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:
Jun. 05, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 01, 1999
Peter Cawley, London, GB;
Abstract
Apparatus for testing fruit and vegetables to assess their ripeness includes an impactor device (,) comprising a bellows (,) which can be expanded and retracted by the application of pressurized air and vacuum via a support tube (,) for the bellows and which mounts an impactor (,) for tapping a fruit or vegetable item to be tested. The impactor has an internal slug movable relatively to the bellows (,) so that, when the bellows expands and stops upon its nose piece (,) contacting the surface of the item to be tested, the slug continues to move through the aperture (,) in the nose piece, under its own momentum, to tap the surface of the item. The slug incorporates a force transducer which, when the slug is tapped against the item, produces an electrical output signal in the form of a pulse corresponding to the reaction force and this pulse is processed to produce a signal indicative of the ripeness of the fruit.