Apparatus for washing and/or treating potatoes and other such fruits and vegetables

An apparatus for receiving and washing and/or treating material such as fruits, vegetables, and the like comprising:

• a container structure including bottom and side walls and adapted to hold a volume of fluid therein whereby said container is structured such that the material received therein is generally in contact with the fluid within said container structure, said container having a receiving end and an exiting end with said receiving end being substantially wider than said exiting end such that the particular material to be received within said container can be easily and conveniently dumped into said receiving end of said container;
• paddle wheel means rotatively mounted about said exiting end of said container a substantial distance from said receiving end such that material may be dumped in bulk form in said receiving end and may accumulate and remain in the area between said paddle wheel means and said receiving end of said container;
• grate means extending about a substantial area of said container and including a generally horizontal grate portion that extends from said receiving end of said container to said paddle wheel means where a portion of said grate means curves adjacent said paddle wheel means such that said paddle wheel means cooperates with the adjacent curved portion of said grate means for engaging the material within said container to be washed and/or treated and generally urges said material to move between said paddle wheel means and the curved portion of said grate means to lift said material from said container;
• said paddle wheel means and said curved cooperable grate portion of said grate means extending substantially across the exiting end of said container and wherein said paddle wheel means includes a shaft rotatively mounted across said container structure, a pair of end plates fixed to opposite portions of said shaft and disposed interiorly of the side walls of said container structure, and a transverse finger support assembly extending between said end plates and radially spaced from said shaft, and a plurality of flexible and yieldable finger means generally circumferentially spaced about said finger support assembly and extending therefrom for engaging material being transferred between said paddle wheel means and said underlying grate means;
• and drive means operatively connected to said paddle wheel means for driving said paddle wheel means such that material within said container may be transferred between said paddle wheel means and said grate means and discharged from said container.

An apparatus for receiving material therein such as fruits, vegetables and the like wherein said apparatus is adapted to contain a fluid therein such that said materials may be dumped directly into said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• a container structure having receiving and exiting ends and including bottom and side walls adapted to hold a volume of fluid therein whereby said container is structured such that the material received therein is generally in contact with fluid within said container structure;
• paddle wheel means rotatively mounted about said exiting end of said container a substantial distance from said receiving end such that material may be dumped in bulk form in said receiving end and made accumulate and remain in the area between said paddle wheel means and said receiving end of said containers;
• grate means extending about a substantial area of said container and including a generally horizontal grate portion that extends generally from said receiving end of said container to said paddle wheel means;
• cooperable support means generally curved and disposed adjacent said paddle wheel means for cooperating therewith in the transfer of material from said container, said cooperable support means being curved generally underneath and adjacent said paddle wheel means such that said paddle wheel means cooperates with the adjacent curved portion of said cooperable support means for engaging the material within said container to generally urge said material to move between said paddle wheel means and the curved portion of said cooperable support means to lift the material from the container;
• said paddle wheel means and said curved cooperable support means extending across the exiting end of said container and wherein said paddle wheel means includes a shaft rotatively mounted across said container structure and a transverse finger support assembly disposed about said shaft, and a plurality of finger means generally circumferentially spaced about said finger support assembly and extending therefrom for engaging material being transferred between said paddle wheel means and said underlying portion of said cooperable support means;
• drive means operatively connected to said paddle wheel means for driving said paddle wheel means such that the material within said container may be transferred between said paddle wheel means and said adjacent cooperable support means and discharged from said container;
• and fluid propulsion means associated with said apparatus for generally urging material received about said receiving end of said container towards said paddle wheel means and the exiting end of said container, said fluid propulsion means including a pumping system operative to pump fluid to an area within said container where the fluid is directed towards the material disposed between said receiving end and said paddle wheel means so as to urge the material towards said paddle wheel means and generally towards said exiting end of said container.