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:
Feb. 20, 1996
Filed:
Sep. 26, 1994
Henry A Affeldt, Victorville, CA (US);
Tim D Conway, Stockton, CA (US);
Sunkist Growers, Inc., Ontario, CA (US);
Abstract
The conveyor system is made of a plurality of spools connected by chains at each end of the spool. The space between an adjacent pair of spools defines a pocket. An ejector is carried by the chain within each pocket to eject fruit from the pocket. The ejectors are selectively activated by solenoids lying underneath the chain and mounted on a conveyor channel across which the chain and spools are pulled. An over-the-end detector detects whether fruit passes over the end of the detector and has not been otherwise ejected from the conveyor system. Depending upon the periodicity and the timing in which fruit passes over the end of the conveyor, it can be determined whether one or more ejectors are damaged, or whether ejectors or solenoids are inoperable, and in each case which one.