US1029918A - Machine for stemming cherries. - Google Patents

Description

M. E. DUNKLEY. MACHINE FOR STEMMING OHERRIES.

APPLIGATION FILED 0073.16, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M. E. DUNKLEY. MACHINE FOR STBMMING CHERRIES. APPLICATION FILED 001.10, 1911.

1 929 91 Patented Jfine 18,1912.

-w 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M. E. DUNKLEY. MACHINE FOR STEMMING CHERRIES.

I APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 16, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

4 BHEETS-BHEET 3.

M. E. DUNKLEY. MACHINE FOR STEMMING CHERRIES.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T.16, 1911.

1,029,918 Patnted June 18,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

' l H 00] l Witnesses.

ticular features of the machine, 'asan im- 1 UNITED s'rArr s PATENT onto MELVILLE n. DUNKLEY, or xaLnMA zoo, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR STEMMING CHERRIES.

.The main object of the invention is to provide a single machine which shall be completely efiiectivein removing the stems and in grading the fruit.

The invention also pertains to certain parproved means for feeding and presenting the fruit to the stem stripping rollers to improved means for insuring the turning of gaged; to improved means for severing the stems when a bunch of cherries is joined of retaining any fruit that has not been properly stemmed and returning it to the feed device at the front end of the machine; and to improved means coupled with the stemming machine for grading the fruit.

Y .Further improvements and improvements relating to mere details and to economies of construction and operation will definitely appear from the detailed description to fol- I accomplish the objects of my invention bythe devices and means and machinery described in the following specification..

The invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the claims? A machine constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a responding to line 4-4. of Figs. I, II and v III. Fig. V is an enlarged detail plan view of the upper endof the stem stripping rolls and the driving means therefor, the feed carrier orelevator afid the apron being Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 18, 1912, Application filed October 16, 1911. Serial No. 655,027.

- omitted. "Fig. VI- is an enlargeddetail sec- 1 tlonal view taken on a line corresponding to 1 line 6-6 of Fig. I, showing the reciprocating ways on which the shaker table recipro- 'cates. Fig. VII is an enlarged detail sectional'view taken on a line corresponding to line 7-7 ofFig. II, showing the details of the stem snipping device for severing the stems when a group of cherries is coupled together thereby.

In the drawings, similar numerals of ref I erence refer to similar parts throughout tlie several views, and the sectional views taken looking in the direction of the little 1 arrows at the ends of the section lines.

Referring to the numbered parts of the drawing, the sides 1 of the frame are coupled together by cross beams 2 at. the

lower part, and by cross beams 3 above, the the cherries so that the stems will be encross beam 3 toward the front of the machine being elevated above that at the rear,

or discharge end. by the associated stems; toimproved means The beams 3 are provided with journal boxes 3, which carry pairs of stripping .rolls 4-4 disposed longitudinally of the machine I and in an inclined relation. The pairs of rolls are sufliclently close together to grasp 1 the stemof a cherry andstrip it off. The

rolls 4 are driven from the transverse shaft 5, carrying bevel gears 6 which mesh with bevel gears 7 on the ends of the rolls, and

the rolls 44 are provided with intermeshing gears 8, 9, so that they turn toward each other when they are driven and act in the well known manner of such stripping rolls. The shaft 5 is supported in suitable journal boxes 10-10 at each side of the machine.

A shaker table, consisting of sides 11 coupled together by cross pieces 12-, the surface of which is formed by a'series of open hottomed troughs, is disposed with the troughs above the meeting line of said rolls. The troughs are made up plates 1616, with the openings 17 above the contact line between the pairs of rolls, and is provided for delivering the cherries to the said stripping rolls, so that the stems will be stripped from the same. p

The sides 11 are carried on suitable guideways 14 on the'sides 1, the same being suitably grooved at 13 to fit upon the said rails.

The shaker table is operated from the eccentrics 18, one at each end of the shaft 5.

