Shrimp deveiner with adjustable blades

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9622494-B2
Application number	US-201615187414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2016
Priority date	Jul 9, 2015
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A shrimp deveining machine with adjustable blades. The deveiner has an inclined trough with groups of blades arranged in a zig-zag pattern. The trough is lubricated by water to help shrimps advance along the blades, which slit the shrimps' backs to expose their veins. Blade-height adjusters adjust the height of the blades above the trough. Blade-angle adjusters adjust the angles of the blades relative to the length direction of the trough. Magnets are used to hold the blades in place for easy replacement. A feed tank at the entrance to the trough includes a serpentine path to separate the shrimps.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shrimp deveining machine comprising:
an inclined trough having a base surface down which shrimps advance;
a water supply to the inclined trough;
a series of blade assemblies holding blades spaced above the base surface and extending obliquely across and down the trough in successively opposite oblique directions;
wherein the blade assemblies include channels to allow water to pass through the blade assemblies without building up at the blades.

2. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 1 wherein the series of blade assemblies have spaced apart feet sitting on the base surface below the blades and forming the channels along the base surface of the trough between the spaced apart feet.

3. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 1 wherein the channels are formed above the blades.

4. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 1 further comprising a blade-height adjuster connected to each of the blade assemblies to tilt the blade assemblies and adjust the height of the blade above the base surface.

5. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 1 further comprising a blade-angle adjuster connected to each of the blade assemblies to pivot the blade assemblies and adjust their oblique directions.

6. A shrimp deveining machine comprising:
an inclined trough having a base surface down which shrimps advance;
a series of blade assemblies holding blades with blade edges spaced above the base surface and extending obliquely across and down the trough in successively opposite oblique directions;
wherein each of the blade assemblies has a bottom side and an opposite top side and includes a pivot foot at the bottom side at the base surface and a first pivot member at the top side;
a blade-height adjustment mechanism including a height-adjustment arm pivotally connected to the first pivot member to pivot the blade assembly on the pivot foot about a tilt axis on the base surface to adjust the height of the blade edge above the base surface.

7. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 further comprising:
a holddown member extending through the base surface from the bottom side of the blade assembly at the pivot foot;
a spring connected to the holddown member to bias the blade assembly downward against the base surface of the trough.

8. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 further comprising:
a holddown member extending through the base surface at the pivot foot, wherein the holddown member includes a head at the base surface having a hole;
wherein the pivot foot includes a pair of hinge eyes having holes aligned with the hole in the holddown member;
a hinge pin extending though the aligned holes to pivotally retain the blade assembly to the inclined trough.

9. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 wherein the blade-height adjustment mechanism further includes a display for displaying the height of the blade above the base surface of the trough.

10. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 wherein the blade-height adjustment mechanism further includes an arm drive having magnets forming a magnetic coupling with the height-adjustment arm.

11. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 10 wherein the height-adjustment arm is separable from the arm drive to pivot the blade assembly about the tilt axis to a blade-removal tilt position exposing the blade for removal.

12. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 further comprising an angle-adjustment arm and wherein blade assembly includes a second pivot member spaced apart from the first pivot member and pivotally connected to the angle-adjustment arm to pivot the blade assembly on the pivot foot about a pivot axis perpendicular to the base surface to adjust the oblique angle of the blade.

13. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 wherein the blades are made of a ferromagnetic material and wherein the blade assemblies include magnets attracting the blades and retaining the blades in place in the blade assemblies.

14. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 13 further comprising a ferromagnetic blocking plate hingedly attached to the bottom side of each of the blade assemblies and movable from a blocking position in a gap between the blade and the base surface of the inclined trough and a non-blocking position out of the gap wherein the ferromagnetic blocking plate is held in the blocking position by the magnets.

15. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 wherein the base surface has a roughened finish.

16. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 wherein each of the blade assemblies includes an outer receiving face extending from the blade to an end of the blade assembly and positioned to receive the initial impacts of the shrimps advancing down the base surface and guide the shrimps to the blade.

17. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 wherein each of the blade assemblies includes a blade-support block supporting the blade and a backbone having a lower portion attached to the blade-support block and extending upward from the bottom side and an upper portion extending downward from the top side to form an acute angle with the bottom portion.

18. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 further comprising a blocking plate hingedly attached to the bottom side of each of the blade assemblies and movable from a blocking position in a gap between the blade and the base surface of the inclined trough and a non-blocking position out of the gap.

19. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 further comprising stops extending outward from the base surface of the inclined trough between consecutive blade assemblies to prevent the shrimps from straying from the blade assemblies.

20. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 6 further comprising an angle-adjustment arm pivotally connected to the first pivot member to pivot the blade assembly on the pivot foot about a pivot axis perpendicular to the base surface to adjust the oblique angle of the blade.

21. A shrimp deveining machine comprising:
an inclined trough extending from an upper entrance to a lower exit and having a base surface;
a series of blade assemblies holding blades spaced above the base surface and extending obliquely across and down the trough in successively opposite oblique directions;
a feed system delivering shrimps to the inclined trough at the upper entrance and including:
a source of water providing a flow of shrimp-laden water; and
a tank forming a serpentine path for the shrimp-laden water.

22. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 21 wherein the tank includes a bottom and wherein the tank further includes at least one weir extending upward from the bottom of the tank and at least one inverted weir spaced above the bottom of the tank to form the serpentine flow path for the shrimps around the at least one weir and the at least one inverted weir though the tank.

23. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 21 further comprising a ramp between the tank and the entrance of the inclined trough, wherein the shrimps exiting the tank flow up the ramp and onto the inclined trough.

24. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 23 further comprising a ramp-height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of the ramp between a raised position for batches of small shrimps and a lowered position for batches of larger shrimps.

25. A shrimp deveining machine as in claim 23 further comprising:
openings in the ramp to divert the water flowing from the tank away from the inclined troug

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Greve Christopher G
• Lapeyre Robert S
• Borrello Charles L

Classifications

• A22C29/022 Primary

  Deveining shellfish · CPC title

• A22C29/023

  Conveying, feeding or aligning shellfish · CPC title

• B65G53/02

  Floating material troughs · CPC title