University of California

Blackwelders

Charles F Dietz

Darryl G Bettencourt

William C Friedel, Jr

Lewis W Schmidt

Lowell K Marshall

George E Marshall, Jr

Front dump refuse compactor

A lid unit for a portable refuse bin adapted to be engaged and inverted, by the lift mechanism of a refuse truck, to discharge a load of refuse from the bin and into the receiving body of the truck; the lid unit being hinged to the bin and normally but releasably latched in closed position, and a hinged loading lid is included in the lid unit and normally but releasably latched in closed position; the loading lid--when unlatched--being manually swingable, relative to the remainder of the lid unit, to open position to permit manual deposit of refuse in the bin, and the entire lid unit gravitationally swinging to open position when unlatched and upon such inversion of the bin, whereupon the load of refuse dumps from the bin and into the receiving body of the truck; the loading lid remaining in latched, closed position during said inversion of the bin.

Refuse bin lid unit

A tomato harvester sorting system. Tomatoes from a rear cross-conveyor are caried forwardly by a pre-sorting conveyor where workers remove vegetative trash. An electro-mechanical sorter judges the redness or greenness of tomatoes falling from the forward end of the pre-sorting conveyor and impels green tomatoes into a cull chute, while red tomatoes fall on to an elevating conveyor. An after-sorting conveyor receives red tomatoes from the upper end of the elevating conveyor and carries them forward to an output end, while workers remove blemished and overripe fruit. A tiltable, outwardly-moving clod conveyor, being the terminal portion of a conveyor system for clods and loose tomatoes, has a cull chute at its outer end. The clod conveyor is positioned directly over the elevating conveyor. A worker removes good tomatoes from the clod conveyor and places them in the main sorting stream with the red tomatoes.

Tomato harvesting sorting system

A tomato harvester with improved maneuverability and versatility. An improved spinner gives better action in wet soil. The driver obtains improved visibility from an improved canopy structure and is given controls that are easier to identify. An improved collecting conveyor affords balance between the two sides. The conveyor system is improved, in many ways, with better transmission between the conveyors and better access to cleaning. An improved output conveyor and drop loader are also provided.

Tomato harvester

Growing community of inventors

Rio Vista, CA, United States of America

Charles F Dietz