CA1043058A - Machine for filleting fish - Google Patents

Abstract

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:-Be it known that I, Werner Wenzel, a German National, residing at Doberan Weg 8, 2400 L?beck, Germany, have invented certain new and useful improvements in "FISH PROCESSING MACHINES" of which the following is a specification:-ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE:-A machine for filleting fish of various species comprising belly filleting knives for making belly cuts, bone knives for separating the vertebral appen-dages from the vertebrae without separating the flank fillets from the fish, rib knives for cutting the already separated vertebral appendages from the fish, and back filleting knives for finally separating the flank fillets from the fish. Also guide means are pro-vided in close relationship with the bone knives to limit the cutting depth of the latter.

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Description

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BACKGROUND 0~ THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a machine for filleting fish, in particular fish of differing bone structures.
Fish filleting machines are individually adapted to cut with high yield only a single kind of fish, such as herrings, redfish, Norwegian haddock, and hake, and a few closely related kinds of fish with closely similar-bone structure, such as codfish, haddock and ling. The main obstacle to the possibility of being able to cut fish of different kinds with a partlclu~ar filleting ma-chine is the different angles at which lateral vertebral processes extend from the vertebrae of the backbones of fish of differing kinds.
In German Patent Specification No. 14 54 089, there is disclosed a process and apparatus for severing the flank flesh from the ribs and vertebral processes of a fish, wherein the rear vertebrae of the fish are engaged and the abdominal cavity of the fish is firmly pressed onto a support in such a manner that the vertebral pro-, ~
cesses and ribs are straightened so that each flank formsa plane, whereupon the flank flesh is cut off by insertion of a cutting tool between the skin covering the ribs and the~ vertabr~ processes and the skin enveloping the flesh.
However, -this process is restricted to fish having vert ebral processes which can be straightened under pressure and which extend from the vertebrae of the baclcbone at equal angles.

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In Norwegian Patent Specification No. 106 624 there is described a filleting machine in which fillets are severed from the skeleton by back fillet:ing knives and by belly filleting knives and are separated from the ribs by rib knives arranged parallel to the belly filleting knives. With this machine it is possible to cut out the ribs in fish of differing bone structures but the belly filleting knives must cut on both sides of the broadest vertebrae which entails an appreciable loss of valuable flesh. This is not acceptable when seeking an economical yield from the filleting of fish such as coryphaena hippurus cynoscion nebulosus micropogon undulatus or other fish from southern latitudes.
BR~EF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An essential object of the invention is to provide a possibility to proce.ss fish of differing bone structure all in-~ne machine even if the ~ish belong to quite different species :
and especially show differing angles at which their vertebral - processes or appendages extend from the vertebrae. It is another important object of the invention to achie~e this at high yield and in a machine having a pair of rib knives arranged at a fixed i.e. constant angle to each other.
According to the present invention there is pro-vided a filleting machine for filleting fish which are trans-ported belly-side-down and head end leading along a conveying path. The machine comprises a pair of spaced-apart belly filleting knives making inCiSiOIlS in the belly of the fish to provide separated flank-fillets at opposite sides of the belly cavity. Downstream of the belly filleting knives is a pair of spaced-apart bone knives positioned to extend upwardly through the belly cavity and to cut upwardly through the vertebral appendages on either side of the fish backbone whereby to ~parate the vertebral appendages from the backbone ~, 1043~SB
without cutting the flank fillets from the fish. In the con-veying direction is a palr of rib knives arranged to extend into the belly cavity for cutting the severed vertebral appendages from the flank fillets while leaving the latter intact with the backbone. Finally, a pair of back knives located downstream of the rib knives cut the flank fillets from the fish.
Preferably, the machine is provided with guide means associated with the bone knives and serving to guide the fish in the conveying path along the bone knives. Such guide means .
are mounted in a fixed position and the bone knives are mounted for movement toward and away from,the guide means which are located to insure the limitation of the depth of the cuts ' severing the vertebral appendages by the bone knives.
In another embodiment, there are provided guide means associated with the bone knives that guide the fish in the con-veying path along the bone knives, the latter being mounted in ;~, a fixed position and the yuide means being ~ounted for movement toward and away from the bone knives with the guide means being adapted to engage the belly cavity of the fish and position the fish relative to the bone knives in such a manner as to - , .
limit the depth of the cuts severing the vertebral appendages of the fish.
, For preference, each pair of knives comprises a : `
pair of rotatable cutting discs, and the knives of the belly filleting, bon and back filleting knife pairs are arranged in parallel planes, and the knives of the rib knive pair are arranged in planes angled relative to each other and to the planes of the other knives. The bone knives may be adjustable relative to the conveying path in vertical direction.
30, The advantages achieved by the arrangements according to the invention consist in that the incisions made by the bone knives may allow the flank fillets to spread apart at the angle ; ~

