US1278679A - Apple-quartering machine. - Google Patents

Description

C. KIRINO.

APPLE QUARTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.191s.

1,7,79u Patented Sept. 10,1918.

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c. KIRINO.

APPLE QUARTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1918.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918'.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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APPLEQUARTEBI1\TG MACHINE.

Application filed June 3, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES KIRINO, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, and a resident of Ogden, in the county of Veber and State of Utah, have invented a new and Im proved Apple-Quartering Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting into quarters or other sizes pared and cored apples for canning.

The invention has for its general objects to improve the construction and operation of machines of this character so as to be re liable and efficient in use, automatic in its operations, and so designed as to have a very large output.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a conveying means for the peeled and cored apples, in combination with a series of traveling tanks so timed in relation to the apple-containing means that the apples will dip into the tanks and by floating therein assume a position with the core passage upright, and from the tanks the apples are conveyed to suitable cutting means whereby the apples are quartered by cuts coincident with the axis of the core assage.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a plurality of traveling apple holders or cups each provided with cutting wires, blades or the like, in combination with traveling plungers which move in timed relation to the cups so as to periodically register therewith, and by moving into and out of the cups the plungers force the apples through the cutters, whereby the apples are quartered and drop out of the cups.

With such and other objects in view, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. t is a detail sectional view showing the manner of feeding the peeled and cored.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Serial No. 237,985.

apples into the cups, the section being taken on the line 4'4, Fig. 2;

Fig, 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55, Fig. 2, showing the manner of uprighting or straightening the apples by floating them;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the gangs of plungers;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of one type of quartering cutter;

Fig. 8 is a side view of another form of cutter; and

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on the line 99, Fig, 8.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the frame of the machine, which may be of any desired construction and at one end is provided with a feeder B for the peeled and cored apples which supplies the apples to a traveling conveyer C with which cooperates a tank conveyer D located at the middle of the machine, and at the opposite end from the feeder B is the cutting plunger mechanism E.

The feeder B comprises an endless chain 1 which has fastened thereto transverse bars 2 which cooperate with the table or platform 3 to receive apples from a coring and peeling machine and. convey the apples forwardly to the conveyer C. The chain 1 passes over sprocket wheels 4 and 5, the first being fastened to a shaft 6 which has at one end a sprocket wheel 7 meshing with a trans mission sprocket chain 8 that in turn meshes with a sprocket wheel 9 on a horizontal shaft 10.

The conveyer C is composed of two endless chains 11 which pass around large sprocket wheels 12 and 13 at opposite ends of the; machine and around small sprocket wheels 14 and l i located under the sprocket wheels 12 and 13. These endless chains are provided with a plurality of sets or gangs of apple -holding cups 15 equally spaced apart. There are three cups in a set, and at the end of each set is a journal 16 which is pivotally connected to the adjacent chain 11, and on each journal is a roller 17 which rides on a track 18 fastened to the frame A, The upper section 0 of the track has a dip so that the cups will cooperate with the tank conveying mechanism D to lower the apples into the tanks, as will. be hereinafter more fully described. As the apple-carrying cups are pivoted they maintain a pendent posi tion throughout the cycle of travel. The end of the conveyer G adjacent the feeder B is so arranged that the cups move upwardly at the point 0, so as to meet the apples dropping off the feeder B, the rate of travel of the conveyer being so timed with the travel of the feeder B that there will always be cups ready to receive the apples as they drop.

Each cup 15 is open at its bottom and is provided with suitable cutting means, such as crossing wires 19 fastened to a ring 20 suitably secured to thebottom of the cup 15; or crossing blades 19 constructed as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 may be employed.

The conveyer C may be driven by power applied to the shaft 21 on which are arranged the large sprocket wheels 13, and on this shaft is a sprocket wheel 22 meshing with a sprocket chain 23 that in turn meshes with a driving sprocket wheel 24:. The conveyer C is operatively connected with the feeder B through the sprocket chain 8, whereby the feeder is driven.

