Food-coring apparatus

Claim 2

In a food-coring apparatus, movable conveyor means having a food-carrying surface thereon for conveying and positioning the food to be cored, fluid power means stationarily positioned a substantial distance above said conveyor, a retractable head mounted on said power means, said retractable head including a rotatable bit for coring the food and cover means for engaging and at least partially covering the food during the coring of the food, said retractable head being moved by said power means between a first retracted position and a second coring position adjacent the food carrying surface, mounting means pivotally mounting said fluid power means and retractable head for pivotal movement about a pivot axis perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor means, and control means for determining the depth to which said food is cored independently of the progress of said movable conveyor means.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means is responsive to the movement of said retractable head toward said second coring position to control the depth to which the food is cored.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means is mounted for selective positioning for effecting selected variation of the distance between said first and second positions and the depth to which said food is cored.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for pivotally moving said fluid power means and retractable head compriSes conveyor power means, eccentric means mounted on said conveyor power means, and crank means driven by said eccentric and driving said fluid power means to pivotally move said retractable head to an angular position to each side of vertical in the direction of travel of said conveyor means.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 including eccentric control means responsive to the movement of said conveyor means to initiate movement of said retractable head from said first retracted position toward said second coring position.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fluid power means is an air cylinder.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said retractable head includes fluid-powered means for rotating said bit.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cover means encloses and is movable relative to said bit and includes spring means normally urging said cover means toward said conveyor means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor means includes a plurality of spaced pockets defined in the food-carrying surface thereof which are adapted to receive the food to be cored therein, each of said pockets being movable into a position beneath said retractable head, said cover means clamping the food to be cored between the periphery of said pockets and an edge of said cover means when said retractable head is moved to said second coring position.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cross sectional dimension of said cover means is greater than the cross sectional dimension of said pockets.

Claim 12

In a food-coring apparatus, movable conveyor means having a food-carrying surface thereon for conveying and positioning the food to be cored, fluid power means stationarily positioned a substantial distance above said conveyor, a retractable head mounted on said power means, said retractable head including a rotatable bit for coring the food and cover means for engaging and at least partially covering the food during the coring of the food, said retractable head being moved by said power means between a first retracted position and a second coring position adjacent the food-carrying surface, a plurality of spaced pockets defined in said food carrying surface which are adapted to receive the food to be cored therein, each of said pockets being movable into a position beneath said retractable head, said cover means clamping the food to be cored between the periphery of said pockets and an edge of said cover means when said retractable head is moved to said second coring position, movable means in said pockets positioned in a first position during coring and movable to a second ejecting position after coring for ejecting the cored food from said pockets, and control means for determining the depth to which said food is cored independently of the progress of said movable conveyor means.

Claim 13

In a food-coring apparatus, movable conveyor means having a food-carrying surface thereon for conveying and positioning the food to be cored, fluid power means stationarily positioned a substantial distance above said conveyor, a retractable head mounted on said power means, said retractable head including a rotatable bit for coring the food and cover means for engaging and at least partially covering the food during the coring of the food, said retractable head being moved by said power means between a first retracted position and a second coring position adjacent the food-carrying surface, a plurality of spaced pockets defined in said food carrying surface which are adapted to receive the food to be cored therein, each of said pockets being movable into a position beneath said retractable head, said cover means clamping the food to be cored between the periphery of said pockets and an edge of said cover means when said retractable head is moved to said second coring position, movable means in said pockets positioned in a first position during coring and movable to a second ejecting position after coring for ejecting the cored food from said pockets, and control means for determining the depth to which said food is cored independently of the progress of said movable conveyor means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said movable means is moved to said second ejecting position by a cam.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 1 including a plurality of said fluid power means, said retractable heads, and said control means, each of said control means determining the depth of core of its associated retractable head independently of the other said heads.

Claim 16

In a coring apparatus having a movable conveyor for conveying and positioning the material to be cored beneath a coring assembly, said coring assembly comprising, an air piston positioned a predetermined distance above the conveyor, a reciprocating head movable from a position adjacent the piston toward the conveyor, said head including a rotatable coring bit, air drive means for rotating said bit at a substantial speed, and cover means normally enclosing said bit and positioning the material during coring, first control means responsive to the movement of the conveyor for introducing air to the piston to initiate rapid movement of said head toward the conveyor and for introducing air to the drive means to initiate rotation of said bit, and second control means operating inDependently of the movement of the conveyor for reversing the air to the piston to terminate movement of the head toward the conveyor, and initiate movement of the head away from the conveyor to define the depth to which the food is cored and to terminate air to said bit drive means.

Claim 17

In a coring apparatus having a movable conveyor for conveying and positioning the material to be cored beneath a coring assembly, said coring assembly comprising, an air piston positioned a predetermined distance above the conveyor, a reciprocating head movable from a position adjacent the piston toward the conveyor, said head including a rotatable coring bit, air drive means for rotating said bit at a substantial speed, and cover means normally enclosing said bit and positioning the material during coring, first control means responsive to the movement of the conveyor for introducing air to the piston to initiate rapid movement of said head toward the conveyor and for introducing air to the drive means to initiate rotation of said bit, and second control means operating inDependently of the movement of the conveyor for reversing the air to the piston to terminate movement of the head toward the conveyor, and initiate movement of the head away from the conveyor to define the depth to which the food is cored and to terminate air to said bit drive means.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the second control means is responsive to the extent of movement of said reciprocating head toward the conveyor.

Claim 19

In a food-coring apparatus, movable conveyor means having a food-carrying surface thereon for conveying and positioning the food to be cored, fluid power means stationarily positioned a substantial distance above said conveyor, a retractable head mounted on said power means, said retractable head including a rotatable bit for coring the food and cover means for engaging and at least partially covering the food during the coring of the food, said retractable head being moved by said power means between a first retracted position and a second coring position adjacent the food carrying surface, and control means for determining the depth to which said food is cored independently of the progress of said movable conveyor means, said control means actuating said power means to retract said retractable head to said first retracted position in response to movement of the retractable means over a predetermined distance from said first toward said second positions, and terminating rotation of said bit when said head is moved to said first retracted position.

Claim 20

In a food-coring apparatus, movable conveyor means having a food-carrying surface thereon for conveying and positioning the food to be cored, fluid power means stationarily positioned a substantial distance above said conveyor, a retractable head mounted on said power means, said retractable head including a rotatable bit for coring the food and cover means for engaging and at least partially covering the food during the coring of the food, said retractable head being moved by said power means between a first retracted position and a second coring position adjacent the food carrying surface, and control means for determining the depth to which said food is cored independently of the progress of said movable conveyor means, said control means actuating said power means to retract said retractable head to said first retracted position in response to movement of the retractable means over a predetermined distance from said first toward said second positions, and terminating rotation of said bit when said head is moved to said first retracted position.