US 4,054,675 A · Selective peach pitter

Abstract

A torque-type pitter for pitting drupes such as clingstone peaches and the like, having coplanar, body-bisecting and pit-holding blades, and coaxial elements for gripping the peach body at opposite sides of the plane of said blades for twisting the peach halves from the blade-held pit. One of said blades has pitting knives or a pitting spoon in the plane of said blade that are normally inoperative where the pit in the peach between the blades is sound, or momentarily appears to be sound, but upon said blade passing between the halves of a split pit without hesitation, said knives or spoon will automatically be projected into the gripped halves to positions in which the rotation of said halves by said elements will spoon-pit the halves. Where a pit is momentarily engaged by the pair of pit-holding blades as though it were sound and then the blades travel past the edges of the defective (or "late" split) pit, the pitting knives will remain in inoperative in the plane of the blade, thereby precluding mutilation of the halves as would occur were the knives to engage the pit or to cut remote from the pit during rotation of the bisected halves.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A method of pitting clingstone peaches at a single pitting station, some having sound pits and some having split pits, and presented randomly in succession to said station, comprising:

a. supporting each whole peach at said station with its suture substantially in a predetermined plane;
b. substantially bisecting the body of said peach in said plane and at the same time;
c. moving opposed pit-gripping means and a coring spoon through the body of said peach in said plane toward the edges of the pit;
d. upon said pit-gripping means engaging and gripping the edges of a sound pit, holding the same against rotation, and maintaining said coring spoon inoperative in said plane;
upon either of said pit-gripping means passing between the halves of a split pit, moving said coring spoon into an operative position extending transversely of said plane into said body on opposite sides of said pit;
and thereafter,
f. rotating the halves of said bodies relative to said pit-gripping means and said coring spoon about and axis extending transversely to said plane and extending through said pit for either shearing said halves from a held sound pit or cutting a core including said split pit from said halves.

4 more elements

The method of pitting clingstone peaches at a succession at a single pitting station, certain of which peaches have sound pits and others of which peaches have split pits, comprising the steps of:

a. substantially bisecting each of the bodies of said certain peaches at said station in approximately the plane of its suture by two opposed cutting edges in said plane one movable toward the other and so moving said one until the pit is firmly held against rotation between said edges;
and at substantially the same time,
b. moving body-gripping surfaces toward each other against the two opposite outer sides of said certain peach body along an axis perpendicular to said plane extending through said pit, and yieldably urging said-gripping surfaces into non-slipping engagement with said sides;
and then,
c. rotating said body-gripping surfaces relative to said held pit about said axis whereby said body of said certain peach will be sheared from said held pit;
then,
d. moving said cutting edges and said body-gripping surfaces away from said pit and sides and dropping said pit and body by gravity from said cutting edges and body-gripping surfaces;
e. positioning each of said other peaches at said station, irrespective of the order of presentation, between said cutting edges and substantially bisecting it in said plane by moving them one toward the other in said plane and in the plane of the suture of the peach to between the halves of the split pit;
and at substantially the same time,
f. moving said gripping surfaces toward each other into said non-slipping engagement with the two opposite sides of said other peach body;
and at substantially the same time,
g. moving a second pair of cutting edges from said plane to positions extending along two opposite sides of said pit in a plane extending transversely of and intersecting said first mentioned plane;
and then,
h. rotating said body-gripping surfaces about said axis relative to said second pair of cutting edges whereby a core including said split pit will be cut from said body of said other peach;
then,
i. moving said second pair of cutting edges back to positions in the plane of said first mentioned cutting edges and moving the latter and said body-gripping surfaces apart and dropping the halves of said split pit and body by gravity.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Selective peach pitter

Life of this patent

Selective peach pitter

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5