SHELLFISH POSITIONING

WIPO Patent Application WO/2005/089559

A1

A shellfish (10) being processed in the apparatus and method can be a scallop (11) with shells (12, 13). A support (20) supports the shellfish (10) so that the peripheral edges (15, 16) project beyond the support. A guide formation (30) includes an axially tapering section (31) in which the support is movable downwardly in direction “A”. The tapering section (31) and the support (20) are cooperable so that, as the shellfish is moved in the direction of narrowing diameter of the tapering section (31) and the peripheral edges (15, 16) of the shellfish projecting beyond the support (20) engage with the tapering section (31), the shellfish (10) is caused to be moved towards a central position in the guide formation until it reaches a limit position where contact between the peripheral edges (15, 16) and the tapering section (31) makes the shellfish unable to advance further whereupon the shellfish has reached a substantially centred position. A holder (50) is operative to then hold the shellfish (10) so that it is held for further processing with the position of the centre of the shellfish known.

WO/2000/004785	A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION OF BACTERIA IN SHELLFISH, OF SHUCKING SHELLFISH AND AN APPARATUS THEREFOR
JP3686913	SHELL OPENING METHOD FOR BIVALVE AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
JP2588110	SHELL SELECTION APPARATUS

Adcock, John Trevor (PO Box 658, Lakes Entrance, VIC 3909, AU)

PCT/AU2005/000411

September 29, 2005

March 22, 2005

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SASAKAT PTY LTD (P O Box 658, Lakes Entrance, VIC 3909, AU)
Adcock, John Trevor (PO Box 658, Lakes Entrance, VIC 3909, AU)

A22C29/04; A22C29/00; (IPC1-7): A22C29/04

Grant, Michael John (Patent Attorney Services, 4/26 Ellingworth Parade Box Hill, VIC 3128, AU)

