Apparatus and method of soft sorting fruits and vegetables
OwnerRonald A. Bichel, Thomas W. Bechertinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for sorting a food product, such a fruit or vegetable, is disclosed. The food product to be sorted is introduced into a rotatable sorting chamber through an inlet opening. Whole and firm product is discharged out of the chamber through an outlet opening. Soft food product, on the other hand, is expelled radially out of the chamber through the sides of the chamber as the chamber rotates.
Claims51
An apparatus for separating soft food product from firm food product, the apparatus comprising:
- a rotatable cage having a chamber and a main axis of rotation, wherein the chamber rotates about the main axis of rotation;
- a first roller having a second axis of rotation and radially disposed on the perimeter of the chamber, wherein the first roller orbits about the main axis of rotation with the chamber, and further wherein the first roller rotates about the second axis of rotation in a first direction;
- and
- a second roller having a third axis of rotation and radially disposed on the perimeter of the cage adjacent to the first roller, wherein the second roller orbits about the main axis of rotation with the chamber, and further wherein the second roller rotates about the third axis of rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein soft food product is removed from the rotating chamber by the first and second counter-rotating rollers.
An apparatus for sorting a food product, such as a fruit or vegetable, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a plurality of rollers radially spaced apart around the circumference of the chamber wherein each of the rollers includes a pinion gear;
- a first ring gear wherein the first ring gear engages with every other one of the plurality of pinion gears to rotate every other one of the plurality of rollers in a first direction;
- and
- a second ring gear wherein the second ring gear engages with the other ones of the plurality of pinion gears to rotate the other ones of the plurality of rollers in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
An apparatus for sorting a food product, such as a fruit or vegetable, the apparatus comprising:
- a first plurality of rollers radially disposed about a first axis of rotations each of the first plurality of rollers having a pinion gear attached thereto;
- a second plurality of rollers radially disposed about the first axis of rotation, each of the second plurality of rollers having a pinion gear attached thereto, wherein the first and second plurality of rollers define a chamber for receiving the food product to be sorted;
- a first ring gear, wherein the first ring gear engages with each of the pinion gears attached to the first plurality of rollers to impart rotation to the first plurality of rollers in a first direction;
- and
- a second ring gear, wherein the second ring gear engages with each of the pinion gears attached to the second plurality of rollers to impart rotation to the second plurality of rollers in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
An apparatus for sorting a food product such as a fruit or vegetable, wherein the apparatus sorts soft food product from firm food product, the apparatus comprising:
- a cage having a chamber, wherein the chamber is rotatable about a main axis;
- and
- a plurality of rollers radially spaced apart around the circumference of the chamber wherein adjacent rollers from the plurality of rollers rotate in opposite directions as the chamber rotates around the main axis to expel soft food product radially out of the chamber.
An apparatus for sorting a food product such as a fruit or vegetable, wherein the apparatus sorts soft food product from firm food product, the apparatus comprising a plurality of rotatable rollers arranged in radially spaced-apart relationship about a main axis of rotation so as to define a chamber for receiving the food product to be sorted, wherein each of the plurality of rollers orbits about the main axis of rotation, and further wherein each of the plurality of rollers has its own axis of rotation, wherein adjacent rollers from the plurality of rollers rotate about their own axis of rotation in opposite directions to remove soft food product from the chamber.
An apparatus for sorting a food product, such as a fruit or vegetable, wherein the apparatus sorts soft food product from firm food product, the apparatus comprising a product sorting chamber rotatable about a main axis wherein the chamber is configured to expel substantially all of the soft food product radially outward from the chamber as the chamber rotates.
An apparatus for sorting a food product, such as a fruit or vegetable, wherein the apparatus sorts soft food product from firm food product, the apparatus comprising a generally cylindrical product sorting chamber rotatable about a main axis wherein the chamber is configured to expel at least 50 percent of the soft food product radially outward from the chamber as the chamber rotates.
A method of sorting a food product, such as a fruit or vegetable, wherein soft food product is separated from firm food product, the method comprising:
- introducing the food product to be sorted into a rotating chamber;
- and
- expelling soft food product out of the rotating chamber between first and second counter-rotating rollers radially disposed about the rotating chamber.
A method of sorting a food product, such as a fruit or vegetable, wherein soft food product is separated from firm food product, the method comprising:
- rotating a chamber having a receiving end and a discharge end;
- introducing the food product to be sorted into the chamber at the receiving end;
- allowing the firm food product to pass out of the chamber at the discharge end;
- and
- allowing the soft food product to pass out of the chamber through counter-rotating rollers radially disposed around the circumference of the chamber.
A method of separating soft food product from firm food product comprising:
- passing soft food product through a pair of counter-rotating rollers as the pair of counter-rotating rollers orbit in a 360 degree path about a central axis of rotation.
A method of separating soft food product from firm food product comprising:
- rotating a chamber about a main axis;
- introducing the food product to be sorted into the chamber;
- expelling substantially all of the soft food product radially out of the chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.