US224936A

US224936A - mebine

Info

Publication number: US224936A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1880-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1897-02-24

Description

J. G. MERIN'E;

Fruit-Picker.

No. 224,936. Patenfed Feb. 24, 1880.

% i ENTOR V ATTORNEY WITNESSES v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN U. MERINE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO L. P. SWAYNE, OF SAME PLACE.

.FRUlT-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 224,936, dated February 24, 1880.

' Application filed October 25, 1879.

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, JOHN G. MERlNE, of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a new and 5 valuable Improvement in Fruit-Pickers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a perspective view of my improved fruitpicker, and Fig. 2 is a detail view of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of fruit-pickers which are composed of two jaws which can be moved to and from each other, and it has forits object to prevent the jaws from being so forcibly closed after separating the fruit as to bind together, which would prevent the retractile spring employed forautomatical] y opening said jaws from properly performing its operation.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, with the jaws of a fruit-picker, of a pivoted cam-shaped stop, whereby the movement of the jaws toward each other is limited, the said stop being adapted to be turned upon its pivot to bring the cam portion nearer to or farther from the opposite jaw, as more fully hereinafterspecified.

In the annexed drawings, the letters A A designate, respectively, the fixed and swinging jaws of my improved fruit-picker. These are basket-like structures of cast metal, in their general'construction greatly resembling "a hood; and they consist, mainly, of asemicircular basepiece, a, anarehed front plate, b, and curved bars 0, connecting the same.

Upon the lower edges of the base-pieces a are formed eyes at for the attachment of a flexible cloth tube, that conducts the fruit to the ground.

Projecting downward from the bar a of the 5 jaw Ais a tang, a, by means of which it is secured to the pole B.

The upper part of the plate I; of jaw A is horizontal. It projects somewhat beyond the rest of the jaw, and is provided with angular serrations 1). The corresponding part of jaw A has a straight cutting-edge, c, which, when the jaws are brought together, overlaps the serrated part b of the jaw A, and forms therewith a draw-cut.

Projecting from the bottom of the jaw A, at each side thereof, is an angular lever-arm,

0, having at its bend a circular enlargement, d through which passes a pivot, e, by means of which the jaw A is hinged to an offset, g,

of jaw A. The power ends of these levers extend beyond the jaw A, and are connected together by a swinging bail, D, to which the draw-cord D is secured. This cord passes downthrough eyes f on the pole, the said eyes serving to prevent the cord from becoming entangled in the branches of the tree.

S indicates a spring secured at one end to a stud, s, of the jaw A, near its top, and at its lower end to a stud, s, of the lever-arm O, situated near the pivot 0 upon the power-arm side thereof. This spring is distended when the jaws are closed to sever the stem of a fruit, and causes the said jaws to separate when the pull-cord is let go. I

G indicates an adjustable cam-shaped stop pivoted to the under side of the cutting part 2 of the jaw A, against which the cutting part d of jaw A abuts when the apparatus is in use, and which prevents the said jaws from becoming jammed together from theirbeing 8o brought too sharply and forcibly together. The stop, being cam-shaped, can be adjusted, by turning it upon its pivot, so as to allow the jaws to approach more or less toward each other as the cam portion of the stop is made to approach or recede from the opposite jaw, and thus compensate for the wear of metal attendant upon use or frequent sharpening.

I do not claim an adjustable stop, broadly, in combination with the jaws of a fruit-picker, as such is not new; but

What I do claim is In a fruit-picker, the combination, with the fixed jaw A, having a serrated cutting-edge,

b, and the jaw A, having the straight out ting-edge c, overlapping edge b, of the camshaped stop G upon the under side of the cutting-edge 0, adapted to be adjusted so as to permit the jaws to approach each other to a greater or less extent, as may be desired, I00

substantially as and for the purposes specified. In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN G. Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. LANDOLT, JAMES W. VAIL.