US3633677A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tomato harvester with sinuous oscillating shaker
Assignee: FMC Corp
•
Filing: 1969-08-08
•
Granted: 1972-01-11
•
Expires: 1989-08-08
Abstract
Abstract A tomato harvester feeds a mass of vines and tomatoes to a shaker conveyor wherein the mass is oscillated by a shaker bar and bellcrank assembly in the direction of conveyor travel as well as normal to said direction, to shake the tomatoes loose along a sinuous path. The shaker conveyor is in two sections joined by an oscillating cascade structure.
Inventors
- 👤 William Bruce Walker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 22:14
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D45/00; A01D45/006
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
190 words
A crop harvester for tomatoes or the like comprising means for picking up a mass of vines and fruit, an endless side chain shaker conveyor having cross flights for supporting the mass, means for oscillating the conveying reach of said shaker conveyor in the plane of conveying motion for detaching fruit from the mass and means for feeding said mass to said oscillating conveying reach; the improvement wherein said harvester includes means for imparting a sinuous motion to said oscillating conveying reach, said sinuous motion imparting means comprising end sets and intermediate sets of longitudinally spaced fixed supports for the side chains, vertically moving lifter roller sets adjacent the end sets of said supports, means for positively driving said lifting rollers so that one set of rollers lifts the chains from the adjacent supports as the other set of rollers drops the chains onto the adjacent supports, the amount of slack in the upper reaches of said chains being such that it is substantially all taken up by whichever lifting roller set is fully raised, for insuring that the chains are always lifted clear of one set of said supports.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
190 words
A crop harvester for tomatoes or the like comprising means for picking up a mass of vines and fruit, an endless side chain shaker conveyor having cross flights for supporting the mass, means for oscillating the conveying reach of said shaker conveyor in the plane of conveying motion for detaching fruit from the mass and means for feeding said mass to said oscillating conveying reach; the improvement wherein said harvester includes means for imparting a sinuous motion to said oscillating conveying reach, said sinuous motion imparting means comprising end sets and intermediate sets of longitudinally spaced fixed supports for the side chains, vertically moving lifter roller sets adjacent the end sets of said supports, means for positively driving said lifting rollers so that one set of rollers lifts the chains from the adjacent supports as the other set of rollers drops the chains onto the adjacent supports, the amount of slack in the upper reaches of said chains being such that it is substantially all taken up by whichever lifting roller set is fully raised, for insuring that the chains are always lifted clear of one set of said supports.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
129 words
A vine crop harvester for tomatoes or the like comprising means for picking up a mass of vines and fruit, an endless shaker conveyor having side chains and spaced flights for supporting the mass, shaker bars running longitudinally under the conveying reach of said side chains, means for oscillating said shaker bars substantially along the plane of said conveyor reach motion, harvester frame members adjacent front and rear portions of said shaker bars, bellcranks pivoted on said frame members, rollers on arms of said bellcranks for supporting said side chains and means connecting the other arms of said bell cranks to said shaker bars for raising and lowering said chains in response to oscillation of the shaker bars, the roller mounting arms of said bellcranks extending in opposite directIons.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
129 words
A vine crop harvester for tomatoes or the like comprising means for picking up a mass of vines and fruit, an endless shaker conveyor having side chains and spaced flights for supporting the mass, shaker bars running longitudinally under the conveying reach of said side chains, means for oscillating said shaker bars substantially along the plane of said conveyor reach motion, harvester frame members adjacent front and rear portions of said shaker bars, bellcranks pivoted on said frame members, rollers on arms of said bellcranks for supporting said side chains and means connecting the other arms of said bell cranks to said shaker bars for raising and lowering said chains in response to oscillation of the shaker bars, the roller mounting arms of said bellcranks extending in opposite directIons.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
87 words
A ground crop harvester of the type comprising a mobile vehicle having means for picking up a mass of vines or the like with the crop, and endless shaker conveyor for receiving said mass, and means for longitudinally oscillating a reach of said conveyor for detaching the crop from the mass; the improvement comprising means for alternately oscillating longitudinally spaced portions of said conveyor reach in a vertical direction at the same frequency as that of said longitudinal oscillations for augmenting the effectiveness of the longitudinal oscillations.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
87 words
A ground crop harvester of the type comprising a mobile vehicle having means for picking up a mass of vines or the like with the crop, and endless shaker conveyor for receiving said mass, and means for longitudinally oscillating a reach of said conveyor for detaching the crop from the mass; the improvement comprising means for alternately oscillating longitudinally spaced portions of said conveyor reach in a vertical direction at the same frequency as that of said longitudinal oscillations for augmenting the effectiveness of the longitudinal oscillations.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
67 words
The method of harvesting vine crops such as tomatoes or the like, comprising the steps of picking up a mass of vines and fruit, fluffing the mass and shaking fruit therefrom by advancing the mass while simultaneously oscillating the mass both longitudinally in the direction of advance and generally normally to said direction along a sinuous path, the longitudinal and normal oscillations being at the same frequency.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
67 words
The method of harvesting vine crops such as tomatoes or the like, comprising the steps of picking up a mass of vines and fruit, fluffing the mass and shaking fruit therefrom by advancing the mass while simultaneously oscillating the mass both longitudinally in the direction of advance and generally normally to said direction along a sinuous path, the longitudinal and normal oscillations being at the same frequency.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-01-10 | 1975-07-12 | 1976-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-01-10 | 1979-07-12 | 1980-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-01-10 | 1983-07-12 | 1984-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |