Butchering – Conveyer – Registering
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-03
2001-02-27
Little, Willis (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Conveyer
Registering
C452S179000, C452S012000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193596
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to determining the positions of bivalve shellfish so that the shellfish can be located or positioned as part of a mechanised or automated shellfish processing apparatus.
In patent specification No. AU-19296/92 there is described an apparatus for processing bivalve shellfish, particularly scallops, in which there is an access forming means to part the two valves or shells sufficiently to leave a gap into which detaching means is inserted to detach the edible portion from both of the valves. In the preferred embodiment, the detaching means comprises two flexible blades which simultaneously follow the inside surfaces of the valves so as to simultaneously detach the edible portion from both of the shells, the two blades then grasping the edible portion and withdrawing it from the space between the two valves.
In this known apparatus, it is desirable to locate the shellfish so that it is held in a known position when the valves are parted to enable insertion of the blades. Since the blades are inserted mechanically and automatically, the best performance of the blades in cutting the edible portion from the inside surfaces of the two valves is achieved if each scallop is held in substantially the same position for the shell parting and blade insertion operations. This can be achieved for example by manually locating successive scallops in the same orientation as they are being fed to the shell parting and blade insertion station.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically determining the position of a bivalve shellfish for enabling subsequently processing to recover the edible portion.
According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for determining the position of a bivalve shellfish which is received by the apparatus and which is to be subsequently processed to recover an edible portion of the shellfish, the apparatus including a shell shape complement having at least a partially complementary shape to at least a part of the conformation of the shellfish, and moving means for relatively moving the shellfish relative to the shell shape complement until a fit of the shellfish with the complement is achieved whereby the position of the shellfish relative to the complement can be known.
In the preferred embodiment, the shell shape complement comprises a means which has a shape complementary to a distinctive part of the contour or profile of the shellfish and which is unlikely to be replicated by another part of the contour or profile of the shellfish even if deformed or damaged. Preferably, the distinctive part of the contour or profile of the shellfish comprises a projecting part of the contour or profile and, in this case, the shell shape complement comprises a concavity of generally complementary shape to the projecting part.
In the case where the shellfish comprises a scallop, the projecting part comprises the hinge region of the shell which is defined by two stepped shoulders which step out from the generally continuously curved circumference and which are joined by an approximately straight line segment along which the two valves of the shellfish hinge. Preferably, the shell shape complement comprises a pair of curved guides spaced apart by a predetermined distance to define the concavity into which the hinge region of the scallop fits. In this embodiment, the apparatus preferably further includes a sensor for sensing achievement of the fit of the hinge region of the scallop with the shell shape complement comprised by the pair of curved guides, the sensor being located within the concavity between the curved guides at a depth so that the sensor will only be operative to sense the achievement of the fit when the hinge region has fitted between the pair of spaced curved guides. The sensor may be located closely adjacent to one of the curved guides and may be recessed at a predetermined distance into the concavity between the guides so that the sensor will sense the presence of the stepped shoulder area at the corner of the hinge region of the scallop but will not sense the scallop shell when it is in contact with the guides but is not in the fitting position.
In each embodiment, preferably the apparatus further includes a sensor for sensing achievement of a fit the part of the conformation of the shellfish with the shell shape complement whereby further processing of the shellfish can be initiated in response to sensing of the fit by the sensor. The sensor may comprise an opto-electrical device operative to optically sense the achievement of the fit and to signal the fit to initiate further processing of the shellfish. Alternatively, the sensor may comprise an electro-mechanical device such as a micro-switch, which is operated upon achievement of the fit to initiate further processing of the shellfish. As a further alternative the sensor may be a mechanical sensor which, upon achievement of the fit, trips or triggers initiation of further processing
Preferably, the moving means for moving the shellfish relative to the shell shape complement comprises means for rotating the shellfish relative to the complement until a fit of the part of the confirmation of the shellfish with the shell shape complement is achieved. Preferably, the moving means is operative to rotate the shellfish while the shellfish is maintained in contact with the shell shape complement. The shell shape complement and the rotating shellfish may be maintained in contact by biasing means operative to bias the shell shape complement against the circumference of the shellfish as the shellfish is rotated by the moving means. Preferably, the shell shape complement is mounted for yielding or floating movement so as to follow the contour of the circumference of the shellfish as the shellfish is rotated and so that when the desired fit of said part of the confirmation of the shellfish with the shell shape complement is being closely approached the shell shape complement is urged into the fitting position.
In the particular embodiment in which the shellfish comprises a scallop, the apparatus preferably includes a mounting means such as a suction head which engages with an outer face of one of the valves of the scallop so as to hold the scallop, the drive means being operatively associated with the suction head so as to rotate the scallop generally about the centre of the suction head. Preferably, the suction head is arranged to be engaged with the outer face of one of the valves of the scallop in the approximate centre of the valve so that the scallop is rotated about an axis passing through the centre and at right angles to the general plane of the scallop.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1333843 (1920-03-01), Torsch et al.
patent: 3828398 (1974-08-01), Harris et al.
patent: 4663805 (1987-05-01), Adcock
patent: 5427567 (1995-06-01), Adcock
patent: 5823864 (1998-10-01), Watanabe
patent: 89/00010 (1989-01-01), None
Patent Abstract of Japan, JP 9-234642A Sep. 9, 1997, Towa Denki.
Seisakusho;KK..
Patent Abstracts of Japan, C-889, p. 68, JP3-201935(A) Sep. 3, 1991, Susumu Ebisaki.
Flanagan John K.
Flanagan John R.
Flanagan & Flanagan
Little Willis
Sasakat Pty Ltd
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