Patent ID: 6129621
Filing Date: 2000-10-10
Classification: A22C

Abstract:
A shrimp deveining apparatus comprising:a housing having a base and a cover removably attached thereto, the housing having an entrance opening for receiving a shrimp therethrough and an exit opening for ejecting the shrimp therefrom;a partition carried within the housing and upwardly extending from the base, the partition having an arcuate surface for slidably receiving a shrimp thereon;first and second flexible lever arms carried within the housing, each of the first and second lever arms having a proximal end rotatably attached to and carried on opposing sides of the partition for rotation about an axis of rotation, each of the first and second lever arms having a distal end radially extending from the axis of rotation beyond the arcuate surface of the partition for receiving the shrimp therebetween in a cradling arrangement with the arcuate surface, wherein the lever arms are rotational for placing the distal ends of the firsts and second lever arms proximate the entrance opening for receiving the shrimp therethrough;biasing means carried by the housing for biasing the distal ends of the first and second lever arms against the shrimp and operable as the lever arms are rotated about the axis of rotation downstream the entrance opening toward and upstream the exit opening;a dorsal blade and a ventral blade carried by the housing, the dorsal blade positioned for cutting the shell of the shrimp along the dorsal side thereof and the ventral blade positioned for cutting the shell of the shrimp along the ventral side thereof as the shrimp is carried along the arcuate surface under a biasing force of the distal ends of the first and second lever arms; anda brush carried by the housing and positioned downstream the dorsal blade for brushing the vein from the shrimp as the shrimp, now having a cut in the shell along the vein, is carried downstream past the brush along the arcuate surface for ejecting from the exit opening of the housing.