FIELD OF INVENTION This invention provides an apparatus and method for cleaning squid and more particularly for cleaning the mantle of squids (also known as "squid tubes" due to their shape) as is required in the seafood processing industry.

Throughout this document including the claims when reference is made to "squid" the term includes "octopus" and other similarly structured seafood.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally a mechanical squid reamer is used, which provides a horizontally extending elongated spindle with reamer head mounted at the end of the spindle. A motor mechanically rotates the spindle at about 1500 revolutions per minute. The reamer head has radially extending longitudinal ribbing or blade structures such that the operator can hold the squid tube on the reamer head and the rotation of the spindle allows the longitudinal ribbing or blade structure able to ream or eviscerate the mantle of the squids.

The problem with such a system is that the process is very labour intensive with the maximum output using one of these machines being around three squid tubes (also known as squid mantles) per minute. Further the squid tube must be held on the rotating reamer head by the hands of the operator and within half an hour the operator's hands begin to suffer. It is clearly not acceptable work practice to process squid in this fashion due to the risk of long term injury, but such practice has continued over decades.

The fact that squid reaming is the slowest part of the process adds to the cost of squid processing and necessitates a very low "beach price" for squid in Australia. Processors of squid have attempted to overcome this lack of efficiency by merely increasing the number of squid reamers and operators to provide the tonnage required to economically flow through a seafood processing factory. However this merely adds more cost and less efficiency. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for cleaning squid, which overcomes or at least ameliorates one or more of the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention there is provided an apparatus for cleaning squid including at least one reamer head, at least one contact member mounted adjacent and exterior to the reamer head and at least one drive motor. The at least one reamer head and the at least one contact member are mounted such that the at least one drive motor provides relative movement therebetween. In use a squid tube placed on the reamer head has an outer surface engaging the at least one contact member and together with the relative movement between the reamer head and the contact member effects cleaning or eviscerating of the inner of the squid tube.

The apparatus for cleaning squid can include an elongated spindle having a reamer head; a contact member mounted exterior to the reamer head; and with the reamer head and contact member being mounted to provide relative movement such that a squid tube can be placed on the reamer head and by engagement with the contact member provide a rotation motion to clean or eviscerate the inner of the squid tube or mantle.

The spindle can be mounted on an apparatus body for rotation and a motor can be connected to drive the spindle around its longitudinal axis and thereby drive the reamer head around its longitudinal axis. The contact member can be a belt located in stationary position radially external of the reamer head at a spaced position such that it can engage the outer surface of the squid tube mounted on the reamer head to provide counter rotation effect on the squid tube and provide a reaming effect on the inner of the squid tube.

The spindle can be mounted on a radially spaced part of a carousel part of the apparatus body with the carousel being mounted to allow rotational motion around its axis. In this way the spindle undertakes a planetary motion with rotation around its own longitudinal axis and simultaneous orbital rotation around the axis of the carousel. The contact member can be a deformed belt extending at least partially over the carousel with an opening at least at one circumferential position such that the squid tube can be mounted on a reamer head while aligned with an opening of the belt and subsequent rotation of the carousel causes engagement with the belt and effective reaming of the squid tube.

The contact member can be a stationary belt structure. The contact member can be a substantially stationary means that is moved into and out of an operative contact position by changing of relative spacing to the reamer head. However in another form the contact member can be a movable belt. Movement of the belt can be chosen relative to the rotation of the carousel and the frictional engagement characteristic of the contact member to aid the effectiveness of the reaming process.

The carousel can have a plurality of reamer heads driven by one or more elongated spindles which are driven by the motor. In this regard the apparatus for cleaning squid can be a processing station with a spindle presenting at the opening of a belt structure when the carousel has rotated to an aligned position to allow the operator to mount a squid tube thereon. By continuous rotation of the carousel the first reamer head moves to a position alongside the belt contact member to provide a reaming effect on the first squid tube while a second reamer head is presented at the opening of the belt structure to allow the operator to place a second squid tube on the second reamer head. By further rotation this second squid tube contacts the belt structure to provide a reaming effect on the second squid. Such processing can continue based on the number of reamer heads mounted on the carousel. The eviscerated or reamed squid tube is removed when the spindle presents at the opening of the belt structure allowing new squid tube to be placed on the reamer head and the process to be continuous.

