WO2010020942A1

WO2010020942A1 - Slip bag

Info

Publication number: WO2010020942A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/053634
Authority: WO
Inventors: Elchanan Shochat
Original assignee: Agrosif
Priority date: 2008-08-18
Filing date: 2009-08-18
Publication date: 2010-02-25

Abstract

A tree shaker includes a shaft (16) and a pair of gripping arms (12,14) extending from the shaft. A pair of sleeves (22,24) each is affixed to each of the pair of gripping arms (12,14) respectively. A pair of pads (18,20) inserted each within each of the pair of sleeves (22,24) respectively to protect the tree and enhance the ability of the arms to grip the trunk of a tree. A pair of slip bags (40,43) each is filled with lubricant (42) affixed to the top of each of the shaker arm, wherein the folded slip bags (40,43) are drawn each over the sleeves (22,24) respectively. The pair of slip bags (40,43) during operation of the tree shaker at least partially prevents friction and heat build up between the tree and the tree shaker and prevents movement of the gripping arms (12,14) against the bark of the tree.

Description

Description Title of Invention: SLIP BAG

[ 1 ] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[2] The present invention generally relates to systems for harvesting trees, in particular to tree shaker employing means for reducing damages to trees.

[3] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[4] Most almonds, nuts, olives and some other fruit trees are harvested using a tree shaker. Such tree shakers usually provide a mechanism including arms for gripping a tree's trunk and shaking the tree thereby ripened almonds, olives and other fruit to fall to the ground or onto collecting sheet spread under the tree. To protect the tree and enhance the ability of the arms to grip the tree's trunk, a pad positioned between each of the gripping arms and the tree. Such a pad is disclosed for example in US 5,653,097andUS 4,921,073. In US 5,653,097 the pad includes a cylindrical or oval shaped hollow pillow made of resilient material, the lumen of which being substantially filled with a plurality of resilient members having void area or interstices therebetween. The pillow is provided with water or other liquid coolant inlet, and a water or liquid coolant outlet adjacent for facilitating circulation of the coolant through the pillow when the jaws of the tree shaker are in undamped relation to the tree trunk. The resilient members, preferably rubber balls, are compressed when the jaws are in clamping relation to a tree trunk and will maintain a degree of flexibility and elasticity to provide better conformity of the pad with the tree trunk when the jaws are in clamped position. A rubber ball forming the filler medium will return to their original configuration when the jaws are undamped thereby returning the void areas or interstices to their original size and form, allowing for circulation of water or liquid coolant through the pillow for maintaining optimum operating temperature of the tree shaker pads on the clamp jaws of the tree shaker.

[5] US 4,921,073 describes a lubricant filled reservoir attached to a pressuring device adapted to deliver lubricant from the reservoir to a space between the padding layers of the shaker heads. The lubricant reservoir and pressuring device in one configuration of the invention is a manually operated hand-held grease gun attachable to a lubricant fitting which extends through an outer pad of the shaker head to a second layer of padding. In another configuration of the invention the lubricant reservoir is mounted on the harvester and the pressuring device is either manually or power operable from within the driver's cabin. A conduit extending from the mounted lubricant reservoir to the shaker head padding is generally permanently attached as a part of the machine. The driver in this arrangement may grease the shaker heads periodically without stopping the tree shaking process or leaving the driver's cabin. [6] To further help reduce damage to the harvested trees a slipping joint slip pad is provided for example as disclosed in US 5,467,588. The slipping joint slip pad is usually made of a rectangular section of flexible material such as rubber affixed to the top of a shaker arm and drawn over and under a sleeve and a pad and connected with elastic cords to the bottom surface of the shaker arm. A lubricant is typically applied between the slip pad and a sleeve to prevent friction and heat build up between the tree's trunk and the tree shaker.

[7] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved shaker employing means for reducing damages to trees.

[8] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[9] The present invention generally relates to a system for shaking trees, in particular tree shaker having a slipping joint, slip pad for reducing shaking damages to trees.

