Apparatus for sizing and deheading shrimp

A shrimp sizing apparatus comprising:

• an elongated trough open at the top and the bottom;
• means feeding shrimp into said trough adjacent one end of the trough;
• said trough including a pair of sides stationary with respect to each other diverging laterally outwardly from adjacent said one end providing a progressively larger opening in said bottom;
• spaced flexible fingers projecting into said trough moving longitudinally therein in a direction away from said feeding means separating and conveying shrimp along said trough from said feeding means toward an opposite end of said trough;
• and
• a plurality of spaced elements carried across said trough for engagement by said fingers for imparting vibration thereto;
• whereby said shrimp pass from along said progressively larger opening in said bottom until said opening is sufficiently larger to permit passage of the shrimp therethrough.

Apparatus for sizing and beheading raw shrimp including:

• an open, elongated trough, having an open bottom, for receiving raw shrimp;
• said fixed with respect to each other trough having a pair of sides diverging laterally outwardly from adjacent one end of the trough providing a progressively larger opening for the passage of shrimp through the open bottom;
• means for moving the raw shrimp along the trough in the direction of divergence of the open bottom permitting progressively larger shrimp thus sized, to fall by gravity through the open bottom;
• a stationary blade having a blunt edge
• conveyor means carrying sized shrimp from the trough toward and into contact with the stationary blade;
• said conveyor means orienting each shrimp so that contact by the shrimp with the blade occurs adjacent a joint between the head and the body of the shrimp;
• and
• a plurality of abutments carried by the conveyor means for pushing the head of each shrimp toward said stationary blade successively passing on one side of the stationary blade causing the heads to be sheared off adjacent the joint.

Apparatus for positioning shrimp for processing comprising:

• an elongated trough having an open top and an open bottom for receiving shrimp;
• opposed, horizontal plate catch members fixed on opposite sides of said open bottom;
• each shrimp being suspended by a head from said catch members with a body depending therefrom;
• a plurality of spaced fingers extending upwardly through said open bottom between said catch members;
• and
• conveyor means moving said fingers successively into and along said trough for separating and positioning said shrimp for processing.