US663792A - Cherry-pitter. - Google Patents

Description

No. 663,792. Patented Dec. II, I900. E. H. SKINNEB.

CHERRY PITTER.

' (Application filed Oct. 16, 1899.) '(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet II.

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No. 663,792. Patented Doe. II, I900. E. H. SKIN-NEE.

CHERRY PITTEB. (Application filed Oct. 16, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES.

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EDWARD H. SKINNER, OF SPRINGBROOK, OREGON.

CHERRY-PITTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,792, dated December 1 1, 1900.

Application filed OOtOber 16, 1399.

T0 aJ/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD I-I. SKINNER, of Springbrook, in the county of Yam hill and State of Oregon, have' invented a new and Improved Cherry-Fitter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for pitting cherries and similar fruits, and comprises the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation of one side of the machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side. of the machine. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation taken on the line 4 at of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the cam-arm by which the lower brush is operated, and Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the arrangement of the spring which acts upon the pitter-belt and hereinafter more particularly described.

The object of my invention is to produce a device which shall pit cherries and similar fruit in large quantities, so that it may be economically used for pitting such fruit to be canned on a commercial scale.

Upon a suitable framework A are mounted two rollers or wheels B and B, placed at opposite ends of the frame and about which passes an endless belt composed of the two chains D, which are connected by boards or plates D. These boards or plates D are provided with upwardly-flaring apertures d,

' which are made of such a size at the small end that the smallest fruit with which the device is to be used cannot drop through the same and yet large enough at the upper or large end to receive the largest fruit with which'the device is to be used.

Although my device is herein described as used for pitting cherries, it is not to be strictly limited to such use, as it is evident that it may be used in pitting any other suitable kind of fruit.

Located upon the frame intermediate the two rollers B and B is a shaft 0, which extends across the machine parallel with the shafts of the rollers B and B. This shaft journaled so that it may turn. is given a rotary movement, which by the or within the hopper H. back into the hopper any cherries which may Serial No. 733,783. (No model.)

has upon each end thereof a sprocket-wheel O", the sprockets of which are adapted to engage with the central portion of the endless belts D, so as to communicate motion thereto and at the same time to raise the same a little above the straight line between the upper edges of the rollers B and B. This produces an inclined section of the belt, as shown at the right in Fig. 3. About the edges of this portion of the belt is constructed a hopper H, within which is placed a quantity of the fruit to be pitted.

The shaft 0 is rotated by means of suitable mechanism, so as to cause the belt to travel up said incline or in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3. The body of the belt is composed of the plates or boards D", which are secured to the chains D by means of pivots located at the forward edge of the plates. This permits the plates when they pass over the roller B to drop down to a horizontal position and thus to jar off any fruit which may have become jammed in the apertures cl of the plates. As the belt travels up the incline the apertures in the plates fill with the cherries.

In order to prevent any cherries being carried over the upper end of the incline excepting such as are in the apertures in the plates, a brush F is provided, which is mounted above the upper portion of the incline and extends across the same, said brush being This brush mechanism herein shown is of an intermittent nature, so as to sweep the upper surface of the belt in the direction of down the incline be upon the belt and which are not held in place thereon by being within the apertures d in the belts D.

A pitting device is provided, which next operates upon the cherries. This device is constructed as follows: Upon suitable standards A, which extend upward from each side of the machine adjacent to the upper end of the incline, is mounted to slide a frame consisting of the two side members I, which are connected by means of the pitter-bar L. The frame, comprising the members I, slides upon the standards A as upon guides and is pro- This brush carries vided with two horizontal slots I, placed one in eachhalf of the frame. Through these slots passes the central portion of a shaft J, provided with crank-arms J 3 at each end thereof and which is journaled in the frame, as shown at J in Fig. 4.. One end of the shaft J is provided with a crank J by which it may be turned. This shaft may, if desired, be provided with a pulley and turned by a belt from any suitable source of power.

