Color sorter assembly and method

An article transporting assembly comprising:

• a support element mounted for movement in a first direction;
• two sets of cones mounted to said support by rotatable shafts;
• said support element mounted for movement by a conveyor chain, said conveyor chain connected to a plurality of other said support elements in an endless assembly;
• an enlarged gear mounted on a first end of each shaft;
• and
• a substantially stationary rack having teeth engaging said gears and cooperating with said gears to effect rotation of said shafts as said support element is moved in said first direction.

A method of transporting pieces of fruit using a support element having two sets of cones mounted to the support element by rotatable shafts, each set comprising first and second cones having a tapered exterior surface, the cones on each shaft facing each other and tapering to an imaginary substantially common midpoint;

• said method comprising:
• (a) feeding pieces of fruit into contact with the cones while moving the support element in a first direction;
• (b) supporting a piece of fruit on the cones, essentially not supported by the shaft, while the support element moves in the first direction;
• and
• (c) substantially positively preventing a piece of fruit mounted on the cones from moving onto another support element in series with the support element.