US 4,064,794 AGranted

Apparatus for skinning or peeling produce such as fruits and vegetables

OwnerPaul Kunzinventor

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Abstract

The present apparatus for skinning or peeling of produce comprises a rotatably mounted pressure vessel having a cover operable from within the vessel for sealing the vessel. The cover is pressure operated and permitted to fall open under the force of gravity upon pressure release. A pivoted latching pawl is provided in the pressure vessel for engaging the cover to hold it open. The pawl is also gravity operated to latch the cover in an open position. In the process for skinning or peeling produce, the pressure vessel is loaded with the produce, sealed and steam is introduced therein to rapidly increase the pressure and temperature within the vessel sufficiently so that a layer under the skin of the produce will come to a boil in response to pressure release. The pressure is maintained for a given period until the layer of the produce under its skin is sufficiently heated. Then the pressure is reduced to atmospheric pressure in either one or two steps, whereby said boiling occurs and the skin is removed thereby.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A rotatably supported pressure vessel comprising an opening, sealing cover means for closing said opening, said sealing cover means including pawl catch means, opening and closing means located at least partly inside said pressure vessel, said opening and closing means including piston cylinder means arranged for operating said sealing cover means, means mounting said sealing cover means to said piston cylinder means so that the sealing means are movable under the force of gravity towards and away from said opening, said opening and closing means further comprising latching pawl means and pivot means pivotally mounting said latching pawl means within said pressure vessel, said latching pawl means being so weighted that upon rotational movement of said pressure vessel said latching pawl means is movable in response to gravity about said pivot means into a first position engaging said pawl catch means and into a second position disengaging said pawl catch means, said pressure vessel being adapted to assume a first angular position in which said latching pawl means is moving from its disengaged to its engaged position and said cover is maintained in its open position by its own weight and a second angular position in which said latching pawl means is moving from its engaged to its disengaged position and said cover is again maintained in its open position by its own weight.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.