Crustacean butchering apparatus
AssigneeArea52 Ltd
InventorsTim Fogarty, Joel Devito
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A crustacean butchering apparatus is disclosed. The crustacean butchering apparatus may include at least one carapace grip sized to secure a carapace of a crustacean to a conveyor. When activated, the conveyor carries the crustacean secured by the carapace grip in a machine direction along a processing path. A plurality of tools may be placed along the processing path for butchering the crustacean. Optionally, a claw removing tool may be positioned along the processing path. When activated, the claw removing tool separates at least one claw of the crustacean from the carapace of the crustacean. Optionally, a tail removing tool may be positioned along the processing path. When activated, the tail removing tool may separate a tail of the crustacean from the carapace of the crustacean.
Claims20
A crustacean butchering apparatus comprising:
- at least one carapace grip, each carapace grip of the at least one carapace grip sized to secure a carapace of a crustacean to a conveyor, when activated the conveyor carries the crustacean secured by the carapace grip in a machine direction along a processing path;
- a claw removing tool positioned along the processing path, when activated the claw removing tool separates a first claw and a second claw of the crustacean from the carapace of the crustacean;
- and
- a tail removing tool positioned along the processing path, when activated the tail removing tool separates a tail of the crustacean from the carapace of the crustacean.
A crustacean butchering apparatus comprising:
- at least one carapace grip, each carapace grip of the at least one carapace grip sized to secure a carapace of a crustacean to a conveyor, when activated the conveyor carries the crustacean secured by the carapace grip in a machine direction along a processing path;
- and
- a tail removing tool positioned along the processing path, the tail removing tool having:
- a tail pulling slot extending in the machine direction from an upstream slot end to a downstream slot end and having a slot height sized to pinch the crustacean between the tail and the carapace,
- the slot height being transverse to the machine direction and a cross-machine direction,
- the slot height measured from a slot proximal side to a slot distal side, the slot proximal side being closer to the conveyor than the conveyor is to the slot distal side,
- a distance between the slot proximal side and the conveyor increases between the upstream slot end and the downstream slot end,
- when activated the tail removing tool separates a tail of the crustacean from the carapace of the crustacean.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.