US2316159A - Fruit and berry washing and grading equipment - Google Patents

Description

April 13, 1943. J, EvE'rf FRUIT AND BERRY WASHING m5 GRADING EQUIPMENT w 1 m t N Kw E M .WN t E R N m M J m 0 R m l A. 9 l 0 3 l nu. m d e 1 m April 13, 1943. R. J. EVETT V 2,316,159

.FRUIT AND BERRY WASHING AND GRADING EQUIPMENT Fiied April 50, 19.41 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 13, 1943 FRUIT AND BERRY WASHING AND GRADING EQUIPMENT Roy James Evett, Seattle, Wash.

Application April 30, 1941, Serial No. 391,080

1 Claim.

This invention relates to berry and fruit washing equipment, and it has reference more par ticularly to improvements in apparatus or means for the washing, conveying and grading of berries, such as blackberries, loganberries, Olympic berries and the like; it being the principal object of the present invention to provide novel means for the quick, effective and economical washing of such berries without requiring that they be handled during the washing operation and without their being floated in or being piled up in water to become damaged or water soaked in the operation. 7

Another object of this invention is to provide a berry washing and cleaning means wherein an endless belt, of open character, is employed to convey the berries through a, housing in which water spray heads are located both below and above the belt for directing sprays or jets of water against the berries for an effective washing and rinsing thereof.

It is a further object of thlsinvention to provide for an automatic grading of berries, according to size, in their delivery by the belt.

Still further objects of the present invention reside in the details of construction of the belts, as herein employed for the conveyance of berries through the washing housing, cooling zone and grading stations; these belts being made up of individual, longitudinally extending and spaced strands of wire, located sufficiently close together to provide a supporting bed for the conveyance of a layer of berries thereon, yet spaced far enough apart to permit the'quick and eliective Washing of berries by the directing of water sprays downwardly and upwardly through the belt, and also allowing a, quick draining of the wash water from the berries.

Still another object of this invention is to provide means adapted for use in conjunction with conveyor belts of the present kind for the slicing or dividing of pieces of fruit.

Finally there are various other objects residing in the details of construction and in the combination of parts, and in their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing the above mentioned objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Wherein- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration showing, in side view, a berry and fruit washing, freezing and grading equipment embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same parts.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the berry washing housing, particularly illustrating the disposition of the water spray heads above and below the conveyor belt.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the washing housing and belt, taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of one of the belt mounting rollers.

Fig. 6 is a. similar detail of another of the belt mounting rollers.

Fig. 7 is a view illustrating the relative disposition of knives of a novel type of fruit slicing device, as used with the present type of belt.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a View showingin plan, the disposition of the fruit slicing means relative to the conveyor belt.

Referring more in detail to the drawings- In Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated, somewhat diagrammatically, the arrangement of parts in the present berry washing and grading equipment. In these two views, I designates a housing, or enclosure, preferably of the rectangular form shown, through which an endless conveyor belt 2 is mounted for travel. It will be observed further that this belt has its top run disposed for travel horizontally, and passes through openings 3 and 4, in opposite end walls of the housing. The end portions of the top .run of the belt extend substantial distances beyond the end walls of the housing, and, at its ends, the belt is supported by passage about rollers 5 and 6. The bottom run of the belt, as noted in Fig. 1, extends over guide rollers l and 8, which are supported from opposite ends of the housing supporting structure. Also, the belt is engaged, at a point between the rollers 8 and B, by a belt tightening or tension roller l0 adapted to keep the belt sufficiently taut for its intended use.

That portion of the belt that extends from the roller 5 to the housing, is designed to receive the berries thereon for delivery through the washing housing, and that portion of the top run of the belt which extends between the housing and the supporting and driving roller 6, is convenient for, and is intended to be used for, inspection of the washed berries after passing from the housing, so that any undesirable or spoiled berries may be picked oiT.

Inside the washing housing I, and located substantially above, and also below the level of the conveyor belt are water spray heads l2 as noted in Figs. 3 and 4, which are connected by pipes 13 and M with a supply pipe l leading from a source of supply of water under pressure. These sprays are so disposed as to direct the sprays of water against the belt over its full width and to the full length of that portion within the housing.

The conveyor belt 2 is made up of a plurality of endless strands of wire as designated in Fig. 4 by reference numeral 2a. These several Wire strands extend lengthwise of the belt and are equally spaced apart transversely of the belt. The spacingof the strands is such that berries, when placed on the belt as in Fig. 3, will be supported and carried, and will not pass between the strands in the washing operation.

In order to hold the wires of the belt desired spacing, the roller 5 which supports the in this belt 2 at its receiving end, is formed with encircling grooves, as at IS in Fig. 6; each groove being of a width to contain one of the wires therein. Preferably this roller would be cast of or plated with a stainless metal and the grooves would be of such depth and width as to easily receive and retain the wire. a The roller 6, at the delivery end of the belt, is intended to be the belt driving roller, and is made somewhat greater in diameter than the roller 5, and is equipped at one end with a pulley It for a driving belt l9. This driving roller, as shown in Fig. 5, comprises a cylindrical hub portion Ga, equipped at regularly spaced intervals therealong with narrow encircling flanges 6b, each formed about its periphery, coaxially of the roller", with a groove 6!] adapted to receive one of the wire strands of belt therein.

If it is found desirable, belt supporting rollers 24-24, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, maybe employed to support the top run of belt 2, and prevent sagging of any of its strands under weight of berries placed thereon.

