US3672224A

US3672224A - Article sampling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3672224A
Application number: US372A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph W Starr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-01-02
Filing date: 1970-01-02
Publication date: 1972-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 1989-06-27

Abstract

An article sampling apparatus for obtaining a random sampling of articles such as fruits, vegetables and the like from relatively large produce transporting bins providing ding an elongated frame having a bin receiving end and an opposite bin discharging end including bin elevating and dumping means disposed adjacent to said bin receiving end of the frame having an elevated position for dumping the articles in the bins onto an elongated article sampling member providing an intermittently opening article discharge slot for removing a sample of such articles therefrom prior to the discharge of the bulk of the articles from an opposite discharge end of the member and tiltable bin reloading means mounted on the discharge end of the frame for positioning empty bins in article receiving relation to the discharge end of the sampling member with the bins emptied by the elevating and dumping means being movable along the frame for engagement by said bin reloading means.

Description

United States Patent Starr [54] ARTICLE SAMPLING APPARATUS Ralph w. Starr, P.0. Box 576, Selma, Calif. 93662 [22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 372

[72] Inventor:

Primary Examiner- 8. Clement Swisher Attorney-Huebner & Worrel 51 June27, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT An article sampling apparatus for obtaining a random sampling of articles such as fruits, vegetables and the like from relatively large produce transporting bins providing ding an elongated frame having a bin receiving end and an opposite bin discharging end including bin elevating and dumping means disposed adjacent to said bin receiving end of the frame having an elevated position for dumping the articles in the bins onto an elongated article sampling member providing an intermittently opening article discharge slot for removing a sample of such articles therefrom prior to the discharge of the bulk of the articles from an opposite discharge end of the member and tiltable bin reloading means mounted on the discharge end of the frame for positioning empty bins in article receiving relation to the discharge end of the sampling member with the bins emptied by the elevating and dumping means being movable along the frame for engagement by said bin reloading means.

1 1 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATEmEnJunzv I972 SHEET 10F 4 RALPH W $74M? INVENTOR- A TTORNEVS PATENTEnJuu 2 7 I972 SHEET 3 OF 4 RALPH l4. SHIP/P v39 INVENTOR ung-" A 770/?NEYS PATENTEnJum m2 SHEET '4 OF 4 RALPH W. STARR INVENTO/P AITORNEVS ARTICLE SAMPLING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The agricultural codes of most states require that the agricultural produce grown therein be inspected by certified inspectors in order to maintain certain uniform standards of quality including color, size and the like. The produce is transported by the growers to the packing plants in relatively large wooden bins having open tops. In order to obtain a representative sample of the produce for actual tests, the selected bins are dumped and a predetermined proportion of the contents removed therefrom. In the past, the initial selection of a particular number of bins from a large group of bins representing a growers entire crop and the selection of the specific sample taken from the selected bins has been completely at the arbitrary discretion of each individual inspector. After testing, if the selected samples comply with the uniform standards, the entire group of bins containing the crop is past through the inspection station. However, if some of the samples do not pass the tests, a further sampling from a different set of bins is taken and further tests conducted until all of the samples of a particular set are acceptable. This still, however, does not insure that some portion of the crop not tested may be inferior and completely missed by the inspectors. Such arbitrary selection of the bins to be tested by the examiners enables the growers frequentlyto stack the bins in a manner to avoid the selection of the known inferior portions of the crop. For example, a particular inspector may consistently select the bins to be tested in a predetermined pattern. Consequently, if this is known to the grower, the bins can be stacked so that the bins to be selected can be filled with the better portions of the crop. Furthermore, each of the produce bins contains several hundred pounds of produce which is difficult to dump and to spread in a single layer for obtaining a uniform sample for testing. This poses -a particularly onerous problem when handling relatively fragile fruits such as peaches, plums and the like which are easily bruised and otherwise susceptible to damage. After testing, the remaining produce must be reloaded into the bins which substantially increases the above described hazards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved article sampling apparatus which is particularly adapted for agricultural produce but which is not limited to such use. 7

Another object is to provide an improved article sampling apparatus which is effective automatically to extract a more representative random sampling of articles from a relatively large volume of the articles accommodated by the apparatus than possible with existing sampling apparatus and procedures.

Another object is to provide an improved article sampling device which is capable of extracting a sample of a precisely predetermined percentage of a greater volume of articles accommodated by the apparatus.

