US3075214A - Apparatus for cleaning fruit such as berries and the like - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 29, 1963 w. A. NELSON 3,075,214 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FRUIT sucn AS BERRIES AND THE LIKE Filed June 20, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WILFORD 'A. NELSON IN VEN TOR.

w. NELSON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FRUIT SUCH AS BERRIES AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1960 WILFORD A. NELSON IN VEN TOR.

f AYY'Y iinited rates Oreg.

This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning frozen tripe berries of various types.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a novel construction into which quantities ofv berries are fed at one end and automatically subjected to a first stage of vibratory, gyratory, and oscillatory motion, then rolling and tumbling motion in acontinuous stream of air and finally to a second or last stage of.

the motions mentioned as they approach and leave the discharge end of the apparatus.

By means of this invention, it is now possible to thoroughly clean voluminous quantities of berries in a. days run and to deal with each berry in such a manner. without damage as to ensure effective cleaning results to the berries themselves, all as is highly desired.

The common existing practice in the industry is to wash berries by means of a fluid as the berries are passed through a tank or the like. Such systems all have cerrain common and obvious objections in that in order to operate them a cleaning fluid must be employed which is liable to do irreparable harm to the berries being cleaned. Accordingly, I have devised a novel apparatus whereby these difficulties and objections are overcome. I accomplish this by the provision of apparatus which obviates the necessity for employing a fluid in the first instance and rely entirely upon the cleaning action of an air stream at high velocity flowing through, over, and around the berries in their uninterrupted passage through the apparatus in vibratory, gyratory rolling and tumbling motion.

Although my invention will be described hereinwith particular reference to a berry cleaner, it will be readily understood that its utility and application extend beyond the particular type of cleaner herein specified and comprehends the useful and novel features set forth when applied to any produce which is susceptible to a cleaning operation where dirt, dust, or the like is desired to beremoved therefrom as the produce is conveyed throughthe various stages of the motions above referredto without material alteration to the structural, features of the invention.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details companying drawings forming a part hereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of apparatus made in accordance with my invention with fragmentsv broken away for convenience of the illustration.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of. FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 is a sectional end elevational view taken approximately along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary detail view on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of a fixedly mounted cylinder and its relationship to a conveyor.

With continuing reference to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts, reference numeral 1 indicates generally a framework comprising elongated parallel base members 2 interconnected at their ends and provided with corner posts 3 and 4 and intermediate posts 5 and 6. To the top end of these posts 36 are secured two parallel beams 7 and 8. The corner posts 3 are interconnected by cross members It} and 11 atent and to the cross member 11 is secured one end of a stationary cylinder 13 partially closed at its forward end by a semicircular plate 14 to provide a similar opening 15 and closed at its rearward end by a circular wall 16.

This rearward wall is provided with an opening 17 by.

means of which the interior of the cylinder 13 is in communication through a duct 18 with a blower fan :19, and also provided with a second opening 20 to provideto and entirely encircling the cylinder 23 near the for ward and rearward ends thereof. The cylinder, 13 is provided with suitable openings 30' and 31 for passage of the belts 24 and 25 therethrough. Apertures 32 arev also provided in the bottom peripheral wall of the cylinder near the rearward end thereof for a purpose which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Co-operating with the belts 24 and 25 for stabilizing the cylinder 23 in its rotationabout its longitudinal axiswithin the cylinder 13, and for maintaining proper tension on the belts are respectively two pairs of rollers 34 and 35 operating respectively in the other side 37 and 38 of the annular channel track members 28 and 29. Each roller as best illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 is carriedby the inner end of a shaft 40 laterally adjustable within a slide bearing 41 and lockable thereto in adjusted positions by a set screw 42. The bearings 41 are secured to angle brackets 44 mounted upon supporting rails 46 secured at their ends to the corner posts 3 and intermediate posts 4.

The shaft 48 to which the driving pulleys 26 and 27 are secured is operatively coupled as at 49-50 to a speed reducer 51 driven by a belt 52 entrained over the driving pulley of a motor 53 mounted upon a rail 54 secured at its ends to the posts 5 and 6. The blower fan 19 is driven by a belt 56 entrained over the driving pulley of a motor 57 supported within the frame 1.

, The endless belt of the conveyor 21 to which buckets 60 are conventionally bottom ends over rollers secured with sprocketwheels 62 of a speed reducer 66 in turn driven by a belt- 67 en-- trained over its driven pulley 68 andover one of two driving pulleys 70 of' a motor 71 also mounted within the framework 1. The conveyor is supported within the framework 1 by brackets 22 secured to the side walls of the conveyor and to the beams 7 and 8.

