Roller-type separating means for a potato harvester

Claim 1

IN A POTATO HARVESTER, MEANS FOR SEPARATING VINES FROM POTATOES COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR FOR CONVEYING POTATOES AND VINES TO A POTATO DISCHARGE STATION, A DE-VINING ROLLER MOUNTED AT SAID DISCHARGE STATION WITH ITS ROLLER SURFACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND ADJACENT TO THE CONVEYOR SURFACE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR TO DEFINE A NIP THEREBETWEEN FOR SEPARATING SAID VINES AND POTATOES, THE DE-VINING ROLLER BEING POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO THE CONVEYOR SO THAT THE TANGENTIAL PROJECTION FROM SAID CONVEYOR AT SAID DISCHARGE STATION WHICH IS PERPENDICULARLY LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO THE PROJECTION OF THE UPPER FLIGHT OF THE CONVEYOR PASSES OUTSIDE OF SAID ROLLER SURFACE WHEREBY POTATOES DISCHARGED AT SAID DISCHARGE STATION WILL GRAVITATE AWAY FROM SAID ROLLER AND SAID NIP, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED MEMBERS POSITIONED ADJACENT THE CONVEYOR AT THE DISCHARGE END THEREOF TO RETAIN SAID VINES ON THE CONVEYOR AND DIRECT THEM TO SAID NIP, THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS BEING SUCH THAT SAID POTATOES WILL PASS THERETHROUGH, MEANS MOUNTING SAID ROLLER FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR DIRECTING VINES TO SAID NIP BETWEEN SAID ROLLER AND SAID CONVEYING SURFACE, AND DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROLLER IN A DIRECTION TO MOVE THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROLLER AT SAID NIP IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID CONVEYING SURFACE AT THE NIP WHEREBY SAID DRIVEN ROLLER AND SAID CONVEYOR DRAW VINES THROUGH SAID NIP CAUSING ANY REMAINING POTATOES TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE VINES, SAID DRIVE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID ROLLER TO SUPPLY POSITIVE DRIVING POWER IN ALL POSITIONS OF THE ROLLER AS IT IS MOVED AWAY FROM OR TOWARD SAID CONVEYOR.