Agricultural leaf picking machine

Claim 2

In a machine for removing leaves from the substantially upright stalk of a plant, where the leaves grow randomly, outwardly from said stalk, the combination comprising: a pair of elevatable tables adapted to be moved at a desired speed relative to the stalk of a plant from which leaves are to be removed, and spaced horizontally a distance so as to accommodate said stalk therebetween, and inclined upwardly from front to rear; and cutting means comprising a plurality of knives haviNg upwardly facing knife edges adapted to project sideways from an edge of at least one of said pair of tables into the space between said pair of tables, and adapted to be moved backwardly along said at least one edge of said at least one table at a speed corresponding to the speed at which said tables are moved relative to the plant stalk; a further upwardly facing knife edge disposed along at least a portion of the side of each one of said pair of tables adjacent to the space therebetween; and a plurality of flexible, paddles adapted to sweep backwardly on the upper surface of each one of said pair of tables.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 where each of said pair of spaced tables is adapted to swing laterally, independently of the other of said pair.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 further comprising: a flexible, augur-type paddle whose axis of rotation extends in a plant below and substantially parallel to the plane of the inner portion of the upper surface of each one of said pair of tables, respectively, and disposed so as to extend rearwardly from the rear edge of each one of said pair of tables, respectively; and a flexible, fan-type paddle disposed with its axis of rotation to the outside of each one of said pair of tables, respectively, and substantially perpendicular thereto.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 3 further comprising: air blast means adapted to blow air upwardly and towards the space between said pair of tables; said air blast means being disposed near the inner, front edge of at least one of said pair of tables.

Claim 6

Leaf orientation apparatus adapted to be mounted with leaf removing apparatus so as to orient leaves which are removed from the substantially upright stalk of a plant, and which have grown randomly, outwardly from said stalk; wherein said leaf orientation apparatus is to deliver said leaves to leaf conveying equipment, comprising: a plurality of sets of sweeping, flexible, finger-like paddles, each set comprising a plurality of said finger-like paddles being adapted to lift and move said leaves in a first direction, in which first direction said sweeping paddles are effecting their sweeping action; a flexible, augur-type paddle associated with each set of sweeping paddles with its axis of rotation extending in said first direction below the effective plane of action of said set of sweeping paddles; and a flexible, fan-type paddle associated with each set of sweeping paddles with its axis of rotation extending substantially vertically to and above and at the side of said effective plane of action of said set of sweeping paddles; the direction of rotation of each said augur-type paddle being such as to tend to move any leaf touching the same to a position to the side of the effective plane of action of said set of sweeping paddles remote from said augur-type paddle and nearer said associated fan-type paddle; and the direction of rotation of each said fan-type paddle being such as to tend to move any leaf touching the same in a direction parallel to said first direction and in an orientation at the fan-type paddle side of each of said respective set of sweeping paddles.

Claim 7

Leaf orientation apparatus adapted to be mounted with leaf removing apparatus so as to orient leaves which are removed from the substantially upright stalk of a plant, and which have grown randomly, outwardly from said stalk; wherein said leaf orientation apparatus is to deliver said leaves to leaf conveying equipment, comprising: a plurality of sets of sweeping, flexible, finger-like paddles, each set comprising a plurality of said finger-like paddles being adapted to lift and move said leaves in a first direction, in which first direction said sweeping paddles are effecting their sweeping action; a flexible, augur-type paddle associated with each set of sweeping paddles with its axis of rotation extending in said first direction below the effective plane of action of said set of sweeping paddles; and a flexible, fan-type paddle associated with each set of sweeping paddles with its axis of rotation extending substantially vertically to and above and at the side of said effective plane of action of said set of sweeping paddles; the direction of rotation of each said augur-type paddle being such as to tend to move any leaf touching the same to a position to the side of the effective plane of action of said set of sweeping paddles remote from said augur-type paddle and nearer said associated fan-type paddle; and the direction of rotation of each said fan-type paddle being such as to tend to move any leaf touching the same in a direction parallel to said first direction and in an orientation at the fan-type paddle side of each of said respective set of sweeping paddles.

Claim 8

A tobacco priming machine for removing randomly outwardly growing leaves from the substantially upright stalk of a tobacco plant, said priming machine being adapted to remove leaves from tobacco plants when said tobacco plants are growing in spaced apart rows having predetermined row-spacing, said priming machine being further adapted to remove leaves from said tobacco plants at a predetermined height range measured from the ground on said plants, comprising, in combination: at least a pair of elevatable tables adapted to be moved at a desired speed relative to the stalk of a plant from which leaves are to be removed, and spaced horizontally a distance so as to accommodate said stalk therebetween, and inclined upwardly from front to rear; cutting means comprising a plurality of knives having upwardly facing knife Edges adapted to project sideways from an edge of at least one of said pair of tables into the space between said pair of tables, and adapted to be moved backwardly along said at least one edge of said at least one table at a speed corresponding to the speed at which said tables are moved relative to the plant stalk; a further upwardly facing knife edge disposed along at least a portion of the side of each one of said pair of tables adjacent to the space therebetween; a plurality of flexible paddles adapted to sweep backwardly on the upper surface of each one of said pair of tables; and drive means adapted to drive said plurality of sideways projecting knives backwards at a horizontally resolved, linear rate substantially equal to the rate of forward motion of the tobacco priming machine so that the net relative motion between any one of said knives and a tobacco plant stalk situated between said at least one pair of tables and proximate said one knife, is substantially zero.

