Not applicable.
This avocado pulper of this disclosure relates to an improvement in pulping and de-seeding machines, and more particularly to machines for removing skin, pulp, and seed from an avocado.
Avocados have become more and more popular for their versatility and arguable health-related benefits. They come in various varieties and sizes. For example, West Indian avocados produce enormous, smooth round, glossy green fruits that are low in oil and can weigh up to two pounds. Guatemalan types produce medium ovoid or pear-shaped, pebbled green fruits that turn blackish-green when ripe. The fruit or pulp of Mexican varieties are smaller (six to ten ounces) with skins that turn glossy green or black when ripe.
Regardless the pulp of avocados is deep green near the skin, becoming yellowish nearer the single large, inedible ovoid seed. The pulp is hard when harvested but softens to a buttery texture. Avocados are high in monosaturates and the oil content is second only to olives among fruits. Clinical feeding studies in humans have shown that avocado oil can reduce blood cholesterol.
In many cases, fruits (such as avocados) and vegetables are more easily de-skinned by the heating of these foods. Such heating does not adversely affect the flavor, texture, or appearance of most such foods. Processing avocados by first heating for the purpose of de-skinning them, however, is not nutritionally sound. Avocados are a fruit which is extremely sensitive to heat. This is particularly so in its green (chlorophyll) layer of its pulp as it lies immediately below the skin and, consequently, is subject to greatest heat exposure and nutritional loss and flavor loss. Additionally, avocado skins are particularly thick and/or rough and most processing techniques are manual or if mechanized, the apparatus is expensive, complex, and not as efficient as desired in that usable pulp is lost in the process.
Because of their popularity and growing popularity, and commercialization of avocados, a need existed to effectively and efficiently remove the pulp from an avocado for processing regardless of the size or type of avocado being processed. The prior art has numerous de-skinning or peeling machines and pulp or fruit removal machines which have been cited in this application. Most are extremely complex, somewhat cumbersome, and costly to manufacture and maintain.
I have solved most of the problems associated with pulp removal and skin/seed disposal in my recently issued patent, U.S. Pat. No. 7,444,930, which issued on Nov. 4, 2008, and have enhanced upon such with my co-pending nonprovisional applications, application Ser. No. 11/845,184 filed on Aug. 27, 2007, application Ser. No. 11/845,233 filed on Aug. 27, 2007, and application Ser. No. 12/423,356 filed on Apr. 14, 2009; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
This current avocado pulper, however, is an even more vast improvement to all prior-art devices. It will de-seed, de-pulp, and de-skin an avocado with little human intervention; and, in the same amount of time, will produce more pulp than with any prior-art device and less waste of usable product will result. Unwanted items [skin and seed] will not be co-mingled with the pulp. Moreover, with the relative “flexibility” if the grip belts and the de-seeder, a hard avocado pulp or a stray seed will not jam the avocado pulper. All these advances and at a speed of production unsurpassed by any other device.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed avocado pulper of this disclosure in a different manner or by modifying the avocado pulper of this disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the avocado pulper of this disclosure may be had by referring to the summary of the avocado pulper of this disclosure and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The above-noted problems, among others, are overcome by the avocado pulper of this disclosure. Briefly stated, the avocado pulper of this disclosure contemplates two grip belts approximately oval in shape with each grip belt being chain-driven and having a plurality of knurled grip plates therearound. The grip plates grasp an avocado as it is conveyed into the front end opening of the grip belts and rides through the grip belts to the rear opening. A pivotable and adjustable belt guide within an inner section of each grip belt is adapted to exert maximum squeezing pressure on the avocado at the approximate middle section of the grip belts at which point the grip belts are in approximate contact with one another. Pulp is squeezed from the avocado and retrieved. The grip belts separate at the approximate rear defining a rear opening for releasing the skin of the avocado for disposal. A de-seeder adjacent to the front end opening of the grip belts removes the seed from the avocado prior to its entry into the maximum squeezing section.
The foregoing has outlined the more pertinent and important features of the avocado pulper of this disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood so the present contributions to the art may be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the avocado pulper of this disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the disclosed specific embodiment may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures and methods for carrying out the same purposes of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. It also should be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions and methods do not depart from the spirit and scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the avocado pulper of this disclosure, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to
An avocado 95 will ride on a conveyor belt 90 toward an opening 21 at the front of and between two opposing grip belts 11, a first and a second grip belt rotating respectively in the direction of Arrow-A and Arrow-B. The opening 21 is sized to accommodate and fully receive an avocado therethrough. Each grip belt 11 also has a plurality of grip plates 12 therearound and is chain driven having the chain drive 13 at the rear of the grip plates 12 and holding the grip plates 12 thereto. A drive gear 14 attached to a conventional motor [not shown] and to the chain drive 13 causes the movement of each grip belt 11 in their respective directions of rotation. The fronts of the grip belts 11 are attached to an idler gear or spindle 16.
