Abstract: An oyster clamp comprising a base element having an indentation for receiving an oyster to be opened. A lip coupled to the base element hangs over and impinges upon an edge of a work surface on which the oyster clamp is placed, and a slide inhibitor is arranged to prevent the base element from sliding on the work surface. A backstop is affixed to the base element to prevent the oyster from exiting the back of the oyster clamp when in use. An oyster clamping element is operatively coupled to a handle and to the base element, such that operating the handle causes the clamping element to push the oyster down against the base element.

Abstract: An oyster shucking board is a tool for use when shucking oysters. There is a slot on one end for storing the knife needed to open an oyster, so it will be handy and available when preparing to shuck oysters. A notch or raised edge added to the underside of one side helps to secure the board to a countertop, and a circular indentation on the topside contains the juice when the oyster is shucked. A dock in the center of the board provides a convenient and safe way to hold the oyster while the knife is inserted between the two halves of its shell to open it. The juice and shell fragments will be collected and discarded easily, without leaving a mess on the countertop. The oyster shucking board is able to be made from wood, plastic, ceramic, or stainless steel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an oyster shucking device, of which both manual and automated embodiments are envisioned. An exemplary embodiment is constructed of aluminum and/or stainless steel and may be mounted on a wooden, steel or plastic base. A double roller bearing arrangement housed in a bearing box above a spike and positioning cylinder generates an efficient transfer of an actuation force to an oyster hinge while providing a user with the ability to adjust the amount of force applied to the oyster. Additionally, the spike and positioning cylinder arrangement provides for consistent and stable alignment of the spike all the way through a stroke. Further, the vertical travel of the spike as guided by the positioning cylinder provides for a wide range of travel by the spike to accommodate various oyster sizes without having to reconfigure or adjust the setup of the device.

Abstract: A slicing guide includes a shell including a first side wall and an opposing second side wall, a first door received in the shell between the first side wall and a second side wall, and a base or spring connected with the shell. The base, the spring or the shell biases or urges the first door toward the second side wall.

Abstract: The food material cutter of the present invention has a feeding port for feeding a doughnut, titled plates and guiding plates for guiding the fed doughnut, and rotary blades for slicing the guided doughnut in half in the thickness direction. The link mechanism causes the tilt angles of the tilted plates to be increased due to the own weight of the doughnut, and causes the guiding plates to move by an equal distance from the center of the clearance between the respective guiding plates while matching with the thickness of the doughnut. The doughnut-is guided by the titled plates and guiding plates, and falls down to the palette in a state where it is sliced in half in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A device designed to assist in the removing shellfish meat from the shell includes a frame that supports a removable handle assembly having a blade. The blade includes a sharp pointed end which presses against the hinge of the shellfish, thus forcing open the shell. The supporting frame includes a plurality of differently positioned slots to position the handle so as to accommodate different sizes of shellfish. The shellfish is placed between the blade and the frame and the handle is pressed to guide the blade into the hinge opening to separate the two halves.

Abstract: Mollusc processing apparatus and related methods are disclosed. Molluscs are held in holders by one of their shells, illustratively the bottom shells, and are moved between a series of processing stations. At a shell cut station, an opening is cut into one or both of the shells of each mollusc. The next processing station includes a cutting blade to cut the adductor muscle and viscera of each mollusc away from its non-held shell, illustratively the top shell, and a shell detach mechanism to detach the non-held shell from the held shell. One or multiple air blasts are directed toward the viscera to loosen it from the held shell, and at a vacuum station the loosened viscera is pulled from the held shell. A second muscle cut station includes another cutting blade to cut the adductor muscle from the held shell.

Abstract: A shellfish positioning and opening apparatus having at least one processing lane whereby the apparatus includes the following stations of an in-feed and singulation station followed by a reorientation assembly station utilizing a vision system and a holding and opening assembly station. The said processing stations are operatively connected in that order together to receive shellfish having meat therein to position said shellfish according to their shape and orientation to enable shellfish to be halved so that one shellfish half has the shellfish meat thereon.

Abstract: An apparatus which manually forces open shells during the downward stroke of a reciprocating plunger. Opening can occur through shearing of the two shell halves along their seam. The tip of the plunger can be a long inclined blade and wedge shaped. The apparatus may open all sizes of shells by applying a downward force on at least one of the shell halves. Alternatively, both shearing and sliding forces are applied. In one embodiment the shell is placed parallel to the angle of taper of the tip for opening. When the plunger comes down it exerts by frictional shearing force on the shell which causes the halves to slide off each other and open providing access to the inside.

Abstract: A shellfish positioning and opening apparatus having at least one processing lane whereby the apparatus includes the following stations of an in-feed and singulation station followed by a reorientation assembly station utilizing a vision system and a holding and opening assembly station. The said processing stations are operatively connected in that order together to receive shellfish having meat therein to position said shellfish according to their shape and orientation to enable shellfish to be halved so that one shellfish half has the shellfish meat thereon.

