Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
  • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
  • A22C25/00—Processing fish ; Curing of fish; Stunning of fish by electric current; Investigating fish by optical means
  • A22C25/16—Removing fish-bones; Filleting fish
  • A22C25/166—Removing loose pin bones, e.g. from fish fillets

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a tool for clamping, lifting and releasing of one or more specific parts from a base, for example for the plucking of bones (nerve bones) from fish fillets, comprising an elongate holder having a support head axially moveable in the latter, which at the one end is coupled to a power-driven, double-acting movement mechanism and which at the other end is provided with a combined gripp ⁇ ing and pulling arrangement having associated jaw members dir ⁇ ected outwards substantially axially, where the jaw members are pivotable relative to each other about a common or each about its respective transverse axis on the support head or where a first jaw member is stationarily arranged on the support head, with an associated jaw fase projecting endways freely outwards from one side of the support head, while a second jaw member is pivotably mounted about a transverse axis on the support head, with an associated jaw face projecting endways freely outwards from the other side of the support head, for swinging of the second jaw face towards
• the present invention is generally directed to a tool for clamping, lifting and releasing of one or more specific parts from a base, but finds in addition particular application to certain definite technical areas for handling foodstuffs by virtue of special detailed solutions which make it possible to reduce the danger of contamination of the foodstuffs on treatment of the latter.
• the object or the part, which is to be clamped lifted and thereafter released can be arranged to lie freely on a base, while in other instanses it can be secured relative to the base in a different manner, for example secured by means of extra holding and gripping means or secured in the foodstuff itself which is to be treated.
• the aim is to reduce muscle-straining labour movements for the operator and also as far as possible a reduction of noise in connection with the operation of the tool.
• the tool will also be able to be utilised in connection with a machine which requires minimal manual attention.
• the tool is adapted for use in connection with the treatment of foodstuffs in humid (for example extremely humid) and aggressive environments, where maximum demands are placed on hygiene and bacteriological control.
• the tool is illustrated and described herein as an example in connection with the plucking of bones (nerve bones) from fish fillets.
• the tool can also find application in a succession of other areas, with respect to both food ⁇ stuffs and other arbitrary goods.
• the tool can be used in connection with special labour operations and particularly labour operations which are preferably carried out by means of manual labour power.
• a current alternative application in connection with the filleting of fish is for scraping off of fish flesh from cut out backbone columns after the filleting operation.
• the tool can find application for removing stalks, casings, root parts, protuberances and the like from fruit, berries, vegetables, flowers, plants, and the like.
• the tool can also be used for pulling loops, knots, threads, nails, and the like from textiles, mats or other objects.
• the tool can also be applied for general gripping and lifting of objects of regular and irregular form from a base.
• the invention shall be particularly described as an embodiment in connection with the plucking of bones (nerve bones) from fish fillets.
• nerve bones which are localised about the middle in the thick fillet of the fish fillet.
• An amount of»work is involved in effecting removal of the said nerve bones and with respect to the marketability of the product it is necessary that these bones are also removed before further treatment of the fish fillet (dividing up into pieces and the like) .
• the series of such nerve bones is collectively cut out of the fish fillet by means of incisions in the fish fillet. This is undesired for several reasons, for one thing as a result of losses of fish flesh and for marketing reasons, such as aesthetic grounds, when the remaining portion of the fish fillet is concerned.
• each of the nerve bones is extracted from the fish fillet one after the other with the aid of manual labour power.
• the extraction of the nerve bones has hitherto been performed by the operator gripping each individual bone with pincers and thereafter drawing the bone out of the fish fillet by a combined pulling and bending movement.
• the operation assumes that one can draw out such bones in rapid succession, for example with a bone sequence of about thirty bones over the course of 1/2 to 1 minute.
• Such combined pinch, pull and bend movements in rapid succession and partially with significant power in each pulling operation exerts a big strain on the operator.
• the objective is to procure a tool which can replace the otherwise conventional pincers which are employd for the extraction of nerve bones and where first and foremost the aim is to reduce the strain of the operator in connection with the extraction operation, but where there is also the possibility to achieve in a ready manner great efficiency even with relatively unfamiliar labour power.
