US 4,096,795 AGranted

Olive pitting and stuffing machine

OwnerClemente Del Ser Gonzalezinventor

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Abstract

An olive pitting and stuffing machine has a drum rotatable about an axis and provided with opposing pairs of clamping members angularly equispaced about the axis and respectively engageable with opposite ends of olives fed in succession generally tangentially to the drum. The drum also comprises respective tubular cutters axially aligned with each pair of clamping members and displaceable to cut an end out of the olive, a plunger axially aligned with each pair of clamping members on the opposite side of the drum adapted to pierce the olive through the other end and push out the olive pit, and a pimento inserter also aligned with the clamping members and effective to insert a folded piece of pimento as the stuffing in the interior of the olive. The plunger, cutter and pimento inserter all rotate together with the clamping members as part of the drum and with the respective olive and all are displaceable by engagement with respective circular stationary cams so that the entire sequence of operations takes place in less than a full revolution of the drum and without any interruption in the continuous movement of the olive from the point at which it is engaged by the clamping members to the point at which it is discharged from the drum.

Claims8

Dependent claims

In a pitting and stuffing machine for olives and the like, a pair of juxtaposed gripper members having aligned central passageways circumscribed by frusto-conical olive engaging surfaces defining an olive receiving chamber therebetween;

powered means mounting said members for movement toward and from each other to grasp and to release olives therebetween;
an elongated tubular cutter;
means mounting the cutter for longitudinal reciprocal movement to and from the chamber through a passageway of a member to core an olive therein and to retract from the chamber;
an elongated pitting plunger;
means mounting the pitting plunger for reciprocal movement to and from the chamber through the passageway of the member opposite to the cutter in substantial alignment therewith;
an elongated feed plunger;
means mounting the feed plunger for longitudinal reciprocal movement into and out of the cutter coaxially thereof;
means for positioning stuffing material in alignment with the cutter when the feed plunger is retracted therefrom;
and means sequentially moving the gripper members toward each other to grasp an olive therebetween, thrusting the cutter into the chamber to core an olive held therein and retracting therefrom, thrusting the pitting plunger into the chamber to eject the pit from the olive therein in the direction of the cutter as the cutter is retracted, moving the feed plunger relative to the retracting cutter and in the opposite direction to eject olive core therefrom, concurrently retracting the feed plunger from the cutter to receive stuffing materials therebetween, the pitting plunger from the chamber and re-inserting the cutter into the olive in the chamber, subsequently thrusting the feed plunger into the cutter for the delivery therethrough of stuffing material into the olive, and concurrently retracting the feed plunger from the cutter, the cutter from the chamber and separating the gripper members to release the stuffed olive.

6 more elements

An olive pitting and stuffing machine comprising

(A) a central shaft;
(B) means mounting the shaft in fixed position;
(C) a drum mounted for rotation on the shaft;
(D) a plurality of pairs of juxtaposed gripper members mounted on the drum for rotation therewith, the gripper members of each pair having axially aligned passageways circumscribed by frusto-conical olive engaging surfaces defining an olive receiving chamber therebetween;
(E) means mounting the gripper members on the drum for rotation therewith axially parallel to the shaft and for axial movement of the members of each pair relatively toward and from each other;
(F) a circular gripper cam mounted concentrically in fixed position on the shaft;
(G) followers individual to the pairs of gripper members engaged with the gripper cam and connected to their respective gripper members to urge the members of each pair relatively toward each other at a predetermined receiving station to grasp olives therebetween and relatively from each other at a predetermined releasing station to release such olives, the followers being laterally offset from the axes of the passageways to leave the passageways substantially unobstructed;
(H) means for delivering olives successively to the receiving station;
(I) elongated pitting plungers individual to the pairs of gripper members;
(J) means mounting the pitting plungers on the drum for rotation therewith and for longitudinal reciprocal movement to and from the chambers of their respective pairs of gripper members coaxially of the passageways thereof;
(K) a circular pitting cam mounted concentrically is fixed position on the shaft;
(L) pitting followers individual to the pitting plungers engaged with the pitting cam and connected to their respecive pitting plungers to reciprocate the pitting plungers to and from the chambers of their respective pairs of gripper members;
(M) elongated tubular cutters individual to the pairs of gripper members;
(N) means mounting the cutters on the drum for rotation therewith and for longitudinal reciprocal movement to and from the chambers of their respective pairs of gripper members coaxially of the passageways thereof;
(O) a circular cutter cam mounted concentrically in fixed position on the shaft;
(P) cutter followers individual to the cutters engaged with the cutter cam and connected to their respective cutters to reciprocate the cutters to and from the chambers of their respective pairs of gripper members, the cutter followers being laterally offset from the axes of the passageways to leave the tubular cutters substantially unobstructed;
(Q) elongated feed plungers individual to the cutters;
(R) means mounting the feed plungers on the drum for rotation therewith and for longitudinal reciprocal movement to and from their respective cutters coaxially of the passageways;
(S) a circular feed cam mounted concentrically in fixed position on the shaft;
(T) feed plunger followers individual to the feed plungers engaged with the feed cam and connected to their respective plungers to reciprocate the plungers to and from their respective cutters, the plungers having loading positions retracted from their respective cutters in spaced relation thereto and in alignment therewith;
(U) means for supplying stuffing material to positions between the feed plungers and their respective cutters when the feed plungers are in loading positions;
and
(V) means for rotating the drum, gripper members, followers, pitting plungers, cutters, and feed plungers on the shaft.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.