Abstract:
An apparatus and method for mechanically belly-cutting shrimp to precise depths for shrimp of various sizes. The apparatus includes a motorized circular cutting blade; a curved guide channel adjacent the circular cutting blade for receiving a shrimp body and guiding the shrimp body to the circular cutting blade; and motorized flexible disks adjacent to the blade and the guide channel for gripping the shrimp body and propelling the shrimp body along the guide channel. The curvature of the guide channel longitudinally stabilizes the shrimp body while a V-shaped cross-section laterally stabilizes the body, ensuring that the body arrives at the blade in the proper orientation. The guide channel may be adjusted to provide belly-cuts to desired depths on shrimp of various sizes.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/809,717 filed May 31, 2006. 
     
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
       [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    This invention relates to machines for preparing shrimp for human consumption. More particularly, and not by way of limitation, the invention is directed to an apparatus and method for making belly cuts of precise depth in the bodies of shrimp of various sizes. 
         [0005]    In the prior art, devices exist for mechanically cutting the sand vein from the back of the shrimp. Such devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,065 to Sawyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,199 to Morris, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,921 to Pinney. In each of these devices, an electric motor turns a set of rotating disks, which grasp the shrimp longitudinally therebetween and pass the convex backside of the shrimp through a rotating circular blade. The blade makes a slice in the backside of the shrimp approximately the same width as the sand vein, thereby cutting the vein away. 
         [0006]    Machines for deveining shrimp, however, are not capable of making other types of cuts in the shrimp bodies. Shrimp are consumed in many areas of the world, and with different types of cuisine, different types of cuts have to be made to the shrimp. In many dishes, such as Japanese or other Asian dishes, the shrimp are cut in a sushimi or butterfly cut from the belly side. To make a frontal butterfly cut manually, a chef must lay the shrimp down with the tail away from him, and then cut with a knife from head to tail along the belly, being careful that the knife only goes halfway in. The chef then uses the knife or his fingers to open out and flatten the shrimp carefully, without breaking the uncut flesh along the backside of the shrimp. This is a slow and laborious process, especially when large numbers of shrimp have to be prepared, for example in a restaurant or fish market. 
         [0007]    As noted above, existing shrimp deveining machines are not capable of making the belly-side sushimi or butterfly cut. The deveining machines depend on the convex curvature of the back of the shrimp to ensure that the sand vein is removed while not cutting the shrimp in half. If a shrimp body is merely turned around and placed in a deveining machine, the resulting concave curvature of the body causes the blade to cut the shrimp into two pieces. 
         [0008]    In order to overcome the disadvantages of existing solutions, it would be advantageous to have an apparatus and method for mechanically belly cutting shrimp to precise depths for shrimp of various sizes. The present invention provides such an apparatus and method. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention provides an apparatus and method for mechanically belly cutting shrimp to precise depths for shrimp of various sizes. 
         [0010]    Thus in one aspect, the present invention is directed to an apparatus for mechanically belly-cutting a shrimp body having a belly side and a back side. The apparatus includes a motorized circular cutting blade; a guide channel adjacent the circular cutting blade for receiving a shrimp body placed into the apparatus and guiding the shrimp body to the circular cutting blade; and motorized means adjacent to the circular cutting blade and the guide channel for gripping the shrimp body and propelling the shrimp body along the guide channel in a manner that the circular cutting blade impacts the belly side of the shrimp body. Preferably, the guide channel is an arcuate channel having a V-shaped cross-section, and the shrimp body is placed in the guide channel with the back side of the shrimp body facing an apex of the V-shaped cross-section. The curvature of the guide channel longitudinally stabilizes the shrimp body as the body is propelled along the guide channel while the V-shaped cross-section laterally stabilizes the shrimp body. These features ensure the shrimp body arrives at the cutting blade in the proper orientation for a belly cut to the desired depth. 