[10] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for reducing damages to trees subjected to the action of a tree shaker having a pair of gripping arms , sleeves attached to each of the gripping arms and pads are covered by the sleeves, the method comprising the steps of: providing a slip bag sheet; applying a lubricant to the slip bag sheet; folding the slip bag sheet sections along a folding line; juxtaposing the sections; confining the lubricant within the two juxtaposed sections; applying sealing means for sealing the edges of the two sections of the folded slip bag sheet; affixing at least one of the edges of the sealed juxtaposed slip bag sheet to the top of each of the shaker arm, wherein the folded slip bag sheets drawn over each of the sleeves respectively; and whereby, the folded slip bag sheets during operation of the tree shaker at least partially prevent friction and heat build up between the tree and the tree shaker and prevents movement of the gripping arms against the bark layers of the tree.

[11] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[12] The invention may be understood upon reading of the following detailed description of non-limiting exemplary embodiments thereof, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[13] Fig. IA is an isometric view of an exemplary prior art tree shaker harvester;

[14] Fig. IB is an isometric enlarged view of gripping arms of the exemplary prior art tree shaker shown in Fig. IA;

[15] Fig. 2A is an isometric enlarged view of one embodiment of gripping arms of a tree shaker of the present invention incorporating a slip bag;

[16] Fig. 2B is an isometric enlarged view showing a partial section of the slip bag;

[17] Fig. 3 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a slip bag of the invention attached in one side to a tree shaker harvester;

[18] Fig. 4A is a schematic view of an embodiment of a spread out slip bag of the present invention;

[19] Fig. 4B is a schematic view of an embodiment of the slip bag of the present invention; and

[20] The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings referred to above. Dimensions of components and features shown in the figures are chosen for convenience or clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.

[21] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[22] Referring first to Fig. IA, an exemplary prior art tree shaker 10 is shown. Tree shaker 10 includes a pair of gripping arms 12 and 14 extending from a shaft 16 which is typically installed on a vehicle, not shown. Gripping arms 12 and 14 can be actuated to grip and vibrate a tree trunk, not shown. To protect the tree and enhance the ability of the arms to grip the tree's trunk, pads 18 and20 are positioned between each of the arms and a tree. Pads 18 and20 are inserted into sleeve 22 and 24 respectively. Such sleeves are typically made of a flat rectangular flexible sheet of elastic material such as rubber used to support cylindrical pads 18 and 20. Sleeves 22 and 24 are folded or wrapped over pads 18 and 20 respectively. In some embodiments sleeves 22 and 24 are folded or wrapped over pads 18 and 20 respectively with the free edges brought together, not shown, and affixed to shakers arm 12 and 14 respectively using for example with bolts 26 and connecting plates 27.

[23] Referring now also to Fig. IB an isometric enlarged view of gripping arms of the exemplary prior art tree shaker is shown. Slip pads 28 and 30, are provided to further help reduce damage to trees. Each of slipping pads 28 and 30 are supplemented with rectangular sections made of flexible material such as rubber, affixed to the top of the shaker arms and drawn over and under sleeves 22,24 respectively, and connected for example using plastic cords , not shown, to the bottom surface of the shaker arm. In the prior art, a lubricant, not shown, is typically applied between the slip pads and the sleeves to prevent friction and heat build up between the two members when in use and these prevent movement against the bark layers of the tree.

[24] Referring now to Figs. 2A-2B and Fig. 3, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention slip bags 40 and 43 are affixed to the top of each tree shaker's arms 12 and 14 respectively. Slip bags 40, 43 Which are typically flat rectangular flexible of material affixed to the top of the shaker arms and drawn over and under sleeves 22,24 respectively and connected for example using plastic cords , not shown, to the bottom surface of the shaker arm. The slip bags are preferably made of sealed, shear resistant, fabric like material, such as a waterproof canvas. The slip bags are filled with a lubricant 42 such as grease. It should be noted that slip bags 40, 43 may assume other shapes which may be suitable for helping reduce damage to trees.

[25] In another embodiment of the present invention slipping bags 40 and 43 are affixed to the top of the shaker arms and drawn over sleeves 22 and 24 respectively.

