GB2466461A - The treatment of bones in food with ultrasound - Google Patents

Abstract

Food is treated with ultrasound so that indigestible bones are altered to a condition for conveniently removing the bones, making the food suitable for consumption. A bone weakening or bone disintegrating effect is applied to fish bones by the application of the technique of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. High pressure shock waves pass through the flesh of the fish so that either the resulting disintegrated bone material is present as particulate matter which can be filtered from the flesh of the fish, or the flesh of the fish can be subsequently separated from the bones. A fish deboning apparatus 1 is comprises a receptacle for receiving the fish and surrounding with water, before the application of ultrasonic waves from above. Other methods involving the use of ultrasound in the treatment of deposits in appliances and pipe systems are described.

Description

TREATMENT SYSTEM

This invention relates to a system for treatment of material; in one form as food, for the purpose of conveniently altering such material, for example, the bones, or other indigestible and possibly dangerous, items, present in fish, to a condition suitable for consumption, or to a condition suitable for conveniently removing such bones or other indigestible and possibly dangerous items, from food, so that it is suitable for consumption.

A need has been identified for providing convenient means for exerting, on the bones present in fish, a bone weakening or bone disintegrating effect, and for thereby providing convenient means for removing the bones present in fish so that the fish can be eaten with reduced risk of bones being lodged in the throat. This is because there have been numerous cases of bones being lodged in the throat, especially in the case of the young, the elderly, and the infirm. Also, boning fish by hand is time-consuming and is often impractical unless the fish has been cooked first.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, one solution to the problem involving bones in fish, is to pre-treat the fish, before cooking, in suitably designed apparatus involving the application of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) a technique used for disintegrating kidney stones found in the urinary tract in humans. Kidney stones can contain various combinations of different chemicals, and the most common type of stone contains either calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.

These chemicals form part of a person's normal diet and are important in the formation of parts of the human body; for example bones and muscles. The possible similarity between the composition of human bones and fish bones, suggests that fish bones might therefore be treatable using the technique of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy.

When using this technique for the treatment of kidney stones in humans, high pressure shock waves, resulting from the creation, by means of ultrasonic transducers, of sound waves of a particular frequency, pass through body tissue, and interact with the calculus or kidney stone, commonly referred to as a stone. The associated pressure from the shock waves causes the stone to be stressed, then fractured, and eventually disintegrated. The shock waves are focussed on the stone by use of a fluoroscopic x-ray system, so that the shock waves can then break up the stone with less risk of damage to the surrounding tissue than would occur by use of an open surgical procedure. The crumbling of the stone thus results in the production of a sand, wherein the particles of sand are subsequently removed from the body by urination.

All lithotripsy machines share four basic components: 1. An energy source (the shockwave generator).

2. A focusing system.

3. An imaging or localisation unit.

4. A coupling mechanism.

In application to the treatment of food, in particular fish, the fish is contained in heated water and the resulting disintegrated bone material is present as particulate matter, which can be filtered from the flesh of the fish so that the remaining flesh of the fish can be eaten.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, ultrasonic transducers, are utilised, in suitably designed apparatus, for the sole purpose of separating the flesh of the fish from the bones, in a manner similar to that used for separating dirt or debris from items being cleaned using ultrasonic cleaning techniques. By these means, the flesh can thereby be more easily separated from the bones when presented for consumption. The mechanism for implementing this separation of flesh from bones is similar to that operating when dirt or debris is removed from objects by use of ultrasonic transducers. Here, a range of frequencies of sound, from 20 kilo Hertz to kilo Hertz and higher, is applied to the object to be cleaned, via transducer tubes placed in a bath containing the object immersed in water which can also contain other chemicals (cleaning agents) and it is the implosion of bubbles created under the dirt or debris which causes the dirt particles to be separated from the object being cleaned.

According to the said first aspect of the invention, the said apparatus comprises an outer container having a lid and various controls, wherein an inner, removable, receptacle, holds the fish in a quantity of heated water, which provides a medium for applying Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy to the fish. Control knobs and switches, together with a suitable electrical power supply, provide means for operating the apparatus. Since the technique of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy is well established, and well described in the literature, that technique, when applied to the treatment and removal of kidney stones, will not be described in detail. Instead, methods based on the technology associated with the technique of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy will be described in relation to methods of treating food, in particular, fish, for the purpose of altering bones, or other indigestible items, to a condition wherein they are either suitable for consumption, or can more easily be removed, for example, by filtration.

