US567702A - allman - Google Patents

Description

(No-Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

S. ALLMAN & E. A. INGI-IAM.

' FRUITPITTBR.

Patented Sept. 15, 1896.

I Int/anion! (No Mo deL) 2'Sh'6ets-Sheet 2.

' S. ALLMAN 85 E. 'A. INGHAM.

FRUIT PITTER Patented Sept. 15, 18916. F

NIT-ED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

sILAs ALLMAN, OF PA'sADENA, AN EDWIN A. .INGI-IAM, or LAMANDA PARK, OALIFORNIA.-

FRUlT-PlTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,702, dated September 15, 18 96. Application filed September 23,1895. Serial No. 563,397. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it Duty cancer/1 Be it known that we, SILAs ALLMAN, residing at Pasadena, and EDWIN A. INGHAM, residing at Lam anda Park, Los Angeles county, State of California, citizens of the United States, have invented a certain new and useful Fruitt-Pitter, of which the following is a specification.

- The object of our invention is to provide a machine for rapidly pitting apricots and other stone fruit and separating the pits from the pulp of the fruit. i It is an object of our invention to provide means whereby the pit may be forcibly separated from the two halves of the pulp of the fruit. The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Figure l is a side elevationof our new fruitpitter with parts broken away for clearness of illustration. Fig. 2 is an elevation looking at the left side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine. Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail of the cutter and splitter head. Fig. 5 is a crosssection of the splitter on line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Our newly-invented fruit-pitter comprises a pitter-wheel A, provided at intervals on its rim with slightly-projecting radial fruit-engaging wings or projections a, a cutter b, and splitter Z), mounted upon asuitable spring 0, arranged to hold the cutter and splitter toward the wheel and almost in contact with the fruit-engaging projections a, but to allow the cutter and splitter to be sprung at their tops away from the wheel. The spring 0 isvertical and is adj ustably fastened at the bottomof the machine by a seat or block D, which holds the bottom of the spring, and a screwthreaded bolt E and nuts e e are arranged to adjust the spring toward and from a vertical drawn from the wheel. The cutter-blade b is almost vertical and extends downward, approaching the wheel from above the horizontal radius of the wheel. It extends vertically to or below such radius, so that the upper portion of the cutter-blade and the upper portion of the periphery of the wheel converge toward the horizontalradius of the wheel. The splitter 11 is curved and extends downward from the lower end of the cutter-blade and under the wheel and is slightly eccentric thereto, approaching the periphery of the wheel underneath the wheel. The cutter and splitter are both mounted on the cutter and splitter head B, which is carried by the upper end of the spring 0. The Gutter Z) is a knifeblade, and its edge is rounded at its upper end, as at 1, and the cutter-head B is provided with. a curved groove, as at 2, to direct the fruit toward the wheel and onto the cutterblade. The splitter b is a strong integral piece of steelor other suitable metal, having atits mid-line a sharp curved edge from which the sloping sides 3 3 of the splitter rapidly diverge at an" angle to each other of about seventy-five degrees to act as an effective wedge to throw the halves of the fruit apart as soon as the pulp has been severed by the knife. ,The edge of the splitter is practically an extension of the edge of the cutter-blade, and it and the cutter-blade are arranged in a vertical plane which is at right angles to the axis of the pitter-wheel.

4 indicates a small hopper fixed to the top of the splitter and cutter head B for guiding the fruit down into the rounded way 2.

- 5 indicates a guide fastened to the top of the standard 6 and projecting into the hop per to assist in directing the fruit into the top of the hopper.

- F F indicate side boards which are mounted 011 the standard, and together with the spring 0 form a chute for conducting the split fruit into a chute G, which conducts it into a rotating separator H, which is provided with holes h large enough to allow the pits to drop through and to retain the halves of the pulp. The separator flares from the chute G, so that the halves of the pulpwill be conducted out at the end thereof.

7i indicates a shaft for turning the separator. This shaft is arranged to be rotated simultaneously with the wheel A.

I indicates a crank fixed to. the axle J of the pitting-wheel A.

K indicates a band-wheel fixed on the axle J.

h indicates a band-wheel fixed on the axle h. A

L indicates a band connecting the wheels K and 72/, so that the rotation of the axle J drives the separator H.

