Machine for cleaning shrimp

Claim 1

A SHRIMP CLEANING MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, ROTOR MEANS MOUNTING AN ANNULAR SERIES OF GRIPPING UNITS FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH A CIRCULAR PATH, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SHRIMP TAIL FIRST TO A PICKUP STATION ADJACENT SAID PATH, EACH OF SAID GRIPPING UNITS INCLUDING SHRIMP GRIPPING ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID GRIPPING ELEMENTS OF EACH UNIT TO PICK UP AND GRIP A SHRIMP AS AN INCIDENT TO MOVEMENT OF THE UNIT PAST SAID PICKUP STATION, EACH GRIPPING UNIT INCLUDING MEANS FOR SHATTERING THE SHELL OF A GRIPPED SHRIMP JUST AHEAD OF THE TAIL OF THE SHRIMP, A SHELL RIPPING AND DEVEINING ELEMENT LOCATED ADJACENT SAID PATH, MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE POSITION OF SAID RIPPING AND DEVEINING ELEMENT IN TIMED RELATION TO MOVEMENT OF SAID UNITS THEREBY TO BYPASS THE TAILS AND ENGAGE THE DORSAL SIDES OF SHRIMP CARRIED BY THE SUCCESSIVE GRIPPING UNITS, A SHRIMP SLITTING ELEMENT POSITIONED ADJACENT THE PATH OF SAID GRIPPING UNITS, MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID SLITTING ELEMENT IN TIMED RELATION TO MOVEMENT OF SAID UNITS THEREBY TO BYPASS THE TAILS AND ENGAGE AND LONGITUDINALLY SLIT THE MAIN BODIES OF THE SHRIMP CARRIED BY THE SUCCESSIVE GRIPPING UNITS, SHRIMP BODY IMPALING MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID PATH FOR IMPALING AND STOPPING ROTARY MOVEMENT OF THE BODIES OF THE SHRIMP CARRIED BY SAID SUCCESSIVE GRIPPING UNITS, AND EACH GRIPPING UNIT INCLUDING A SHRIMP TAIL DEFLECTING ELEMENT THEREON ARRANGED TO DEFLECT THE TAIL OF A SUPPORTED SHRIMP RADIALLY OUTWARD AS AN INCIDENT TO TERMINATION OF ROTARY MOVEMENT OF THE BODY OF THE SHRIMP BY SAID IMPALING MEANS.