Another object is to provide an improved article sampling apparatus which insures such uniformly representative random sampling in a manner substantially obviating any human tampering with the articles selected for the samples.

Another object is to provide an improved article sampling apparatus which is capable of quickly and conveniently dumping, sampling and reloading agricultural produce from the conventional produce transporting bins with substantially no damage to the produce and in a fraction of the time previously required by the conventional sampling procedures.

Another object is to provide an improved article sampling device which enables an entire crop to be accommodated to insure that any inferior portions of the crop are not missed at the inspection station.

Another object is to provide an improved article sampling apparatus which is substantially completely power operated and effective automatically, synchronously to dump the loaded bins of produce, automatically extract the desired sample therefrom, and reload the remaining bulk of produce into the transport bins with substantially no manual handling of either the bins or the produce.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will subsequently become more clearly apparent upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an article sampling apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the article sampling apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the bin receiving end of the article sampling apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the article sampling apparatus, taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal central section through the article sampling member of the present invention with the bin dumping frame disposed in an elevated dumping position and with the bin reloading frame tilted upwardly to an article receiving position.

FIG. 6 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary front elevation of a bin stop gate locking device on the bin elevating and dumping frame.

FIG. 7 is a transverse vertical section through the gate locking device taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary longitudinal central section through the sampling member shown in an operating position discharging a sample of articles into a sample discharge chute.

FIG. 9 is a somewhat enlarged transverse horizontal section through a portion of the bin tilting and reloading frame showing a bin latching device thereon in top plan view.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary front elevation of the latching device of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawings, an article sam pling apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention provides an elongated main frame 10 having opposite bin receiving and bin

discharging ends

12 and 14, respectively. The main frame is adapted to accommodate a plurality of substantially rectangular bins I5 usually employed to transport fruits and vegetables from the field to an inspecting and packing station where the sampling apparatus is conveniently disposedfilhe main frame has a lower substantially rectangular base 16 having opposite side beams 17 of box-section construction interconnected between their opposite ends by similarly constructed end beams 18 which are secured thereto by welding or the like. The base is supported in upwardly closely spaced substantially parallel horizontal relation to the ground or other fiat support surface indicated by the reference numeral 20 upon a pair of stub legs 22 having lower substantially flat ground engaging plates 23 beneath the end beams adjacent to the bin receiving end 12 of the main frame. The opposite end of the base is supported on the lower portions of an upwardly extended superstructure 25 of the main frame having a pairof laterally disposed substantially vertical support posts 26 disposed in laterally embracing relation to the side beams 17 intermediate their ends. The overlapping portions of the associated support posts and side beams are rigidly secured as by bolting, welding or the like.

The superstructure25 further includes a pair of laterally disposed substantially upright posts 28 disposed in longitudinally spaced substantially parallel relation to the support post 26 adjacent to the bin discharging end 14 of the main frame 10. Each of the lower ends of the support posts 28 has a flat, substantially rectangular ground engaging plate 29 which also mounts the lower end of an elongated diagonal brace 32 secured at its upper opposite end to the support post 26. The diagonal braces on the opposite sides of the main frame tively, having a predetermined number of article sampling openings 170 therethrough. As best shown in FIG. 1, each of the sampling openings has a substantially triangular trailing portion 172 having an apex 173 extended rearwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the upper run 167 of the belt. Forwardly adjacent to each of the triangular portions, the belt has a plurality of longitudinally extended spaced substantially parallel slits 175 therethrough forming a plurality of resiliently flexible article decelerating strips 176.

Between the spaced sections 148 and 149 of the side walls 147 is disposed a pair of spaced substantially upstanding brackets 180 having lower ends rigidly secured, as by welding or the like, to their respectively associated horizontal beams 35 and opposite right-angularly related upper flange portions 182. A substantially flat belt support panel 184 is mounted on the upper flange portions of the brackets beneath the upper run 167 of the sampling belt 165 which has an elongated transversely extended article discharge slot 185 therethrough. The slot is transversely adjustable by way of an elongated adjusting panel 186 which provides a flanged edge 187 bordering the slot and an opposite mounting edge 188 releasably secured by a plurality of locking bolts 190 which are individually extended through corresponding elongated slots 192 in the upper flange portions 182 of the brackets 180. The side of the slot opposite from the flanged edge 187 of the adjusting panel 186 is formed by an elongated camming roller 195 freely rotatably mounted on an elongated shaft 196 having its ends journaled in brackets 197 extended from the brackets 180.

