Abstract: A method for automatically cleaning fish such as cod comprises gripping the fish and subsequently cutting it open, first transversely behind the head from the belly of the fish and subsequently in its longitudinal direction along the belly, and finally removing the entrails.

Abstract: A method of making a food product from a wing of a bird is disclosed. The wing includes a middle section, a tip section connected to one end of the middle section, and an end section attached to the other end of the middle section. The food product is produced by cutting the bird wing in order to separate the middle section from the tip and end sections. The separated middle section is cut along a first cut line to remove the first knuckle from the separated middle section. The separated middle section is also cut along a second cut line to remove the second knuckle from the separated middle section. When the food product is cooked, the meat shrinks inwardly to expose end portions of bones within the middle section. The present invention also encompasses the food product which results from the process of the present invention.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cutting tongues, cheeks and belly flaps from fish heads and for cutting apart jaws of fish heads. The fish head is mounted on a reinforced beam beneath a spiked chain which moves the head along the beam, first towards horizontal knives which cut the tongue from the head, and then to vertical knives which cut the cheeks and the belly flaps from the head. Over the tongue knives are jaw rods which hold the jaw up to the beam adjacent the tongue knives. Inside the beam is a stick which can be driven down from the beam to locate the tongue in a cutting position below the tongue knives. The head hits a sensor which activates a power source for the stick. The belly flaps are held up by belly flap rods, which lie beneath the collar bones and keep the belly flaps from the tongue knives. The cheeks and belly flaps are cut off with two vertical cheek knives.

Abstract: A method and device for separating the legs from a carcass of slaughtered poultry in which the carcass is positioned on the rear side, legs pointing upwards, relative to the cutters, a groin incision is made between each leg and the carcass at the side of the leg facing the carcass, and each leg is dislocated at the hip joint by pressing out each leg relative to the carcass. After dislocating the hip, a caudal hip incision is made in the remaining tissue connection between each leg and the carcass, after the two parts of each dislocated hip joint are moved a certain distance apart by applying a force acting on the hip joint ball of each hip joint, pushing the hip joint ball away from the hip joint socket prior to making the hip incision, and the legs are pulled off the carcass, essentially in the lengthwise direction of the back bone and away from the tail part.

Abstract: A poultry processing machine supports birds on mandrels mounted on carriers which move in a rectangular path. The birds move continuously in opposite directions along two opposite sides of the rectangular path; and, they move intermittently in opposite directions along the other two sides of the path. Continuous movement is provided by chains with lugs which enter recesses formed in the carriers. Intermittent movement is provided by cylindrical cams which engage cam followers on the carriers and also force adjacent carriers together to couple them. The mandrel has a groove for receiving the backbone, projections for engaging the kidney spaces inside the body, an a shoulder for engaging the anterior end of the breastbone. It is provided to an upright position, a back-up position and a breast-up position as it travels around the apparatus. At the corners of the path, the carriers change their direction of movement without turning bodily.

Abstract: A poultry processing machine supports birds on mandrels mounted on carriers which move in a rectangular path. The birds move continuously in opposite directions along two opposite sides of the rectangular path; and, they move intermittently in opposite directions along the other two sides of the path. Continuous movement is provided by chains with lugs which enter recesses formed in the carriers. Intermittent movement is provided by cylindrical cams which engage cam followers on the carriers and also force adjacent carriers together to couple them. The mandrel has a groove for receiving the backbone, projections for engaging the kidney spaces inside the body, and a shoulder for engaging the anterior end of the breastbone. It is pivoted to an upright position, a back-up position and a breast-up position as it travels around the apparatus. At the corners of the path, the carriers change their direction of movement without turning bodily.

Abstract: A method for deboning the extremities of poultry and an apparatus for performing this method serve to process extremities consisting of upper and lower arm or leg members, which members are joined by means of a central joint. The process includes the subsequent steps of severing the skin in the area of the outer condyle down to the bone, freeing the flanks in the area of the central joint, punching out the central joint and extracting the thus produced bone stumps whilst retaining the meat portion, whilst the apparatus comprises a conveyor including holding devices for receiving and holding the extremities to be treated, as well as means for performing these procedural steps.

Abstract: Apparatus (10) for the rapid, assembly-line severing of wing sections from marine creatures such as skates or rays is provided which minimizes manual labor and collects severed wing sections for further processing. The apparatus (10) is provided with a wing severing station (12) having a pair of powered, relatively laterally adjustable wing-severing blades (70, 72) along with a central, pivotally mounted, fish-engaging hold down assembly (30). Severed wings are directed via appropriate diverters (122, 124, 126) onto a conveyor (118) for further processing, while the central fish carcasses are collected via a chute (132).

Abstract: An apparatus to be used for cutting-off the heads of fish comprises a frame (1) with conveyance means (2,3,6) comprising holding means (7) for supporting the bodies of the fish and their heads for transport of the fish bodies and the heads crosswise with respect to the longitudinal direction of the fish at a head cutting-off station comprising two rotating knives (50,51). One of the knives (50) serves for providing a cut 53 which extends from the back of the fish behind its head and inclined inward and rearward towards the tail of the fish, whereas, the other knife (51) serves for providing a cut (54) extending from the abdominal side of the fish and inclined inward and backward towards the tail of the fish. The knives (50,51) are arranged with their circumferences closely ajacent each other. In order to avoid the use of two conveyors, viz.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting breast-attached wings into segments includes a conveyor chain for carrying the wings, attached to whole breasts, along respective gaps between panels on either side of the breasts and over a rotating knife for removing the wing tips, thence over a stationary knife for removing the flat segments, and finally past rotating knives for removing the drumettes from the breasts. Fully automatic and particularly accurate cuts are obtained.

Abstract: Food products, such as fish fillets, chicken fillets and many others, are cut to predetermined portion sizes of equal weight and volume, or to predetermined profile shapes, by moving the food products on a conveyor, scanning them as then move through a shadow line with a camera capable of providing a programmed computer with dimensional data, and utilizing the computer to control the operation of a plurality of high pressure water jet cutters to cut the food products to reduced sizes as dictated by the computer program.

Abstract: Food products, such as fish fillets, chicken fillets, and many others, are cut to predetermined portion sizes of equal weight and volume, or to predetermined profile shapes, by moving the food products on a conveyor, scanning them as they move through a shadow line with a camera capable of providing a programmed computer with dimensional data, and utilizing the computer to control the operation of a plurality of high pressure water jet cutters to cut the food products to reduced sizes as dictated by the computer program.