US2250518A - Olive straightener - Google Patents

Description

y 1941- G. w. ASHLOCK, JR 2,250,518

OLIVE STRAIGHTENER Filed Nov. 26, 1940 Z'Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 4 l orge 14 Ash/oak]:

ATTORNEY July 1941' e. w. ASHLOCK. JR 2,250,518

OLIVE STRAIGHTENER Filed Nov. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE E INVENTOR fieorge W. Ash/oak Jr:

ATTORNEY Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OLIVE STRAIGHTENER George W. Ashlock, Jr., Oakland, Calif. Application November 26, 1940, Serial No. 367,163

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the orientation of articles and particularly to the arrangement of drupaceous fruits such as olives and the like with their major axis aligned vertically. The machine of the present invention has proven particularly useful upon olives and while the invention will be described in connection therewith, it is to be understood that it is useful in orienting other oval shaped articles.

As is well known, olives are pitted and the cavity thus formed filled with a filling material lending added flavor and palatability to the olive. This pitting operation has been conducted by hand or by machine. Due, however, to the peculiar oval shape of the olive it has generally been necessary to handle the olive and present it to the pitting mechanism with the major axis of the olive extending horizontally. In those instances wherein the olives were positioned with the major axis vertically, the orientation was usually achieved by hand, necessarily making the operation slow and expensive. Because an olive has such definite major and minor axes, it is very diflicult to position the olive with its major axis aligned vertically in anything approaching an automatic operation.v The machine of the present invention, however, enables olives to be oriented with their major axis positioned vertically, the operation being entirely automatic.

It is in general the broad object of the present invention to provide a novel machine for orienting oval shaped articles such as olives.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein the present preferred form of the machine of this invention is disclosed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, a portion of the machine being cut away'to illustrate the construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a section along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is'a section taken along the lirie 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 44 in Figure 1. Y

Figures 5 and 6 are schematic views illustrating operation of the machine.

The machine of the present invention briefly comprises a unique receptacle having a cavity therein in the form of a frustum of a cone. The

side walls of the conical cavity are arranged in a relatively narrow angular relation. When such a receptacle is vibrated, an oval shaped article,

as an olive, axis vertical.

The machine of the present invention includes a suitable frame 6 made up of side plates. I and 8 secured together by channels 9 and supported by legs I At opposite ends of the frame are provided shafts l2 and I3 mounted on suitable bearings in the side plates I and 8. Sprockets l4 and I6 are respectively provided on shafts I2 and I3, there being two sprockets in each shaft and the sprockets being positioned adjacent to the plates 1 and 8 to support two endless chains I9 which extend about the sprockets. The several links comprising the chains l3 each include an quickly aligns itself with its major angle piece 2| thereon extending toward the opposite chain. To each angle piece is secured a flat base plate 22. Stud 23 and nuts 24 and 26 thereon secure the base plate to each angle piece 2| and serve to position above the base plate, in a spaced relationship, a top plate 21. Mounted in each top plate are several article supporting receptacles 28 to be presently described in detail and which are carried as elements of an article conveyor generally indicated at I 0.

The upper run of each chain is supported, as

it advances to the right in Figure 1, by a first rafl portion 3| provided by strip members secured to the side plates 1 and 8 and by a final rail portion 32 likewiseincluding members secured to the side plates 1 and 8 and supporting the chains. An intermediate rail section 33 includes two opposite support rails 34 and 36 'for the chains. At the right hand end in Figure 1 these are secured together by plate 31 welded to each of the members 34 and 36. Plate 3'! is secured by studs 38 onto a flat portion formed on a shaft 89. This shaft is ro'tatably mounted in suitable bearings (not shown) on each of the side plates of the machine. Adjacent their other end a shaft 4| secures the rails 34 and 36 together. Mounted upon shaft 4| is a roller or ball bearing 42 carried by housing between side plates 43 which also serve to connect the bearing 42 to a. bearing 44 mounted upon a drive shaft 46. Drive shaft 46 is supported for rotation in suitable bearings 41 mounted on each side plate of the machine. The drive shaft extends to a prime mover such as an electric motor (not shown). That portion 46a of the driveshaft which carries the bearing 44 is made about 3; of an inch oil center with respect to that portion of the shaft 46 mounted in bearings 41. Upon rotating shaft 46 at about 1,800 R. P. M. the connecting link provided by plates 43, bearing 44 and bearing 42.

between the drive shaft 46 and shaft 4| causes shaft ll to be oscillated rapidly about the center of shaft 39. This serves to vibrate the supporting rail structure for the endless chains. The importance of this vibration and its utility will be presently further explained.

