Crop threshing or separating – Fruit or vegetable processing apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2002-02-26
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Crop threshing or separating
Fruit or vegetable processing apparatus
C460S144000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06350198
ABSTRACT:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a tomato harvester of the type comprising systems designed to cut the plants at ground level, systems designed to introduce the cut plants into the harvester, shaker systems designed to detach the tomatoes from the plants, and systems designed to discharge the plants after separation of the tomatoes, which said harvester also includes improved devices for feeding the plants to the shaker. In particular, the harvester in accordance with the invention is fitted with a conveyor belt which receives the plants from the loading devices and accompanies them along the entire section of the route in which they are subjected to the action of the shaker; the route of the belt follows the contour of the shaker, which includes systems designed to keep the plants slightly raised above the said belt to allow more effective treatment by the shaker.
In modern tomato harvesters the plants are cut near ground level by a header fitted to the front of the harvester and fall onto a loading belt that conveys them into the harvester, which contains shakers that separate the tomatoes from the plant, which is then discharged onto the ground.
The shakers usually consist of a number of discs fitted to a common shaft, a set of rods being fitted radially to the said discs. The discs are made to rotate around their own axis, while the rods are made to vibrate so that they shake the plants, causing the tomatoes to be detached.
The ends of the rods therefore follow a circular route, and the belt that transports the plants follows the same route for a certain distance so that the plants can be engaged by the shaker rods.
The efficacy of these devices is sometimes limited, however, because the shaking action of the rods is performed less strongly on the tomatoes that rest directly on the conveyor belt, which are therefore not always detached from the plant.
The action of the rods is far stronger if the plants are kept slightly raised above the belt so that they can be engaged more easily by the shaker rods.
Some of the more recent harvesters are equipped with a grid consisting of a number of parallel metal bars fitted above the belt that feeds the plants to the shaker, which are inserted between the various sets of rods to keep the plants raised above the conveyor belt, thus improving the efficiency of the shakers.
However, although this system has improved the prior state of the art, it is still not wholly effective, involves some complications in manufacture and higher costs, and constitutes an area in which mud and debris accumulate when working on wet ground.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problem described above is now solved by this invention, which relates to a tomato harvester in which the belt that conveys the tomatoes to the shakers consists of a grid belt with a number of supports fitted to its rods, each of which supports is fitted with a ring through which a hose passes.
The set of hoses constitutes a kind of supporting grid that follows the route of the belt at a distance from it, keeping the plants raised above the belt when they pass the shaker to increase its efficacy.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4232506 (1980-11-01), Studer
patent: 4335570 (1982-06-01), Fitzmaurice
patent: 4915671 (1990-04-01), Johnson
patent: 4965993 (1990-10-01), Butler et al.
patent: 5316519 (1994-05-01), Johnson
patent: 5480353 (1996-01-01), Garza, Jr.
patent: 5846129 (1998-12-01), Dragt
patent: 5908352 (1999-06-01), Meester et al.
FMC Italia S.p.A.
Kovács Árpád F.
Notaro & Michalos P.C.
Pezzuto Robert E.
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