US1964741A - Fruit packer - Google Patents

Description

July 3,. '1934. A, Ej.; MOONE f 1,964,741

A FRUIT PACKER Filred March 25, 19,51

Patented July 3, 1934 UNITED STATILS FRUIT PACKER Albert E. F. Moone, Chicago, Ill., assgnor, by mesne assignments, to The Carpenter-Hiatt Sales Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Colorado Application March 25, 1931, Serial No. 525,097

Claims.

f1.9' formly spacing said rim from said ring when the ring is in its released position.

The invention accomplishes numerous objects, chief among these being the provision of apparatus which speeds up the process of packing fruit or the like and which may nevertheless be simply and cheaply constructed. Prior attempts atproviding clamps have been unsatisfactory because either the clamps would not work Well, or their use involved the waste of too much 201 time in applying or removing them. Also there were usually separable parts which soon became injured or lost.

With these and various other objects in view, the invention may consist of certain novel features of construction and operation, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, ydrawing and claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, which illustrates an embodiment of the device, and wherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts,

Figure 1 is a perspective'view of the improved apparatus showing its use;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Bcl Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken through the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan View of a modificationi and Figure 5 is a sectional view taken through the loi line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Although this invention may take many forms, only two have been chosen for illustration. In both of these the invention comprises the combination of certain attachments with the facing plate 10. This facing plate is used in a Way similar to that in which it has been formerly used. The top choice fruit is placed on the face of the plate, a liner 12 is slipped over the rim and is filled up, a basket is slipped over the liner,

5o and the assembly is inverted and the facing plate removed, leaving the liner in the basket and the fruit packed therein with the upper layer uniformly and attractively spaced. The facing plates are provided with a rim 1.4 for centering `the liner 12, which may be pressed down either on theoutside or on the inside of the rim. It is desirable also to provide a flange 16 to aid in handling the facing plate with the basket and for the purposes hereinafter described.

In the form shown in Figure 2, a split ring 60, 18 is provided on the outside ofthe rim 14. This ring preferably has a tendency to spread more than the amount shown, though special spring means may be provided for this purpose if desired. In order to cause the ring 18 to spread 65 uniformly and to space itself uniformly from the rim 14 when it expands, a circumferential series of lstops or guides 20 is secured to the fiange 16, as shown. Ihese are shaped to eX- tend over the ring 18 to hold it in position leven 70 when the facing plate is inverted. A pair of contracting levers 22 is provided, one secured to each end of the split ring 18. Both of the levers 22 are pivoted as by the bolt 24 to the ange 16. An operating handle 26 is also pivoted to '75 the iiange as at 28 between the outer endsrof the levers 22 Vfor the purpose of spreading the outer ends to force the inner ends toward each other and to contract the split ring 18.

The apparatus shown in Figures 4 and 5 is quite 80 similar although it is adapted for securing the liner on the inside of the rim 14 instead of on the outside. A split ring 30 is provided being held in place by the guides 32 which are spaced around the inside of the rim. The guides 32 serve the S5 additional function of limiting the contraction of the split ringBO at the various points, so that its contraction will be uniform. In this case, the split ring 30 has a natural tendency to contract.

In both this form and the form shown in the other figures, the guides 32 or 20 may have their upper surfaces inclined so as to aid in guiding the liner to position. When the liner 12 has been put in place the split ring 30 is expanded to clamp the liner between it and the rim 14 by the levers 95V 34, which are pivoted about the fulcrum 36. The levers 34 are operated by the operating handle 38 which is pivoted to the flange 16 at some point 40 which vis preferably between the outer ends of the levers 34.

From this description of the drawing, it is apparent that the operation of this device is extremely simple. The liner which may be of any desired form is simply opened and slipped between the rim 14 and the split ring 18 or 3Q. The 105 ring is then altered in size by contraction in Figure 2, or by expansion in Figure 4, to clamp the liner against the rim 14. This operation is performed by the simple turn of a single handle 36 or 38, and when the parts have been inverted with 1l@ the fruit basket, the facing plate is released from the liner equally simply by a turn of the single handle 26 or 38 permitting the split ring 18 or 30 to return to its normal position.

It is to be understood that many other` embodiments of the invention, including some in improved form, will be apparent, and in the course of time more will be devised by those skilled in the art. It is not desired that this invention be limited to the details described, for its scope includes all such forms or improvements as come within the spirit of the following claims, construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. Specifically it might be pointed out that instead of a ring there might be used a group of invidual clamps, or one of them, and any clamps could be normally active, but released momentarily by an operating handle.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a facing plate having an upstanding annular shoulder of means secured to the facing plate for clamping a fruit liner thereto at a plurality of points, each located substantially one-third or more of the circumference of the shoulder from one or more other said points by a pinching action on a single wall thereof against said shoulder, and means including a single handle continuously secured in operative relation .thereto for completely operating said clamping means.

2. The combination of a facing plate including an upstanding rim, a split ring adjacent said rim but normally spaced therefrom for the insertion of a fruit liner therebetween, means for altering I the size of said split ring to clamp said liner against said rim, said means including a pair of pivoted levers, and a handle arranged to pivot said levers relatively.

3. The combination of a facing plate including 7 an upstanding rim, a split ring adjacent said rim,

and secured to said facing plate but normally spaced therefrom for the insertion of a fruit liner therebetween, means continuously secured in operative relation to said split ring for altering the size of said split ring to clamp said liner against said rim.

4. The combination of a facing plate including an upstanding rim, an expansible ring continuously secured adjacent said rim but normally spaced therefrom for the insertion of a fruit liner therebetween, and means continuously secured in an operative relation for expanding said split ring to clamp said liner against said rim.

5. 'I'he combination of a facing plate including an upstanding rim, a contractible ring continuously secured adjacent said rim but normally spaced therefrom for the insertion of a fruit liner therebetween, and means continuously secured in an operative relation for contracting said split ring to clamp said liner against said rim.

6. The combination of a facing plate including an upstanding rim, a split ring adjacent said rim but normally spaced therefrom for the insertion of a fruit liner therebetween, means for altering the size of said split ring to clamp said liner against said rim, said means including a pair of levers pivoted to said facing plate, and a handle continuously arranged to operate both of said levers.

7. The combination of a facing plate including an upstanding rim, a split ring adjacent said rim but normally spaced therefrom for the insertion of a fruit liner therebetween, means for altering the size of said split ring to clamp said liner against said rim, and means for limiting the movement of various parts of said split ring away from said rim to insure its even spacing therefrom.

8. The combination of a facing plate having an upstanding annular shoulder thereon, means for clamping a fruit liner against said shoulder at a plurality of points each substantially diametrically opposed to another, a single handle for completely operating said clamping means, and means for causing said clamping means when' released to be uniformly spaced from said annular shoulder at various points.

9. The combination of a facing plate having an annular substantially vertical shoulder thereon, and means continuously secured in operative relation to said plate for clamping a fruit liner 1 by a pinching action against said shoulder throughout substantially the entire circumference. y

10. The combination of a facing plate including an annular uprisingv shoulder and clamping 1 means attached permanently to said facing plate and constructed to pinch a liner against said shoulder at a plurality of points, each located substantially one-third or more of the circumference of the shoulder from one or more other said 1 points around said shoulder.

ALBERT E. F. MOONE.

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