A continuous belt can be used as a contact member. The reamer heads could be mounted on an elongated loop conveyor belt like structure rather than a circular structure such that reamer head presents at one end at which position the operator mounts the squid tubes on the reamer head. The reamer head moves along the longitudinal path and a continuous belt forming a contact member engages the outer surface to allow effective reaming of the squid tube before reaching the other end at which position the reamer heads rotates around and inverts to allow demounting of the reamed squid. The reamer head continues on the under side till it inverts again at the mounting end of the elongated structure for receiving further squid tube to be mounted thereon by the operator. The elongated belt structure has a multiplicity of reamer heads driven in rotation format by internal belt mechanisms driven by a motor.

Operation of the carousel or continuos belt can be continuous or be intermittingly operative to provide an opportunity for mounting and then processing.

Demounting station can be at a second discontinuity of the contact belt or when alignment of the reamer returns to the first discontinuity to allow the operator to dismount the reamed squid tube.

In another form of the reamer head and contact member can be mounted to provide relative movement such that a squid tube can be placed on the reamer head and by engagement with the contact member provide a rotation motion to clean or eviscerate the inner of the squid tube or mantle. However in this form the reamer head remains stationary while the contact member moves relative to the reamer head to provide an effective reaming of the squid tube.

The reamer head and contact member can both be moving relative to each other. Preferably this is in effective relative counter rotation to increase the effectiveness of the reaming while not requiring high rotational speeds of the reamer heads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention is more readily understood embodiments of the invention will be described by way of illustration only with reference to the drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic exploded perspective view of an apparatus for cleaning octopus in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic exploded perspective view of an apparatus for cleaning squid in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic exploded perspective view of the carousel assembly of the apparatus for cleaning octopus of Figure 1 or the apparatus for cleaning squid of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus for cleaning octopus of Figure 1 ; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus for cleaning squid of Figure 2 showing the internal workings in skeleton form; Figure 6 is a front elevation of the internal workings of the apparatus for cleaning octopus of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a plan view of the apparatus for cleaning squid of Figure 2 diagrammatically showing the movement of the operative reamers and carousel assembly.

METHOD OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION Referring to the Figures there are shown substantially similar apparatuses 11, 12 for cleaning squid and octopus with each including four reamer heads 15 mounted on a carousel assembly 21, a contact member in the form of pressure belt 17 mounted adjacent and exterior to the reamer heads 15 and a drive motor 31 and related gearing for driving rotational movement of the reamer heads and the carousel assembly. The reamer heads 15 and the contact pressure belt 17 are mounted such that the drive motor 31 provides relative movement therebetween. In use a squid tube placed on the reamer head 15 has an outer surface engaging the contact member 17 and together with the relative movement between the reamer heads and the contact member effects cleaning or eviscerating of the inner of the squid tube.

The apparatuses 11, 12 for cleaning squid or octopus include an apparatus body having a drive pedestal 32 in the form of a table under which is mounted a fixed speed motor and gearbox 31 with a main drive shaft 33 extending vertically through the table and extending thereabove. A carousel 31 is mounted axially on the main drive shaft 33. Two circular plates 25, 26 are maintained at spaced distance by four spacing posts 29 extending therebetween to form the carousel assembly. Four spindles 22 extend within the carousel assembly and protrude through the upper plate 25 to form reamer shafts upon which reamer heads 15 are located. The reamer shafts 15 are located equidistantly near the outer circumference of the carousel 21. One of the four spindles extends through the bottom plate 26.

Movement of the carousel 21 and the reamer heads 15 is by the drive shaft 33 and two belt formations. A first belt 28 extends around a main sprocket 36 mounted below the carousel on the main drive shaft 33 to allow rotation by the motor. The first belt 28 further extends around reamer drive shaft sprocket mounted on lower end of the one of the four spindles 15 extending below the carousel base plate 26. In this manner this one spindle is rotated by the main drive shaft.

A second belt is mounted within the carousel between the top and bottom circular plates 25, 26. The second belt extends around the outer side of reamer drive shaft sprockets 23 on each spindle 15 and around an upper bearing 35 on the main shaft 33. Each spindle is thereby mounted on the carousel assembly 21 and the drive motor 31 motor simultaneous rotates each spindle in a common direction around each respective longitudinal axis and thereby simultaneously drives each reamer head 15 around its respective longitudinal axis.

As shown in Figure 7, each spindle 22 is mounted on a radially spaced part of the carousel assembly 21 mounted on the main drive shaft 33 allows rotational motion around its axis. In this way each spindle 22 undertakes a planetary motion with its own respective rotation around its own longitudinal axis and simultaneous orbital movement around the axis of the carousel.