According to the said second aspect of the invention, the said apparatus has an outer container provided with a lid, wherein an inner, removable, receptacle, holds the fish in a quantity of heated water which provides a medium for applying ultrasound to the fish for the purpose of separating the flesh of the fish from the bones. Control knobs and switches, together with a suitable electrical power supply, provide means for operating the apparatus.

It is pointed out, with reference to the foregoing, and following, account, that the two types of apparatus utilised for each aspect of the present invention possess similar characteristics, and differ mainly in the nature of the apparatus utilised for applying the appropriate sound radiation to the food.

It is further pointed out, with reference to the foregoing, and following, account, that the account is intended to establish the conceptual basis of the invention and is therefore describing methods which are believed to be viable whilst ongoing research and development establish proven practical methods based upon these and other methods.

In order to describe the invention in more detail, reference will now be made to the accompanying diagrams in which: Figure 1 shows, in schematic form, a three-dimensional diagram of externally visible embodiments of the invention.

Figure 2 shows, in schematic, exploded form, a three-dimensional diagram of externally visible embodiments of the invention.

With reference to Figure 1, which represents a schematic three-dimensional view, a bone disintegrating, fish deboner, 1, has an outer, oval shaped case, 2, provided with a preferably hinged, oval shaped, lid, 3, which may be opaque, transparent or translucent, and an inner, removable, oval shaped receptacle, 4, having its own, preferably hinged, oval shaped lid, 5, which may also be opaque, transparent or translucent. The inner receptacle, 4, is conveniently provided with an outwards protruding lip, 6, which extends all of the way around the periphery of its upper wall, and the lid, 5, is made so that part of the lower surface of an outer section, makes intimate contact with the upper surface of the said protruding lip, 6, thereby forming a region of closure between the inner receptacle, 4, and the lid, 5. An item of fish, F, rests on the upper surface of a removable perforated inner tray, T, which is located inside the oval shaped receptacle, 4.

For reasons of safety, steam generated from the heating of water in the inner receptacle, 4, must be allowed to escape freely. This is ensured by arranging for the hinge, 7, of the hinged lid, 5, to provide only a weak closing force of the lid, 5, on the inner receptacle, 4. Such force may be provided by a torsion spring located in the hinge, 7, or just by the force of gravity acting on the lid, 5, aided or unaided by additional weight afforded by design, or the use of additional items, in the region of the lid, 5, directly opposite the hinge, 7. As a further aid to lifting the inner receptacle, 4, it can be provided with handles (not shown in the diagram).

As an alternative to ensuring that steam pressure does not build up in the inner receptacle, 4, boles (not shown in the diagram) may be provided in the lid, S. According to the calculable expansion of the water in the inner receptacle, 4, when it contains the maximum recommended size of fish, a maximum-water-filling-mark, M, is formed on the inner surface of the inner container, 4.

With further reference to Figure 1, concentric, oval shaped, electrical heating elements (not shown in the diagram) contained in the base section of the inner receptacle, 4, provide means for heating the water, and hence also, the fish, contained therein, and an ultrasonic transducer module, U, situated on the underside of the lid, 3, of the outer container, 2, provides the radiation for application to the fish. In the absence of such beating elements, the water is pre-heated elsewhere and transferred to the inner receptacle, 4.

The upper surface of the wall of the outer container, 2, is arranged to be flat, so that the flat surface of the downwards protruding lip formed on the outer periphery of its lid, 3, makes intimate contact with it, thereby forming a region of closure between the lid, 3, and the outer container, 2.

The lid, 3, is provided with a hinge 8, and, for reasons of safety, already referred to earlier, steam generated from the heating of water in the inner receptacle, 4, must be allowed to escape freely. This is ensured by arranging for the hinge, 8, of the hinged lid, 3, to provide only a weak closing force of the lid, 3, on the outer container, 2.

Such force may be provided by a torsion spring located in the hinge, 8, or just by the force of gravity acting on the lid, 3, aided or unaided by additional weight afforded by design or the use of additional items, in the region of the lid, 3, directly opposite the hinge, 8. A lid interlock actuator, A, in the form of a specially constructed protrusion on the edge of the lid, 3, engages with a lid interlock switch, S, contained within a recess, R, formed in the upper surface of the wall of the outer container, 2. The lid interlock actuator, A, and switch, S, ensure that electrical power is only supplied to other functional parts of the apparatus when the lid, 3, is in the closed position and they also ensure that the opening of lid, 3, due to excess steam pressure, will shut off the power supply to the heating unit.

