Butchering – Carcass subdivision – Cutting longitudinally through body or body portion
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-03
2001-03-13
Little, Willis (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Carcass subdivision
Cutting longitudinally through body or body portion
16
Reexamination Certificate
active
06200211
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to a process for decapitated fish of the Siluridae species, for instance, catfish (
Ictalurus punctatus
) as well as a machine for performing this process, comprising a device for transporting the fish in the direction of their longitudinal axis along a predetermined conveyance path, means arranged on either side for cutting the filet away from the bone structure and a measuring means for determining the size of the fish and controlling the processing tools as a function of the measurement result.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When fileting fish, it is fundamentally important to maximize the yield of valuable filet meat and simultaneously to prevent undesired skeletal parts from remaining in the filet. If skeletal parts remain in the filet, expensive trimming work following the filet production is necessary to remove such parts from the filet meat. This trimming work is expensive particularly because only qualified personnel is eligible, which performs this processing manually.
A prerequisite for a filet production optimized in both senses is, among others, that the fish are aligned precisely in the position of their line of symmetry with respect to the fileting tools, so that cutting away the dorsal and ventral bones with narrowly spaced tools can take place without danger of skeletal parts being cut into.
In a known process, this problem is confronted in that the unpaired fins and fin-holders are first removed and then the fileting cuts for cutting away the dorsal and ventral bones are made. Such a process is known, for instance, from GB 466 674, in which, for fish conveyed in their longitudinal direction, incisions are made from both sides of the dorsal fins by cutters positioned at an angle, so that a strip of flesh comprising the fins and the fin-holder is cut out of the fish carcass.
For fish with an ordinary arrangement and formation of fins, this process leads to satisfactory fileting results, but cannot be applied to fish of the Siluridae species. The cause for this is the presence of a stable dorsal spike in front of the first dorsal fin and anchored by an internal column of bone to the front end of the spinal column and supported by a bone plate situated directly under the skin that holds the dorsal spike in place on the cranial roof.
In an ordinary back fileting cutting tool consisting of a pair of knives whose spacing is adapted to the width of the back ribs, the bone plate on either side of the dorsal spike is cut through, so that the outer parts of the bone plate remain in the filet meat and thus the aforementioned trimming work is necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aspect of the present invention is to specify a mechanical fileting method for fish of the Siluridae species by which filets can be obtained with a high yield of filet meat that make trimming work caused for the above reasons unnecessary.
The method involves that initially the bone plate (os exoccipitale) supporting the dorsal spike in the area of the first dorsal fin is first released from the filet meat by undercutting while leaving the connection to the bone structure intact, and then the filet meat is cut free from the bone structure. This method is preferably applied by a cutter tool processing the area of the dorsal spike. The cutter tool is arranged above the conveyance path and movable relative to the path of the fish and comprises two knives arranged symmetrical to the conveyance path and somewhat above. Each knife advantageously comprises a circular knife and is arranged with its cutting edge in a plane that is oriented essentially parallel to the conveyance path and, with the corresponding plane of the other knife, it encloses an obtuse angle opening away from the conveyance path.
Due to this method, the lateral parts of the bone plate are first released from the filet meat situated underneath and cut off by the following back fileting cut so that they fall off separately.
An additional optimization of effort and yield can be achieved in that the means for cutting the filet meat loose comprise a cutting tool for cutting away the dorsal bones with a pair of circular cutters that have a gap between them which can be controlled in width to pass through the dorsal bones. The gap between the circular cutters is established by means of an adjustment element that can be controlled by the measuring means. The gap is widened in the moment of arrival of the dorsal spike in the area of action of the circular cutters in order to avoid cutting into the bone column between the bone plate and the terminal area of the spinal column, as well as the edges of the dorsal spike.
The efficiency of the cutting tool processing the area of the dorsal spike can be limited in that the control of the cutting tool is accomplished by means of an adjustment element whose time of activation and actuation path are determined by the measuring means, the signal of which takes into account the size of the respective fish.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3902222 (1975-09-01), Hartmann
patent: 4236275 (1980-12-01), Westerdahl
patent: 4748723 (1988-06-01), Braeger et al.
patent: 5106335 (1992-04-01), Behnk et al.
patent: 5871395 (1999-02-01), Grabau et al.
patent: 45 467 (1966-11-01), None
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patent: 29 46 042 (1981-06-01), None
patent: 36 32 561 (1988-05-01), None
patent: 39 15 815 (1990-11-01), None
patent: 466674 (1937-06-01), None
Baader Food Processing Machinery, 184 Whitefish Filleting Machine, Brochure, Feb. 1994.
Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader, 184 Whitefish Filleting Machine, Brochure.
Baader Food Processing Machinery, The fastest way from whole Catfish . . . to h&g with BAADER 148 Heading and Cutting Machine, Brochure, Jul. 1996.
Braeger Horst
Scherch Richard Paul
Baader North American Corp.
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Little Willis
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