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:
Jul. 10, 2001
Filed:
May. 28, 1999
David Jeffrey Meester, Fresno, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
The invention provides a method and apparatus for recovering food losses from the main recovery system, the handsorters, and the color sorters. A recovery shaker conveyor located beneath the main recovery system to catch food and vines which are tossed off the end of the main recovery system. The food and vines are turned over during the fall, thus loosening some food from the vine. The loosened food falls through the openings in the recovery shaker conveyor onto a recovery cross conveyor which is situated in between the chains of the recovery shaker conveyor and under the handsorters. Food which is rejected by the color sorters also falls onto the recovery cross conveyor and is directed toward a dirt sorter electronic system. The food which is rejected by the handsorters, is placed on a recovery sorter conveyor which is fed into the recovery cross conveyor for re-examination. The dirt, debris, and unsuitable food fall off the recovery cross conveyor through the dirt sorter electronic system to a trash chute and then to the ground. The remaining suitable food is then guided along a recovery feed conveyor which drops the remaining suitable food onto the discharge conveyor, where the suitable food is elevated and discharged into a receiving truck.