Each eccentric operates a connecting rod 19,

which is pivotally connected at 20 to the side of the frame 11, as clearly appears in Fig.

l V, the details of the connection appearing distinctly in Figs. I and II.

Supported above the shaker frame is a pair of transverse shafts 2121, which are carried in bearings on suitable arms 22-22 at each end, which arms are secured to the sides 1 ,of the main frame. These shafts 21 are provided above the meeting lines of the stripper rolls with flexible straps 23, which, when the shafts are rotated, tend to strike the upwardly projecting stems of any cherries and tip the same over so that the stem will be grasped by the stripping rolls below. These shafts are driven from the pulley 24 on the shaft 5, which is coupled to a pulley 25 by the belt 26. Pulleys 28-28 are on the shafts 21 and are coupled together by the belt 27.

Above the lower part of the shaker frame are disposed a series of cutting devices for cutting apart any bunches of cherries which may be retained together by their stems. This structure is drlven by the transverse shaft 29 supported in bearings on arms 30 at each end, the shaft 29 ,being driven from the pulley 31 on one of the shafts 21, which is coupled to the pulley 32 by means of the belt 33.

A series of shafts 34 are supported above the meeting lines of the stripper rolls and are drivenby the intermeshing bevel gears 3536 from the shaft 29. The parallel shafts '34 are supported by the transverse bars 37.37, which are carried by upwardlyprojecting arms or brackets 38-38 secured to the sides 1 of the main frame.

On the shafts 34 are carried curved cutters or knives 3939, (see Fig. VII)'which strike upwardly between the teeth 40 of the comb. The comb 41 is supported on the transverse bar 37, as clearly appears in Fig. II. It will thus be seen that when any group of cherries is coupled together by the stems and passes underneath these knives, owing to the fact that the knives are rotating quite rapidly, the stems will be engaged by one or the other of the knives 39 and the fruit will be cut apart by the knives passing upwardly between the teeth- 40 of the comb 41,

the details of which appear distinctly in Figs. II and VII.

The fruit passes from the shaker table to a transverse carrier belt 46 supported on longitudinal rollers 48, which are slightly inclined toward the rear of the machine. These rollers are driven by the pulley 47, which is driven by a belt 47' extending to a pulley 47 on some revolving part on the side of the machine.

Beyond the inclined part of the carrier 46 is an inclined grading table 49', which is carried by the brackets 49, which brackets also serve as supports for the transverse conveyer belt 46. It will thusbe seen that any fruit that has not been properly stemmed that drops on the inclined conveyer belt 46 will not roll off from the same, but will be conveyed to one side of the machine.

At the sideof the machine is an endless conveyer 50 with transverse slats or raddles 51. The conveyer is supported on rolls 52 which are driven by any suitable independent means, which it is not deemed necessary to show in this connection. This is carried on an independent frame 52. An inclined delivery trough 53 is provided at the rear,

which discharges any unstemmed fruit into the feed hopper 42, hereafter to be described, at the front of the machine.

At the front of the machine is a feed hop-i it will be seen that in operation, a quantity of fruit is placed with1n the feed hopper 42, and is carried upwardly in small quantities by the transverse slats 44 of the elevator 43 and dropped down the chute 45 onto the shaker table. As this shaker table is being actuated, the fruit rapidly passes down the same, descending into the bottoms of the troughs, and the stems striking down between the stripper rolls 44 are stripped from the fruit, which is then freeto roll down off from the machine. If, for any reason, due to irregularity of form or otherwise, the stems of any of the fruit stand upwardly, the flexible fingers 23 strike the same, throwing the stems down so that the rolls catch them and strip them off.

