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US 4,241,569 AGranted
Grape gathering machine
AssigneeEtablissements Bobard Jeune
InventorsCharles E. Bobard, Just M. Delaunay, Raymond M. Darcy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanical grape harvesting machine including two symmetrical supports arranged face to face and adapted to be disposed on either side of the same row of vines. Each support has one or more comb units carrying at least one flexible blade and pairs of flexible flaps adapted to be close to the vegetation which passes inside each support as the machine is moved. Receptacles or conveyers are placed at the bottom of the machine and ventilators are provided for creating an ascending air flow inside the almost tight enclosure defined by each support and its flaps.
Claims39
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries, comprising:
- at least one support housing formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along the row of vines;
- a flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means;
- ventilator means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation and which is substantially flexible in the horizontal direction and substantially rigid in a vertical direction,
- drive means carried by said support housing for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines and the direction of movement of the machine, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation, said blades flexing in the horizontal direction as they engage various parts of the vegetation while the machine is moved along a row of vines, and
- collector means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation.
3 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- at least one support housing formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines;
- a flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means;
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- collector means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation;
- and a pair of oblique flaps attached to said support housing, for closing off said bottom opening, said oblique flaps lying one above the other, the extremity of the upper flap being above the extremity of the lower flap, said collector means being placed at the base of the lower flap.
4 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- at least one support housing formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines;
- a flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means;
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing;
- said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- collector means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation;
- and at least one guide means of adjustable length at the lower part of the support housing for guiding the vegetation into said partial enclosure as the machine is moved along the row of vegetation.
5 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- a pair of support housings each formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening, through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines, support means for mounting said support housings face to face on opposite sides of the same row of vegetation, each said support housing having a generally trapezoidal shape, both trapezoidal shaped support housings being generally parallel to the row of vegetation which they encompass,
- a flexible flap means attached to said support housings to at least partially cover each of said openings of each of said support housings, said flap means being substantially contiguous to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means;
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- collector means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation.
3 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- at least one support housing formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines;
- a flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means;
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- and
- conveyor means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation, said conveyor means extending around said comb means and said comb moving means.
4 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- at least one support housing formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines;
- flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means, said flap means at the front and rear openings fromed by two pairs of flexible flaps with the flaps of a respective pair being separated from each other by a space serving as an air lock,
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- collector means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation.
3 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- a pair of support housings each formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines;
- support means for mounting said support housings face to face on opposite sides of the row of vegetation,
- flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings and being substantially contiguous to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure between the two support housings into which the vegetation passes through said flap means, the flaps of the lower opening of each said support housing being formed with notches, the notches of one said flap being offset in relation to the notches of the other said flap so that both flaps are interleaved,
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- collector means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation.
4 more elements
A machine adapted for moving along a row of vines and for gathering from vegetation grapes or other types of berries comprising:
- at least one support housing formed with a front and rear generally vertical opening and a bottom opening through which the vegetation is to pass as the machine is moved along a row of vines;
- a flexible flap means attached to said support housing to at least partially cover each of said openings to define with said support housing at least a partial enclosure into which the vegetation passes through said flap means;
- ventilation means on said support housing for producing an air flow within said enclosure;
- at least one comb means carried by a said support housing, said comb means including at least one elongated blade of flexible material which extends in a direction toward the vegetation,
- drive means for moving the comb means and the blades of each said comb means in a closed-curve path in a generally vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the row of vines, into the vegetation, through the vegetation in a generally vertical direction to sever the vegetation and withdrawing from the vegetation;
- and
- collecting means carried by said support housing for collecting the severed vegetation, said collector means located at the lower opening of said enclosure, means for moving said collecting means along said bottom opening in a direction opposite to that of the movement of the support housing along the row of vegetation and at substantially the same speed as the support housing so that said collecting means is substantially motionless in relation to the vegetation.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.