Mounted within the framework lupon pairs of flexible supports 74, 75, 7:6, and 77 is an inclined oscillatingscreen assembly comprising a forward feed section F ex-* tending into the interior of the cylinders 13 and 23 through the opening 15 in the frontend of the cylinder 13, and a discharge section D pivotally connected as at front and side walls and open at their-rearward ends. The trays are rearwardly inclined, as shown, and pivotally interconnected by a pair of links so that oscillatory motion imparted to the screen section D by the eccentric 82will be simultaneously transmitted to the-screen section F.

Patented Jan. 29, 1963 secured is entrained at its'top' and to shafts 61 provided. and driven by a sprocket chain 63 entrained thereover and over the sprocket wheel 65- For convenience in feeding berries to the forward screen section F, I provide a rack 95 swingably attached as at 96 to the top end of a pair of posts 97 mounted upon the outer end of supporting arms 93 secured to and extending forwardly from the framework 1.

From the foregoing, the operation of my invention will be readily understood. With the feed and discharge screen sections F and D, rotating screen cylinder 23, conveyor 21 and blower fan 19 all in operation by their respective motors and drive connections, a tray of frozen berries is placed upwardly against the underside of the rack 95 when the rack is in a horizontal position. The tray and rack are then swung upwardly into the position shown in FIGURE 1 where the rack will come to rest against a limit stop 99. in approaching this position the berries will spill onto the feed section F and partake of the vibratory, gyratory and oscillatory motion imparted to it as aforesaid. And such motion will cause the berries to disseminate over the feed section and foreign matter to be shaken from them as they gravitate into the rearwardly inclined rotating screen cylinder 23 where they are subjected to further cleaning by the rolling and tumbling action imparted to them and also by the air stream coming from the blower fan 19. Foreign matter shaken from the berricsis picked up by the air stream and blown out through the open end of the cylinder 23 and that which sifts through the walls of the screen cylinder is blown out through the openings 32 in the bottom wall of the cylinder 13. From the screen cylinder the berries gravitate through the opening 26 in the end wall 16 of the cylinder 13 and onto the conveyor 21 from the top end of which they are deposited onto the discharge screen section D to partake of its vibratory, gyratory, and oscillatory motion as they gravitate out through the open end of said section and into proper containers or the like in a thoroughly cleaned and unharmed condition. It is to be noted that there are no bat-lies or any other obstructions which the berries might impinge against, nor any whipping air turbulence to damage the berries as they travel through the apparatus.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, 1 am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for cleaning foreign. matter from the exterior surfaces of berries and the like, comprising in combination a framework having a forward end and a rearward end, an imperforate cylindrical housing fixedly mounted within the framework at the forward end thereof and rearwardly inclined relative thereto, said housing having a front wall and a rear wall and an opening in the front wall and a first and second opening in said rear wall in the bottom portion thereof, a reticulated open ended cylinder of uniform diameter throughout itslength rotatably mounted Within said housing in concentric spaced relation thereto, air pressure generating means in open communication through said first opening in the rear wall of said fixed housing with the interior thereof and with the interior of said reticulated cylinder, motor means operatively connected to said reticulated cylinder for rotating the same, a rearwardly inclined resiliently supported reticulated feed tray at the forward end of said framework extending through the opening in said front wall of said housing and into the forward end of said reticulated cylinder, a rearwardly inclined reticulated discharge tray resiliently supported within said framework at the rearward end thereof, means interconnecting said feed tray and said discharge tray, motor driven eccentric means mounted within said framework and connected to said discharge tray for imparting oscillatory motion simultaneously to both of said trays, andconveyor means having a top end and a bottom end communicating at its bottom end with the interior of said reticulated cylinder and the interior of said fixed housing through said second opening in the rear wall thereof to receive berries gravitated from said reticulated cylinder and adapted at its top end to discharge the berries onto said discharge tray, whereby the berries will gravitate while in vibratory, gyratory, and oscillatory motion from the feed tray into said rotatable reticulated cylinder and be subjected therein to rolling and tumbling motion in an air stream from said air pressure generating means and to gravitate from said cylinder onto said conveyor and from the conveyor onto the discharge tray and be subjected to a second stage of vibratory, gyratory, and oscillatory motion as they gravitate toward the discharge end of said discharge tray.