The belt support panel 184 further includes transversely spaced substantially upstanding side walls 200 having a forwardly tapering article receiving end 202 adapted to receive and to embrace the upper side walls 86 of the bin elevating and dumping frame 70 in its elevated position of FIG. 5. The side walls 200 of the belt support panel include opposite outwardly extended end portions 204 which have an article supporting panel 207 therebetween providing a discharge end 210 for the sampling station. Adjacent to the receiving end 202 of the side walls are formed a plurality of vertically spaced transversely aligned openings 212 adapted elevationally adjustably to mount an elongated rod 214 which supports an elongated resiliently flexible flap 215 in adjustably spaced relation to the upper run 167 of the belt 165.

An elongated sample discharge chute 217 is mounted between the upstanding brackets 180 in laterally extended relation to the sampling station between the upper and

lower runs

167 and 168, respectively, of the sampling belt 165. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the chute has an upper end 218 in registry with the discharge slot 185 throughthe belt support panel 184 and an opposite downwardly inclined lower sample discharge end 219 laterally outwardly extended from the main frame 10. A tiltable bin reloading frame, generally indicated by the reference numeral 220, is mounted on the bin discharging end 14 of the main frame 10. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the bin reloading frame has a pair of laterally spaced sets of longitudinally spaced, substantially upright

parallel corner beams

222 and 223. The upper ends of the corner beams 222 on each side of the frame are individually connected to their respectively associated opposite corner beams 223 intermediate their ends by an elongated horizontal beam 224. The lower ends of each laterally spaced set of the corner beams are interconnected by an elongated angle iron 226 having an inwardly extended flange portion 228 disposed on opposite sides of the bin conveyor 45 for engagement with the lower surfaces of the bins in a manner similar to the flanges 84 of the bin elevating and dumping frame 70. The upper ends of the comer beams 223 are interconnected by a cross beam 230 with the sides of the frame further strengthened by diagonal braces 232 extended between the lower ends of the comer beams 223 and the upper horizontal beams 224. Each of the horizontal beams mounts an upwardly extended hanger bracket 235 which is pivotally mounted adjacent to its upper end by a pivot shaft 236 on the respectively adjacent side wall 147 of the sampling station 145. The reloading frame is elevationally tipped from its substantially horizontal position of FIG. 2 to its raised position of FIG. 5 by a pair of hydraulic jacks 240 individually having a cylinder end 241 pivotally mounted on a bracket 242 in depending relation from the horizontal beam 35 of the superstructure 25 and an opposite rod end 244 pivotally connected to a bracket 246 extended from the hanger bracket 235.

As best shown in FIGS. 4, 9 and 10, an automatic bin latching device is mounted on each of the laterally opposite corner beams 222 of the bin reloading frame 220 for permitting entry of bins into the reloading frame but precluding their return travel along the conveyor 45 during the reloading operation. Each of the latching devices has an elongated arm 252 which includes a pivot end 253 and an opposite bin blocking end 255. The pivot end is swingably connected to an elongated hinge pin 257 which is rotatably journaled in a pair of opposite hinge members 258. The hinge members are rigidly secured to the comer beam 222 for swinging movement of the arm about an axis of rotation acutely angularly related to the comer beam. As best shown in FIG. 10, by virtue of such angularly tipped hinge, the blocking end 255 of the arm is disposed somewhat below its opposite pivot end for automatic gravitational swinging movement downwardly against the adjacent corner beam for holding a bin within the reloading frame and for free swinging movement away from the corner beam to permit unrestricted entry of a bin into the reloading frame.