The pitter-bar L extends across the machine and above the upper run of the belt and is provided with aseries of downwardlyextending rods or pins L, which are suitably shaped at their lower ends to engage the pits of the cherries and force them out when the pinsare forced downward. As the crank J is turned the frame I and pitter-bar L are moved up and down. The pins L are of such length that when the frame moves downward they will pass through the apertures in the plates D, forming the body of the belt. The apertures in said plates being filled with cherries, the pits of the cherries are engaged by the ends of the pitter rods or pins and forced downward through the apertures. The size of the apertures is gaged to correspond with the size of the pits, so that the pits may pass through, but the meat portion of the cherry will remain behind. When the pitter-bar rises, the cherries are freed from the pitter rods or pins by means of a clearing-plate O, which is provided With apertures receiving the lower ends of the pitter-rods and is supported upon a spring 0 from the pitter-bar L. This clearing-plate is normally held flush with or' below the lower ends of the pitter-rods. Being supported upon the spring 0 it will readily yield when it comes in contact with the cherries and permit the. pitter-rods to readily pass through the cherries.

When the pitter-bar and the rods carried thereby rise, the plate 0 will engage the pit ted cherries and prevent their rising. As a consequence the cherries are left upon the belt, and as the belt proceeds in its travel it passes over the roller B. As it does so the pivoted plates D are engaged by a spring M, (see Fig. 6,) attached at its upper end to the frame of the machine and bearing at its free end beneath the belt D, so that when the belt passes over the roller B the spring is bent down (see Fig. 6) as the plates D of the belt reach the notch M in the hopper, the contact of said plates with the wall of said notch jarring the plates sufficiently to loosen the cherries and discharge them from the belt, such cherries as may not be discharged being jarred from the plates by the contact of the latter, aided by the action of the spring M with a projection A on the frame of the machine as the belt continues its travel. A'suitable receptacle is provided beneath this end of the machine, in which the cherries are deposited.

The brush F is operated from the Wheels C by means of pulley-wheels F and F upon the shafts of the brush and the wheel 0 and a belt F which connects said pulley-wheels. Upon the other end of the shaft 0 is placed a ratchet-wheel K, which is engaged to turn the shaft by means of a pawl-bar K, which is supported from and reciprocates with the frame I. The pawl-bar is held in engage.- ment with the ratchet-wheel by means of a spring K which is secured to the upper end thereof. Each reciprocation of the frame of the pitter-bar thus causes the ratchet-wheel K and the shaft C, to which it is attached, to be given a partial rotation in amount equal to the distance between consecutive teeth upon the wheel K.

A brush E is mounted beneath the belts D and engages the lower surface thereof immediately beneath the pitter-bar, so as to insure the removal of the pits from the belts. This brush is mounted upon arms E',which in turn are supported upon a bar E, which extends across the machine and is mounted to slide lengthwise of the machine within guides e formed in the frame. The ends of bar E project beyond the sides of the frame and are engaged by means of the cam-bar N, which is shown in perspective in Fig. 5. This bar is carried by the vertically-reciprocating frame I and is provided with an incline e, which engages the' ends of the bar E The brush E is therefore g'rven a'reciprocating movement under the belt at each reciprocation of the frame I.

In order to support the under side of the belts and prevent sagging, the belts D are supported upon guide bars D which are formed as a part of the frame. 7

With this machine it is possible to rapidly pit cherries and thus to make it possible to pit cherries when put up for commercial purposes. The movement of the chain, it will be observed, is intermittent, being in amount equal each time to the width of one of the plates D.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a pitter, the combination of an endless belt, having a series of plates pivoted thereto, and adapted to turn on their pivots as the belt makes a turn at one end, the said plates being provided with apertures adapted means for moving said belt, means for removing the pits from the fruit, while in the apertures in the plates and a stop arranged on the frame to arrest the plates in their outward movement and jar the fruit therefrom, substantially as described.

3. In a cherry-pitter, the combination of an endless belt having a series of plates hinged thereto by one edge, and provided with flaring apertures adapted to receive the cherries, and means for moving said belt, means for turning each plate upon its pivot as the belt makes a turn at one end, whereby the cherries are jarred free from the plates, a series of pitting rods or pins, and means for moving said rods or pins to pass them through the apertures in said plates whereby the pits are removed from the cherries, substantially as described.