2. Apparatus for cleaning foreign matter from the exterior surfaces of berries and the like, comprising in combination a framework having a forward end and a rearward end, an imperforate cylindrical housing of uniform diameter throughout its length fixedly mounted within the framework at the forward end thereof and rearwardly inclined relative thereto, said housing having a front wall and a rear wall and an opening in the front wall and a first and second opening in said rear wall in the bottom portion thereof, said housing having openings in the cylindrical Wall thereof, power driven belts extending through certain of said openings, a reticulated cylinder of uniform diameter throughout its length open at both of its ends and rotatably suspended within said cylindrical housing by said belts, rollers carried by said framework extending through other of said openings in the cylindrical wall of said housing and at all times in rolling contact with said reticulated cylinder, air pressure generating means in open communication through said first opening in the rear wall of said fixed housing with the interior thereof and with the interior of said reticulated cylinder, a rearwardly inclined resiliently supported reticulated feed tray at the forward end of said framework extending through the opening in said front Wall of said housing and into the forward end of said reticulated cylinder, a rearwardly inclined reticulated discharge tray resiliently supported within said framework at the rearward end thereof, means interconnecting said feed tray and said discharge tray, motor driven eccentric means mounted within said framework and connected to said discharge tray for imparting oscillatory motion simultaneously to both of said trays, and conveyor means having a top end and a bottom end communicating at its bottom end with the interior of said reticulated cylinder and the interior of said fixed housing through said sec ond opening in the rear wall thereof to receive berries gravitated from said reticulated cylinder and adapted at its top end to discharge the berries onto said discharge tray, whereby the berries will gravitate while in vibratory, gyratory, and oscillatory motion from the feed tray into said rotatable reticulated cylinder and be subjected therein to rolling and tumbling motion in an air streamfrorn said air pressure generating means and. togravitate from said cylinder. onto said conveyor and from the conveyor onto the discharge-tray and be subjected to a second stage of vibratory, gyratory, and oscillatory motion as they. gravitate toward the discharge end of said discharge tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,052,697 Thompson Feb. 11, 1913 1,070,304 Thompson Aug. 12, 1913 1,356,049 Dibert Oct. 19, 1920 1,964,429 Eberts June 26, 1934 2,079,278 Bristow May 4, 1937 2,222,139 Clark Nov. 19, 1940 2,425,984 Blackman Aug. 19, 1947

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FOREIGN MATTER FROM THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF BERRIES AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FRAMEWORK HAVING A FORWARD END AND A REARWARD END, AN IMPERFORATE CYLINDRICAL HOUSING FIXEDLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND REARWARDLY INCLINED RELATIVE THERETO, SAID HOUSING HAVING A FRONT WALL AND A REAR WALL AND AN OPENING IN THE FRONT WALL AND A FIRST AND SECOND OPENING IN SAID REAR WALL IN THE BOTTOM PORTION THEREOF, A RETICULATED OPEN ENDED CYLINDER OF UNIFORM DIAMETER THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN CONCENTRIC SPACED RELATION THERETO, AIR PRESSURE GENERATING MEANS IN OPEN COMMUNICATION THROUGH SAID FIRST OPENING IN THE REAR WALL OF SAID FIXED HOUSING WITH THE INTERIOR THEREOF AND WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID RETICULATED CYLINDER, MOTOR MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID RETICULATED CYLINDER FOR ROTATING THE SAME, A REARWARDLY INCLINED RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED RETICULATED FEED TRAY AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID FRAMEWORK EXTENDING THROUGH THE OPENING IN SAID FRONT WALL OF SAID HOUSING AND INTO THE FORWARD END OF SAID RETICULATED CYLINDER, A REARWARDLY INCLINED RETICULATED DISCHARGE TRAY RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID FRAMEWORK AT THE REARWARD END THEREOF, MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FEED TRAY AND SAID DISCHARGE TRAY, MOTOR DRIVEN ECCENTRIC MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FRAMEWORK AND CONNECTED TO SAID DISCHARGE TRAY FOR IMPARTING OSCILLATORY MOTION SIMULTANEOUSLY TO BOTH OF SAID TRAYS, AND CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING A TOP END AND A BOTTOM END COMMUNICATING AT ITS BOTTOM END WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID RETICULATED CYLINDER AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID FIXED HOUSING THROUGH SAID SECOND OPENING IN THE REAR WALL THEREOF TO RECEIVE BERRIES GRAVITATED FROM SAID RETICULATED CYLINDER AND ADAPTED AT ITS TOP END TO DISCHARGE THE BERRIES ONTO SAID DISCHARGE TRAY, WHEREBY THE BERRIES WILL GRAVITATE WHILE IN VIBRATORY, GYRATORY, AND OSCILLATORY MOTION FROM THE FEED TRAY INTO SAID ROTATABLE RETICULATED CYLINDER AND BE SUBJECTED THEREIN TO ROLLING AND TUMBLING MOTION IN AN AIR STREAM FROM SAID AIR PRESSURE GENERATING MEANS AND TO GRAVITATE FROM SAID CYLINDER ONTO SAID CONVEYOR AND FROM THE CONVEYOR ONTO THE DISCHARGE TRAY AND BE SUBJECTED TO A SECOND STAGE OF VIBRATORY, GYRATORY, AND OSCILLATORY MOTION AS THEY GRAVITATE TOWARD THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID DISCHARGE TRAY.

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