# US 5,702,295 A · Device for positioning fish

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- Number: US 5,702,295 A
- Document ID: US5702295A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/665,412
- Filed: 1996-06-18
- Granted: 1997-12-30
- Earliest claimed: 1995-06-20
- Assignees: Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH + Co. KG
- Inventors: Dieter Ketels
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5702295A

## 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)}
- 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)

## Abstract

An apparatus for automatically positioning fish with respect to their plane of symmetry and for the periodic transfer of the fish to a fish processing machine is proposed. The apparatus comprises a supply conveyor in the form of a trough conveyor and a feed conveyor arranged below and essentially perpendicular to the supply conveyor for feeding the fish into the processing machine. The feed conveyor includes a support conveyor equipped with support elements onto which each fish is placed with the support elements protruding into the belly cavity. This is achieved by a holding element which is arranged between the supply conveyor and the feed conveyor and is controlled by a signal to open and release the temporarily held fish. The generation of the signal is varied according to a measurement value representing the size of the fish being positioned so that each fish is released to land exactly positioned with its belly cavity on a support element irrespective of its size.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for automatically positioning decapitated fish and for the periodic transfer of said fish to a fish processing machine, in which the fish are processed in an upright position with the decapitation face leading, the apparatus comprising first conveying means with which the fish are advanced with their decapitation faces in alignment, second conveying means, arranged below said first conveying means for receiving fish delivered by said first conveying means and having an endless support conveyor with support elements arranged in spaced relationship thereon, and means for holding down fish engaged by said support conveyor, wherein
a) the apparatus includes means associated with said first conveying means for determining at least one fish measurement value;
b) said apparatus further comprises fish holding means arranged between said first conveying means and said second conveying means and directly above the latter for temporarily holding fish released from said first conveying means; and
c) said holding means is associated with actuation means, which are arranged and controlled to activate said holding means so as to release fish in accordance with said determined fish measurement value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said holding means comprises two wall elements arranged to form a V-shape and controlled to move between a fish holding position and a fish releasing position in which they form a downwardly open chute.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that each said wall element is arranged to pivot about an axis of rotation arranged in upper portion of each wall element and that said wall elements are arranged to pivot synchronously about said axes in opposite senses.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said actuation means comprises an actuation member, which is adapted to be controlled to activate said holding means in accordance with a position of said support elements.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that said actuation member is adapted to be activated by a signal generated as a function of said measurement value representing the size of the fish lying in said holding means.