Each grip plate 12 is knurled for better grasping of the avocado 95 as it is driven and rides through the avocado pulper 10 [see
There are belt guides 30, one set in each of the inner sections of the grip belts 11. The belt guides 30 are biased inward [by reference character 80], toward each other causing the grip belts 11 to come into near contact with each other at about their respective middles and rearward therefrom [i.e., adjusted to be as close together without the peaks 112, 122 actually coming into contact]. This structure causes the pulp 97 of the avocado 95 to be virtually fully squeezed from its skin 96 and be suitably captured for productive use and for the seed 98 and the skin 96 to be suitably disposed as later to be described.
The belt guide 30 is a two-piece structure having a front guide section 31 and a rear guide section 41 pivotably but removably attached to each other as best illustrated in
The front guide section 31 has a receiving aperture 37 at its front end and a retaining slot or cut-out 39 adjacent to and rearward from the receiving aperture 37. There is a rounded head extension 32 at its rear which has an aperture 33 therein. An adjusting tab 36 projects from the side of the front guide section 31 at its rear. A rear retaining aperture 34 courses through the adjusting tab 36. Also at the rear of the front guide section 31 is an elongated slot 38 through which a rod 81, 82 inserts, the purpose of which to be more fully explained later.
The rear guide section 41 has a receiving slot 47 at its rear and a connection aperture 42 at its front. The connection aperture 42 is sized to receive and retain the rounded head extension 32. An index pin 43 projects outward from the connection aperture 42. The belt guide 30 is a two-piece structure comprising the front guide section 31 and the rear guide section 41 connected to each other in pivotably fashion. The configuration of each guide section [front 31 and rear 41] causes this to occur.
Given the sizing of the connection aperture 42 with regard to the rounded head extension 32 permits a snapping of the two guide sections together. The index pin 43 mates with the aperture 33 of the rounded head extension 32 and facilitates pivoting movement in the direction of Arrow-G and Arrow-H and stabilizes the two guide sections 31, 41 and prevents them from upward or downward separation as the avocado pulper 10 is in operation. It should be understood that the index pin 43 may be on the rounded head section 32 and the mating aperture 33 may be in the connection aperture 42.
As mentioned above, each grip plate 12 is knurled. Any roughening of the surfaces will suffice but a more structured approach realizes better results.
The radial cuts 15 bear an arc approximately equal to the radius of the drive gear 14 and such is represented by arc-W. Each radial cut 15 is aligned with the scraping members 25 and to touchingly communicate therewith. Arc-W, being approximately equal to the radius of the drive gear 14, causes the scraping members to maintain a virtual constant communication with the radial cuts 15 as the grip plates 12 rotate and pass by. For maximum results, the scrapers 25 are angled at the apex of the drive gear 14 as referenced from its center and such angle is represented by Angle-T in
The typical separation between the belts 90A, 90B should ranges from approximately ¾ inch to approximately 2 inches and the typical depth of the recessed channel 91 should range from approximately ¼ inch to approximately 1 inch to thereby accommodate varying sized avocado seeds.
Reference should now be made to
The star-like nature of the prongs 53 project into the seed 98 and, by the respective movements of the wheel-like structure 52 and avocado 95, extract and eject the seed 98 from the avocado 95. The seed divider 61 prevents contamination or co-mingling of the extracted seed 98 with the pulp 97 which will be squeezed from the avocado 95 as it progresses rearward and is squeezed by the grip belts 11 in combination with the belt guides 30.
The wheel-like structure 52 of the de-seeder 50 are cleaned by a cooperating comb-like structure 55 having protruding fingers 56, as illustrated in
This squeezing more effectively occurs at a point rearward of the middle of the grip belts 11 and slightly rearward of the seed divider 61 and is designated as Section-S in
The two-piece belt guide 30 was discussed in detail above. The preferred embodiment of the avocado pulper 10 envisions a first belt guide 30 above the support plate 70 in the inner section of one grip belt 11 and a second belt guide 30, also above the support plate 70 in the inner section of the other grip belt 11 [best illustrated in
As configured the respective belt guides 30 “sandwich” over the support plate 70 and pivot in tandem inward as the maximum squeeze point is reached and retract somewhat as the grip belts 11 pass the maximum squeeze point. Maximum squeezing pressure occurs at a point where each grip belt 11 passes the adjusting tab 36 of each front guide section 31 of the belt guide 30 and the bias member 80 exerts inward force on the opposing belt guides 30 and, consequently, on the avocado 95 in between the two opposing grip belts 11. The bias member 80 may be a commercially available expansion spring or a commercially available hydraulic of pneumatic device, each being suited for the intended purpose.