• the aim is also to increase the work efficiency of the operator far above that which is normal for a. particularly fast working operator, by way of simple means.
• the tool according to the invention is characterised in that the movement mechanism comprises a wire, which is axially moveably received in a wire stocking, and a cooperating com ⁇ pression spring, one end of the wire stocking being fastened to a remotely disposed support arrangement having an associ ⁇ ated power means received in the same and its opposite end being fastened to the rear end of the holder, while one end of the wire is connected to the power means and its other end is connected to the jaw members or to the second jaw member via an associated guide member in the support head, and the compression spring ensures a two step movement of the jaw members, that is to say a first movement of the jaw members relative to each other and a subsequent second movement of the jaw members jointly, and vice versa.
• a remotely disposed drive source power means
• a simple tool construction i* can be ensured which has low weight and small volume and which is thereby well suited to manual operation.
• One can also relieve the weight of the tool by allowing the weight of the tool to be carried by the wire stocking and achieve a simple operation of the tool by a cooperation between the power- driven, axially moveable wire and its guide-forming stocking.
• the present invention it is possible to effect a simple and effective cleaning, by submerging the appliance in cleaning fluid, without danger of damaging the tool by such cleaning.
• the cleaning can if necessary comprise sterilisation of the appliance.
• Fig. 1 shows a schematic arrangement of tool and associated power-driven movement mechanism.
• Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the tool, illustrated in an inactive condition and seen from the rear side of the tool.
• Fig. 2a shows a section of Fig. 2 on a larger scale.
• Fig. 3 shows the same as in Fig. 2, seen from one side of the tool.
• Fig. 4-8 show in four successive positions correspondingly four successive working steps of the tool in connection with a fish bone which is extracted frdm a fish fillet.
• Fig. 9 shows in perspective the tool in connection with a support foot.
• Fig. 10 shows an alternative design of the tool as shown in Fig. 9, equipped with a handle for one-handed operation.
• Fig. 11 shows in a perspective view an alternative design of the one jaw member.
• Fig. 12 shows in a perspective view an alternative design of the second jaw member.
• Fig. 13 and 14 show in end view the two jaw members, as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, shown in an open working position, in broken lines, and in a closed position-in full lines.
• Fig. 1 there is shown a work table 11 with a fish fillet
• the tool 14 which is shown in detail in Figs. 2 og 3, is equipped with two jaw members 15 and 16 which shall grip around the outer end of a nerve bone 13 (see Figs. 4 and 5) .
• the jaw members 15, 16 are fastened to a support head 17 which can be moved axially backwards and forwards in turn to the starting position in a holder 18.
• the folder 18 is connected at its rear end to a power-driven, double-acting movement mechanism 19 which provides for movement of the jaw members 15, 16 forwards and backwards in relation to each other and which in addition provides for movement of the jaw members together with the support head in a forwards and backwards movement axially relative to the holder.
• a movement mechanism (see Figs. 1-3), which comprises a pulling wire 20 which is axially moveable in a surrounding wire stocking 21.
• One end 21a of the wire stocking 21 is connected to a support-forming coupling box 22, while its opposite end 21b is connected to rear end 18a of the holder 18.
• the wire 20 itself is connected at its one end 20a to drive piston in a pneumatically driven cylinder (not shown further) 'received in the coupling box 22 and is connected at its opposite end 20b to moveable parts of the tool, as will be described in detail below.
• an intake nipple 23 for compressed air and an outlet nipple 24 for connection to an additional coupling box for a corresponding tool.
• an on/off switch 25 and a stroke control valve 26 for regulating the frequency of stroke in the pneumatically driven cylinder.
• the operative speed (the frequency of stroke) of the tool 14 can be regulated directly via the valve 26 in the coupling box 22 or via a valve or other regulating arrangement in the holder of the tool.
• a push button function which is activated when the operator grips around the grip portion of the tool, a simple start and stop can be achieved as required.
• the coupling box 22 is fastened to a roof fastening 27 via an upper, telescopically extendable support arm 28, whereby the height position of the coupling box 22 can be adjusted relative to the work position and also thereby the level of movement of the tool 14 itself which is connected to the coupling box via the wire 20 and associated wire stocking 21.
• the holder 18 is designed with a substantially cylindrical pipe-shaped housing member 29, the rear end of which is provided with an external screw thread 30 which cooperates with an equivalent internal screw thread 31 in an end cover 32 which covers the rear end of the holder and which forms a fastening for the wire stocking 21 via a fastening nipple 33.
