US339549A - Vfltjyesses - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

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FRUIT PICKER.

No. 339,549. Patented Apr. 6,4886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @risica CHARLES S. HILL, OF OUMRU, BEBKS COUNTY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF THREE-FOURTHS TO GEORGE L. KNOPI, .I AMES R. MILLER, AND VELLING'ION VAN REED, ALL OF READING, PA.

FRUIT-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Leners Patent No. 339,549. aaien Aprn 6,1886,

Application filed Scptcn'xber4,185. Serial No. 176,19U. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cuxnru township, county of Berks, State of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a new and useful In1- provelnent in Fruit-Pickers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of fruitpickers which are provided with an elastic 1o tube leading from the picker-jaws to a bag suspended from the shoulders of the operator.

The object of the improvement is to secure an effective picker, easily constructed, readily used, not liable to derung-ement, and which I 5 may be cheaply constructed.

The above objects are attained in the fruitpicker shown in the accompanying drawings, similarletters of reference indicating like parts.

Figure 1 represent-s in perspective the improved fruit-picker attached to the pole, with the tube leading from the movable jaw to the operator below; Fig. 2, a full front elevation of the saine.. Fig. 3 represents the jaws or frames divested of their covering, showing the manner in which the wire is wrapped upon the stiiiening-bar.

The frames of the picker are usually constructed of spring-wire of about three thirty seconds of an'inch diameter, bent over suitable 3o templets in the form of a wagon-bow. The xed bow A, which is slightly less in height and width than the movable bow B, has its lower ends, A', left of suitable length to be bent inward toward each other, and these ends are wrapped spirally around a bar, I, in reverse direction relative to each other, with a pitch of about three diameters of the wire, until, meeting at the center of the bar, the extreme ends are left straight land in a vertical position, forming tangs A?, for attachment tothe pole. The movable bow Bis treated in the same manner as to bending to forni, and,commencing outside of the fixed bow A upon the bar I, the free ends B are wrapped spirally be- 4 5 tween the coils ofthe ends Aof the fixed bow A until the center of bar I is reached, when the ends are projected forward at right angles with the face of the bows, and at about one inch or more from the bar are recurved to form looped leversBZ. An openlink, C, connects thelooped 5o levers B2, and to the same link is attached by an integral eye, D', a spiral re-enforce spring,A D, of about three-eighths of an inch diameter, and of about one-sixteenth of an inch diameter spring-wire. A second open link, E, at- 5 5 tached to the lower end of the spiral spring by an integral eye, D', serves to put any requisite grip upon the movable jaw or bow B, and a screw-eye pin, F, bearing against the lower inner edge of the link E, retains the 6o spring at the desired tension.

To put the device into working form,a pole,

G, of suitable length being provided, thebows or jaws AB, interlocked with each other upon the bar I, as described, are set vertically upon 6 5 the end of thepole G, and the free or tang ends A2 of the fixed jaw or bow A are driven into the end of the same, the bar I keeping the device in a rm and operative condition thereon. The spiral spring D being connected, as de- 7o scribed, to the looped levers B2 of the movable jaw or bow B, it is drawn downward by the link E, and the screw-eye pin F inserted into the pole G. This makes a picker out of the combination by t-he si mplc attach ment of a cord 7 5 to the top of the movable bow B; butif so used the fruit would drop to the ground and be bruised. To prevent such bruising and enable the operator to gather the most delicate fruits without injury to the same, I cover' the fixed So bow A with a light but strong fabric, leaving a tail of thcsamematerial projecting some two or more inches below the bar I. To the movable bow or jaw B, I attach by its edges an openmouth tube, II, connecting the same to the ixed cover ofthe iixed bow by the tail-piece described. The tube is made of suoli length that it shall reach from the top of the pole to the usual fruit-gathering bag suspended from the shoulders of the operator, and of such di- 9o anieter as willpass the fruit to be picked.

To operate the complete device, the pole is raised to the fruit to be picked, the movable jaw B is made to open by pulling upon the tube H, and, the fruit being caughtbetwoen thetwo jaws or bows A B and the tube released, the fruit is caught between and pulled from the branch, and drops through the tube l-I to the bag of the operator. Resistance tothe rapid descent of the fruit is obtained by grasping the i tube above the bag or twisting the same.

I make no claim to the tube as a chute for 5 the fruit, as I am aware that it is an old device; but I believe myself to be the first to attach it to the movable jaw, and to use it for both an operating and fruit-delivering purpose.

I am also aware that wire frames have been tially as shown and described, the combina` tion of the re-enforce tensional spring D with the movable tube-frame B of the tube H `by eyes D', links C E, looped lever-arms Bbar I, pole G, and pin F, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2; In a fruit-picker constructed substantially as shown and described, the combination of the fixed covered frame A, the moval ble tube-mouth frame or j aW B, stiffening-bar I, coil A', tangs A?, springs B', looped 1ever.

arms B2, link C, re-enforce spring D, eyes D', link E, pin F, pole G, and tube H, all arranged and adapted to be operated as and for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES s. HILL.

fitnessesz JAMES R, KENNEY, H. P. KEIsER,

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