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~043~58 present between the rib knives, and in addition the fish may be guided accurately along the conveying path and convey d ~; through the rib knives without being subjected to loadings which stress the fillets.
The guide maans associated with the bone knives may ensure that the incisions made by these knives are at the , . .
requisite spacing and only to the necessary depth.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other and further objects of the presen-t invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which by way of illustration show preferred embodiments of the present invention and the principles thereof and what now are considered to be the best modes contemplated for applying these principles. Ohter embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art wi-thout departing from the present invention and the scope of the appended claimsé
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation of the machine according to the invention.
Fig. 2 is a cross-section through the tail part of a fish during cutting of a belly fillet by the ffiachine of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the abdominal cavity of a fish during cutting of the ver-tebral processes of the bakcbone of the fish by the machine of Fig. 1, the fish be-ing conveyed by a pair of conveyor belts J
Fig. 4 is a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 3 the fish being conveyed by a push saddle;
Fig~ 5 is a cross-section through the abdominal cavity of fish during cutting of the se-parated ver-tebral processes and the ribs from the fish by the machine of Fig. l; and 104L305~
Fig. 6. is R cross-section -through the abdominal cavity of a fish during the cutting of the flank fillets by the machine of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a filleting machine having arranged in a frame thereof cut-ting tools in the form of rotatable cut-ting discs driven by suitable drive means (not shown), the tools comprising a belly slitter 11, a pair of belly filleting knives 12, a pair of bone knives 13 and a pair of rib knives 15 arranged underneath the conveying path ofr the fish to be filleted and a pair of back filleting knives 16 arranged above the conveying path. The conveying path for the fish is defined by a first abdominal cavity guide 21, a pair of second ab-dominal cavity guide 22, a pair of cutting boards 23, cut limiters 24 and a pair of fillet guides 25. The cutting boards 23 and the cut limiters 24 are delectable in a known manner on arrival of the abdominal cavity end of a fish, for which purpose two back guides 26 and 27 dis-placeable by the fish are utilised. For conveyi-ng the fish, there is provided conveying means which can be of a known kind, for example a pair of conveyor belts 41 and 42 engaging the flanks of fish as shown in Fig. 3, or a push saddle 43 as shown in Fig. 4. When the saddle 43 is utilised, the belly slitter 11 and abdominal cavity guide 21 are dispen~ed with.
The mode of operation of filleting machine is as follows:

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A fish, which has had at least its head removed, is manually or automatically fed with its belly facing downwards and its head end facing forwards along the abdominal cavity guide 21 in the direction of arrow 5, and i.s opened along its abdominal cavity by the belly slitter 11. The belly filleting knives 12 cut the belly side of the fish to the depth of the lower edge of ver-tebrae 31 and on either side of the belly spokes 33.
While the abdominal cavity of the fish, guided on the guides 22, is disposed above the bone knives 13, these are held in a raised position and cut the belly side of the fish closely adjacent to and on either side of the vertebrae so as to sever lateral vertebral processes 34 from the vertebrae 31. When the tail fo the fish moves on past the bone knoves 13, these knives are lowered to the position 14 shown in dot-dashed lines in Fig. 1.
During the advance of the fish, the cutting board 23 is lowered, by an amount appropriate to the size of fish, to feed the fish to the rib knives 15, which cut from the fish on either side thereof a strip con-taining the black belly skin, ribs 35 and the vertebral processes 34.
During~.further advance of the fish to complete].y sever the two flank fillets from the backbone of the fish.
When the push saddle 43 is used an conveying means~
the fish is similarly conveyed belly downwards with its ~:)43~51~ :
tail end facin~ forward in the direction o~ the arrow 5, and the incisions are made by the belly filleting knives 12~ the bone knives 13~ the rib knives 15, and the back filleting knives 16 in a Rimilar manner.

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Claims (5)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A filleting machine for filleting fish wherein said fish are transported belly-side-down and head end leading along a conveying path, said machine comprising a pair of spaced-apart belly filleting knives for making respective incisions in the belly of a fish transported along said conveying path, to provide separated flank fillets at opposite sides of the belly cavity, a pair of spaced-apart bone knives located downstream of said belly filleting knives along said path and positioned to extend upwardly through the belly cavity of the fish and to cut upwardly through the vertebral appendages on either side of the fish backbone whereby to separate said vertebral appendages from said backbone without cutting the flank fillets from the fish, a pair of rib knives located downstream of said bone knives and arranged to extend into said belly cavity for cutting the severed vertebral appendages from said flank fillets while leaving the latter intact with said backbone, and a pair of back knives located downstream of said rib knives for cutting the flank fillets from said fish.

2. A filleting machine according to claim 1 which also includes guide means associated with said bone knives for guiding said fish in said conveying path along said bone knives, said guide means being mounted in a fixed position and said bone knives being mounted for movement toward and away from said guide means, said guide means being located to insure the limita-tion of the depth of the cuts severing the vertebral appendages by said bone knives.

3. A filleting machine according to claim 1 which also includes guide means associated with said bone knives for guiding said fish in said conveying path along said bone knives, said bone knives being mounted in a fixed position and said guide means being mounted for movement toward and away from said bone knives, with said guide means being adapted to engage the belly cavity of said fish and position said fish relative to said bone knives in such a manner as to limit the depth of the cuts severing the vertebral appendages of said fish.

4. A filleting machine according to claim 1 in which each pair of knives comprises a pair of rotatable cutting discs and in which the knives of each of the belly filleting, bone and back filleting knife pairs are arranged in parallel planes, the knives of the rib knife pair being arranged in planes angled relative to each other and to the planes of the other knives.

5. A filleting machine according to claim 4 in which said bone knives are mounted for movement relative to the con-veying path in a vertical direction.