Method and apparatus for feeding fruit in mechanical packing processes

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY FEEDING FRUIT TO AN AREA IN PREDETERMINED STAGGERED ROW FORMATION COMPRISING A FRAME, AN INCLINED RAMP MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME HAVING CORRUGATIONS THEREIN WITH THE TROUGHS OF SAID CORRUGATIONS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID RAMP, A HOPPER FOR SUPPLYING PIECES OF FRUIT TO THE UPPER END OF SAID RAMP DOWN WHICH THE PIECES OF FRUIT CAN ROLL, THE SPACING OF SAID TROUGHS CORRESPONDING WITH THE SPACING OF THE PIECES OF FRUIT IN A ROW OF FRUIT TO BE FORMED IN SAID AREA LOCATED BENEATH THE LOWER END OF SAID RAMP SO THAT THE FLOW-OFF OF FRUIT THEREFROM IS DEPOSITED IN SAID AREA IN PREDETERMINED ROW FORMATION, SAID RAMP COMPRISING AN INTERMEDIATELY DISPOSED AGITATOR PRODUCING A PERIODIC AGITATING PULSE, AN OSCILLATING DISTRIBUTOR LOCATED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID RAMP DOWN-STREAM OF AND IN DIRECT TROUGH ALIGNMENT WITH SAID AGITATOR, A BATCHING DEVICE COOPERATING WITH SAID DISTRIBUTOR FOR CONTROLLING SAID FLOW-OFF OF FRUIT, SAID AGITATOR BEING INDEPENDENTLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR RECIPROCATING PULSE MOVEMENT OVER A SMALL DISTANCE IN A LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION, SAID DISTRIBUTOR BEING INDEPENDENTLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR OSCILLATION ABOUT A VERTICAL PIVOT LOCATED AT ITS UP-STREAM END SO THAT ALTERNATE ROWS OF FRUIT RELEASED BY SAID BATCHING DEVICE AT THE DOWN-STREAM END OF SAID DISTRIBUTOR FLOW ONTO SAID AREA IN STAGGERED FORMATION, AND MEANS SIMULTANEOUSLY ADVANCING SAID AREA RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME IN A DIRECTION ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL FLOW LINE OF THE PIECES OF FRUIT TO FORM LAYERS OF PIECES OF FRUIT.