OPERATION The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention is believed to be clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at this point. Prior to the delivery of a loaded bin 15 to the article sampling apparatus of the present invention, the bin conveyor 45 is actuated for traveling movement by energization of the hydraulic motor 60 andthe article sampling belt 165 is actuated for movement by the hydraulic motor 166. A loaded bin is deposited on the receiving end 47 of the conveyor chains 57 by any suitable means such as a fork truck or delivery conveyor, not shown, with the bin being carried inwardly of the main frame by the conveyor chains 57 above the lifting flanges 84 of the bin elevating and dumping frame 70. Such inward movement of the bin upon the conveyor chains continues until the leading side of the bin engages the bin blocking gate 112 downwardly extending into the bin passage with the gate held in such position by the latching device 116 disposed in its full line position of FIG. 6. It will be noted that during such movement of the bin into the elevating and dumping frame, the depending resiliently flexible decelerating flap 96 slides upwardly along the leading edge of the bin in covering relation to the articles disposed therein upon engagement of the bin with the locking gate 112. The chains of the bin conveyor merely slide against the bottom of the bin while it is being held in such position within the elevating and dumping frame 70. However, if there is any anticipated delay in the operation of the bin elevating and dumping frame for raising the bin upwardly off of the chains, the conveyor can be temporarily stopped by de-energizing the hydraulic motor 60.

The loaded bin 15 on the bin receiving end 47 of the conveyor 45 is gradually elevated to the upper dumping position of FIG. 5 in order to discharge its contents onto the belt 165 of the sampling station 145. This is easily and conveniently accomplished by energizing the hydraulic jacks 135 to extend their rod ends 139 for pivotally swinging the elevating and dumping frame 70 and bin thereon about the pivot shaft extended through the sleeve 78 of the frame. As such elevational movement of the frame and bin continues and the leading side of the bin is raised above the horizontal, the articles therein begin to tumble outwardly from the bin beneath the lower edge of the decelerating flap 96 which, as best shown in FIG. 5, is permitted to flex outwardly so that the articles are discharged in substantially a single layer from the bin. As previously described, the control rod 102 can be elevationally positioned within any of the arcuately related apertures 100 in order to adjust the opening formed beneath the flap to various sizes of articles. The articles being discharged ttunble over the conveying flange 130 and onto the upper run 167 of the sampling belt 165. It will be noted that in the fully elevated position of the dumping frame 70 and bin, the upper portion 87 of the side walls 86 is disposed in inwardly extended overlapping relation to the receiving ends 202 of the side walls 200 of the sampling station 145 to preclude the inadvertent lateral discharge of any articles from the sampling apparatus of the present invention.

The articles upon the upper run 166 of the sampling belt 165 are traveled in a direction from right to left, as viewed in FIG. 5, toward the sample discharge slot 185 of the belt support panel 184. Preceding such traversement of the articles over the discharge slot, however, they encounter the flexible article spreading flap 215 to insure that only a single layer of articles is uniformly spread upon the upper run of the belt prior to traversement of the sample discharge slot 185. Here also, the spacing between the flap and the upper run of the sampling belt can be adjusted by selective placement of the mounting rod 214 in the openings 212 in the side walls 200 of the sampling station to accommodate various sizes of articles.

As the articles are conveyed by the sampling belt 165 along the belt support panel 184 of the sampling station 145, only those articles disposed within the sampling openings 170 in the belt during their traversement over the sampling discharge slot 185 are permitted gravitationally to fall into the sample discharging chute 217. Such descent of the articles is slowed by the article decelerating strips 176 which, during continued movement of the belt, engage the camming roller 195 to return any articles which have not completely passed downwardly through the openings upwardly and back onto the upper run of the sampling belt with substantially no damage to the articles. It will be noted that the sampling openings 170 are spaced in a predetermined laterally staggered pattern with respect to the direction of belt movement so that only a small number of articles is discharged into the sample discharging chute at any particular time. During continued movement of the belt and successive registry of the sampling openings 170 with the discharge slot 185 in the belt support panel 184, a substantially steady flow of articles is received within the collecting chute for discharge from the outer discharge end 219 thereof and into a suitable sample collecting container, not shown. As described, the width of the discharge slot 185 can be adjusted by the slidable adjusting panel 186 in order to obtain a sample of from percent to approximately 10 percent of the total volume of articles in each bin. It is further noted that the triangular trailing portions 172 of the sampling openings preclude buckling of the upper run of the belt and have a tendency to direct any articles engaged therein rearwardly outwardly of the opening to preclude the entrapment of any articles between the upper run of the belt and the belt support panel 184.

