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US 4,303,011 AGranted
Automatic platen press
OwnerRalph E. Reinerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A press particularly adapted for use in extracting juice from fruit, such as apples, features a vertically extending sleeve of filter cloth disposed intermediate a pair of cooperating press platens supported for movement horizontally relative to one another for squeezing fruit contained within the sleeve. An open upper end of the sleeve is arranged in communication with a hopper or the like providing for batch-wise charging of the sleeve with fruit to be pressed and a valve mechanism is employed to selectively clamp off or close a normally open lower end of the sleeve in order to alternatively retain a charge of fruit within the sleeve during a pressing operation and permit discharge of pressed fruit pulp in the form of a "cake" from which juice has been extracted.
Claims18
A press particularly adapted for use in extracting juice from fuit, said press comprising in combination:
- a pair of vertically disposed press platens including a stationary platen and a movable platen supported for horizontal movement relative to said stationary platen between remote charging and adjacent pressing positions;
- a vertically extending sleeve formed of filter cloth, said sleeve being arranged horizontally intermediate said platens and having open upper and lower ends;
- means for depositing a charge of fruit to be pressed within said sleeve through said upper end;
- means for selectively closing said sleeve adjacent said lower end;
- means for selectively closing said sleeve adjacent said upper end, said means for closing said lower and upper ends of said sleeve cooperating to retain said charge of fruit within said sleeve during pressing thereof incident to movement of said platens into said adjacent pressing positions;
- and
- means for collecting juice extracted from said charge of fruit disposed within said sleeve incident to pressing thereof, said means for collecting juice including a stationary trough operably associated with said stationary platen and a movable trough operably associated with said movable platen, and said means for closing said sleeve adjacent said lower end includes a stationary clamping surface and a movable clamping edge carried by said movable trough and cooperating with said clamping surface to close said sleeve.
4 more elements
A press particularly adapted for use in extracting juice from fruit, said press comprising in combination:
- a framework;
- stationary platen means supported on said framework and having a pair of parallel, vertical extending and oppositely facing platen elements;
- first and second movable platen means supported on said framework on opposite sides of said stationary platen means and having vertically disposed platen elements arranged one in facing relationship with each of said platen elements of said stationary platen means;
- means to move said first and second platen elements relative to said stationary platen means between remote charging and adjacent pressing positions;
- a pair of sleeves formed of filter cloths and disposed to extend vertically one intermediate each of said first and second platen means and said stationary platen means, said sleeves having open upper and lower ends disposed relatively above and below the platen means, respectively;
- supply means for depositing charges of fruit to be pressed in said sleeves through said upper ends thereof;
- means for collecting juice extracted from said charge of fruit disposed within said sleeves incident to pressing thereof upon movement of said first and second platen means into said adjacent pressing positions, said means for collecting juice including a stationary trough disposed below and in operable association with said stationary platen means, a pair of movable troughs disposed below and in operable association one with each of said first and second platen means, said stationary trough defining a pair of oppositely facing clamping surfaces, said movable troughs each defining a clamping edge, and means for moving said movable troughs between operative positions in which their associated clamping edges cooperate with said stationary clamping surfaces to clamp off said sleeves vertically intermediate said platen means and said lower ends of said sleeves and retracted positions in which cakes of fruit pulp remaining within said sleeves after extraction of juice from said charges of fruit are free to fall under the influence of gravity downwardly through said open lower ends;
- and
- upper valve means for selectively clamping off said sleeves at points disposed vertically intermediate said platen means and said open upper ends.
6 more elements
A press particularly adapted for use in extracting juice from fruit, said press comprising in combination:
- a vertically extending sleeve of filter cloth having an open upper end for receiving a charge of fruit to be pressed and an open lower end for discharging fruit pulp remaining in said sleeve after extraction of juice from said charge of fruit by compressing said sleeve;
- a pair of vertically disposed press platens supported adjacent opposite sides of said sleeve for relative movement horizontally between remote sleeve charging and adjacent sleeve compressing positions for compressing said sleeve and said charge of fruit to effect extraction of juice therefrom;
- means for maintaining said upper end of said sleeve in an open condition;
- means for maintaining said lower end of said sleeve in an open condition;
- means for introducing said charge of fruit into said sleeve into said upper end;
- means for selectively closing off said sleeve intermediate said platens and said upper end;
- means for selectively closing off said sleeve intermediate said platens and said lower end, the first and second said means for closing off said sleeve cooperating to retain said charge of fruit to be pressed within said sleeve during compression thereof;
- and (a pair of vertically disposed press platens supported adjacent opposite sides of said sleeve for relative movement horizontally between remote sleeve charging and adjacent sleeve compressing positions said sleeve and said charge of fruit to effect extraction of juice therefrom,)
- means for collecting juice extracted from said charge of fruit incident to movement of said press platens between said remote and adjacent positions.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.