Fish filleting machine
OwnerTrevor T. Wastellinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for filleting fish to produce high yielding fillets from relatively short bodied fish in the size range of about 600 grams to about 3.5 kilograms dependent on species. The method and apparatus are designed to be capable of handling salmon, tilapia, trout, arctic char, barramundi, snappers, walleye pike, striped bass and similar species where the rib follows the contour of the belly cavity. Further, the method and apparatus incorporate belly opening and eviscerating components prior to subjecting the fish to a backbone removal system so that the fish need only be headed, but not gutted, before introduction into the machine.
Claims13
A method of filleting fish for producing fish fillets free of bones, comprising:
- feeding a headed, belly intact fish along a substantially horizontal conveying path in a belly-side-down, tail end up, and head end leading position with its backbone at an acute angle to the substantially horizontal conveying path;
- slitting the fish longitudinally to open its belly cavity from the head end of the fish to its anus;
- cleaning viscera from the belly cavity;
- repositioning the fish so that its backbone is substantially parallel to the substantially horizontal conveying path;
- slitting the fish longitudinally to make an anal cut on opposite sides of its anal spine;
- slitting the fish longitudinally to make a dorsal cut on opposite sides of its dorsal spine to produce a pair of integral portions each connected to its backbone by ribs;
- cutting through the ribs on either side of the backbone of the fish to split the fish into two individual rib-in portions each separate from the backbone, dorsal spine, anal spine and tail, but not ribs;
- and
- cutting the ribs away from the individual rib-in portions to provide a pair of fish fillets free of ribs.
A fish filleting machine for producing fish fillets from a headed, belly intact fish being transported belly-side-down, tail end up, and head end leading along a substantially horizontal conveying path, said machine comprising:
- a guide probe on which a fish to be filleted is located with its backbone at an acute angle to the substantially horizontal conveying path;
- a belly opening blade downstream of said guide probe for slitting the fish longitudinally to open its belly cavity from its head end to its anus;
- a cleaning wheel downstream from said belly opening blade for removing viscera from the belly cavity of the fish;
- a control arm engageable with the fish to reposition the fish after passing over the cleaning wheel so that its backbone is substantially parallel to the substantially horizontal conveying path;
- a pair of spaced apart anal cutting blades for making a pair of longitudinal anal cuts in said fish on opposite sides of its anal spine;
- a pair of spaced apart dorsal cutting blades for making a pair of longitudinal dorsal cuts in said fish on opposite sides of its dorsal spine to produce a pair of integral portions each connected to its backbone by ribs;
- a pair of spaced apart backbone removal blades located downstream of said dorsal cutting blades and positioned to cut through the ribs on either side of the fish backbone to split the fish into two individual rib-in portions each separate from the backbone, dorsal spine, anal spine and tail, but not ribs;
- and
- a pair of spaced apart rib removal blades located downstream of said backbone removal blades and positioned to make a rib cut along the interface formed between the ribs and flesh of each individual rib-in portion to provide a pair of fish fillets free of ribs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.