The majority of articles upon the upper run 167 of the sampling belt 165 are discharged from the discharge end 210 of the sampling station 145 into an empty bin disposed on the reloading frame 220. Such bin is initially located within the reloading frame by movement along the bin conveyor 45 from the bin receiving end 12 of the main frame 10. During such movement of the empty bin from right to left, as viewed in FIG. 2, the leading side of the bin engages the inner blocking ends 255 of the latching arm 252. Such engagement causes the arms to be swung away from their respective corner beams 222 for unrestricted movement of the bin into the reloading frame below the discharge end 210 of the sampling station. As the bin moves past the corner beams 222, the inner blocking ends 255 of the latching arms 252 are permitted free gravitational return to their inwardly extended blocking positions by virtue of their angularly disposed pivot hinge pins 257 for precluding return movement of the bin along the conveyor.

The hydraulic jacks 240 are energized to extend their rod ends 244 for tilting the reloading frame about its pivot shafts 236 on the hanger brackets 235. With the bin reloading frame and empty bin thereon disposed in the elevated position of FIG. 5, the articles being discharged from the sampling station are required to fall only a relatively short distance into the bin with a minimum of damage. The tilted attitude of the bin also permits filling of the trailing comer thereof with the bin being gradually lowered to its substantially horizontal position of FIG. 2 to complete the filling of the opposite leading corner of the interior of the bin. The load of articles within the bin is then smoothly capped off in a substantially level top layer by re-energizing the bin conveyor motor 60 to travel the bin endwardly from the sampling apparatus and onto a discharge conveyor or waiting fork truck, as may be desired.

The now empty bin on the elevating and dumping frame is lowered to the substantially horizontal position of FIG. 2 onto the bin conveyor chains 57. The outer handle end of the control lever 124 of the locking device 1 16 is then actuated to rotate the locking arm 117 to its substantially horizontal dashed line position of FIG. 6 to unlock the blocking gate 112 on the dumping frame 70. The conveyor chains 57 of the bin conveyor are energized by the hydraulic motor 60 to travel the empty bin toward the reloading frame 220 during the introducn'on of the next loaded bin onto the receiving end 47 of the bin conveyor. After passage of the empty bin past the upwardly pivoted locking gate 1 12, the control lever 124 is again actuated to swing the locking arm 117 back to its full line position of FIG. 6 in locking relation to the blocking gate for engagement by the next loaded bin. The empty bin continues its travel toward the discharge end of the conveyor and into its reloading position on the bin reloading frame 220.

In view of the foregoing, it is readily apparent that the structure of the present invention provides an improved article sampling apparatus which is effective automatically to extract a predetermined sample from a plurality of successively accommodated article transport bins which are easily and conveniently dumped upon the sampling station, the predetermined sample removed, and the bulk of articles reloaded into an empty bin for discharge from the apparatus with substantially no manual handling of the bins or the articles therein during the entire operation. The article sampling apparatus is capable of obtaining a more consistently random sampling of articles from the relatively large volume of articles accommodated by the apparatus than heretofore possible with existing sampling apparatus and procedures. The previously described dumping, sampling and reloading operations are effectively accomplished with substantially no damage to the articles accommodated by the apparatus or to the samples taken therefrom. Since the entire operation of the sampling apparatus of the present invention is substantially fully automatic, there is no possibility of human interference with the selection of the random sample extracted by the apparatus.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the illustrative details disclosed.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article sampling apparatus, for obtaining a random sampling of articles from a predetermined greater volume of article accommodated by the apparatus, comprising a powered article conveying member having an end adapted indiscriminately to receive a plurality of articles thereon for movement therewith to an opposite article discharge end; panel means supporting said conveying member intermediate its ends and having a constricted article discharge slot therethrough, said conveying member having a plurality of spaced openings therethrough individually temporarily registerable with said slot in the panel means during movement of the conveying member upon said panel means to permit a random selection of said articles on the conveying member automatically gravitationally to be removed from said greater volume of articles on the conveying member, said panel means including a slidably adjustable member for varying the dimension of said slot therethrough so as precisely to vary the percentage of articles removed from said predetermined greater volume of articles accommodated by the sampling apparatus, said conveying member including an elongated endless belt having an upper article supporting run slidably movable upon said panel means in a predetermined forward direction of travel, a plurality of spaced article sampling openings through the belt individually providing trailing V-shaped portions and opposite forwardly disposed slotted portions with respect to the direction of belt movement, and article decelerating means formed within said slotted portions of the openings to slow the passage of articles therethrough when registered with said slot in said panel means, said panel means and said adjustable member providing oppositely spaced edges along said slot, said decelerating means providing a plurality of flexible steps within said slotted portions of the sampling openings in the belt extended downwardly through said slot in the panel means during registry of said sampling openings with the slot; and an article return roller freely rotatably mounted below said edge of the slot formed by said panel means to earn the strips upwardly out of said slot in order to carry therewith articles only partially extended through the sampling openings during said movement of the upper run of said belt upon said panel means.