With yet further reference to Figure 1, various controls are situated at the frontal region of the outer container, 2. Thus, the main, low-voltage electrical power supply to the apparatus is controlled via on/off switch, 9, and power to the ultrasonic module is controlled via calibrated rotatable control, 10. A start/stop control, 11, supplies power to the rotatable timer control, 12, which controls the time for which the radiation is supplied by the transducer module. This timer control can be either be an electronic digital timer, or one controlled by a clockwork mechanism. Electrical power to the apparatus is taken from a low voltage power supply, 15, located outside the apparatus, to a socket, 13 located in the wall of the outer case, 2. A mains plug, 16, provides mains electricity to the power supply, 15.

With reference to Figure 2, which represents a schematic three-dimensional view, various parts of the apparatus already described with reference to Figure 1, are shown again, but in exploded form. Since these parts have already been described with reference to Figure 1, they are not described again.

Before placing the fish in the apparatus described with reference to Figures 1, and 2, the fish is first prepared for subsequent treatment in the apparatus, by cleaning and scaling. This then leaves two possibilities regarding the treatment of any bones left in the cleaned and scaled fish: 1. The fish is sliced into two main pieces of flesh by separating the flesh from the bones, using a sharp knife. So-called pin bones are then the only bones left in the flesh and the resultant pieces of flesh are ready for treatment in the apparatus.

2. The whole fish is placed in the apparatus.

With further reference to Figures 1 and 2: Treatment 1. The two pieces of flesh are placed side by side on the upper perforated surface of the inner tray, T, and the oval shaped container, 4, is filled with water up to the mark, M. The water is either pre-heated or heated via heating elements inside the inner receptacle, 4. The lids, 5, and 3, are then closed in that order, and power is switched on, via switch, 9. The intensity of the radiation available from the ultrasonic transducer module, U, is then set via control, 10, and the time for which this radiation is supplied to the fish, is selected by means of timer control, 12.

2. The whole fish, F, is placed on the upper perforated surface of the inner tray, T, so that the belly of the fish is in contact with the said surface. In order to maintain this orientation of the fish, either an auxiliary support device, in the form of a cradle, can be utilised, or the fish, being generally soft, can be pushed downwards by pressing on its upper body so as to place it in a more stable orientation.

Under the conditions prevailing with the two possibilities described above, the bones of the fish will either be 1., totally or partially disintegrated or 2., otherwise rendered more easily separable from the flesh of the fish. In the former case, the suspension of is disintegrated bone can be filtered off, and hence separated from the flesh, and in the latter case, the flesh can be separated from the bones by use of appropriate utensils, or by rinsing.

It is pointed out, with reference to the foregoing, that as an alternative to the use of a static ultrasonic transducer unit, a scanning system can be used, wherein the transducer module moves forwards and backwards over the fish or food, in a manner similar to that utilised in optical scanners. Alternatively, other means can involve rotation of the ultrasonic transducer unit whilst positioned above the fish or food, or linear oscillation, or rotation, of the fish or food, under the ultrasonic transducer unit, can be arranged to take place.

It is pointed out, with reference to the foregoing account, that the calcium carbonate and the carbonates and compounds of other metals, or other materials, any of which are formed in all types of domestic and industrial appliances, for example fur in kettles, and in pipe systems in central heating systems, etc., and which result in considerable inefficiency in operation of associated equipment, can be treated, and hence ultimately be removed, by the application of ultrasonic radiation applied via the use of transducers.

In the case of appliances, the resulting "sand" in suspension can be poured off, whilst in pipe systems and the like, the "sand" can be removed by flushing with water or other suitable liquids.

Examples of such Appliances are: Kettles Washing Machines Dishwashers Central Heating Systems Vehicle Cooling Systems And so on! Currently, it is believed that ultrasonic techniques have hitherto been confined to the use of ultrasonic transducers in specially designed baths into which an item to be cleaned is placed, rather than utilising the suggested method which involves the placing of specially designed transducers into the relevant appliances, or into, or adjacent to, pipe systems whose contents require treatment.

