Harvesting apparatus

Claim 2

An agricultural harvesting machine comprising in combination, air blast generating means, a plurality of horizontally displaced vertically extending air discharge means each having a narrow vertically elongated discharge opening with the openings angled toward each other for causing air blasts discharged therefrom to converge and intersect along a vertical axis, a shaft rotatably mounted in each opening, power means for rotating said shafts, and a plurality of air deflector vanes secured to said shafts in oblique relation therewith and in dissimilar phase relation to one another, so that said air blasts are swerved by the said rotating deflector vanes as the said air blasts are diScharged from the said openings and as the air blasts intersect at said vertical axis.

Claim 3

The agricultural machine of claim 1 wherein said discharge openings are angled toward each other at approximately a 30* angle of convergence and are displaced horizontally approximately 39 inches.

Claim 4

The agricultural machine of claim 2 wherein said air blast generating means is arranged to force air over said vanes at a velocity in the range of from 80 to 180 mph and wherein said power means is arranged to rotate said shafts at an angular speed of from 40 to 100 rpm.

Claim 5

An agricultural harvesting machine movable between rows of fruit trees for dislodging fruit from a tree comprising, a pair of horizontally spaced vertically elongated air discharging means each defining a narrow substantially vertically extending elongated air discharge opening with the openings angled toward each other, air blast generating means for directing an air blast into each discharge means and out through said openings along paths which converge and intersect each other along a substantially vertical axis within and near the center plane of the tree being harvested, which plane extends parallel to the direction of movement of the machine, and driven air deflecting means mounted in each discharge opening for swerving the air blasts leaving the discharge openings, said converging air blasts being arranged to reinforce each other for increasing the fruit dislodging energy within the tree thereby dislodging acceptable quantities of fruit from both the inner and the outer portions of the tree.

Claim 6

An agricultural harvesting machine movable between rows of fruit trees for dislodging fruit from a tree comprising, a pair of horizontally spaced vertically elongated air discharging means each defining a narrow substantially vertically extending elongated air discharge opening with the openings angled toward each other, air blast generating means for directing an air blast into each discharge means and out through said openings along paths which converge and intersect each other along a substantially vertical axis within and near the center plane of the tree being harvested, which plane extends parallel to the direction of movement of the machine, and driven air deflecting means mounted in each discharge opening for swerving the air blasts leaving the discharge openings, said converging air blasts being arranged to reinforce each other for increasing the fruit dislodging energy within the tree thereby dislodging acceptable quantities of fruit from both the inner and the outer portions of the tree.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein each of said driven air deflecting means includes a shaft rotatably mounted in the associated discharge opening of the associated discharge means, power means connected to the shaft for rotating the shaft, and a plurality of air deflector vanes secured to said shafts in oblique relation therewith and in dissimilar phase relation to one another.