Abstract: An apparatus which automatically forces open shells during the downward stroke of a reciprocating plunger. Opening can occur through shearing of the two shell halves along their seam. The tip of the plunger can be a long inclined blade and wedge shaped. The apparatus may open all sizes of shells by applying a downward force on at least one of the shell halves. Alternatively, both shearing and sliding forces are applied. In one embodiment the shell is placed parallel to the angle of taper of the tip for opening. When the plunger comes down it exerts by frictional shearing force on the shell which causes the halves to slide off each other and open providing access to the inside.

Abstract: Oyster splitting devices split open oysters and clams. A bar clamp has a drawbar slidably inserted through a grip. The drawbar has a stop on one end and a jaw on its other end. The grip has a jaw trigger and a bar release trigger pivotably attached to it. A spike is attached to the grip with the spike's pointed end facing the jaw. An oyster's open end is placed against the jaw. When the jaw trigger is pulled by the user, the jaw urges the hinged end of the oyster against the spike, splitting its shells apart. The drawbar's opposing end opposite the jaw may be tempered and tapered and used to pry oysters from rocks and/or remove meat from split oysters. A safety cover connected to the grip by a lanyard removably covers the opposing end of the drawbar opposite the jaw when it is not in use.

Abstract: The present invention concerns shellfish opener apparatus and a method of opening. The apparatus comprises a base and a handle attached to the base for rotating the handle about a first axis. The first axis is transversely defined through the base and can allow the handle to be rotated in 360 degree motion. A rack and pinion geared shaft is attached to the handle and is vertically aligned through the base for axially translating the rack and pinion geared shaft along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis. Axial translation along the second axis may be in an upward or downward motion. A punch, such as a wedge-shaped blade, is fixedly attached to the rack and pinion geared shaft for aligning and axially translating the punch means along the second axis for opening the shellfish. A collection and channeling structure, such as a trough, may be provided for receiving and supporting the shellfish and for collecting and channeling shellfish debris runoff during and after opening operations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for opening oysters or clams along the seam naturally occurring between the hinged portions of the oyster or clam shell. The apparatus is composed of a heavy base portion having a vertical column attached thereto, the column having mounted perpendicularly thereto a spreader operated by hand or a biased pivotal foot pedal, the spreader having opposable jaws which, upon depressing the handle by hand or with the foot pedal, are spread apart. A movable anvil is provided with a pivotal lever arm for positioning the oyster or clam relative to the opposable jaws of the spreader.

Abstract: An opener for separating the shells of a clam or oyster. The inventive device includes a base plate having a support channel for receiving and supporting an oyster. A lever arm is pivotally mounted to the base plate and includes an engaging tip secured to the lever arm and positioned for engagement with the oyster residing within the support channel to effect cracking and opening of the oyster. The opener substantially reduces a chance of an operator sustaining a laceration during opening of a shell, thereby reducing a risk of viral contamination of the associated clam or oyster.

Abstract: A mechanical apparatus is disclosed, consisting of a platform for attaching tools to crack shellfish claws and shellfish body parts also for opening clams and oysters. The device is comprised of a rotating lever to which hand force is applied, and attached to coupling bars that are attached to a second lever and a blade that is attached and driven into a clam or oyster trapped between the lower plate and the blade. A shellfish claw or shellfish body part is cracked when trapped between a fixed bar and a rotating lever.

Abstract: An apparatus for opening a shellfish (e.g. oysters and/or clams) along its seam. The apparatus is comprised of a base having (1) a knife pivotably mounted about a first axis on said base; and (2) a hammer pivotably mounted about a second axis on said base. A link slidably connects the knife to the hammer so the knife is lifted by extended upward movement of the hammer but the hammer is free to move relative of the knife during downward movement. In operation, the knife is raised by upward movement of the hammer to a height where a shellfish can be positioned below the knife. The hammer is then lowered to align knife onto the seam of the shellfish after which the hammer is dropped or pushed down to deliver an impact to the knife, causing it to penetrate the seam and open the shellfish.

Abstract: An shellfish shucking machine comprising a housing; means on the housing for supporting oyster shells; a tool on the housing for opening oyster shells; and means for operating the tool whereby the tool performs a cutting of the oyster shell and then a splitting of the oyster shell.

Abstract: A method for removing oysters from the shell including steps of an insertion distances and insertion angles of two cutters are detected by measuring the size of the oyster, the oyster is fixed in place with the flat surface of its shell acing upward, the two cutters are inserted until the cutters reach near the respective portions of an adductor muscle connecting the oyster body to the shell, and the two portions of the adductor muscle are cut by swinging the cutters in the direction perpendicular to the direction of advance of the cutters. Oyster can be more securely removed without any damage to the oyster bodies by cutting the adductor muscle while forming gaps between the oyster body and the respective halves of the oyster shell by spraying air, water, etc. into the cutting area.