4. In a cherry-pitter, the combination of an endless belt having a series of plates hinged thereto by one edge, and having flaring apertures adapted to receive the cherries, means for moving said belt, a spring engaging each plate to swing it upon its pivot as the belt makes a turn at one end and a stop against which the plates are thrown to produce a slight shock, whereby the cherries are freed from the plate, with a series of pitting rods or pins, and means for moving said rods or pins to pass them through the apertures in said plates, whereby the pits are removed from the cherries, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a belt having fruitreceiving apertures therein, a reciprocating frame carrying pitting devices for removing the pits from the fruit, a reciprocating brush movable lengthwise of the belts beneath the upper run thereof, and means carried by the vertically-reciprocating pitting-frame to operate said brush, substantially as described.

6. In a pitter for cherries and similar fruits, the combination of a belt having fruit-receiving apertures, a pitting-frame provided with means for forcing the pits through the apertures, a reciprocating brush movable in a longitudinal direction beneath the upper run of the belt, and a vertically-movable cam or cams carried by the pitting-frame, to operate said brush, substantially as described.

7. In a cherry-pitter, the combination of an endless belthaving a series of plates hinged thereto by one edge, and provided with flaring fruit-receiving apertures, means for moving said belt, means for turning each plate upon its pivot as the belt makes a turn at one end and a stop against which the plates are thrown, whereby the cherries are jarred free from the plates, with a series of pitting rods or pins, means for moving said rods or pins to pass them through the apertures in said plates, and a brush provided with means for moving it in engagement with the under side of said plates to secure the removal of the pits, substantially as described.

8. In a pitter, the combination of an endless belt having a series of plates pivoted thereto and adapted to turn on their pivots as the belt makes a turn at one end, the said plates being provided with apertures adapted to receive the fruit, means for moving said. belt, a pitting-frame moving in correspondence with the belt and carrying pitting rods or pins for removing the pits from the fruit, a clearing-plate for clearing the fruit from the pitting-rods, means for jarring the plates, to remove the fruit therefrom, a reciprocating brush movable beneath the upper run of the belt, and means carried by the pittingframe, to operate said brush, substantially as described.

9. In a cherry-pitter, the combination of a belt having flaring fruit-receiving apertures therein, pitting rods or pins, means for reciprocating said rods or pins through said apertures, with a brush extending across and contacting with the under side of the belt near the pitting-rods, a bar supporting said brush, guides in which the said bar is mounted to slide lengthwise of the belt, and means for moving said bar in the guides to reciprocate said brush, substantially as described.

10. In a cherry-pitter, the combination of an endless belt comprising chains connected by plates hinged at one edge to the chains, the said plates having flaring fruit-receiving apertures therein, rollers over which said belt passes, a shaft located between the rollers and below the upper run of the belt, sprocketwheels on said shaft and engaging the chains, the said wheels serving to give an upward inclination to the upper run of the belt from one end toward the center, a bottomless hopper above the inclined portion of the belt, a brush extending across the belt where it leaves the hopper, and means foractuatin g the brush to brush into the hopper, with pitting rods or pins just beyond the brush means for reciprocating the pitting rods or pins to cause them to project through the apertures in the belt, and a reciprocating brush movable beneath the upper run of the belt substantially as described.

11. A cherry-pitter, comprising a movable belt having flaring fruit-receivin g holes therein, a vertically-reciprocating pitter-frame, a pitter-bar carrier by said frame and having rods or pins therein adapted to pass through said holes, means for reciprocating the pitterbar, a brush extending transversely beneath the belt and the pitter-bar, and mounted to slide lengthwise of the belt, arms upon which said brush is mounted, a bar supporting said armsand eXt-endingacrossthe machine,guides formed in the frame and in which the said bar is mounted to slide, and cam-bars carried by the vertically-reciprocating pitter-frame and having inclines engaging the ends of the brush-carrying bar, substantially as described.

12. A cherry-pitter comprising a movable belt having fruit-receiving apertures, a pitting-frame having a bar carrying devices adapted to enter the cherries and force the pits through the apertures, a brush for brushtherewith for reciprocating said brush, substantially as described. I

EDWARD H. SKINNER. Witnesses:

MAY E. LAMB, J. O. COLOORD.

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