Method and apparatus for handling agricultural or horticultural produce
AssigneeDe Greef's Wagen-, Carrosserie- en Machinebouw B.V.
InventorJacob Hendrik de Greef
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for handling agricultural or horticultural products, for instance tomatoes or apples, wherein the products are transported in at least one reservoir filled with water substantially at a transporting level determined by the water surface in accordance with at least one transport path in the direction from a supply to a discharge. In order to reduce the required transporting space the method according to the invention has the feature that in order to buffer products the upper level of at least one product mass is carried by a level adjusting buffering device to a level other than the transporting level. The invention also relates to an apparatus for performing this method.
Claims8
An apparatus for handling agricultural or horticultural products, comprising at least one reservoir having water therein for transporting products substantially at a transporting level of the water surface along at least one transport path in a direction from a supply to a discharge and a level adjusting buffering means for displacing to a level other than the transporting level and holding at least one portion of the products thereby buffering said at least one portion of the products and thereby maintaining free said at least one transport path to permit at least one other portion of the products to be conveyed past said at least one portion of the products along said at least one transport path.
An apparatus for handling agricultural or horticultural products, comprising at least one reservoir having water therein for transporting products substantially at a transporting level of the water surface in accordance with at least one transport path in a direction from a supply to a discharge and a level adjusting buffering means for carrying the upper level of at least one product mass to a level other than the transporting level, wherein the buffering means comprise at least one container liftable out of the reservoir and wherein each said liftable container is formed as an elongated basket dimensioned to substantially fill a lane which forms at least part of one said transport path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.