on its back, aEter be-
ing spiked is pushed in a hanging position alon~ the
spike over a throatin~ knife lying adjacent the spike,
which knife ef:Eects the severing of the skin and the
isthmus. The fish is preventèd from Ealling down from -the
spike by a pressure member lying adjacent the neck of the
fish. Subsequently the Eish is conveyed to a circular knife
whose cuttiny edge is adjacent the spike, which severes
its gullet.
With the aid o the known method large to meclium sized
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~1~87~g
Eish can be throated without problem, but automatically
feeding the thxoated fish into a gutting machine is no-t
possible with an apparatus working in accordance wi~h this
process. This ls, however, a requirement when processing
smaller fish which must be trea~ed at a high rate for reasons
of economy.
î OBJECT OF THE INVENTlON
It is a main ob~ect of the present invention to
bring unthroated fish into their loading position over the
10 conveyor path of a gutting machine and to feed them opened
in the region of their gills from this loading position into
the conveyor path.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is
provided a method or processing of fish in the region of
their gill cavities and eeding them into a conveyor path of
a gutting machine, wherein each fish is pushed onto a spike
to a position above the fish conveyor path piercing the skin
extending between the last gill arches and the collar bones
20 and is then moved downwardly in the conveyor path by engagement
with the gill cavity side o its back bone whilst the skin
and the isthmus of the fish are severed.
The advantages which may be thereby achieved reside
particularly in the fact that the working steps o throating
and feeding into a gutting machine can occur in an enforced
sequence so that a further handling of the fish to load the
gutting machine is not necessary.
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To achieve the abo~e object in accordance with the
present invention there is also provided for a gut-ting ap-
paratus having a conveying path for the fish and engaging
members movable along it for the conveyin~ engagement with
the head ends of the fish, wherein a gulletting tool is flxedly
arranged above and transverse to the conveying path for the
fish, the gulletting tool having a cantilevered spike which
is provided at its end with a point and on its upper side
with a cutting edge and being associated with a loader which
comprises a downwardly movable loading arm situated in its
rest position approximately parallel to the spike and at least
the free end of which is situated in the vicini~y of the lower
edge of the spike.
Thus an apparatus is provided which enables the
process of this invention to be effectively carried out and
which may be constructed at modest e~pense.
Preferably, the loader is provided with means by
which its loading arm is moved downwardly in synchronism
with the passage of the engaging members of the conveyor.
Thus it is possible to carry out the processing resp. throating
step simultaneously with the loading step.
The loading arm may have on its underside a recess
lying in the middle of the conveying path. Thereby a reliable
alignment on the middle of the conveying path is ensured in
a simpel manner.
The recess on the underside of the loading arm may
be formed as a cutting edge~ Thereby simultaneously with the
throating operation the gullet of the fish may be cut through
if this should be below the spike.
In order to assist the alignement of the fish in
the middle of the conveyor path, the cutting edge of the
spike may have a notch in the form of a recess o~er the middle
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of the conveying path.
Preferably the spike is upwardly offset on its
underside in the reyion of its point. This facilitates the
spiklng of the fish because the polnt of the loadlng arm is
hidden behind this shoulder.
Expedlently a neck rest may be flxedly positioned
beneath the point of the spike on which the back side of the
fish may rest. This enables each fish to be brought into the
most favourable position for spiking.
The neck rest may be arranged so that its spacing
from the conveying path is adjustable. This provides the
possibility, if the fish are of a suitable size, of spiking
several fish on the spike at a tlme, in each case one of
which is positioned in the loading position above the middle
of the conveyor path.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF Tll~ DRAWINGS
Other and further objects of the Present invention
will be apparent from the followin~ description ancl clairns
and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, hy
way of illustratio31, show preferred embodiments of -the
pr~sent invention and the princlples thereof and ~Ih~ now
are considered to be the bes-t mode~ contemplated Eor applyin~.