Articles to be oriented are supplied by an endless feed conveyor 8! including apertured strips 82 moving over a skid plate 63 to the right in Figure 1 to release articles into a cooperatively positioned receptacle 28 on conveyor l0. Conveyor GI and conveyor H] are moved in a timed relation because the shaft 64 carrying sprockets 66 which support the conveyor 6| is driven from shaft 12 by a gear 61 thereon driving a gear 68 on shaft 64. The feed conveyor is more particularly shown in my Patent 2,190,970.

Means are provided for wetting the article supplied. In the drawings I have shown a header I! connected to a suitable liquid source and having a pipe 12 extending therefrom over each row of the article receptacles 28. Suitable spray nozzles 13 are provided on each pipe 12 to spray liquid down onto the receptacles to maintain articles therein wet. Water, brine, or other suitable liquid can be employed and can be otherwise supplied to maintain the articles and the receptacles wet while undergoing the orientation operation.

The receptacles 28 are made up in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone having the side walls 8| defining the cavital recess in the receptacle at an angle to each other between 32 and 44. This angle is relatively critical, I have found. Preferably it is about 36 although on large olives, for example, 38 may be employed to advantage. If the cavital recess is made with its walls more nearly parallel, an oval shaped article such an an olive tends to hang up on the sides thereof. This same tendency also eidsts when the cavity is opened up to approach a straight line. The angle of 36 is that presently preferred-dt'is relatively critical and while it can be made slightly more or slightly less, the permissible limits are relatively narrow and are generally within those values given, namely 32 to 44.

Each receptacle 28 extends through a suitable aperture in the top plate 21, a collar 82 formed on the receptacle limiting upward movement of the receptacle by spring 80. A tubular coring knife 84 is secured in the base plate 22. The function of the coring knife 84 and of the movable plunger pitting knife structure indicated generally at 8'! (see my Patents 2,157,518 and 2,219,832 for details as to the pitting head knife construction) are dealt with in a co-pending application filed on even date and entitled Olive pitter.

In operation, conveyor 6! delivers the articles to the conveyor ID in any position. Accordingly, (referring particularly tO-FlgliI'BS and 6) an article such as an olive indicated at 90 may be dropped into receptacle 28 so that it lies almost completely across the receptacle. With the walls of the receptacle wet, the rapid vibrationto which the receptacle is subjected when it passes onto intermediate rail section 33 causes the article to align itself with its major axis vertical and parallel to the major cavital axis of the receptacle. The article is thus correctly positioned for its subsequent coring and pitting operation.

I claim:

1. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a receptacle for supporting an article positioned therein, said receptacle having a cavity therein in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone with opposite cavity walls substantially at an angle of 36, means for placing an article in said receptacle in any position, and means for vibrating said receptacle to turn said article into a position in said receptacle wherein its major axis is substantially vertical.

,2. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a receptacle for supporting an article positioned therein, said receptacle having a cavity therein in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone with opposite cavity walls substantially at an angle of 36, means supporting said receptacle to receive an article in any position, and means for vibrating said receptacle to turn said article into a position in said receptacle wherein its major axis is substantially vertical.

3. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a receptacle for supporting an article delivered to said receptacle in any position, said receptacle being generally in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone with the walls thereof at an angle of from 32 to 44, means supporting said receptacl with its major cavital axis substantially vertical for a portion of the interval an article is positioned therein, and means for vibrating said receptacle to align the major axis of an article in said receptacle with said vertical major cavital.

4. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a plurality of receptacles arranged one after the other to provide an endless chain of said receptacles movable over a path, each of said receptacles prow'ding a cavity substantially in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone having opposite walls thereof at an angle between 32 and 44, means supporting a portion of said chain in that section of said path wherein said receptacles are arranged with their major cavital axis substantially vertical, and means for vibrating said support means to vibrate the supported receptacles.

5. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a plurality of receptacles arranged one after the other to provide an endless chain of said receptacles movable over a path, each of said receptacles providing a cavity substantially in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone having opposite walls thereof at an angle between 32 and 44, means supporting a portion of said chain in that section of said path wherein said receptacles are arranged with their major cavital axis substantially vertical, means for vibrating said support means to vibrate the supported receptacles, and means for maintaining an article in one of said receptacles wet while said one receptacle is vibrated.

6. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a plurality of receptacles arranged on after the other to provide an endless chain of said receptacles movable over a path, each of said receptacles providing a cavity substantially in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone having opposite walls thereof at an angle between 32 and 44, means supporting a portion of said chain in that section of said path wherein said receptacles are arranged with their major cavital axis substantially vertical, means for moving said chain continuously over said support means and means for vibrating said support means to vibrate the supported receptacles during movement thereof.

7. A machine for positioning a generally oval article in a position wherein its major axis is substantially vertical, said machine comprising a plurality of receptacles arranged one after the other to provide an endless chain of said recep-

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