2. The article sampling apparatus'of claim 1, including an article discharge chute disposed beneath said panel means in registry with said article discharge slot and having an article discharge end laterally outwardly extended from said article sampling belt.

3. An article sampling apparatus for obtaining a random sampling of articles such as fruits, vegetables and the like from relatively large article transporting bins comprising an elongated frame having a bin receiving end and an opposite bin discharging end, bin elevating and dumping means disposed adjacent to said bin receiving end of the frame having an upper article dumping position, article sampling means movably mounted in an elevated position intermediate said ends of the frame and having an article receiving end adjacent to said upper article dumping position of said dumping means and an opposite article discharge end adjacent to said bin discharging end of the frame, said sampling means including an intermittently opening article discharge slot intermediate its ends for removing a sample of such articles therefrom, tiltable bin reloading means mounted on the discharge end of the frame for positioning empty bins in article receiving relation to said article discharge end of said sampling means, and bin conveyor means extended between said ends of the frame for discharging reloaded bins from the discharge end of the frame and for moving previously dumped bins from said receiving end of the frame to said discharging end thereof in position for engagement by said bin reloading means.

4. An article sampling apparatus for obtaining a random sampling of articles such as fruits, vegetables and the like from relatively large article transporting bins comprising a main frame; an elongated substantially horizontal bin conveyor mounted on the main frame having opposite bin receiving and discharging ends; bin dumping means mounted on said main frame adjacent to said bin receiving end of the conveyor for elevating bins therefrom to an upper article dumping position; and article sampling means mounted on said main frame in cluding an elongated endless sampling belt providing an upper article conveying run having an article receiving end closely adjacent to said article dumping position of said bin dumping means and an opposite article discharging end above said bin discharging end of the conveyor, said belt having a plurality of spaced sampling openings therethrough permitting a predetermined number of articles received from the bins on said bin dumping means to be automatically removed from the belt with the remaining articles on the belt being discharged into a previously dumped empty bin at the discharging end of the conve or.

5. e article sampling apparatus of claim 4 including bin reloading means mounted on said frame at said bin discharging end of the conveyor elevationally to position a previously dumped empty bin upwardly adjacent to said article discharging end of said sampling belt to reduce the distance the articles must fall during their descent into the bins.

6. The article sampling apparatus of claim 5 in which said bin dumping means includes a dumping frame pivotally mounted on the main frame in straddling relation to said bin receiving end of the bin conveyor for elevating bins to said upper dumping position, and including upwardly extended side walls for the bins to preclude inadvertent lateral droppage of articles during the dumping operation.

7. The article sampling apparatus of claim 6 in which said dumping frame has a dumping edge, a cover panel above the bins on said dumping frame between said side walls thereof and having an edge spaced from said dumping edge of the dumping frame providing an article discharge opening from the bins on the dumping frame, and a flexible discharge control flap mounted on said edge of the cover panel in depending relation therefrom when the dumping frame is in its upper dumping position and having an outer edge disposed adjacent to said dumping edge of the dumping frame to decelerate and to permit the passage of only a single layer of articles thereunder.

8. The article sampling apparatus of claim 7 including an elongated flap control rod extended between said side walls of the dumping frame in a plurality of selectable positions between said edge of the cover panel and said dumping edge of the dumping frame for adjusting the width of said discharge opening from the bins on the dumping frame.

9. The article sampling apparatus of claim 8 including an elongated bin passage within said main frame above and extended between the ends of said bin conveyor, and swingable gate means on said dumping frame having a bin blocking position extended into said bin passage in constraining relation to a bin on the bin receiving end of the conveyor and being releasable to a freely swingable position permitting movement of an emptybin along the conveyor from said bin dumping frame to said bin reloading frame.

10. The article sampling apparatus of claim 9 including oneway latch means on said bin reloading frame in inwardly extended relation to said bin passage permitting the bins to pass into the reloading frame but precluding their return movement along the conveyor away from the reloading frame toward the dumping frame.