• a first pipe-shaped piston member 34 is axially displaceably received, which at the one end is provided with a support head 17 having the associated jaw members 15, 16.
• the support head 17 is shown with a cylindrical shape and is followed by a middle and rear, cylindrical shaft portion 35.
• the shaft portion 35 is provided rearmost with a radially outwardly projecting annular flange 38.
• the stop flange 38 In the starting position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the stop flange 38 is led'into abutment with an abutment-forming shoulder portion 39 at the front end of rear, radially expanded guide in the housing member 29.
• the stop flange 38 can be guided along internal guide 40 of the housing member 29 over towards the rear end of the holder 18.
• the lenght of movement of the piston member 34 in the housing member 29 is defined by means of a guide groove
• a first jaw member 15 is shown, stationarily fastened to the support head 17, which is fastened to one side of the support head 17 relative to a axial plane through longitudinal axis 34a of the piston member 34, while on the other side of the support head relative to said axial plane, a second jaw member 16 is pivotably mounted on the support head about a transverse axis 17a.
• the jaw member 16 on the other hand, which in its starting position extends substantially parallel to the axial plane through the longitudinal axis 34a, has the jaw face 16a arranged at a certain distance from the axial plane through the longitudinal axis 34a. In the inwardly swung postition (see Fig. 5) of the jaw member 16 the jaw face 16a is arranged substantially parallel to the jaw face 15a, tightly up to said axial plane through the longitudinal axis 34a.
• the pivotable jaw member 16 is designed as an L-shaped, two-branched pivot arm which carries the jaw face 16a at the one branch end and which at the opposite branch end forms a ball head fastening 45 for a ball head 46 on a bar-shaped second piston member 47, the jaw member 16 approximately at the middle portion, that is to say at the angle point of the L shape, being pivotably mounted about a transverse *axle pin 48.
• the opposite end of the second piston member 47 is secured to said other end 20b of the wire 20 by means of a screw fastening 49.
• the piston member 47 carries a guide member 50 which is displaceably received in a guide 51 internally in the outer end of the first piston member (axially just within the support head 17) .
• a shoulder portion 52 Axially just within the guide 51 there is formed by means of a shoulder portion 52 a first stop 53 for a compression spring 54, the opposite end of which forms an abutment against a stop 55 internally in the end cover 32.
• the spring 54 forms a part of the double acting movement mechanism 19.
• the spring surrounds the second piston member 47, while the first piston member 34 surrounds the front end of the spring and the rear portion of the housing member surrounds the rear end of the spring.
• the jaw member 16 On exerting a pull in the wire 20 from the starting position as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 4, the jaw member 16 is pivoted from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that in Fig. 5, until the jaw members 15, 16 jointly clamp the outer end of a fish bone 13 between them, as is shown in Fig. 5.
• the piston member 34 with associated jaw members 15, 16 and intermediate leg 13 is drawn axially inwards into the housing member 29, as is shown in Fig. 6, during compression of the spring 54.
• the spring 54 is placed in between the stops 53, 55 with a certain prestressing, so that a gripping engage ⁇ ment is ensured between the jaw members 15, 16 and the leg 13, before the piston member 34 is drawn inwardly into the housing member 29. That is to say one provides for a short "dead” time WO 93/13672 for or a certain time delay for the drawing operation, in order ensure the gripping engagement before the drawings is set in motion.
• a double acting pneumatic cylinder is employed for movement of the movement mechanism 19 forwards and back ⁇ wards. At the first pressure stroke the wire 20 is drawn during the pulling action against the orce of the spring 54.
• the objective is that the operator shall hold the appliance in a fixed position relative to the fish fillet from the engagement with the fish bone being finally extracted from the fish fillet, thereafter the appliance (during the return positioning of the tool and the release of the extracted fish bone) being displaced along the fish fillet for fresh engagement with a subsequent fish bone.
• the appliance can be adjusted into a new position in readiness for extraction by the latter.
• the aim is to secure the fish fillet with the one hand and guide the tool in relation to the fish fillet with the other hand and then with minimal movements for and with minimal exertion of force by the operator.
• one hand of the operator which is guided towards the fish fillet, can be released, and instead the tool is allowed to be guided in a sliding abutment directly against the fish fillet via a support foot 60 which is fastened to the holder 18 an which surrounds the first, stationarily fastened jaw member in a substantially bow-shaped contour.
• the support foot 60 is fastened to the tool via a ferrule 61 which can be fixed with fastening screws 62 in a particular axial position relative to the tool.