The contact member being the belt 17 is located in stationary position radially external of the reamer head 15 and at spaced position such that it can engage the outer of the squid tube mounted on the reamer head to substantially provide a reaming effect on the inner of the squid tube. The belt extends around 5 spaced pressure belt support posts 61 in a substantially U shape or pentagonal shape, around and above the carousel assembly upper plate 25 adjacent the reamer heads 15 with an opening 20 at at least at one circumferential position such that the squid tube can be mounted on a reamer head while aligned with the opening of the belt and subsequent rotation of the carousel causes engagement with the belt 17 and effective reaming of the squid tube. Four pressure belt articulated supports 62 are mounted external of the contact belt 17 and engage the belt on a outer side midway between the spaced pressure belt support posts 61 to provide a tensioning of the belt 17.

The apparatus for cleaning squid or octopus is mounted in a housing 51 having a lower section for enclosing the drive means and an upper section having a working cavity 52 with a front opening 53 for providing a substantially shrouded work space in which the reaming heads 15 and contact belt 17 are located and where reaming is effected. The contact belt 17 is mounted stationary relative to the housing 51 by being separately mounted on a non-rotating portion of the housing and not on the movable carousel assembly 21. The opening 20 of the pentagon shaped strip pressure belt 17 aligns with the opening 53 of the housing 51 such that a squid tube can be readily placed on a reamer head when aligned with the openings 20, 53. Engagement of the squid tube on the reamer head 15 with the contact member follows by providing a rotation motion to the carousel assembly and rotation of the carousel assembly and rotation of the reamer head 15 effects cleaning or eviscerating of the inner of the squid tube or mantle.

Further cleaning effect is provided by cleaning with water. A water inlet pipe 70 feeds water in through the top of the housing 51 to a water diverter pipe 72 that feeds to separate radial water pipes 75 within the carousel assembly 21 to each of the spindles 22 and thereby to each reamer head 15. A water supply valve 71 is located at the top of the water inlet pipe 70 to allow selective input or adjustment of water supply. Material removed in the reaming process is substantially retained in the shrouded working cavity 52 and a waste chute 55 at a lower level of working cavity 52 can feed the waste material to a bin within the lower section 56 of the housing 51 or via tubing 58 to a waste outlet.

It can be seen that the embodiment described forms a processing station with one of the four spindles presenting at the opening of the open sided pentagonal belt structure when the carousel has rotated to an aligned position. At that position the operator can mount a squid tube thereon. By continuous rotation of the carousel the first reamer head moves to a position alongside the belt contact member to provide a reaming effect on the first squid tube while a second reamer head is presented at the opening of the belt structure to allow the operator to place a second squid tube on the second reamer head. By further rotation this second squid tube contacts the belt structure to provide a reaming effect on the second squid. Such processing continues for all four reamer heads mounted on the carousel. By the time the first reamer head returns to the open side of the pentagonal belt structure the squid tube has been fully reamed and can be removed by the operator.

The rotation of the carousel can be at 6 revolutions per minute. However the spindle can still rotate at a higher effective reaming rate. Such rate though can be substantially decreased because of the relative motion of the reamer head to the contact belt due to the rotation of the carousel and thereby increased relative rotation of the squid tube on the reamer.

Overall though, there is a substantial improvement over merely adding further reamers due to the construction and the rotation of the carousel. In particular 4 spindles at 6 revolutions per minute provide processing of 24 squid per minute instead of the three per minute per spindle by conventional methods.

It should be understood that the above is not limiting of the invention. Clearly persons skilled in the art would understand variations of the above embodiments without requiring any inventiveness and such is clearly included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims.

For example the contact member can be a movable belt. Movement of the belt is chosen relative to the rotation of the carousel and the frictional engagement characteristic of the contact member to aid the effectiveness of the reaming process. The contact member can be moved into and out of an operative contact position by changing of relative spacing to the reamer head. A continuous belt can be used.

Operation of the carousel can be continuous or be intermittingly operative to provide an opportunity for mounting and than processing.

There can be a second discontinuity of the belt or the process must wait for alignment of the reamer with the first discontinuity to allow the operator to dismount the reamed squid tube.

In another form of the apparatus for cleaning squid an apparatus for cleaning squid including an elongated spindle having a reamer head; a contact member mounted exterior to the reamer head; and with the reamer head and contact member being mounted to provide relative movement such that a squid tube can be placed on the reamer head and by engagement with the contact member provide a rotation motion to clean or eviscerate the inner of the squid tube or mantle. However in this form the reamer head remains stationary while the contact member moves relative to the reamer head to provide an effective reaming of the squid tube.

These and other variations which are understood by the person skilled in the art by reading the above and without any inventiveness are included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.