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. 19, 1982
Filed:
Nov. 13, 1979
F Hilton Lacy, Jr, Houston, TX (US);
Christopher H Weis, Salt Lake City, UT (US);
Lockwood Corporation, Gering, NE (US);
Abstract
Method for separating clods and the like from potatoes, which includes placing the clods and potatoes on a first belt for transporting the potatoes and clods toward a forward end and positioning a second belt spaced horizontally apart from and vertically lower than the end of the first belt such that potatoes leaving the end travel through the air and land on the second belt. The clods are detected by a detector that includes a magnet and a coil positioned in the field of the magnet. The clods are removed from the system by a normally flaccid inflatable finger positioned between the forward end of the first belt and the second belt. When the detector signals the presence of a clod, air is supplied to the finger causing the stiffening thereof, which deflects the trajectory of the clod causing it to fall between the forward end and the second belt.