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SHELLFISH POSITIONING Field of the Invention This invention relates to methods and apparatus for positioning shellfish for enabling subsequent processing operations to be performed on the shellfish. The invention relates particularly to processing of scallops as part of a process or apparatus for recovering, at least partially automatically, the edible portion which in the case of a scallop comprises the adductor muscle. Scallops have two facing shells, one of which is generally flat or planar and the other of which is also approximately planar but has a concavity facing the first planar shell. However, although described particularly in relation to processing of scallops, the invention may also be applicable to other kinds of shellfish including both shellfish having one approximately planar shell with the edible portion attached to one side of the shell, as well as being applicable to shellfish having two approximately planar facing shells between which the edible portion of the shellfish is located. Background of the Invention Patent Specification No. WO92/22212 (US Patent 5,427,567) describes an apparatus and method in which a scallop is engaged and held using a suction cup having a vacuum applied to thereby form an attachment to the outside face of one of the two shells with another suction cup likewise forming an attachment to the other of the two shells. Upon drawing the two shells slightly apart by means of the vacuum operated holder drawing back from at least one of the shells, a cutting means can be inserted into the space between the two shells to cut the edible portion (the adductor muscle) from one or both of the inside surfaces of the shells. In this system, it is necessary that the suction cup holder be located reasonably accurately in the centre of the shell. The force to slightly part the shells must be applied so that the shells move outwardly about their hinged connection so that it is also necessary in this apparatus for the orientation of the scallop, particularly the location of the hinge region, be known. In Patent Specification No. WO 98/54976 (US Patent 6,193,596) there is described a system for rotating a scallop shell which is already held approximately centrally by a suction cup holder until the hinge region of the scallop forms a fit with a complementary shape or profile, thereby enabling the location of the hinge region of the scallop to be accurately known before commencing the shell parting operation described in WO 92/22212 and WO 98/54976. To enable scallops to be processed in apparatus or systems as outlined in the documents mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, it is desirable to initially hold the scallop shells substantially centrally by a suction cup holder. However, this is not an operation readily automated because scallops harvested, particularly from ocean beds having naturally occurring and reproducing populations of scallops, vary significantly in size, i.e. in diameter of the shells. This makes automated locating of the centre of the shells for automatically applying the suction cup holders difficult to achieve. It has been proposed, although not published and widely or generally known, to have pushing members which push each scallop towards a centred position from different directions so as to centre the scallop in an area from which the scallop is picked up by a suction cup holder. However, the correct and reliable functioning of such a centring system is doubtful and the apparatus may be relatively complex to manufacture and/or maintain. The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country or region Summary of the Invention The object of the present invention is to provide a shellfish processing apparatus and method capable of positioning shellfish to enable subsequent processing of the shellfish by apparatus which requires the shellfish in a particular orientation. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shellfish positioning apparatus for enabling subsequent processing of a shellfish by apparatus which requires the shellfish in a particular orientation, or in one of a limited number or limited range of particular orientations, the shellfish being of the kind having one approximately planar shell with an edible portion attached to one side of the shell or being of the kind having two approximately planar facing shells between which an edible portion is located, the shellfish positioning apparatus including: a support which is operative to support the shellfish so that at least part of the peripheral edges of the shellfish project beyond the support, a guide formation including an axially tapering section in which the support is relatively movable in the axial direction with a shellfish supported thereby, the tapering section and the support being cooperable so that as the support with the shellfish supported thereby is relatively moved axially in the direction of narrowing diameter of the tapering section and the peripheral edges of the shellfish projecting beyond the support engage with the tapering section, the shellfish is caused to be moved towards a central position in the guide formation until it reaches a limit position where the engagement of the peripheral edges with the tapering section makes the shellfish unable to advance further whereupon the shellfish has reached a substantially centred position within the guide formation, and a holder operative to hold the shellfish once it has reached the centred position so that it is held for further processing with the position of the centre of the shellfish known. The guide formation may have a part conical conformation with the axial direction coinciding with the axis of the cone. Preferably the axial direction of the guide formation is generally upright and the tapering of the section in the narrowing direction is in the downwards direction. In this embodiment, the relative axial movement of the support with the shellfish supported thereby in the axial direction comprises a lowering of the support deeper into the tapering section of the guide formation whereby, as the support lowers into the tapering section, engagement with the tapering section walls by the edges of the shellfish that project laterally beyond the support continually pushes the shellfish laterally on the support towards the central axis. Preferably the support for the shellfish is operative to support the shellfish from beneath. The support may comprise a support base onto which each successive shellfish to be processed is loaded. Preferably the support base has an initial load position at which the shellfish is loaded