Fresh market tomato harvester
US4262477A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 12, 1979 |
| Grant date | Apr 21, 1981 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 12, 1999 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA01D45/006
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A fresh market tomato harvester comprises a leading knife for severing tomato plants, an inclined ascending conveyor for transporting the cut plants upwardly onto the harvester, a shaker bed for removing the tomatoes from the vines, transverse cross conveyors for receiving the tomatoes after they have been shaken from the vines and for transporting them laterally outward, longitudinally extending side sorting belts for receiving the tomatoes and transporting them rearwardly past workers who remove stems and other foreign matter as well as overripe fruit, sizing conveyors for automatically classifying the tomatoes by size and rejecting undersized tomatoes, and, optionally, a washing station for removing gummy matter and dust. The elevator carries arcuate tines, each of which is covered with surgical tubing which extends beyond the end of the metal tine to provide a resilient yielding structure. The shaker bed comprises shaker chains that are rubber coated, and further, the underlying cross conveyors are constructed with bars that are oversized and may be covered with a resilient material. In this manner, the fruit that reaches the side sorting belts has been protected from bruising.…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.