         [0011]    In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of mechanically belly-cutting a shrimp body having a belly side and a back side. The method includes placing the shrimp body in an arcuate guide channel having a V-shaped cross-section, wherein the shrimp body is placed in the guide channel with the back side of the shrimp body facing an apex of the V-shaped cross-section so that a radius of curvature of the guide channel longitudinally stabilizes the shrimp body as the body moves along the guide channel, and the V-shaped cross-section laterally stabilizes the shrimp body as the body moves along the guide channel. The method also includes propelling the shrimp body along the guide channel with a motorized propelling mechanism, and cutting the belly side of the shrimp body with a motorized circular cutting blade. The guide channel positions and stabilizes the shrimp body so that the circular cutting blade impacts the belly side of the shrimp body and cuts the shrimp body to the desired depth. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1A  (Prior Art) is a frontal, left-side perspective view of an existing shrimp cutting machine with a housing shown in phantom for an internal motor and drive mechanism, and with a protective shield covering an external cutting mechanism; 
           [0014]      FIG. 1B  (Prior Art) is a frontal, right-side perspective view of the existing shrimp cutting machine of  FIG. 1A  with the housing covering the internal motor and drive mechanism, and with the protective shield removed to reveal the external cutting mechanism; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a frontal, right-side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing a housing for an internal motor and drive mechanism, an external cutting mechanism, and with a protective shield removed; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a rear, right-side perspective view of the external cutting mechanism of the present invention showing an adjusting shaft for a curved guide channel; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a frontal, left-side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing an internal drive mechanism, and with a motor housing shown in phantom; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an exemplary embodiment of the method of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The present invention is directed to an apparatus for making belly cuts of precise depth in the bodies of shrimp of various sizes. Through precision control of the depth of the belly cut, the apparatus creates frontal butterfly cuts equivalent to the manual butterfly cuts now so laboriously performed by chefs. 
         [0020]    Thus, the apparatus cuts raw, headless shrimp on the belly side evenly from front to tail at a depth not to break the skin of the shrimp on the back side. The machine utilizes a set of flexible feeder disks to pull the shrimp past a spinning blade. A curved stainless steel guide channel holds the shrimp body straight until it reaches the blade. The depth of the cut can be controlled with a depth adjustment knob on the side of the apparatus. This enables the depth of the cut to be controlled for various sizes of shrimp. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1A  is a frontal, left-side perspective view of an existing shrimp cutting machine  10  with a housing  11  shown in phantom containing an internal motor  12  and belt-and-pulley drive mechanism  13 . A protective shield  14  covers an external cutting mechanism.  FIG. 1B  is a frontal, right-side perspective view of the existing shrimp cutting machine of  FIG. 1A  showing the external cutting mechanism  15 . The motor and drive mechanism rotate two shafts  16  and  17 , which extend through an end plate  18  of the housing. The upper drive shaft  16  drives an upper pair of flexible disks  19 . The lower drive shaft  17  drives a circular saw blade  20 . A lower pair of flexible disks  21  is mounted on an adjusting shaft  22 . The lower pair of flexible disks freewheels on the adjusting shaft. 
         [0022]    In operation, a shrimp body  24  is dropped head first through an opening  25  in the shield with the back of the shrimp facing toward the back of the machine. The upper pair of flexible disks  19  rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. They grab the shrimp body and propel it past the rotating circular blade  20 , which cuts the sand vein out of the back of the shrimp body. The deveined shrimp body then falls through a large opening  26  in the bottom of the shield into a holding container (not shown). By turning an adjusting screw  23 , the adjusting shaft  22  is rotated, thereby moving the lower pair of flexible disks  21  closer to the blade. In this way, the depth of the cut can be adjusted for different sizes of shrimp. 