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS1. A treatment system, wherein material which needs to be removed from other material or objects, is removed by applying radiation to the said material which is to be removed, and wherein the radiation causes disintegration of the material into a state in which it is then more easily removable from the said other material or objects.
2. 2. A treatment system, as claimed in claim I, wherein the said radiation is ultrasonic.
3. 3. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said material which needs to be removed, comprises bones or other indigestible items contained within food, or associated with it, and which can, at least, be reduced in extent, so that the food can be more easily, and more safely, consumed, and wherein, for example, the bones in fish, are so treated, before cooking, in suitably designed apparatus involving the application of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy, a technique involving the use of ultrasound waves which is commonly used for disintegrating kidney stones found in the urinary tract in humans.
4. 4. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 3, wherein high pressure shock waves, resulting from the creation of sound waves of a particular frequency by means of at least one ultrasonic transducer situated within the said treatment system, pass through the flesh of fish, and interact with the bones of the fish, whereupon the associated pressure from the shock waves causes the bones to be stressed, so that they are either weakened or disintegrated, and wherein the shock waves can be focussed on the bones by use of a fluoroscopic x-ray system, so that the shock waves can then break up the bones with less risk of damage to the surrounding flesh of the fish, wherein the disintegration of the bones thus results in the production of a sand consisting of bone particles, and wherein the particles of sand can be subsequently removed from the flesh of the fish by filtration.
5. 5. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 4, wherein, the said system comprises an outer container having a lid, and various power, and timer, controls, wherein an inner, removable, receptacle, holds the fish in a quantity of heated water, which provides a medium for applying Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy to the fish, wherein control knobs and switches, together with a suitable electrical power supply, provide means for operating the apparatus.
6. 6. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one ultrasonic transducer is utilised, in suitably designed apparatus, for the sole purpose of separating the flesh of fish from the bones, in a maimer similar to that used for separating dirt or debris from items being cleaned using ultrasonic cleaning techniques, wherein by these means, the flesh can thereby be more easily separated from the bones of the fish when presented for consumption, and wherein the mechanism for implementing this separation of flesh from the bones, is similar to that operating when dirt or debris is removed from objects by use of ultrasonic transducers, wherein a range of frequencies of sound, from 20 kilo Hertz to 40 kilo Hertz and higher, is applied to the object to be cleaned, via transducer tubes placed in a bath containing the object immersed in water, and wherein the implosion of bubbles created under the dirt causes the dirt particles to be separated from the object being cleaned.
7. 7. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein, the said system comprises an outer container, having a lid and various power, and timer, controls, wherein an inner, removable, receptacle, holds the fish in a quantity of heated water, which provides a medium for applying ultrasonic radiation to the fish, wherein control knobs and switches, together with a suitable electrical power supply, provide means for operating the apparatus.
8. 8. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the calcium carbonate and the carbonates and compounds of other metals, or other materials, any of which are formed in all types of domestic and industrial appliances, for example fur in kettles, and in pipe systems in central heating systems, etc., and which result in considerable inefficiency in operation of associated equipment, can be treated, and hence ultimately be removed, by the application of ultrasonic radiation applied via the use of transducers, wherein, in the case of appliances, the resulting "sand" in suspension, can be poured off, and wherein, in pipe systems and the like, the "sand" can be removed by flushing with water or other suitable liquids.
9. 9. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 4, wherein as an alternative to the use of a static ultrasonic transducer unit, a scanning system can be used, wherein the transducer module moves forwards and backwards over the fish or food, in a manner similar to that utilised in optical scanners, or wherein rotation of the ultrasonic transducer unit occurs whilst it is positioned above the fish or food, or wherein linear oscillation, or rotation, of the fish or food, under the ultrasonic transducer unit, can be arranged to take place.
10. 10. A treatment system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein as an alternative to the use of a static ultrasonic transducer unit, a scanning system can be used, wherein the transducer module moves forwards and backwards over the fish or food, in a manner similar to that utilised in optical scanners, or wherein rotation of the ultrasonic transducer unit occurs whilst it is positioned above the fish or food, or wherein linear oscillation, or rotation, of the fish or food, under the ultrasonic transducer unit, can be arranged to take place.
11. 11. A treatment system, constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1 to 2, of the accompanying drawings.