GB505070A - Improved method of and apparatus for eviscerating and cleaning fish - Google Patents

Abstract

505,070. Dressing fish. AKTIEBOLAGET G. AREHNS MEKANISKA. VERK STAD. July 27, 1938, No. 22399. Convention date, July 28, 1937. [Class 28 (ii)] In the cleaning of fish, the head of a fish is cut off, and the entrails are removed, e.g. are pulled out, before the belly of the fish is cut open to permit the belly cavity to be cleaned by brushing or scraping. The fishes are laid on their sides, and bellies foremost in pockets 2 of a conveyer 1, the heads protruding for removal by a knife 3. The entrails are pulled out by a device 4 and the fishes are then moved by a water-jet 5 until the tails contact with an abutment 6, comprising a bottom plate 20 and an upper inclined plate 21, which positions the fishes for the removal of the tails by a knife 7. The discharge end of the conveyer 1 is covered by a hood 23 which retains the fishes in the pockets until they are supported on their bellies in an overbalanced state, so that when released from the hood they fall over a shoot 25, backs foremost, between obliquely arranged plates 28 which deliver the fishes, bellies upwards, into the pockets 26 of a conveyer 9. The pockets have bent walls 31 secured to plates 27 attached to a chain 29 trained over end sprockets. The end walls or drivers 32 are spaced sufficiently to take the largest fishes to be handled, and the fishes, irrespective of their lengths; each drop into a pocket so that the tail end is foremost and is directly behind a driver 32. Guide flaps 33 on the ends of the plates 28 are pulled together by a spring, the fish being thereby held back until the cut head end is engaged by a driver 32. The belly of the fish is presented accurately by the flaps 33 to a plate 35 of inverted V-section and having a slot 36 in which works a cutter 13 for slitting the belly from the anal opening to the cut head end. The plate 35 is pivotally mounted and is urged downwardly by a spring. The cutter 13 is followed immediately by a spreader 14 which spreads the belly flaps against the walls 31 of the pockets 26. The spreader comprises a beam 37 having a bevelled end which is positioned adjacent to the edge of the cutter 13 and enters the belly cavity as the fish is advanced. The beam is secured to the underside of an arm which is vertically adjustable and is arranged transversely to the conveyer. A yielding rod 44 is secured, at one end, to the beam and, at the other end, to two wing-like spreaders 46 each of which has a pin 46 pivoted in a stationary bracket. The fish is advanced to the spreaders 45 between upright guide plates 48 which are tapered off to project under a vertically movable rotary brush 15 which is associated with a water jet 16. The fishes are discharged into a receptacle 50, over a grating 17 through which some parts of the entrails may drop into a receptacle 18. The shoot 25 may be removed so that unsplit fishes are delivered from the conveyer 1 into a receptacle. The conveyer 9 is driven by a.Geneva mechanism 65. Specification 477,725 is referred to.