GB2249938A - A method and apparatus for cutting wings off ray fish - Google Patents

Abstract

The wings are cut off ray fish (1) by a machine method, using two X-shaped cuts (7', 8', 7'', 8'') such that the wings (2) are neatly severed along the line of the cartilage (4) at the junction of the head (5) and abdomen (6). The cuts can be made by two pairs of rotating cutting knives (7', 7''; 8', 8'') with the fish being rotated between the two cutting operations (fig. 13). <IMAGE>

Description

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WINGS OFF RAY FISH The invention concerns a method and apparatus for cutting wings of ray fish, simulating the cutting path of best utilization, using one or more cutting means for making cuts vertical to the plane of the ray.

Certain types of ray, especially the starry ray and similar species, are popular food in Britain, the Benelux countries and France. The fish is currently processed by manually cutting off the wings, followed by skinning, either by hand or by well known mechanical means. The main difficulty in devising mechanical methods for cutting off the wings is the shape of the cutting path that most effectively retrieves all the edible parts of the wing, thus giving good utilization. As shown in fig.l, the best cutting path 3 follows cartilage 4 that separates the head 5 and abdomen 6 from the wing 2 of the fish 1, as the thickest and most valuable part of the wing is where the head and abdomen meet.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for cutting wings from ray fish as defined in the claims, to which reference should now be made.

The present invention will be described with reference to an exemplary cutting method that closely simulates the optimal cutting path 3 shown in fig.l, yet allows the use of conventional circular knives, and which also obviates the need for adjustment to the size of the individual rays.

In the following description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 (referred to above) is a view of a ray fish showing the conventional cutting line; Figure 2 is a similar view of a ray fish illustrating a cutting method embodying the invention; and Figure 3 illustrates a cutting machine that can be used to perform the method.

The preferred method uses the cutting pattern shown in fig.2. Two identical and parallel X-shaped cuts 7', 8' and 7", 8" are placed relative to the shape of the ray such that the leftmost arm of the left X (7', 8') and the rightmost arm of the right X (7", 8") fall close to the inner (i.e. towards head or abdomen) edge of the bounding cartilage 4. The centre of each X (12', 12") is located near the ends of the cartilage that separates the head 5 from the abdomen 6. The cuts made by the left half of the left X and the right hand half of the right X, in each case defining an open V with the two parts of one V being parallel in the illustrated example to the two parts of the other V, are the operative parts of the two X's which serve to separate the wings.

This cutting method can be implemented by a particularly simple machine, see fig.3, that could for example be composed of four circular knives 13, 14 and a conveyor with rotating trays 9 for supporting the ray. The knives are arranged so that two of them are parallel and concentric on each of the two rotating motor-driven shafts, separated by a spacer of appropriate thickness. The trays are rotated on the conveyor so that when translated under the knives, two parallel cuts 7', 7" and 8', 8" result, with an appropriate angle relative to the centre line of the ray. After repeating the procedure with intermediate turning of the tray, the ray has been cut into nine pieces, of which the wings can be separated from the others. A further refinement could involve an adjustable spacer between each pair of knives to accommodate extremes in size variations. Many other mechanical implementations may be used.

Claims (9)

1. A method of cutting wings off ray fish, using one or more cutting means for making cuts vertical to the plane of the ray characterised in that a first pair of substantially parallel cuts and a second pair of substantially parallel cuts are made forming at least partially two parallel X-shaped cuts, such that the wings are separated from the other parts of the ray.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the ray is placed on a rotatable support moved by a conveyor along its path, the support is orientated in an initial position and moved under a pair of parallelly-arranged cutting means, a first pair of parallel cuts are made and thereafter the support is turned into a second position and moved further along the path of conveyor under a second pair of cutting means, and a second pair of parallel cuts made to form two parallel X-shaped cuts.

3. A method of cutting the wings off ray fish capable of implementation using circular knives, and characterised by two parallel X-shaped cuts, with the centre of each cut located in, or in the vicinity of, the cartilage that separates head and abdomen of the fish.

4. Ray fish wings produced in accordance with the method of claim 1, 2 or 3.

5. Apparatus for cutting the wings off ray fish in accordance with the method of claim 1, 2, or 3, comprising one or more cutting means, means to move a ray in relation thereto, and a support for receiving the ray, characterised in that the or each cutting means comprises two concentric circular rotating knives for making a pair of parallel cuts.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, including an adjustable spacer arranged between the cutting knives for increasing or decreasing the distance between them, and thereby between the cuts.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, including a rotatable platform for receiving the ray fish.

8. A method of cutting wings off ray fish, substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 2 of the drawings.

9. Apparatus for cutting the wings off ray fish, substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3 of the drawings.