Picker transportation and fruit-delivery apparatus

Claim 1

IN A MOBILE FRUIT DELIVERY AND PICKER APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION: A GANTRY FRAME INCLUDING AN OVERHEAD BRIDGE BEAM FOR SPANNING THE TREES OF AN ORCHARD ROW, A PAIR OF END SUPPORTS CARRYING SAID BEAM, AND GROUND-TRAVEL MEANS CARRYING THE RESPECTIVE END SUPPORTS FOR TRAVEL OF THE APPARATUS IN A PATH TRANSVERSE TO SAID BRIDGE BEAM WITH THE LATTER SPANNING A TREE ROW; PICKER SUPPORT CARRIAGES EACH HAVING MEANS SUSPENDING THE SAME FROM SAID BRIDGE BEAM, EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY BETWEEN TREE ROWS AND MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BEAM FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE HORIZONTALLY TOWARD AND FROM A TREE; AN OVERHEAD CONVEYOR EXTENDING ALONG SAID BRIDGE BEAM, FOR CONVEYING FRUIT LONGITUDINALLY OF THE FRAME TO A GATHERING POINT; ELEVATOR CONVEYORS EXTENDING FROM AT LEAST SOME OF SAID PICKER SUPPORT CARRIAGES TO SAID OVERHEAD CONVEYOR, FOR ELEVATING FRESHLY PICKED FRUIT THERETO, SAID ELEVATOR CONVEYORS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE RESPECTIVE CARRIAGE-SUSPENDING MEANS AND MOVABLE HORIZONTALLY WITH THE RESPECTIVE CARRIAGES; AND MEANS ON THE FRAME AT SAID GATHERING POINT FOR GATHERING THE FRUIT DELIVERED BY THE OVERHEAD CONVEYOR AND DEPOSITING IT IN A RECEPTACLE.