In the event that a bunch of cherries are retained together by the stems, they are advanced down the shaker table until they come to the revolving knives 39, which will strike between the stems up through the comb and cut them apart and permit them to tumble on and be acted upon by the stripper rolls at that point. In the event thatany of the cherries pass by these various devices and are not stemmed, they will, of course,

not be free to r011, and as soon as they drop upon the conveyer belt 46, they will be retained there and carried to one side and returned by the conveyer 50 to the rear of the machine wherethe process will be repeated,-

so that after a cherry with a stem. on is put into the machine it is repeatedly passed through the machine until the stem is evengrading table 49', which isrmade up of aI series of spaced slat-s that: permit the small fruit to pass through and the largest cherries pass on ofi:' the edge where they are 001- lected by an boxes for that purpose, I

I have thus described my machine in full l in the form in which it is found to be most practical and eflicient. Thecapacity of" the machine is very large, many, hundreds, of bushels being eifectively stemmed in a single day. This labor otherwise performed would consume the time of many hands, and the work would. not beso well done in the end. In this connection, I desire to state that-the auxiliary devices for tipping over thefruit to bring the stems into engagej ment can, of course, be dispensed with, thus dispensing with their-function. The machine, however, would still .be quite efi'ective, because the fruit .with stems on would be returned to the front of'the machine, and in the. event of some of this fruit being bunched together by the stems, it could be separated by the hands of an operator. On the otherhand, the devices are so effective that an operator might be placed at the rear of the machine and could very easily pick out the unstemmed fruit. By providing the means described I have made it unnecessary to provide these attendants'to which I refer. The machine with these devices is completely automatic.

I desire to claim this structure broadly, and also to claim the same inv conjunction with its special features, making claims specific to the. particular structure of the machine," as well as to the structure broadly.

The structure can be greatly varied in its mechanical details without departing from my invention, although it is incorporated in a very efiective form, which I wish to claim specifically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to-secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; a shaker table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable connections for shaking the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the frult; transverse revoluble shafts above said shaker table with striking fingers for upsetting the fruit to throw the stems between the stripper rolls; and longitudinal shafts disposed above the contact line of a portion of the length of said stripper rolls with rotary cutters thereon transverse to said rolls, and combs associatedvwith said-cutters for y suitable devices, as baskets or a frame; pairs ef'inclined stripperrolls dissnipping the stems to divide any passing bunches of fruit, all coacting substantially .as described and for the purpose specified.

as cherries, the combination 0- a suitable posed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; a shaker table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meetingv surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable connections for shaking the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; and transverse revoluble shafts above said shaker table with strikin fingers for upsetting the fruit to throw t e stemsbetween the stripper .rolls, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

3. Ina machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; a shaker table dispose above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the 2. In a machine for stemmin' fruit, such meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls;

guide means for said shaker table; and suit able connections for .shaking the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit, all coacting substantiallygas described 4 I and for the purpose specified.

4. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls dislongitudinal reciprocation to -'advance the fruit and longitudinal shafts disposed above the contact line of a portion of the length of said stripper rolls with rotary cutters thereon transverse to said rolls, and combs associated with said cutters for snipping the stemslto divide any passing bunches of fruit, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame;, pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; means therefor; a shaker table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable a driving connections for shaking the said table by troughs adapted to snip the upwardly projecting stems, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

6. In a machine' for stemming fruit; such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a drlvmg means therefor; a shaker table dlsposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open. bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable connections for shaking the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; and cutters disposed. above said trough adapted to snip the upwardly. projecting stems, all coacting substantially as describe and for the purpose specified.

7. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of asuitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; a shaker table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable con-, nections for shaking the said table by lon-.

gitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; and a transversely driven endless belt beneath the discharge end of said shaker table and inclined toward the discharge end of t the machine for receiving the fruit and carrying the unstemmed fruit laterally to one side and thus separating it from the mass of stemmed fruit, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

8. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a drivlng means therefor; a shaker table disposed abovesuch rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable connections .for shaking the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; a transversely driven endless belt be- 5b neath the discharge end of said shaker table and inclined toward the discharge end of the machine for receiving the fruit and carrying the unstemmed fruit laterally to one side and" thus separating it from the mass of stemmed fruit; and an inclined grading table made up of suitable separated longitudinal slats beneath the lower side of said inclined belt for grading the fruit, coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

9. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suit-abletroughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfacesof said stri per rolls; guide'means for said shaker tab e; suitable connections for shaking the said table by 10 itudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; and an inclined ading table made up of suitable separateg longitudinal slats beneath disposed at the rear of said machine, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified. Q

10. In a machine for stemmi fruit, such as cherries, the combination 0 a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; 'a shaker "table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stri per rolls;

guide means for said shaker tab e; suitable connections for shakin the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; a transversely driven endless belt beneath the discharge end of said shaker table and inclined toward the discharge end of the machine for receivi the fruit and carrying the unstemmed fruit laterally to one side and thus separating it from the mass of stemmed fruit; and a return carrier disposed to one side of said machine beneath the dischar e end of said transverse belt for returning t e unstemmed fruit to the hopper at the front of the machine, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

11. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a drivin means therefor; a "shaker table dispose above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meetmg surfaces of said stripper rolls; guide means for said shaker table; suitable connections for shaking the said table by longitudinal reciprocation to advance the fruit; a feeding hopper at the front of the machine, open at one side; an inclined elee vator conveyer with transverse slats disposed vto receive the fruit from the open side of said hopper and carry it upwardly; and

fruit; a feeding hopper at the front of the machine, open at one side; and an inclined elevator conveyer with transverse slats disposed to receive thefruit from the open side of said hopper and carry it upwardly, all coacting substantially as described and for the purpose specified. a

13. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stri per rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; and an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls, as specified.

14:. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stri per rolls disposed longitudinally thereof a driving means therefor; an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; and a transversely driven endless belt beneath the discharge end of said inclined table and inclined toward the discharge end of the machine for receiving the fruit and carrying the unstemmed fruit laterally to one side and thus separating it from the mass of stemmed frult, as specified.

15. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of. a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; a transversely driven endless belt beneath the discharge end of said inclined table and inclined toward the discharge end of the machine for receiving the fruit and carrying the unstemmed fruit laterally to one side and thus separating it from the mass of stemmed fruit; and an inclined grading tablemade up of suitable separated longitudinal slats beneath the lower side of said ifimgined belt forgrading the fruit, as speci- 16. In a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; and

an inchned grading table made up of suitable separated longitudinal slats beneath dis posed at the rear of said machine, as speci- 17. In' a machine for stemming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; a transversely driven endless belt beneath the discharge end of said inclined table and inclined toward the discharge end of the machine for receiving the fruit and carrying the unstemmed fruit laterally to one side and thus separating it from the mass of stemmed fruit; and a return carrier disposed to one side of said machine beneath the discharge end of said transverse belt for returning the unstemmed fruit to the hopper at the front of the machine, as specified.

18. In a machine for steinming fruit, such as cherries, the combination of a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; a feeding hopper ,at the front of the machine, open at one side; an inclined elevator con-' veyer with transverse slats disposed to receive the fruit from the open side of said hopper and carry it upwardly; and a chute to receive the fruit from the said conveyer and discharge it onto the inclined table, as specified.

19. In a machine for stemmin fruit, such as cherries, the combination 0 a suitable frame; pairs of inclined stripper rolls disposed longitudinally thereof; a driving means therefor; an inclined table disposed above such rolls divided into longitudinal troughs with open bottoms in line with the meeting surfaces of said stripper rolls; a feeding hopper at the front of the machine, open at one side; and an inclined elevator conveyer wit-h transverse slats disposed to receive the fruit from the open side of said hopper and carry it upwardly, as specified.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two witnesses.

MELVILLE E. DUNKLEY.

Witnesses:

M. PHINA Woonnurr, MARGARET L. GLASGOW.

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