The wheel-axle J and the separator-axle 71/ are both journaled to the standard 6, and the bolt E is pivoted to the standard by a pivot e, which passes through the arms e of the fork in which the bolt E terminates, and which arms embrace the opposite sides of the standard 6.

The standard 6 and the block D are mounted upon a suitable base 7, which supports the machine and holds the same in its upright position.

The splitter and cutter can be adjusted toward and from the wheel by turning the nuts 6 6', thus to accommodate different-size fruit.

In practical operation the crank I is turned to rotate the wheel A downward toward the cutter-blade and splitter, and the fruit is dropped singly into the hopper 4t and falls upon the wheelA, between the spurs or blades a, which operate to carry the fruit against the cutter b, which cuts the pulp as it rotates along the blade Z), and the pit engages the blade and forces the spring G away from the wheel, and this allows the pit to pass onto the splitter b, the sloping sides 3 3 of which press the pulp apart. When the spring 0 is thrown backward away from the wheel, the lower portion of the splitter b is not thrown away from the wheel, but rather closer to it, so that the wings or projections a will force the pit to separate from the fruit. The power thus applied is sufficient to split the pit if it catches on the edge of the splitter without sliding to one side or the other thereof.

The cutter-head is formed of two blocks 8 8', which are fastened together by bolts 9 9, and the cutter-blade d is clamped between these blocks. The upper end of the splitter I) is provided with a slot 10 in line with the edge of the splitter, and the lower end of the cutter-blade is fitted in the slot so that the edges of the cutter-blade and splitter are virtually one continuous edge. The lower end of the splitter is supported by a bracket 1), which is cast integral with the splitter and is fastened to the blocks of the cutter-head by screws 11.

Now, having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The fruit-pitter set forth comprising the wheel provided at intervals on its rim with the projecting fruit-en gaging wings; the vertical spring fastened at its lower end; the cutter-b ade fastened to the spring and approaching the rim of the wheel from above its horizontal radius; and the splitter fastened to the spring and extending downward from the cutter and under the wheel.

2. The fruit-pitter set forth comprising the wheel provided at intervals on its rim with the projecting fruit-engaging wings; the vertical spring fastened at its lower end; the

cutter-blade fastened to the spring and approaching the rim of the wheel from above its horizontal radius; and the curved splitter fastened to the spring and extending downward from the cutter and under the wheel and arranged eccentric thereto.

3. In afruit-pitter the integral curved splitter Z7 set forth having at its mid-line the sharp curved edge and having the sloping sides 3 3 diverging from such edge at an angle to each other of about seventy-five degrees.

4. The combination of the base provided with the seat for the spring; the standard mounted on the base; the spring seated in the seat and extending upward therefrom; the bolt pivoted to the standard and passed through the spring; the nuts on such bolt to v hold the spring; the wheel journaled to the standard and provided with the fruit-engaging wings; the cutter and splitter-head provided with the groove and mounted on the upper end of the spring; the cutter-blade mounted 011 such head in said groove; the splitter provided with the edge along its midline and the sloping sides, and extending from the splitter underneath the wheel; and means for rotating the wheel.

5. The cutter-head comprising the cutterhead blocks; the bolts clamping the blocks together; the splitter having the slot in its upper end and the bracket fastened to the cutter-head blocks; and the cutter-blade clamped between the blocks and having its lower end inserted in the slot in the splitter.

6. In a fruit-pitter the combination with the pitter-wheel provided with fruit-engaging wings; of the cutter and splitter head provided with the cutter-blade rigidly fixed thereto and with the splitter rigidly fixed to the head and provided with the edge arranged to form practically an extension of the edge of the cutter-blade and with sloping sides which diverge at an angle to each other of about seventy-five degrees; a spring upon which the head is mounted arranged to press the head toward the pitter-wheel; the hopper; and means for rotating the wheel; substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the standard; the pitter-wheel provided with the radial wings; means for rotating such wheel; the cutter and splitter head provided with the splitter and the cutterblade and with the hopper and mounted upon the spring; such spring arranged to force-the cutter-head toward the pitter-wheel; and the guide fastened to the standard and projecting into the hopper.

SILAS ALLMAN. EDWVIN A. INGI-IAM. lVitnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, ALFRED I. TOWNSEND.

ICC

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