onto the base, the load position being located below the uppermost extent of the guide formation whereby the shellfish can be fed under gravity into the guide formation and onto the support base. The support base may comprise a platform which is located centrally relative to the axial direction when in its initial load position and throughout its subsequent relative movement in the axial direction. In the preferred apparatus, after a shell positioning operation of the apparatus, the support is operative to return automatically to its initial load position ready for a subsequently fed shellfish to be positioned and held for further processing. For example, the support platform may be biased towards its initial load position so as to return automatically to its initial load position under the biasing action. The apparatus may further include vibrating means for gently vibrating the support and/or the tapering section to facilitate the shellfish moving radially towards the central axis on the support. Apparatus of the preferred embodiment further includes a centralising aid operative to promote movement of the shellfish towards the centred position in the guide formation, the centralising aid being operative to contact the shellfish on the support and to provide a centring force if the shellfish is not centred in the guide formation. The centralising aid is preferably operative to contact the shellfish on the opposite side of the shellfish to the support. The centralising aid may include circumferentially located contact means spaced radially outwardly from and around the central axis of the guide formation. The centralising aid may include a centralising ring having a diameter generally equal to or less than the diameter of the shellfish so as to contact the shellfish at positions which are located radially outwardly from the general centre of the shellfish or which are located generally at peripheral regions of the shellfish so as to apply centring forces to the shellfish if not substantially centred within the guide formation. The centralising ring is preferably arranged coaxially with the axial direction of relative movement of the support, the centralising ring initially being spaced from the support so as to allow the shellfish to be introduced onto the support with the centralising ring spaced therefrom. In the preferred embodiment, the centralising ring is initially spaced above the support and is movable downwardly so as to contact the shellfish when located on the support from the side thereof opposite to the support on which the shellfish is located, whereby, as the shellfish on the support moves axially within the guide formation and, if the shellfish is not substantially centred on the axis of movement, a portion of the periphery of the shellfish will contact one part of the guide formation which will tend to relatively lift that peripheral portion of the shell against the centralising ring which, by applying a downwards reaction force tending to relatively push the portion of the shell periphery contacting the tapering section downwardly in the direction of narrowing taper of the guide formation, will accentuate or aid the centring force applied to the shellfish. The holding means may include a suction cup which engages with the outside surface of the shell opposite to the face resting on the support, the centralising aid comprised by the centralising ring being mounted for movement in association with the suction cup towards and away from the shellfish. In this preferred embodiment, the centralising ring is mounted coaxially with the suction cup and is located a short distance in advance of the suction cup during movement towards the shellfish and engagement of the centralising ring with the shellfish. For example, the centralising ring may be mounted by support rods which extend forwardly from a mount assembly and radially beyond the peripheral edge of the suction cup and which terminate forwardly a short distance axially in advance of the suction cup where the centralising ring is mounted. Preferably the centralising ring is resiliency mounted for limited axial yielding movement. For example, the mount assembly for the centralising ring may include a resilient biasing means which biases the centralising ring towards its forward position so as to ensure that the contact of the centralising ring with the shellfish will not be a rigid unyielding contact which might lead to damage to the shellfish or might lead to damage to the centralising ring or its mounting if the advancing centralising ring encounters an obstruction. The resilient biasing means of the mount assembly for the centralising ring preferably enables the centralising ring to retract axially when the shellfish has been centred in the guide formation relative to the mount assembly upon continued advance axially of the suction cup into contact with the shellfish. The holder operative to hold the shellfish once it has reached the centred position may include a shell engaging member which is movable so as to advance into engagement with the shellfish on the support and thereby move the shellfish or the support into the guide formation as the shell engaging member advances, the shell engaging member including a holding means operative to hold the shellfish once it has reached the centred position and to hold the shellfish for further processing thereafter. Preferably the holding means comprises a suction cup which engages with the outside surface of the shell opposite to the side of the shellfish on the support, suction being applied by the suction cup only after the shellfish has reached its centred position. The shell engaging member constituted by the suction operated holding means is preferably movable axially into and out of the tapering section of the guide formation with that axis of movement coinciding with the central axis of the tapering section whereby, when vacuum is applied, the suction cup will hold the shell with the axis of the suction cup passing substantially through the centre of the shellfish. The present invention in a second aspect provides a method of positioning a shellfish for enabling subsequent processing of the shellfish by apparatus which requires the shellfish in a particular orientation, or in one of a limited number or limited range of particular orientations, the shellfish being of the kind having one approximately planar shell with an edible portion attached to one side of the shell or being of the kind having two approximately planar facing shells between which an edible portion is located, the method including the steps of: supporting the shellfish by a support so that at least part