FR2829354A3 - Fruit collector for fruit falling from trees comprises strips of cloth or netting supported on posts at their edges, so that they slope down towards center where they are connected by U-shaped clips - Google Patents

Abstract

The fruit collector comprises strips of cloth or netting (2) which are supported on posts (3) at their edges, so that they slope down towards the center. They are connected at the center by U-shaped clips (4), so that fruit falling for the tree (1) rolls down from the edges.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a device for harvesting fruit from trees using gravity.

 Two rectangular nets are placed high on either side of the tree and kept taut thanks to stakes on the outside. The falling fruits roll on the nets and are housed in the central part of the nets thanks to the addition of pins which allows the creation of a pocket in the middle.

 The collection of fruit (hazelnuts, nuts, olives, prunes ...) is traditionally carried out on the ground or on nets or tarpaulins placed on the ground. The fruits are therefore necessarily picked by hand and then put in a container. In this case, the fruits have time to rot on the ground, or are soiled or eaten by birds or rodents. In the case of olives, for example, if they touch the ground, they give the oil an earthy taste which is detrimental to its quality and well known to professionals.

 The device according to the invention overcomes these drawbacks.

The description below is given for a single net. Depending on the location of the trees on the ground, it will take 1 or 2 nets on average per tree (a net can be on horseback under 2 different trees).

 The device is made up of: - a net or any other tarpaulin or sheet which can be extended under a tree.

 - 4 or more stakes that keep the net on the ground at each corner at a defined height.

 - pins which bring 2 inner edges of the net together to form a pocket in the shape of a gutter over the entire width of the net. The pocket is not necessarily in line with the net, but can be offset according to the environment of the tree.

The pins will be of defined shape in order to calibrate the space between the edges of the net in order to: - let the desired fruit pass to reach the pocket.

 - prevent the bird or the rodent from accessing the fruit in the pocket.

Their number will depend on the size of the meshes and the grammage of the net because the meshes in contact with the pins will tend to lengthen due to the tension of the net necessary to give a slope and no fold so that the fruits reach the pocket.

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A pin, every 20 to 40 cm, is sufficient in most cases.

Their shape can also be defined to be in contact with several meshes of the net in order to distribute the tension force on the net.

Some pebbles or other objects will be placed in the gutter to ballast the net without touching the ground but enough to tension the net. Another way to stretch the net is to keep the ends of the gutter at a certain height.

The net or other support used may be of known current design. It can however be reinforced on a strip of a few tens of centimeters in the middle in order to: - be more resistant to contact with pins.

 - make the net or support more opaque in order to hide the fruit so as not to attract birds or rodents.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 shows the front view of the device.

Figure 2 shows the top view of the device.

Figure 3 shows a possible form of pin.

The net (2) is held by stakes (3) under the tree and next to its trunk (1).

The gutter-shaped pocket is formed by pins (4).

The number of pins and their shape drawn in Figures 2 and 3 are only a suggestion. They can vary depending on the mesh size of the net.

 The device according to the invention is particularly intended for harvesting the fruits of trees which are collected: olives, nuts, hazelnuts, prunes, ... Ripe fruits, falling on the net, roll up to the gutter and are protected from birds and other rodents. They are also much easier to harvest.

Claims (7)

1) Device for harvesting the fruits which fall naturally from the tree (1) characterized in that it comprises a support (2) extended under the tree which allows the fruits to roll to the lowest point of the support.  2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the texture of the support is of the tarpaulin, sheet or woven or welded mesh type.  3) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the support is held on its outer part by stakes (3) whose lengths determine the high points of the support.  4) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the low points of the support are a pocket in the form of a gutter formed by pins (4) which bring together in its middle two edges of the support.  5) Device according to claim 1 and claim 4 characterized in that the pins are long enough to let the fruit to harvest and short enough to prevent birds or rodents from accessing the fruit.

I / 6) Device according to claim 1 and claim 4 characterized in that the pins have a defined shape so as not to tear the support during use.  7) Device according to claim 1 and claim 4 characterized in that the gutter can be ballasted by any object or held on the ground at a determined height in order to tension the support.