11. The article sampling apparatus of claim 10 in which said bin reloading frame includes an upright comer beam laterally spaced from said bin passage; and said one-way latch means includes an elongated arm having a pivot end hingably connected to the comer beam for swinging movement about an axis acutely angularly related to the comer beam, and an opposite blocking end downwardly inclined from said pivot end for automatic downward gravitational swinging movement into said bin passage against the post in blocking relation to return movement of bins along the passage toward the bin receiving end of the conveyor.

Claims

1. An article sampling apparatus, for obtaining a random sampling of articles from a predetermined greater volume of article accommodated by the apparatus, comprising a powered article conveying member having an end adapted indiscriminately to receive a plurality of articles thereon for movement therewith to an opposite article discharge end; panel means supporting said conveying member intermediate its ends and having a constricted article discharge slot therethrough, said conveying member having a plurality of spaced openings therethrough individually temporarily registerable with said slot in the panel means during movement of the conveying member upon said panel means to permit a random selection of said articles on the conveying member automatically gravitationally to be removed from said greater volume of articles on the conveying member, said panel means including a slidably adjustable member for varying the dimension of said slot therethrough so as precisely to vary the percentage of articles removed from said predetermined greater volume of articles accommodated by the sampling apparatus, said conveying member including an elongated endless belt having an upper article supporting run slidably movable upon said panel means in a predetermined forward direction of travel, a plurality of spaced article sampling openings through the belt individually providing trailing V-shaped portions and opposite forwardly disposed slotted portions with respect to the direction of belt movement, and article decelerating means formed within said slotted portions of the openings to slow the passage of articles therethrough when registered with said slot in said panel means, said panel means and said adjustable mEmber providing oppositely spaced edges along said slot, said decelerating means providing a plurality of flexible steps within said slotted portions of the sampling openings in the belt extended downwardly through said slot in the panel means during registry of said sampling openings with the slot; and an article return roller freely rotatably mounted below said edge of the slot formed by said panel means to cam the strips upwardly out of said slot in order to carry therewith articles only partially extended through the sampling openings during said movement of the upper run of said belt upon said panel means.

2. The article sampling apparatus of claim 1, including an article discharge chute disposed beneath said panel means in registry with said article discharge slot and having an article discharge end laterally outwardly extended from said article sampling belt.

4. An article sampling apparatus for obtaining a random sampling of articles such as fruits, vegetables and the like from relatively large article transporting bins comprising a main frame; an elongated substantially horizontal bin conveyor mounted on the main frame having opposite bin receiving and discharging ends; bin dumping means mounted on said main frame adjacent to said bin receiving end of the conveyor for elevating bins therefrom to an upper article dumping position; and article sampling means mounted on said main frame including an elongated endless sampling belt providing an upper article conveying run having an article receiving end closely adjacent to said article dumping position of said bin dumping means and an opposite article discharging end above said bin discharging end of the conveyor, said belt having a plurality of spaced sampling openings therethrough permitting a predetermined number of articles received from the bins on said bin dumping means to be automatically removed from the belt with the remaining articles on the belt being discharged into a previously dumped empty bin at the discharging end of the conveyor.

5. The article sampling apparatus of claim 4 including bin reloading means mounted on said frame at said bin discharging end of the conveyor elevationally to position a previously dumped empty bin upwardly adjacent to said article discharging end of said sampling belt to reduce the distance the articles must fall during their descent into the bins.

9. The article sampling apparatus of claim 8 including an elongated bin passage within said main frame above and extended between the ends of said bin conveyor, and swingable gate means on said dumping frame having a bin blocking position extended into said bin passage in constraining relation to a bin on the bin receiving end of the conveyor and being releasable to a freely swingable position permitting movement of an empty bin along the conveyor from said bin dumping frame to said bin reloading frame.

10. The article sampling apparatus of claim 9 including one-way latch means on said bin reloading frame in inwardly extended relation to said bin passage permitting the bins to pass into the reloading frame but precluding their return movement along the conveyor away from the reloading frame toward the dumping frame.

11. The article sampling apparatus of claim 10 in which said bin reloading frame includes an upright corner beam laterally spaced from said bin passage; and said one-way latch means includes an elongated arm having a pivot end hingably connected to the corner beam for swinging movement about an axis acutely angularly related to the corner beam, and an opposite blocking end downwardly inclined from said pivot end for automatic downward gravitational swinging movement into said bin passage against the post in blocking relation to return movement of bins along the passage toward the bin receiving end of the conveyor.