[26] In Fig. 4A-4B to which reference is now made, there is shown a method for producing a slip bag according to one embodiment of the present invention. Lubricant 42 is applied to the upper surface of a slip bag sheet 46 having in this example a rectangular shape. Dashed line 48 designates the line where sheet 46 is to be folded into two equal sections as shown in Fig. 4B. To confine lubricant 42 between the surfaces of sheet 46,the edges of the two sections of sheet 46 are juxtaposed for example by folding and are then attached one to the other for example by welding or gluing. The attachment zone is designated in Fig. 4B by hatching 58. In use, the slip bag of the present invention during the operation of the tree shaker at least partially prevent friction and heat build up between the tree and the tree shaker and also prevents movement of gripping arms 12 and 14 against the bark layers of the tree.

[27] In some embodiments of the present invention lubricant 42 is inserted and/or injected after slip bag sheet 46 is folded and sealed.

[28] It should be understood that the above description is merely exemplary and that there are various embodiments of the present invention that may be devised, mutatis mutandis, and that the features described in the above-described embodiments, and those not described herein, may be used separately or in any suitable combination; and the invention can be devised in accordance with embodiments not necessarily described above.

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for reducing damages to trees subjected to the action of a tree shaker having a pair of gripping arms , sleeves attached to each of the gripping arms and pads are covered by said sleeves, said method comprising the steps of: providing a slip bag sheet; applying a lubricant to said slip bag sheet; folding said slip bag sheet sections along a folding line; juxtaposing said sections; confining said lubricant within said two juxtaposed sections; applying sealing means for sealing the edges of said two sections of said folded slip bag sheet; affixing at least one of the edges of said sealed juxtaposed slip bag sheet to the top of each of said shaker arm, wherein said folded slip bag sheets drawn over each of the sleeves respectively; and whereby, said folded slip bag sheets during operation of said tree shaker at least partially prevent friction and heat build up between the tree and the tree shaker and prevents movement of said gripping arms against the bark layers of the tree.

[Claim 2] A method for reducing damages to trees according to claim 1, wherein said sealing means is selected from the group consisting at least one of gluing and welding.

[Claim 3] A method for reducing damages to trees according to claim 1, wherein affixing at least one edge of said slip bag to the top of said shaker arm wherein said folded slip bag sheet drawn over and under the sleeve and connecting to the bottom surface of said shaker arm.

[Claim 4] A tree shaker comprising:

• a shaft;

• a pair of gripping arms extending from said shaft;

• a pair of sleeves each affixed to each of said pair of gripping arms respectively.

• a pair of pads inserted each within each of said pair of sleeves respectively to protect the tree and enhance the ability of the arms to grip the trunk of a tree;

• a pair of slip bags each filled with lubricant affixed to the top of each of said shaker arm, wherein said folded slip bags are drawn each over said sleeves respectively; and whereby, said pair of slip bags during operation of said tree shaker at least partially prevent friction and heat build up between the tree and the tree shaker and prevents movement of said gripping arms against the bark of said tree.

[Claim 5] A tree shaker according to claim 4, wherein said shaft is installed on a vehicle.

[Claim 6] A tree shaker according to claim 4, wherein a pair of slip bags each filled with lubricant is affixed to the top of each of said shaker arm, wherein at least one of said slip bags drawn over and under said sleeve and connected to the bottom surface of said shaker arm.

[Claim 7] A method for reducing damages to trees subjected to the action of a tree shaker having a pair of gripping arms , sleeves attached to each of the gripping arms and pads are covered by said sleeves, said method comprising the steps of: providing a slip bag sheet; folding said slip bag sheet sections along a folding line; juxtaposing said sections; inserting a lubricant within said two juxtaposed sections; confining said lubricant within said two juxtaposed sections; applying sealing means for sealing the edges of said two sections of said folded slip bag sheet; affixing at least one of the edges of said sealed juxtaposed slip bag sheet to the top of each of said shaker arm, wherein said folded slip bag sheets drawn over each of the sleeves respectively; and whereby, said folded slip bag sheets during operation of said tree shaker at least partially prevent friction and heat build up between the tree and the tree shaker and prevents movement of said gripping arms against the bark layers of the tree.

[Claim 8] A method for reducing damages to trees according to claim 7, wherein said sealing means is selected from the group consisting at least one of gluing and welding.

[Claim 9] A method for reducing damages to trees according to claim 7, wherein affixing at least one edge of said slip bag to the top of said shaker arm wherein said folded slip bag sheet drawn over and under the sleeve and connecting to the bottom surface of said shaker arm.