Assuming the belt 2 to be so arranged and to be mounted on the rollers 5 and 6 and driven in the direction indicated by the arrows adjacent thereto, it will be understood that berries placed on the top run of the belt between the roller 5 and entrance opening 3 into the housing I, will be carried into the housing with travel of the belt and may be effectively and thoroughly washed and rinsed by reason of the water sprays directed thereagainst from the heads I2 above and below the belt. The wash water will be drained from the housing through a suitable drainage outlet such as has been indicated at 25, in Fig. 3. As the belt passes from the housing, the washed berries carried thereon may be easily inspected,

and defective berries, and any foreign matter, may

be picked from the belt before delivery of the berries from its end. It is to be understood that due to the spacing of the wire strands, water will quickly drain from the berries andthe undesirable eifects of ordinary processes of berries being emersed, or soaked in water, is avoided.

It will be understood also by reference'to Figs. 1 and 2, that a second section of conveyor belt 3!] extends from the roller 6, serving somewhat as a continuation of belt 2, through a cooling zone confined by the housing 35. This belt operates through openings in the opposite end walls of the housing and passes about a supporting roller 36 at its outer end. The roller 6 in this instance, in addition to being the driving roller for the belt 2, also drives the belt 30, and it will be understood that the belt is comprised of continuous strands of wire in spaced, parallel arrangement, like those of belt 2 and that its several strands, in passing around the roller 6, are contained and guided within the peripheral grooves of encircling flanges on the roller. .The wires making up the belt 30 alternate in their passage about the roller 6, with those strandsof wire forming the belt 2.

It will be understood that with this arrangement of belts, the berries, after being washed in housing 2, and inspected, will be delivered from belt 2 directly onto continuing belt 30, and will be carried on the latter into the cooling or freezing zone. This zone should be of such temperature that when the berries emerg therefrom, they will be in condition to be delivered into cold storage. It is desirable, however, that the berries, before passing into cold storage, should be graded according to size. Therefore, I have, for this purpose, provided as a continuation of the belt 30 which carries the berries through the cooling zone, a grading belt 40, made up of a plurality of longitudinally extending, continuous strands of Wire that extend at one end of the belt, of the roller 36 in grooves located between those that receive the strandsforming the belt 35!, and then passing about a roller M at its outer end which has grooves receiving and spacing the strands farther apart than they are spaced at their receiving end of the belt. The latter roller is so designed that-the wires comprising the belt 40, and which are designated at 40' in Fig. 2, will be caused to equally diverge, as will be understood by reference to the showing of this belt in Fig. 2.

Operating transversely below the top run of this grading belt are a succession of belts designated at 45, 41 and 48, adapted to receive thereon the berries as they fall through the belt 48. The belts 46, 41 and 48 are driven so as to convey the different grades of berries, as received thereon, to receptacles at the ends of the belts, in which, or on which the berries may be placed in cold storage. Assuming that the grading belt 40 is so constructed, it will be understood that the berries conveyed thereon will fall through the belt because of the increasing divergence of its strands; the smaller berries falling on the first belt, the somewhat larger berries falling on the second belt and the still larger berries falling on the third belt. This affords an easy and automatic grading operation.

Since the present equipment is useful also for the washing of fruit of various kinds, it is conternplated also that, in conjunction with the present type of wire strand belt, fruit slicing disks or knives, as illustrated in Figs. '7, 8 and 9, may be used. It will be understood that when fruit piece-s such as half peaches, designated at 5!], are delivered on the belt, theymay be directed, by

means of guides as shown at 5| in Fig. 9, to a certain portion of the belt for delivery to the slicing knives.

In the present instance, I have illustrated a slicing equipment embodying three disk-like knives, 65, 66 and 61. The knives are supported in radially converging planes with their bottom edges disposed between adjacent strands of the wire of the belt 2 and passing slightly below the plane of the belt. Each disk has its driving axle 68 mounted in a supporting bearing 69 and equipped with a pulley '70, designed to receive a driving belt H. In order that the disks may all be driven in proper direction, and at proper speed, I locate a driven shaft 12 transversely above the belt and this is equipped with pulleys 73 over which the driving belts ll extend. Any suitable means may be provided for driving the shaft 12.

With the disk knives so arranged, and driven, it will be understood that the pieces of fruit, ad-

vanced thereagainst on the belt, will be sliced by the knives, and the slicing is effective due to the fact that the knives can pass entirely through the fruit without interference by the belt.

Equipment of this character may be made in various sizes and provides for the easy, quick and effective washing and grading of fruit or berries at a relatively small expense.

While I have illustrated and described the conveyor belts as being made up of wire strands, it is to be understood that I also contemplate the use of flat strips of metal or any other suitable material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a berry washing machine of the character described, a continuous conveyor for the washing and grading of berries as conveyed thereon from a receiving to a discharge point, and comprising a succession of belt sections, each section being made up of a plurality of spaced individual belt strands of wire extending lengthwise of the belt and on which berries may bejf. conveyed, belt mounting rollers at the ends of each section, formed with encircling grooves for reception and guidance of the belt strands therein, adjacent ends of the belt sections being-carried by the same rollers and the section of the belt at the delivery end being carried at its discharge end about a roller wherein the guide grooves are spaced in a manner to cause divergence of the belt strands for the grading of berries as carried therealong by permitting them to fall between the strands.

ROY JAMES EVET'I.

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