these principlcs. The drawinc~ shows an axonometrlc view
of the loading end of a gu-tting machine for fish with a
device in accordance with the invention for throa-ting and
feeding.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFFERED ~MBODIMENT
Guide and drive wheels which are not shown, of an end-
less conveyor 4 are arranged on a machine frame, which is
also not shown, and are driven in a suitable manner in the
transfer direction 3 ~see arrow). The conveyor 4 carries
conveying members 5 arranyed a-t a fixed distance apart
which are in the position to move fish in the transfer
direction 3 against tools which are not shown of a gut-
ting machine along the conveying path 2 above the con-
veyor 4 with their backs downwards and their tail ends
in the transfer direction 3 by enga~ing their head ends.
projecting portion of a throating tool 6 is secured to
the machine frame laterally of the conveying path above
the loading end of the guttin~ machine, the horizontal
portion of which tool 6 comprises a spike 7 extending in
cantilever fashion over the conveying path 2 to the part
of the ~utting machine situated on the other side of the
conveying path 2. At its free end the spi]ce ~ has a point
~ 8 and its ur~per side is f~rmed as a cutting ~lade 9,
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whic}l in the midclle of -the conveyinrJ patl1 2 has a notcl-
10 in the Eorm oE a recess wlllch is also :Eorr.^.e~ as a
cuttincJ blade.
Upstream oE the throa-t.incJ tool 6, seen ln transfer cllrec
tion 3, a moUntin~J 12 of a loacler 11 is secure~ to t]l~J
machine frame, also la-terally. l'ilis loader 11 rc"~!~rises
a rockin~ lever 13 which in the res t rpos tiOI1 of tl~e .loader
11 rises up to~ards the spike 7 and wl1icl1 at its upper
end carries a loaclinc3 arm l ~ whicll lies ac~ains t the un-
derside of the spike 7. In order t:o ensure an undisturbed
loadin~ of tl1e fish on-to the spi]ce 7 the la-t-ter is provided
on its lower side with a recess or led~Je 15 behirld which
the free end of the loadinc~ arm 14 is located when in i ts
rest position. To pivot the loadincJ arm 1~ down~ards the
loader 11 can be provided with a roller lever (not
desic3nated~ which is not shown and which is operable
by a cam (also no-t desi~nated) rotatin~l in syncllronism
with the conveyor 4.
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The operation of the device is as EO11O~JS:
A fish with its tail- extendinc~ in the transfer direction
3 is pushed onto the point ~ of the spilce 7 with its necl;
lyin~ on the neck rest 1~3 immediate Ly ad jacerlt tl-le coll ar
bone on its gill cavity side, the sPike 7 penetratin~ -tl1e
skin extending between the last ~ill arcs an~1 the collar
bones . When the loadinc~ arm 14 is si tuated in i ts upr)er
-~ posi-tion, i . e . the rest position, lyinc~ acrainst the
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unclerside of the sp.ike 7, -the fiSIl iS puslled Eurtiler onto
the spilce 7 un-til its plane of symmetry is positioned
over the cent.re of the convey.inq path 2. ~1hen ~ conveyinc~
member 5 arrives -the loacler 11 is pivoted downwar-~ly in
a clock~rise clirection ~y means of t}le men-tioned synchronlsm
via the cam and the roller lever and the reces~ 17 in i-ts
loading arm 1~ comes to bear aqainst the gill cav.Lty s.ide
of the bac]c bone. On further pivotal movement ~lle loading
arm 14 draws -the fish downwards and thereby first severs
the skin along the collar bones and then also the isthmus
of -the fisll which is centred in the notch 10 of the spikc
7. Whilst the fish now comes to rest in the conveying
path 2 on the conveyor ~ the loading arm 14 is pivoted
back to its rest position in an accelerated manner by
rotation in an anti-clockwise direction. ~hen the cfullet
of the fish comes to lie belowe the spike 7 whilst bein~
pushed on-to it i-t is severed by -the cutting edge of the
recess 17 of the loadin~ arm 14. Durinq the processing
resp. throating and loading process a ne~ fish can he
pushed onto the spike 7 if the leng-th of the latter is
of a suEficien-t extension.
Other embodiments of the invention embodying the
same or equivalellt principles may be used and structural
chanyes may be made as desired by those skilled in the
art without departing from the presellt invelltion ancl the
scope of the appended claims.
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