Claim 9

A tobacco priming machine for removing randomly outwardly growing leaves from the substantially upright stalk of a tobacco plant, said priming machine being adapted to remove leaves from tobacco plants when said tobacco plants are growing in spaced apart rows having predetermined row-spacing, said priming machine being further adapted to remove leaves from said tobacco plants at a predetermined height range measured from the ground on said plants, comprising, in combination: at least a pair of elevatable tables adapted to be moved at a desired speed relative to the stalk of a plant from which leaves are to be removed, and spaced horizontally a distance so as to accommodate said stalk therebetween, and inclined upwardly from front to rear; cutting means comprising a plurality of knives having upwardly facing knife Edges adapted to project sideways from an edge of at least one of said pair of tables into the space between said pair of tables, and adapted to be moved backwardly along said at least one edge of said at least one table at a speed corresponding to the speed at which said tables are moved relative to the plant stalk; a further upwardly facing knife edge disposed along at least a portion of the side of each one of said pair of tables adjacent to the space therebetween; a plurality of flexible paddles adapted to sweep backwardly on the upper surface of each one of said pair of tables; and drive means adapted to drive said plurality of sideways projecting knives backwards at a horizontally resolved, linear rate substantially equal to the rate of forward motion of the tobacco priming machine so that the net relative motion between any one of said knives and a tobacco plant stalk situated between said at least one pair of tables and proximate said one knife, is substantially zero.

Claim 10

The tobacco priming machine of claim 6, where each of said pair of spaced tables is adapted to swing laterally, independently of the other of said pair.

Claim 11

The tobacco priming machine of claim 7 further comprising: means to provide continual adjustment of elevation of the front edges or rear edges of said at least one pair of tables over a specific range of elevation independently of any adjustment in elevation to the rear or front edges of said tables respectively.

Claim 12

The tobacco priming machine of claim 8, further comprising: a plurality of flexible, finger-like paddles adapted to sweep backwardly on the inner portion of the upper surface of each of said pair of tables, and driven at substantially the same linear rate as that of said driven knife edges; a flexible, augur-type paddle whose axis of rotation extends in a plane below and substantially parallel to the plane of the inner portion of the upper surface of each of said pair of tables, respectively, and disposed so as to extend rearwardly from the rear edge of each of said pair of tables, respectively; and a flexible, fan-type paddle disposed with its axis of rotation to the outside of each of said pair of tables, respectively, and substantially perpendicular thereto.

Claim 13

The tobacco priming machine of claim 9, further comprising: a first, driven endless belt having its delivery direction on the upper side of its path of travel; a second, driven endless belt being driven at the same delivery speed as said first belt and in a path of travel substantially overlying and parallel to the path of travel of said first belt, but with the delivery direction of said second belt on its lower side so that the delivery directions of said first and second belts are effectively in the same direction, and so that the delivery portions of said first and second belts are facing; and hopper means for receiving said leaves seriatim from the delivery end of said first and second belts, said hopper means having an upwardly directed air blast therein adapted to encounter said leaves as each leaf enters the hopper so as to delay the free-fall of each said leaf for sufficiently long that the heavier, butt-end of said leaf falls through said hopper means and is delivered to leaf receiving bin means butt-end first; wherein said flexible, finger-like paddles, said flexible, augur-type paddles and said flexible, fan-type paddles are adapted so that a leaf swept backwards in a first direction over the top surface of one of said tables by said finger-like paddles would be moved, on contact with the associated augur-type paddles, towards the associated fan-type paddle with said finger-like paddles and subsequently on contact with said fan-type paddle, in a direction parallel to said first direction and towards the receiving end of said first and second driven, endless belts; so that, when a plurality of leaves are removed, seriatim, from a plurality of tobacco plant stalks, said plurality of leaves are delivered, seriAtim, to said receiving end of said belts.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 2 further comprising: a flexible, augur-type paddle whose axis of rotation extends in a plane below and substantially parallel to the plane of the inner portion of the upper surface of each one of said pair of tables, respectively, and disposed so as to extend rearwardly from the rear edge of each one of said pair of tables, respectively.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 8 further comprising: a flexible, augur-type paddle whose axis of rotation extends in a plane below and substantially parallel to the plane of the inner portion of the upper surface of each one of said pair of tables, respectively, and disposed so as to extend rearwardly from the rear edge of each one of said pair of tables, respectively.