Mushroom grader

Claim 3

A device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: a plurality of separate stations in series downstream from said feeding means, each said station comprising (1) a said means for directing said mushrooms into at least one row, (2) at least one of said means to axially align said hydraulically fed mushrooms, and (3) at least one of said means to separate the largest size in said aligned row from the remaining sizes.

Claim 4

A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein each said station comprises in series a said directing means, a first said aligning means, a first said separating means, a second said aligning means, a second said separating means, a third said aligning means, and a third said separating means.

Claim 5

A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for directing said mushrooms into at least one row comprises means to divide said floating mushrooms and to direct said mushrooms into a plurality of parallel rows, said axial aligning means comprising means to align said mushrooms in the plurality of parallel rows into which they have been directed by said directing means.

Claim 6

A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for continuously hydraulically feeding mushrooms comprises an elongated tank, a water inlet at one end and a water outlet at the other end, the mushrooms fed to said tank being floated downstream by the head of water created by the inflow of water into said tank through the water inlet.

Claim 7

A device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said water inlet comprises a water spray above said tank directed downstream.

Claim 8

A device in accordance with claim 5 further comprising means to automatically feed mushrooms to said tank.

Claim 9

A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means to separate said largest size from said smaller sizes comprises a pair of rotating capstan wheels, defining a circular opening therebetween, one said wheel being upstream and one being downstream, said circular opening being of a size equal to or slightly smaller than the cap diameter of the musHroom size to be separated; whereby said axially aligned mushrooms pass over said rotating upstream capstan wheel one at a time, the smaller mushrooms falling through the circular opening and the larger mushrooms to be separated being lifted by said downstream capstan wheel thereover.

Claim 10

A device in accordance with claim 8 further comprising a water jet spray located above said capstan wheels and projecting theretoward.

Claim 11

A device in accordance with claim 8 wherein said means for feeding mushrooms at a controlled rate comprises a first transversely extending foraminous paddle wheel and a second transversely extending foraminous paddle wheel downstream from said first paddle wheel, said paddle wheels extending across the width of the device and being located with a portion thereof extending above the water level, and means to rotate said paddle wheels with said second paddle wheel rotating at a rate faster than said first paddle wheel.

Claim 12

A device in accordance with claim 10 wherein each said paddle wheel comprises thereon a plurality of staggered overlapping, foraminous pickup arms.

Claim 13

A device in accordance with claim 8 wherein said directing means comprises a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally aligned baffles defining a corridor therebetween, the distance between said baffles being slightly greater than the largest mushroom cap diameter being graded, wherein the upstream ends of said baffles are curved to form a mouth larger than the corridor; and wherein said axial aligning means comprises a U-shaped flume downstream from the corridor of said directing means.

Claim 14

A device in accordance with claim 8 wherein said downstream capstan wheel has a roughened surface.

Claim 15

A device in accordance with claim 8 including means for rotating said downstream capstan wheel at a greater speed than said upstream capstan wheel.

Claim 16

A device in accordance with claim 8 including means for rotating said downstream capstan wheel at a greater speed than said upstream capstan wheel.

Claim 17

A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for directing said mushrooms into a row comprises means to divide said floating mushrooms and to direct said mushrooms into a plurality of parallel rows downstream from said rate controlling means, said directing means including a floor, a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, inverted U-shaped baffles defining a plurality of longitudinally aligned corridors between adjacent baffles, said inverted U-shaped baffles being inclined upwardly from said floor at an acute angle from their upstream position to their downstream position and defining a V-shaped zone of merger with the floor at the upstream end of each U-shaped baffle, the distance across each corridor being slightly larger than the largest mushroom cap diameter being graded, and means to cause hydraulic lift at said mouths; wherein said means to align said hydraulically fed mushrooms comprises a plurality of U-shaped flumes, each located immediately downstream from a corridor of said directing means for receiving mushrooms therein, said flumes having a transverse dimension the same as said corridors; wherein said means to separate said largest size mushroom from said smaller sizes comprises-located immediately downstream from each flume-a pair of rotating capstan wheels defining a circular opening therebetween, one said wheel being upstream and one being downstream, said circular opening being of a size equal to or slightly smaller than the cap diameter of the mushroom size to be separated; whereby said axially aligned mushrooms pass over said rotating upstream capstan wheel one at a time, the smaller mushrooms falling through the circular opening and the larger mushrooms to be separated being lifted by said downstream capstan wheel thereover, and water jet spray means at said capstan wheels; a second means to align said mushrooms located below and downstream from said separating means, said second orienting means cOmprising a plurality of U-shaped flumes having a transverse dimension smaller than the transverse dimension of the flumes in the first-mentioned separating means but greater than the largest mushroom cap diameter of the remaining mushrooms; and a second means to separate the largest size mushrooms remaining from the smaller sizes comprising a pair of rotating capstan wheels downstream from said second orienting means and defining a circular opening therebetween, one said wheel being upstream and one being downstream, said circular opening being of a size equal to or slightly smaller than the cap diameter of the mushroom size to be separated; whereby said axially aligned mushrooms pass over said rotating upstream capstan wheel one at a time, the smaller mushrooms falling through the circular opening and the larger mushrooms to be separated being lifted by said downstream capstan wheel thereover, and water jet spray means at said capstan wheels.

Claim 20

A device in accordance with claim 17 wherein said downstream capstan wheel has a roughened surface.