Method and apparatus for automated immersion treatment of fish
AssigneeWildlife Vaccines, Inc.
InventorsLee R. Kunz, Guy L. Tebbit
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated immersion apparatus is described which is used for the treatment of fish with various vaccines and the like to prevent diseases in fish. The apparatus comprises a means to convey fish into a reservoir of the vaccine material and then to convey the fish out of the reservoir and release them to the environment.
Claims13
An apparatus for the immersion treatment of fish which comprises a housing, a reservoir located within said housing and containing a liquid for immersion of the fish, said liquid containing a health and/or welfare enhancing agent for the fish, conveying means located within said housing and arranged in an inclined plane relative to the horizontal, said conveying means having at least two axles about which said conveying means rotates, one of said axles being located at the lower end of said inclined plane and located within the area of the reservoir liquid, a means for transporting fish into said liquid for immersion of said fish, said transporting means attached to said conveying means, means for controlling the speed of said conveying means, whereby the total time period of immersion of the fish in said liquid is controllable, and means for returning said fish to their environment.
A method for treating fish to prevent or treat various diseases of fish comprising placing fish on a moving conveyor belt which automatically conveys the fish down into a reservoir of liquid containing a health and/or welfare enhancing agent for the fish, immersing the fish for a sufficient period of time and then conveys the fish up out of the reservoir at a predetermined time and thereupon permitting the treating liquid to drain from the fish and thereafter returning fish to their environment.
The method for treating fish to prevent or treat various diseases of fish comprising placing fish into a holding tank formed of two spaced apart, perforated holding walls mounted on a conveyor belt, the sides of said holding tank corresponding essentially to the opposite parallel walls of a housing for said conveyor belt and containing a reservoir liquid, said reservoir liquid containing a health and/or welfare enhancing agent for the fish, the holding tank being attached to and mounted on a conveyor belt thereby permitting the fish to travel along said conveyor belt down into the reservoir liquid for immersion of the fish in the reservoir liquid for a predetermined period of time sufficient to impart the desired treatment to the fish, said perforated walls rotating around a terminal lower axle point of the conveyor belt and returning up out of the reservoir liquid thereby permitting the liquid to drain from the fish, and at the upper end of the conveyor belt the moving wall rotates upwardly and the fish drop down into a chute to return to their environment.
The method for treating fish to prevent or treat various diseases of fish comprising placing fish into holding means mounted on a conveyor belt, the sides of said holding means corresponding essentially to the opposite parallel walls of a housing for said conveyor belt and containing a reservoir liquid, said reservoir liquid containing a health and/or welfare enhancing agent for the fish, the holding means being attached to and mounted on a conveyor belt thereby permitting the fish to travel along said conveyor belt down into the reservoir liquid for immersion of the fish in the reservoir liquid for a predetermined period of time sufficient to impart the desired treatment to the fish, said holding means rotating around a terminal lower axle point of the conveyor belt and returning up out of the reservoir liquid thereby permitting the liquid to drain from the fish, and at the upper end of the conveyor belt the holding means permits the fish to drop down into a chute to return to their environment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.