The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 06, 1976
Filed:
Oct. 03, 1973
Tim D Conway, Alta Loma, CA (US);
Paul F Paddock, Riverside, CA (US);
Sunkist Growers, Inc., Sherman Oaks, CA (US);
Abstract
Apparatus and method for automatically evaluating articles particularly citrus fruits, on the basis of the uniformity and non-uniformity of their transparency to light rays and selectively separating them into different grades according to such evaluations, the fruit being oriented and carried by a conveyor in a path between a light ray source and light ray detectors positioned to straddle the fruit core portion, the signals from the detectors being carried to an internal quality computer controlled by timing sensors responsive to fruit movement through the light rays, wherein the percentage of internal damage is computed for each fruit, after which the fruits are successively separated into different predetermined grades according to their respective damage evaluations.