• the support foot 60 is fixable in various angular positions about an axis through the fastening screws 65, 66 relative to the tool.
• the support foot is itself provided with a lower, preferably substantially plane support surface 67, which forms an abutment directly against the fish flesh side of the fish fillet on opposite sides of and behind the series of fish bones 13, while a front V-shaped groove 68 (which ?) is defined between a pair of forwardly and outwardly diverging guide faces 69, 70.
• the tool is considered employed as a hand tool, but it will also be possible to allow the tool to form a part of a machine for mechanically extrac ⁇ ting nerve bones from the fish fillet, without a concrete embodiment of the latter being illustrated and described.
• Fig. 10 shows a tool 114 corresponding to the tool 14, as shown in Fig. 9, but provided in addition with a special handle 120, which projects obliquely upwards and backwards from the lower portion of the tool.
• the handle 120 is equipped with extra control button 121 for the supply of pressurised water or compressed air via a separate feed conduit 122 through the handle 120 to a nozzle outlet 123 just by jaw members 115, 116 of the tool on the upper side of a plane support surface 167 of a support foot 160.
• By means of com ⁇ pressed air one can readily achieve by blow power removal of the bone, which is extracted from the fish fillet, from jaw members 115, 116 of the appliance by leading the compressed air axially along the jaw members.
• a right-handed design of the appliance is shown where the one, most remotely disposed jaw member 115 in Fig. 10 is stationarily arranged in the associated holder member 117 and arranged flush with and along the inner portion of one guide edge 170 of the support foot 160, while the other, closest disposed jaw member 116 in Fig. 10 is moveable towards and from the stationarily arranged jaw member 115.
• the jaw members 115, 116 are shown with an approximately L-shaped outline, that is to say with an obliquely downwardly extending shaft portion 115a, 116a and a horizontally outwardly directed jaw portion 115b, 116b.
• the operator has a visual general view over the engagement between the jaw mem ⁇ bers and the object which is to be gripped by allowing the object to form a support abutment against the one, statio ⁇ narily arranged jaw member.
• the jaw members can be arranged in a mirror image-formed manner (not shown further) .
• Fig. 11 shows an alternative design of the one, statio ⁇ narily arranged jaw member 215.
• the jaw member 215 is shown with an obliquely downwardly extending shaft portion 215a and relative to the latter a horizontally angled jaw portion 215b.
• the shaft portion 215a is adapted during use to extend obliquely downwards towards the base at an angle of for example 75 degrees, while the shaft portion 215b is adapted to extend substantially horizontally, that is to say parallel to the base.
• An upper jaw face 215c and a lower jaw face 215d are shown together with an intemediate groove 215e.
• the jaw faces 215c and 215d are provided with mutually parallel extending grooves 200 which run parallel to the main axis of the shaft portion 215a and consequently somewhat obliquely positioned relative to the main axis of the shaft portion 215b.
• the jaw portion 215b is shown with a relatively elongate dimension in a horizontal direction, so that one can simultaneously grip several objects in series between two parallel extending jaw members.
• this statio ⁇ nary jaw member can form the "controlling" member for engage ⁇ ment with the object which is to be gripped. In such a case only the second jaw member will be moved, that is to say swung towards and from the stationary jaw member.
• a second jaw member 216 is shown, of similar design to the jaw member 215 as illustrated in Fig. 11 and provided with a shaft portion 216a and a jaw portion 216b.
• the most significant difference consists in the jaw portion 216b being provided with a rib-shaped projection 216e between an upper jaw face 216c and a lower face 216d.
• Fig. 13 the two jaw member 215 and 216 are shown in an open operative position with a fish bone (nerve bone) projecting outwardly from a fish fillet with lateral support PCI7NO92/00004 WO 93/13672 against the jaw member 215.
• Fig. 14 the two jaw members 215, 216 are shown in a closed operative position, with the fish bone clamped between the jaw members 215, 216 and at the same time intermittent elastic deformation of the fish bone in an arcuate outline between equivalent pairs of jaw surfaces 215c, 216c and 215d, 216d of the jaw members and between the groove 215e and the projection 216e.
• a nozzle correspondingly as shown in Fig. 10 can empty out in the end of the groove 215e in a manner not shown further.
• the nozzle can for example be coupled to a supply of compressed air, for example from the same source of compressed air which controls the opening and closing of the jaw members.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)

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Family

ID=19893552

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (2)

Citations (4)

• 1990
  • 1990-10-10 NO NO904374A patent/NO904374D0/no unknown
• 1992
  • 1992-01-13 WO PCT/NO1992/000004 patent/WO1993013672A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (4)

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