Pineapple processing machine

Claim 1

IN A PINEAPPLE PROCESSING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION, A CONVEYOR PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF FIXTURES HAVING THEIR TRANSVERSE AXES SPACED EQUAL DISTANCES APART, SAID FIXTURES BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE PINEAPPLES TO BE PROCESSED, MEANS FOR DRIVING THE CONVEYOR INTERMITTENTLY AND TO AN EXTENT FOR EACH MOVEMENT EQUAL TO THE SPACED APART DISTANCE OF THE FIXTURES, WHEREBY THE PINEAPPLES HAVE PERIODS OF MOVEMENT WHICH ALTERNATE WITH DWELL PERIODS TO THUS PROGRESSIVELY LOCATE THE PINEAPPLES AT STATIONS LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CONVEYOR, PUSHER MEANS AT CERTAIN STATIONS FOR POSITIONING THE PINEAPPLES TRANSVERSELY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE FIXTURE DURING A DWELL PERIOD, A ROTATING CIRCULAR KNIFE ON EACH SIDE OF THE CONVEYOR FOR TRIMMING THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF THE PINEAPPLE SO POSITIONED BY THE PUSHER MEANS, A FEED CYLINDER AT ANOTHER STATION OF THE CONVEYOR BEYOND THE CIRCULAR KNIVES AND IN HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE TRANSVERSE AXIS OF THE FIXTURES WHEN LOCATED AT SAID STATION DURING A DWELL PERIOD, AN ANNULAR SIZING KNIFE FOR TRIMMING THE PINEAPPLES CIRCUMFERENTIALLY, MEANS SUPPORTING THE SIZING KNIFE WITH ITS ROTARY AXIS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE FEED CYLINDER AND WITH ITS CUTTING EDGE DIRECTED TOWARD THE CYLINDER, WHEREBY ACTUATION OF THE FEED CYLINDER REMOVES A PINEAPPLE FROM ITS FIXTURE AND FEEDS THE SAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SIZING KNIFE, A CORING TUBE MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT ON THE ROTARY AXIS OF THE SIZING KNIFE TO AND FROM AN OPERATIVE POSITION WITHIN THE SIZING KNIFE AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION LOCATED REARWARDLY OF THE SIZING KNIFE OPPOSITE ITS CUTTING EDGE, AND A STRIPPER PLATE IN ASSOCIATED RELATION WITH THE CORING TUBE AND LOCATED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SIZING KNIFE FROM ITS CUTTING EDGE.