# US 10,117,441 B2 · Fish processing device

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- Number: US 10,117,441 B2
- Document ID: US10117441B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/769,065
- Filed: 2014-02-20
- Published: 2016-01-07
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-02-20
- Assignees: Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH + Co. KG
- Applicants: Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH + Co. KG
- Inventors: Geoffrey Bruce Goodrick; Liam Alexander Goodrick
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117441B2

## CPC

- A22C 25/08: Holding, guiding, or conveying fish before, during or after its preparation (A22C25/06 takes precedence){; Devices for sizing fish; Automatically adapting conveyors or processing machines to the measured size (transport in general B65G)}
- A01K 61/00: Culture of aquatic animals (receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria, A01K63/00)
- A01K 61/90: Sorting, grading, counting or marking live aquatic animals, e.g. sex determination
- A01K 61/95: specially adapted for fish
- A22B 1/00: Apparatus for fettering animals to be slaughtered
- A22C 25/12: Arranging fish, e.g. according to the position of head and tail {(orientating articles during conveying B65G47/24)}
- Y02A 40/81: Aquaculture, e.g. of fish
- A22C: PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH (preserving A23B; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs A23J1/00; fish, meat or poultry preparations A23L; disintegrating, e.g. chopping meat, B02C18/00; preparation of proteins C07K1/00)
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A22B: SLAUGHTERING
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

A fish processing device and method of use, the device including: a channel; a sensor located within or adjacent to the channel; a barrier, the barrier to assist in preventing a fish passing through the channel; and a control system, wherein the control system controls the barrier in response to an output of the sensor. The method including the steps of: detecting that a fish is incorrectly orientated in a channel; and controlling a barrier to assist in preventing the fish from passing through the channel.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fish processing device, the device including:
a channel adapted to allow a fish to move through the channel, wherein the channel is adapted to allow a water current to pass through the channel thereby encouraging the fish to move through the channel;
a barrier located in the channel, wherein the barrier has an open position and a closed position;
a sensor associated with the channel; and
a control system in communication with the sensor and the barrier, wherein the control system and the sensor are designed to detect a first or second orientation of the fish, wherein the fish is in the first orientation when a dorsal surface of the fish faces upward and wherein the fish is in the second orientation when the dorsal surface of the fish faces downward;
wherein when the fish is in the first orientation the barrier is adapted to allow the fish to pass through the channel, and wherein when the fish is in the second orientation the barrier is adapted to assist in deterring the fish from passing through the channel by engaging the fish, and
wherein the control system is adapted to control the barrier in response to an output of the sensor, wherein the control system moves the barrier toward the open position when an output of the sensor senses that the fish is in the first orientation in the channel.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the channel is designed in that the fish are enticed to swim through the channel by a water current.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the channel is enclosed forming an internal passage.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a visual sensor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The fish processing device according to claim 4, wherein the visual sensor is adapted to detect the different colors between the dorsal surface and a ventral surface of the fish.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The fish processing device according to claim 4, wherein the visual sensor is adapted to detect the different shape between the dorsal surface and a ventral surface of the fish.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the barrier includes a gate having a panel and an actuator.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The fish processing device according to claim 7, wherein the panel is moveable from an open position to a closed position by the actuator, wherein the open and closed positions of the panel correspond with the open and closed positions of the barrier, respectively.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The fish processing device according to claim 8, wherein the panel is pivotable about a point for moving the panel from the open position to the closed position, wherein when the panel is in the closed position the fish is prevented from passing through the channel thus deterring the fish.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the barrier includes a jet of air to deter the fish.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the barrier includes a light source to deter the fish.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The fish processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control system further includes an alarm to alert an operator if the fish is in the second orientation in the channel.