of the peripheral edges of the shellfish project beyond the support, providing a guide formation including an axially tapering section and relatively moving the support in the axial direction with a shellfish supported thereby, whereby as the support with the shellfish supported thereby is relatively moved axially in the direction of narrowing diameter of the tapering section and the peripheral edges of the shellfish projecting beyond the support engage with the tapering section, the shellfish is caused to be moved towards a central position in the guide formation until it reaches a limit position where the engagement of the peripheral edges with the tapering section makes the shellfish unable to advance further whereupon the shellfish has reached a substantially centred position within the guide formation, and holding the shellfish once it has reached the centred position for further processing with the position of the centre of the shellfish known. Preferably the support is arranged to support the shellfish from beneath, and the axial direction of the guide formation is upright, and the method includes feeding the shellfish onto the support by gravity with the support in an initial load position located below the uppermost extent of the guide formation. The relative axial movement of the support with the shellfish supported thereby in the axial direction preferably comprises lowering the support deeper into an upright guide formation with the tapering section narrowing in the downwards direction wherein the engagement with the tapering section walls by the edges of the shellfish that project laterally beyond the support results in forces tending to push the shellfish laterally on the support towards the central axis. The method preferably further includes the step of applying centring forces to the shellfish by a centralising aid which contacts the shellfish on the opposite side of the shellfish to the support, the centring forces resulting from downward forces applied to the shellfish if the shell periphery contacts the tapering section resulting in the periphery lifting in a direction parallel to the axial direction, the centralising aid by applying a downwards reaction force, tending to relatively push the lifted portion of the shell periphery contacting the tapering section downwardly in the direction of narrowing taper thereby aiding the centring force applied to the shellfish. The step of holding the shellfish preferably includes engaging a suction cup with the outside surface of the shell opposite to the side of the shellfish on the support, the method including withholding application of suction to the suction cup during the relative movement of the support in the axial direction and during the resulting movement of the shellfish towards the central position until it reaches the limit position in which the shellfish is substantially centred within the guide formation so as to avoid interference with or prevention of the shellfish movement radially and being centred relative to the axis of the guide formation, followed by application of vacuum to the suction cup once the shellfish has moved to the centred position in the guide formation and has reached its limit position so as to thereby hold the shellfish for further processing. The method may further include the step of sensing the increase in resistance to downward movement of the shell engaging member which occurs upon the shellfish reaching its limit position where contact of the peripheral edges of the shellfish with the tapering section of the guide formation prevents further advance of the shellfish and, in response to the sensing of the shellfish reaching the centred position, initiating the step of holding the shellfish for further processing. Possible and preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view, with the lower part in section, of a shellfish positioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is the apparatus of Fig. 1 with the shellfish moved to a centred position. The shellfish 10 being processed in the apparatus illustrated is a scallop 1 1 shown with similarly shaped shells 12, 13. An edible portion, the adductor muscle (not shown), is located in a region between the shells 12, 13 and is attached to the inside surfaces thereof. Scallops can have an asymmetry in their shells 12, 13 but such scallops can be processed according to the present invention either with their flatter shells beneath and their concave shells uppermost, or can equally be processed upside down, i.e . with the concave shells on the support 20. The illustrated shellfish positioning apparatus enables subsequent processing of a shellfish by apparatus which requires the shellfish in a particular orientation, or in one of a limited number or limited range of particular orientations. The contents of the two patent specifications referred to earlier herein, namely Nos. WO 92/22212 and WO 98/54976, are incorporated herein in full by cross reference since these disclosures provide description of apparatus in which the processing of shellfish occurs, particularly after the apparatus and method of the present invention has been used to enable a shellfish to be positioned and held with the centre of the shellfish reliably known in relation to the holder. The shellfish positioning apparatus includes a support 20 which is operative to support the shellfish 10 so that at least part of the peripheral edges 15, 16 of the shellfish project beyond the support. A guide formation 30 includes an axially tapering section 31 in which the support is relatively movable in the axial direction "A" with a shellfish 10 supported thereby. The tapering section 31 and the support 20 are cooperable so that, as the support 20 with the shellfish supported thereby is relatively moved axially in the direction of narrowing diameter of the tapering section 31 and the peripheral edges 15, 16 of the shellfish projecting beyond the support 20 engage with the tapering section 31 , the shellfish 10 is caused to be moved towards a central position in the guide formation until it reaches a limit position where contact between the peripheral edges 15, 16 and the tapering section 31 makes the shellfish unable to advance further whereupon the shellfish has reached a substantially centred position relative to the axial direction "A" of the guide formation 30. A holder 50 is operative to hold the shellfish 10 once it has reached the centred position so that it is held for further processing with the position of the centre of the shellfish known. The guide formation 30 illustrated in the preferred construction of the apparatus is of part conical conformation with the axial direction "A" coinciding with the axis of the cone. However, it is to be appreciated that other shapes of axially tapering sections are possible, such as frusto paraboloid and frusto hyperboloid conformations. Also, although a solid surface of the tapering section 31 of the guide formation 30 is preferred, a continuous or solid surface is not essential and, for example, the tapering section could be defined by linear elements or fingers approaching each other more closely in the axial direction "A" into which the support 20 and shellfish 10 are relatively moved. