Prune pitting machine

Claim 1

A PRUNE PITTING MACHINE COMPRISING A MAIN FRAME, A WATER TANK ADJACENT SAID MAIN FRAME, A PITTING DRUM, A PAIR OF PITTING SPROCKETS ON SAID DRUM, MEANS FOR JOURNALLING SAID PITTING DRUM ON SAID MAIN FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL DRUM AXIS, A CONVEYOR FRAME EXTENDING FROM SAID MAIN FRAME SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENT TO SAID PITTING DRUM INTO SAID WATER TANK, A PAIR OF LEADING SPROCKETS, MEANS FOR JOURNALLING SAID LEADING SPROCKETS ON SAID CONVEYOR FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND AT LEAST PARTLY SUBMERGED IN SAID WATER TANK, A PAIR OF FOLLOWING SPROCKETS, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID FOLLOWING SPROCKETS ON SAID MAIN FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS ABOVE SAID DRUM AXIS, A PAIR OF IDLING SPROCKETS, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID IDLING SPROCKETS ON SAID MAIN FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS BELOW SAID DRUM AXIS, A PAIR OF CONVEYOR CHAINS TRAINED CONVEXLY ABOUT SAID LEADING SPROCKETS, SAID FOLLOWING SPROCKETS AND SAID IDLING SPROCKETS AND TRAINED CONCAVELY ABOUT SAID PITTING SPROCKETS, A PLURALITY OF ORIENTING ROLLERS, MEANS FOR JOURNALING SAID ORIENTING ROLLERS ON SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS FOR ROTATION ABOUT HORIZONTAL AXES, TRACKS ON SAID CONVEYOR FRAME FOR ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING SAID ORIENTING ROLLERS, MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS AND THEREBY ROTATING SAID ROLLERS ABOUT THEIR OWN AXES AND ROTATING SAID PITTING DRUM ABOUT SAID DRUM AXIS, ORIENTING FINGERS ON SAID CONVEYOR FRAME AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS ABOVE SAID ROLLERS, DEFLECTORS ON SAID CONVEYOR FRAME EXTENDING ALONGSIDE SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS FROM A POINT BENEATH WATER IN TANK, WATER TANK TO A POINT ABOVE WATER IN SAID WATER TANK, A PLURALITY OF SUPPORTING SLEEVES, MEANS INCLUDING A PARALLEL LINK MOTION FOR MOUNTING SAID SLEEVES ON SAID PITTING DRUM FOR MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO SAIDDRUM AXIS, A RING CAM ON SAID MAIN FRAME, CAM A PLURALITY OF PITTING RODS, SLEEVE MOUNTING MEANS, SPRINGS FOR URGING SAID CAM FOLLOWERS AGAINST SAID RING CAM, A PLURALITY OF PITTING RODS, MEANS ON SAID PITTING DRUM FOR MOUNTING SAID RODS FOR RECIPROCATION PARALLEL TO SAID DRUM AXIS, MEANS FOR CONSTRAINING SAID PITTING DRUM FOR MOUNTING SAID RODS FOR OWN AXES, A DRUM CAM ON SAID MAIN FRAME, CAM FOLLOWERS ON SAID PITTING RODS ENGAGING SAID DRUM CAM, SAID DRUM CAM AND SAID RING CAM BEING SHAPED TO MOVE SAID SUPPORTING SLEEVES AND SAID PITTING RODS TOWARD EACH OTHER DURING THE APPROXIMATE ARC THAT SAID CONVEYOR CHAINS ARE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PITTING SPROCKETS AND THEN AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, AND MEANS ON SAID MAIN FRAME FOR RECEIVING PRUNES RELEASED BY SAID SUPPORTING SLEEVES AND PITTING RODS.