Shrimp deheading station
OwnerReid P. Allaininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for deheading shrimp wherein are oriented head first in an entrance groove abutting a stop bar so that a head clamping bar can capture the shrimp between the head clamping bar and the bottom of the entrance groove near the sixth thoracic section so that cutting blades can sever the head from the shrimp. The heads of the shrimp are then deposited onto the head exit plate and the tails of the shrimp are then flushed from the entrance groove into an underlying tail exit trough by a stream of water. Thereafter a succeeding shrimp disposed in the entrance groove is then positioned in the entrance groove and the process repeated so that shrimp can be deheaded in an efficient manner.
Claims16
An apparatus for deheading shrimp, the shrimp having a head portion, a tail portion, a body portion having a sixth thoracic section, and a dorsal side comprising:
- a) an entrance groove having a plurality of shrimp disposed therein, wherein the shrimp are queued one after the other, wherein the shrimp are oriented in a head forward orientation, wherein shrimp enter said front of said deheading station by being moved along said entrance groove, the entrance groove having an outlet from an end portion of said entrance groove, said entrance groove sloping downwardly to said outlet;
- b) a stop bar disposed adjacent and spaced from said outlet of said end portion of said entrance groove, wherein the shrimp is stopped by said stop bar in a user selected position in the said entrance groove;
- c) a head clamp bar disposed adjacent and above said outlet of end portion of said entrance groove having fingers for capturing each shrimp stopped by said stop bar;
- d) a swing assembly comprising first and second severing blades each having a half-moon notch facing each other reciprocating laterally in opposite directions to each other disposed between said stop bar and said head clamp bar for coming together to trap the head of each shrimp in a hole formed by said notches, said stop bar being mounted on said swing assembly;
- e) said swing assembly including a rotatable axle for rotating back and forth to drive operation of said reciprocating severing blades;
- and
- f) means for pivoting said swine assembly such that said stop bar and blades with a head of a shrimp trapped therebetween are moved away from said outlet to allow a remaining body portion of said shrimp to drop out of said entrance groove and fall onto to a tail exit trough, said trapped head of said shrimp being released onto a head exit plate upon separation of said blades, said remaining body portion including a picon which had been extending into said head of the shrimp from the sixth thoracic section thereof.
A method for deheading shrimp, the shrimp having a head portion, a tail portion, a body portion having a sixth thoracic section, and a dorsal side, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing an entrance groove having a plurality of shrimp disposed therein, wherein the shrimp are queued one after the other, wherein the shrimp are oriented in a head forward orientation, wherein shrimp enter the front of the deheading station by being moved along the entrance groove, the entrance groove having an outlet from an end portion thereon, said entrance groove sloping downwardly to said outlet;
- b) providing a stop bar disposed adjacent and spaced from said outlet of the end portion of the entrance grooves, wherein the shrimp is stopped by the stop bar in a user selected the position in the entrance groove;
- c) providing a head clamp bar disposed adjacent the and portion of the entrance groove for capturing each shrimp stopped by said top bar;
- d) providing a swing assembly having first and second severing blades reciprocating laterally in opposite directions to each other disposed between the stop bar and the head clamp bar, wherein the head of each shrimp is captured by each severing blade as the blades come together, said swing assembly including said stop bar;
- and,
- e) pivoting said swing assembly such that said head is separated from said thoracic section of said shrimp by swinging said severing blades with the head clamped in between said severing blades away from said thoracic section, a picon remaining with said thoracic section, said picon had been extending into said head of the shrimp, said stop bar moving away along with said severing blades.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.