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the axial direction "A" of the guide formation 30 is generally upright and the tapering of the section 31 in the narrowing direction is in the downwards direction. This enables gravity to assist in relatively moving the shellfish axially into the narrowing diameter section as the shellfish is relatively moved lower into the guide formation 31. The support 20 for the shellfish 10 supports the shellfish from beneath. The support 20 comprises a support base 21 onto which each shellfish to be processed is loaded. The shellfish 10 may be loaded onto the support base 21 from a feed chute 25 or the like. The support base 21 in Fig. 1 is in an initial load position at which the shellfish 10 is loaded onto the base 21. The load position is located below the uppermost extent 31 of the guide formation. This arrangement enables the shellfish 10 to be fed in a manner that it simply falls under gravity from the feed chute 25 into the guide formation 30 and onto the support base 21. The support base 21 has a platform 22 which is located centrally relative to the axial direction "A" when in its initial load position and throughout its subsequent relative movement in the axial direction. After a shell positioning operation of the apparatus, the support 20 is operative to return automatically to its initial load position ready for a subsequently fed shellfish to be positioned and held for further processing. For example, the illustrated support platform 22 is biased towards its initial load position by a spring 23 acting from beneath the platform 22 tending to return it to its raised load position. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the relative axial movement of the support 20 with the shellfish 10 supported thereby in the axial direction "A", comprises a lowering of the support platform 22 deeper into the upright tapering guide formation 30. As the platform 22 lowers into the tapering guide section 31 , engagement with the tapering section walls by the edges 15, 16 of the shellfish that project laterally beyond the support 20 continually pushes the shellfish laterally on the support platform towards the central axis "A". If desired there may be some gentle vibration of the platform 22 and/or the tapering guide section 31, e.g. by means of a vibratory motor 27 associated with the apparatus, so that the shellfish 10 will more readily move radially towards the central axis "A" on the support platform 22. The apparatus also includes a centralising aid 40 operative to promote movement of the shellfish 10 towards the centred position in the guide formation 30, i.e. movement of the shellfish towards the central axis "A" of the guide cone 31. The centralising aid 40 is operative to contact the shellfish 10 on the support 20 and to provide a centring force if the shellfish is not centred in the guide formation 30. The centralising aid 40 is operative to contact the shellfish on the opposite side of the shellfish to the support 20, i.e. on the top shell 12. The centralising aid 40 includes circumferentially located contact means 41 spaced radially outwardly from and around the central axis "A" of the guide formation 30. The centralising aid 40 includes a centralising ring 42 having a diameter generally equal to or less than the diameter of shellfish 10 being processed so as to contact the shellfish at positions placed radially outwardly from the general centre of the shellfish or generally at peripheral regions of the shellfish so as to apply centring forces to a shellfish which is not substantially centred within the guide formation 30. The centralising ring 42 is arranged coaxially with the axis of the guide cone 31 and, initially as shown in Fig. 1 , is spaced from the support 20 so as to allow the shellfish 10 to be introduced onto the support with the centralising ring 42 spaced therefrom. The centralising ring 42 is initially spaced above the shellfish 10 on the support base 21 and is operative to be moved downwardly so as to contact the shellfish from above. As the shellfish 10 on the support 20 relatively moves axially within the conical guide formation 30, if the shellfish is not substantially centred, a portion of the periphery 15 or 16 of the shellfish will contact one inside wall part of the conical guide section 31. Apart from the centring force which will result from contact of one part of the shell periphery with the conical surface, the contact of the shell periphery with the conical guide will also tend to relatively lift that peripheral portion of the shell against the centralising 42 ring which, by applying a downwards reaction force tending to relatively push the lifted portion of the shell periphery contacting the conical surface 31 downwardly, i.e. in the direction of narrowing taper of the guide formation 30, will accentuate or aid the centring force applied to the shellfish 10. With this arrangement, the centring ring 42 in cooperation with the conical guide formation 30 will be particularly effective in centring the shellfish within the guide formation. In the illustrated embodiment, the holder 50 which is operative to hold the shellfish once it has reached a centred position includes shell engaging member 52 which is movable downwardly as shown by arrow "B" so as to advance into engagement with the shellfish 10 on the support 20, the shell engaging member 52 being operative to lower the support 20 and thereby move the shellfish 10 and the support into the guide formation 20 as the shell engaging member 52 advances. The shell engaging member 52 includes holding means 53 operative to hold the shellfish once having reached the centred position and to hold the shellfish for further processing thereafter. The holding means 53 comprises a suction cup 54 which engages with the outside top surface of the shell 12 (opposite to the shell 13 of the shellfish resting on the support 20), although during the positioning operation, suction is not applied to the suction cup 54 which might otherwise interfere with or prevent the shellfish 10 moving radially or