The apple uprighting or straightening mechanism comprises a plurality of tanks 25 carried by a pair of sprocket chains 26 which ride over sprocket wheels 27 and 28, the sprocket wheels 28 being mounted on a shaft 29 which has a sprocket wheel 30 meshing with a driving sprocket chain 31 that in turn meshes with a sprocket wheel 32 on the shaft 21. Each tank is long enough to receive a gang or set of cups 15, as shown in Fig. 5, and on each end of a tank is a journa'l 33 pivotally connected with the adjacent sprocket chain 26 and having a roller 361- which rides on a track 34. The upper flight of the sprocket chains 26 is adjacent to the upper flight of the conveyer chains, and the sprocket wheels 27 are located directly under the lower part of the dip 0 in the upper flight of the conveyer C, so that as a tank moves upwardly around the sprocket wheels 27, a'set of cups 15 with apples therein will move downwardly and enter the tank, it being understood that the tanks travel at the same rate as the cups of the conveyer C. In this manner the apples become submerged in the water in the tanks 25, as shown in Fig. 5, and the apples automatically adjust themselves so that the core passages will be upright. The tanks and apple-holding cups move together toward the right, Fig. 1., and at the sprockets 28 the tanks move downwardly away from the apples, which latter are moved to a point under the plunger mechanism E. The plunger mechanism E comprises a plurality of sets or gangs of plungers 35, the plungers of each set being connected with a cross head 36 which has an upwardly extending rod 37 slidable in a guideway or tube 38, the latter being fastened to a sprocket chain 39 which passes around sprocket wheels 40 and 41.. Each rod 37 has a roller 42 which rides in a cam groove 43 which has a drop at 14:, so that the plungers when passing through the approximately semi-circular drop 14: will move up and down. The plungers are normally held above the plane of the cups on the upper flight of the conveyer C, and the sprocket chain 39 is moved at such a rate that a gang of plungers will register with a gang of cups at the beginning 4&5 of the drop 441 in the cam groove, and as the gangs of plungers move to the right, Fig. 1, that gang which registers with the gang of cups will be moved 'mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 47 which has a gear wheel 48 at its bottom meshing with a pinion 49 on a shaft 50 which has the sprocket wheel 2%. The shaft 50 may serve as the power shaft of the machine.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in'the art to which the invention a )pertains,and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the machine which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the machine shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

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

1. A machine of the class described comprising a feeder for cored apples, a conveyer having means for receiving apples from the feeder, means associated with the conveyer and in which the apples are submerged while traveling with the conveyer, whereby they automatically adjust themselves with their core passages upright, and means for cutting the apples while in the conveyer;

2. A machine of the class described comprising a traveling holder for a cored apple, means moving with the holder and in which the apple is submerged to cause the core passage to assume a vertical position, and means located at a point beyond the firstmentioned means and adjacent the path of the traveling holder for cutting the apple while the said passage is in vertical position;

3. A machine of the class described including a cup-like holder for a cored apple, cutting elements in the bottom of the holder, and means for submerging the holder in a body of water to cause the apple to assume a given position, and a plunger movable into the holder for forcing the apple through the cutting elements.

at. A machine of the class described comprising a conveyer having a plurality of cup-like apple holders spaced apart and each holder having cutting means at its bottom, means in which the holders are submerged to cause the apples automatically to assume a predetermined position, a plurality of plungers movable in timed relation to the conveyer to bring the holders and plungers periodically into register, means for operating the plungers into the holders, and means for moving the plungers into the holders when in registering position, to force the apples through the cutters.

A machine of the class described comprising an endless conveying means, cup-like holders pivotally mounted on the conveying means and open at the top and bottom, cut ting means at the bottom of each holder, endless traveling elements, pivoted tanks on the said elements, and means for moving the tanks in timed relation to the conveying means, whereby the holders on the latter will periodically enter the tanks and leave the same, and means for entering the holders to force the apples through the cutting means.

6. A machine of the class described comprising an endless feeder for cored apples, an endless conveyer having an upwardly Copies of this patent may be obtained tor traveling portion adjacent the feeder, cuplike holders spaced apart on the conveyer, cutting means at the bottom of each holder, means for driving the conveyer in timed relation to the feeder, whereby apples from the feeder drop into the cups successively, traveling plungers movable. over the conveyer in such relation as to periodically register with the holders, means for supporting the plungers to reciprocate, and a cam device acting on the plungers to move the same when in registering position with the holders for forcing the apples out of the holders while cutting the same.

7. A machine of the class described comprising an endless feeder for cored apples, an endless conveyer having an upwardly traveling portion adjacent the feeder, cuplike holders spaced apart on the conveyer, cutting means at the bottom of each holder, means for driving the conveyer in timed relation to the feeder, whereby apples from the feeder drop into the cups successively, traveling plungers movable over the conveyer in such relation as to periodically register with the holders, means for supporting the plungers to reciprocate, acam device acting on the plungers to move the same when in registering position with the holders for forcing the apples out of the holders while cutting the same, and a plurality of traveling tanks movable in timed relation with the conveyer, whereby the holders enter the tanks and cause the apples to adjust themselves with their core passages upright before the plungers are reached.

CHARLES KIRINO.

five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

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