Apparatus for harvesting crops

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR GATHERING CROPS LOCATED IN A ROW AND FOR SEPARATING FRUIT FROM THE PLANTS ON WHICH THEY GREW, A FRAME HAVING FORWARD AND REARWARD PORTIONS AND BEING MOUNTED FOR FORWARD EARTH TRAVERSING MOVEMENT IN A PREDETERMINED PATH OF TRAVEL ALIGNED WITH A ROW OF CROPS TO BE GATHERED; AND AN ELONGATED CONVEYOR MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME IN SUBSTANTIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, HAVING A FORWARD END FOR GATHERING CROPS IN SAID ROW, SAID CONVEYOR INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION FOR CONVEYING GATHERED CROPS REARWARDLY IN SAID FRAME AND BEING SUPPORTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CONVEYOR SO AS TO SHAKE FRUIT LOOSE FROM THEIR PLANTS DURING SAID REARWARD CONVEYANCE, SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION BEING PERFORATE TO PERMIT FRUIT TO DROP THERETHROUGH, AND A REAR END FOR DISCHARGING PLANTS FROM WHICH FRUIT HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM THE CONVEYOR, SAID FORWARD END, SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION, AND SAID REARWARD END BEING INTEGRAL PARTS OF SAID ELONGATED CONVEYOR.