laterally to be centred relative to the axis of the guide formation 30. However, once the shellfish 10 has moved to a centred position in the guide formation 30 and has reached its limit position shown in Fig. 2 where contact of the peripheral edges 15, 16 of the shellfish 31 and the tapering section of the guide formation 30 prevents further advance of the shellfish in direction "B", the achievement of this limit position can be followed by application of vacuum from a vacuum source (not shown) through passage 56 to the suction cup 54 so as to thereby hold the shellfish for further processing. The shell engaging member 52 constituted by the suction operated holding means 53 moves axially into and out of the tapering section 31 of the guide formation 30 with that axis of movement coinciding with the central axis "A" of the tapering section. With this arrangement, the suction cup 54 when the vacuum is applied will hold the shell 12 with the axis of the suction cup 54 passing substantially through the centre of the shellfish 10. The suction cup 54 may have a soft periphery 55 which engages the outside surface of the shell 12 and which can conform to the shape of the outside surface and enable an effective holding force to be applied by the vacuum applied through passage 56. The achievement of centering of the shellfish 10 (and hence the point at which downward movement of the shell engaging member 52 is stopped and the point when vacuum is applied to the suction cup 54) can be sensed by providing sensing means 60 associated with the arrangement which moves the holder 50 downwardly, the sensing means being operative to sense the sudden increase in resistance to downward movement of the shell engaging member 52. In the illustrated preferred embodiment in which the holding means 53 includes a suction cup 54 which engages with the outside surface of the top shell 12, the centralising aid 40 comprised particularly by the centralising ring 42, is mounted for movement in association with the suction cup 54 towards and away from the shellfish 10. The centralising ring 42 is mounted coaxially with the suction cup 54 and is located a short distance in advance of the suction cup 54 during movement starting from the position in Fig. 1 towards the shellfish 10 and during engagement of the centralising ring 42 with the shellfish 10. For this construction, the centralising ring 42 is mounted by support rods 43 which extend forwardly from a mount assembly 45 radially beyond the peripheral edge 55 of the suction cup 54 and which terminate forwardly a short distance axially in advance of the suction cup 54 where the centralising ring 42 is mounted. The centralising ring 42 is resiliently mounted for limited axial yielding movement in the direction of arrow "C" in Fig. 2, e.g. by providing a compression spring 48 in the mounting assembly 45 biasing the centralising ring 42 towards its forward position. The resilient biasing of the centralising ring 42 in this manner will ensure that the contact of the centralising ring 42 with a shellfish 10 will not be a rigid unyielding contact which might lead to damage to the shellfish or might lead to damage to the centralising ring 42 or its mounting if the advancing centralising ring encounters an obstruction. The resilient yielding movement of the centralising ring 42 in the axial direction "C" also enables the centralising ring 42 to retract axially when the shellfish 10 has been centred in the guide formation 30 relative to the mounting assembly 45 which is continuing to advance axially carrying with it the suction cup 54 into contact with the shellfish. Thus the suction cup 54 will be brought into operative engagement with the centred shellfish 10 without interference by the centralising ring 42 which is located in advance of the suction cup up to the point in the operating cycle where the shellfish is centred in the guide formation 30. Upon the shellfish 10 reaching its centred position as shown in Fig. 2 in which there is no further advancing movement of the shellfish into the guide formation because of the engagement of edges 15, 16 with the walls of the cone 31, the relative retracting movement in direction "C" of the centralising ring mounting 45 activate the sensing means 60 which initiates the application of vacuum to the suction cup 54 and stops the drive which axially advances the centralising ring 42 and suction cup 54towards the shellfish 10 in the guide formation 30. The illustrated preferred apparatus includes drive means 65 for selectively moving the shellfish support 20 in a direction opposite to the direction "B" of relative movement during centring of shellfish 10 within the guide formation 30, the selective movement in the opposite direction being for the purpose of rejecting a shellfish from the apparatus. For example, in the preferred embodiment, if a shellfish 10 has been centred within the guide formation 30 and the vacuum is applied to the suction cup 54 but an effective suction hold cannot be achieved, e.g. if the shell 12 against which the suction cup is applied is cracked, the shellfish 10 can be ejected from the apparatus and a subsequent shellfish can be fed for processing. The drive means can lift the support 20 until the shellfish is just above the top edge of the guide formation 30 and a short squirt of compressed air from a side can push the shellfish laterally off the support 20. The apparatus may include a sensor (not shown) associated with the vacuum applying system so that if a satisfactory vacuum is not achieved, the sensor can trigger an ejection operation of drive means 65 (after withdrawal of the suction cup 54). Possible dimensions of the guide formation of the kind illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and intended for processing scallops having shell diameters in the range of about 85mm to 120mm may be: upper diameter of conical tapering section: 130mm lower diameter of conical tapering section: 80 mm angle of taper of the walls to the horizontal: 60°. However, it is to be understood that these parameters are merely exemplary and could be varied significantly according, for example, to the species of shellfish, the particular species or sub-species of scallop, the size range of shellfish in a particular batch being processed. When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components. It is to be understood that various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be made to the features of the possible and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention as herein described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

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