         [0023]    As noted above, the shrimp deveining machine is not capable of making the belly-side sushimi or butterfly cut. The deveining machine depends on the convex curvature of the back of the shrimp to ensure that the sand vein is removed while not cutting the shrimp in half. If a shrimp body is merely turned around and placed in the deveining machine, the resulting concave curvature of the body causes the blade to cut the shrimp into two pieces. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a frontal, right-side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus  30  of the present invention showing a housing  31  for an internal motor and drive mechanism, an external cutting mechanism  32 , and with a protective shield  33  removed. In operation, a shrimp body  34  is dropped head first through an opening  35  in the shield with the back of the shrimp facing toward the back of the machine. A pair of flexible disks  36  rotate in a clockwise direction. They grab the shrimp body and propel it along an arcuate (i.e., longitudinally curved) guide channel  37 . The curve of the guide channel longitudinally stabilizes the shrimp body as it slides along the guide channel. In addition, the guide channel has a V-shaped cross-section which laterally stabilizes the shrimp body so that the belly side remains centered. The shrimp body continues down the guide channel past a rotating circular blade  38 , which cuts the belly of the shrimp body to a pre-set depth. The blade is preferably a smooth, sharpened, round stainless blade. The belly-cut shrimp body then falls through a large opening  39  in the bottom of the shield into a holding container (not shown). The protective shield may be slidably engaged over a circular housing plate  40  for safety protection from the blade. The shield also serves to retain flying debris, which is created by the high-speed blade as it cuts the belly of the shrimp. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a rear, right-side perspective view of the external cutting mechanism  32  of the present invention. In this view, an adjusting shaft  41  is shown to extend from the circular housing plate  40  mounted on the side of the housing  31 . The adjusting shaft attaches to the back of the curved guide channel  37 . The exterior portion of the adjusting shaft has two equal-but-opposite bends in it to form a parallel portion, which is offset from the axis of rotation of the adjusting shaft. When the adjusting shaft is rotated by an adjusting screw  42  (see  FIG. 4 ) from inside the housing, the offset parallel portion of the adjusting shaft selectively moves the curved guide channel closer to or farther away from the blade  38 . 
         [0026]    The flexible disks  36  are preferably constructed of an elastomeric material, which may be, for example, a polyurethane formulation from Bayer Corporation and molded into disks by Micro Mould, Inc. of Fort Worth, Tex. The flexible disks may be constructed of polyurethane of a thickness of approximately 0.04 inches, and an inner section may be angled off of the vertical by approximately eight degrees. An outer section of the disks may be angled off the vertical approximately thirty-five degrees. The flexible disks  36  have the proper degree of flexibility and rigidity to properly grasp and propel shrimp downward through the curved guide channel  37  to the blade  38 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a frontal, left-side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus  30  of the present invention showing an internal drive mechanism, and with the motor housing  31  shown in phantom. The drive mechanism may include, for example, a motorized belt-and-pulley system that includes an electric motor  51 , motor pulley  52 , drive belt  53 , upper pulley  54 , and lower pulley  55 . The upper pulley  54  is mounted on an upper shaft  56 . The lower pulley  55  is mounted on a lower shaft  57 . 
         [0028]    The polarity of the electric motor  51  is reversed in comparison to the prior art motor  12  of  FIG. 1A . Thus, the drive mechanism turns both the upper shaft  56  and the lower shaft  57  in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in  FIG. 4  (clockwise direction as viewed in  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0029]    An adjusting knob  58  on the front side of the apparatus rotates the screw shaft  42 , which causes the adjusting shaft  41  to rotate. This causes the curved guide channel  37  to selectively move closer to or farther away from the blade  38 . In this way, the depth of the belly cut can be adjusted to desired, predefined depths, and the apparatus can be used to belly-cut shrimp of different sizes. 
         [0030]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an exemplary embodiment of the method of the present invention. At step  61 , the curved channel guide  37  is adjusted to a desired distance from the motorized flexible propelling disks  36  and the circular cutting blade  38 . At step  62 , the shrimp body is placed in the curved channel guide with the back side of the shrimp body facing the apex of the V-shaped cross-section of the channel guide. At step  63 , the shrimp body is propelled along the guide channel by the motorized propelling disks. The shape of the channel guide and the flexible propelling disks  36  stabilize the shrimp body so that the belly side remains centered as the shrimp body approaches the circular cutting blade. At step  64 , the circular cutting blade cuts the belly side of the shrimp body to the predefined depth, accounting for the size of the shrimp body. 
         [0031]    Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention. The specification contemplates any all modifications that fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.