Device for raising fish into a uniform, upright belly- back position

Claim 1

A device for raising fish of a different size at least having two sides, a belly, a back, a head end and a tail end, and extending from said head end to said tail end along a longitudinal axis, into a uniform upright belly-back position, said device comprising a) machine frame means, b) guiding chute means arranged on said machine frame means for guiding said fish lying on one of said sides and essentially in the direction of said longi-tudinal axis and c) an uprighting station arranged on said machine frame means for defining a longitudinal center and including controlling edge means arranged substantially above said longitudinal center, d) said controlling edge means, together with said guiding chute means, forming therebetween a passage variable by displacement of one of said means relative to the other, wherein e) said controlling edge means are formed by a periphery defined by circular disc means rotatingly driven about a disc axis and f) said guiding chute means, at least in the region of said uprighting station,having a subs-tantially symmetrical U-shaped cross-section formed by a bottom wall and diverging side walls upstanding therefrom, with said bottom wall defining substantially planar bottom surface means of said guiding chute means, whereby said fish, upon entering said passage are contacted by said controlling edge means and urged by said contact transversely along said flat planar bottom surface means and upwardly along one of said opposing side walls in a direction toward the thicker of said back and belly thereof.

Claim 2

A device for raising fish of a different size at least having two sides, a belly, a back, a head end and a tail end, and extending from said head end to said tail end along a longitudinal axis, into a uniform upright belly-back position, said device comprising a) machine frame means, b) guiding chute means arranged on said machine frame means for guiding said fish lying on one of said sides and essentially in the direction of said longi-tudinal axis and c) an uprighting station arranged on said machine frame means for defining a longitudinal center and including controlling edge means arranged substantially above said longitudinal center, d) said controlling edge means, together with said guiding chute means, forming therebetween a passage variable by displacement of one of said means relative to the other, wherein e) said controlling edge means are formed by a periphery defined by circular disc means rotatingly driven about a disc axis and f) said guiding chute means, at least in the region of said uprighting station,having a subs-tantially symmetrical U-shaped cross-section formed by a bottom wall and diverging side walls upstanding therefrom, with said bottom wall defining substantially planar bottom surface means of said guiding chute means, whereby said fish, upon entering said passage are contacted by said controlling edge means and urged by said contact transversely along said flat planar bottom surface means and upwardly along one of said opposing side walls in a direction toward the thicker of said back and belly thereof.

Claim 6

A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein said circular disc means have an essentially semicircular shaped cross-section in the region of said periphery.

Claim 10

A device as claimed in any one of claims 3 and 4, wherein said circular disc means define lateral surface means designed as conical surfaces which form an essentially parallel passage with said opposing side wall means of said guiding chute means.