Maximum squeezing is facilitated by this inward biasing and a first rod 81 which is pivotably attached to the housing 99 and inserts through the elongated slot 38 of the first [top] front guide section 31 and first bottom front guide section 31 [left side belt guide 31 as seen from
The inward biasing member 80 is attached to outward extending arms 83, 84 which are on the respective first rod 81 and second rod 82. The respective elongated slot 38 of each front guide section 31, through which the respective rods 81, 82 are inserted, permit each two-piece belt guide 30 to pivot in the direction of Arrow-G as greater inward biasing is realized and in the direction of Arrow-H as the avocado passes through the squeezing pressure section. This back and force, pressure movement, maximizes pulp 97 extraction from the avocado 95.
As illustrated in
During operation, the avocado pulper 10 may require adjustment to ensure maximum squeezing pressure is exerted on the avocado 95 to maximize pulp 97 output and productivity as well as preventing the knurling [peaks 112, 122] of the guide plates 12 from prematurely wearing. In this regard, the adjusting screw 26 rests on support plate 70 and can be adjusted inward or outward against the support plate 70 to slightly separate the grip belts 11 from one other or to bring them closer together as needed to ensure maximum pulp 97 removal and minimal guide-plate 12 wear.
As best illustrated in
Adjusting plate 71 is slidingly attached to support plate 70 by a convention screw or bolt 74, such as but not limited to a shoulder bolt, which inserts through the horizontal slots 72 of the adjusting plate 71. A washer 73 maybe, but need not, be placed over the bolt 74 before it is inserted through the horizontal slots 72 and fastened to the support plate 70.
Ease of disassembly is facilitated by the receiving slot 47 at the rear of the rear guide section 41, the front retaining/swivel pin 22 which accepts the front receiving aperture 37 adjacent to the front of the front guide section 31, the cut-out 39 adjacent to the receiving aperture 37, and retaining pins 29. With the adjusting plate 71 in a non-tension mode [rearward], the front retaining pin 29 is approximately over the cut-out 39. In such a position, the belt guide 30 may easily be lifted upward past the retaining pin 29, and then forward at which point it has been removed from the support plate 70.
Referring to
In this embodiment, for good results, the radial angle for R1 should range from approximately 115° to approximately 130° and the depth [Depth-D1] should range from approximately 0.020-inches to approximately 0.080-inches. The distance from one first peak 112 to the next adjacent first peak 112 [referred to as length-L1] should ranges from approximately 0.060-inches to approximately 0.250-inches. Best results are achieved when the radial angle R1 is approximately 123°, the depth D1 is approximately 0.034 to 0.035-inches, and the distance from first peak 112 to the next adjacent first peak 112 [L1 to the next adjacent L1] is approximately 0.110-inches; or where the ratio between D1 to L1 is approximately 1:3.
The second grooves 124 [also illustrated to be radial grooves] is represented by reference character R2 wherein R2 is a radial angle from its center point [CP2] from one second peak 122 to the next adjacent second peak 122. The depth of the second groove 124 is represented by reference character D2 [or Depth-D2]. For good results, the radial angle for R2 should range from approximately 115° to approximately 130° and the depth [Depth-D2] should range from approximately 0.020-inches to approximately 0.080-inches but should generally be less than D1. The distance from one second peak 122 to the next adjacent second peak 122 [referred to as length-L2] should range from approximately 0.060-inches to approximately 0.250-inches. Best results are achieved when the radial angle R2 is approximately 123°, the depth D2 is approximately 0.033-inches [and less than D1], and the distance from second peak 122 to the next adjacent second peak 122 is approximately 0.110-inches; or where the ration between D2 to L2 is approximately 1:3.
The grooves 114, 124 as discussed above are radial but need not be but may be relatively straight-cuts [as illustrated in
It also does not matter in manufacture which grooves [first 114 or second 124] are cut first, for discussion purposes if the first grooves 114 are cut first the first peaks 112 stand alone. Once the second grooves 124 are cut, the second peaks 122 and adjacent first peaks 112 should basically become one and the same peak and thereby share the same termination point.
The present disclosure includes that contained in the present claims as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this avocado pulper of this disclosure has been described in its preferred forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms has been made only by way of example and numerous changes in the details of construction and combination and arrangement of parts and method steps may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure should be determined not by the embodiment[s] illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Applicant has attempted to disclose all the embodiment[s] of the avocado pulper of this disclosure that could be reasonably foreseen. It must be understood, however, that there may be unforeseeable insubstantial modifications to avocado pulper of this disclosure that remain as equivalents and thereby falling within the scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure.
This application is a continuation-in-part of nonprovisional application, application Ser. No. 12/423,356, filed on Apr. 14, 2009; which is a continuation-in-part of nonprovisional application, application Ser. No. 11/845,184, filed on Aug. 27, 2007.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 12423356 | Apr 2009 | US |
Child | 12628806 | US | |
Parent | 11845184 | Aug 2007 | US |
Child | 12423356 | US | |
Parent | 11280068 | Nov 2005 | US |
Child | 11845184 | US |