Abstract: Disclosed is a fluid pesticide transfer system, comprising a measuring vessel and a pesticide container coupled together by conduits and valves operating to entrain and mix pesticide with water as transfer occurs between the vessel and the container. A suction tube in the container extracts and transfers liquid containing pesticide and concurrently introduces rinsing water in the container to effect cleaning.

Abstract: A hopper for feeding fruit in several transversely spaced lanes from a supply conveyor to the pick-up positions of a fruit feeder includes several drums mounted in spaced and downwardly inclined relationships. The spacing between the adjacent drums is adapted for the reception of a single file of fruit, and the inclination of the drums is sufficient to cause the fruit to gravitate downwardly to the feeder pick-up positions. A push-pull drive mechanism is provided to pivot the drums back and forth about their axes of rotation to cause the fruit to spin as they gravitate downwardly between the drums. Such spinning action facilitates rapid feeding of the fruit downwardly between the drums and, in particular, prevents irregularly shaped citrus fruit such as tangerines or lemsons from becoming enlodged against each other to thereby interrupt their flow to the pick-up positions.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a coffee harvester incorporating a mobile frame having extendable and rotatable wheel supporting hydraulic struts; opposed tined shaker with successive shaker arrays being mounted in an offset relation so that the tips trace a helix; fruit catching conveyor being propelled so that the conveying reach moves in the opposite direction but at the same speed as the harvester advances; inclining selected arrays of tines to enhance bean removal and a cleaning arrangement for removing twigs and leaves from the fruit.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a lifting and steering system for a vehicle. The system comprises a hydraulic system having a piston with a rod in the form of another inner cylinder, the lower end of which serves for mounting a steerable wheel of the vehicle. Another rod projects through the upper end of the hydraulic cylinder and its lower end projects through the piston to the interior of the inner cylinder. A guide member is provided for permitting relative axial movement between the piston and the second mentioned rod while causing rotation therebetween. Passages are also provided to permit the introduction and withdrawal of hydraulic fluid from the space above the piston, to the space within the interior of the inner cylinder.

Abstract: An apparatus for freezing confection material includes a plurality of separate mold strips which are indexed in a closely spaced single file over several longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows of nozzles. Coolant is forced upwardly from the nozzles in single vertical jets which impinge perpendicularly against the mold strips midway between adjacent mold cups. The mold cups are arranged with their wide side faces extending in their direction of travel, and the single jets of coolant impinge upon support wall portions of the mold strips which extend transversely between such opposing wide side faces. The mold strips have intermeshing end wall configurations that enable the coolant to be continuously sprayed without concern that the coolant may be injected upwardly between the strips to contaminate the confection material within the mold cups.

Abstract: A steam stripping process particularly useful for separating the volatile components of immiscible materials. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention peel oil emulsion, e.g., from a citrus juice extractor, is heated under pressure by the injection of steam while the emulsion is flowing. The major portion of the pressure on the flowing emulsion is then dropped through a back pressure valve, and the resultant vapor-liquid mixture is passed through a long turbulent passage under a slowly decreasing pressure where thorough mixing is provided and d-limonene, the volatile component of the peel oil emulsion, is stripped from the emulsion by the ad-mixed steam. The mixture is discharged at atmospheric pressure into a vapor collecting tank where the spent liquor is separated and drained off. The collected vapors are passed to a condenser, and the condensate therefrom is directed to a decant tank where the di-limonene is decanted off.

Abstract: A method for controlling the flow of fruit and fruit juice through a juice extraction facility are disclosed. The juice extraction facility includes a bulk storage location for the fruit, a sizer for separating the fruit into size categories, a feeder for feeding the fruit from the storage location to the sizer, a plurality of juice extractors arranged into groups corresponding to the fruit size categories, means for recycling excess fruit from each group of extractors to the fruit storage location, and a juice storage tank. The measured variables include the level in the juice storage tank and the amount of fruit being recycled from each group of extractors to the fruit storage location. The control objectives include equalizing the fruit flow to each group of extractors, minimizing the amount of recycled fruit from each group of extractors, and maintaining the proper level in juice storage tank.

Abstract: A batch sterilizing unit, in the form of a tank having a top loading port and a bottom discharge port, holds a batch of cans for sterilization. The cans in contact with the door associated with the discharge port are prevented from transferring heat to the door and accordingly are maintained at sterilizing temperature by providing a perforated partition forming a wall of condensate sump. Thus the sterilizing medium, whether it be steam or water, is able to effect complete sterilization of those cans making contact with the partition. In addition, condensate is continually discharged from the unit, when steam is the sterilizing medium, insuring creation and maintenance of sterilizing temperatures to the cans resting on the discharge port door.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing frozen confections of the type including sticks projecting from a block of frozen confection material including a plurality of detachable mold strips and a screw conveyor arrangement for indexing the mold strips through a closed rectangular path in a horizontal plane with the mold cups of the mold strips opening upwardly. The conveyor includes cradles to which the mold strips are individually and pivotally mounted, a rectangular arrangement of tracks for guiding the cradles through the rectangular path of travel, and several conveyor screws which are driven continuously for propelling the cradles along the tracks. The conveyor screws have screw grooves therein adapted to cause the cradles to dwell under a confection filler, a stick inserter, a confection extractor and mold cleaning apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for freezing confection material includes a plurality of separate mold strips which are indexed in a closely spaced single file over several longitudinally spaced, transversely extending rows of nozzles. Coolant is forced upwardly from the nozzles in single vertical jets which impinge perpendicularly against the mold strips midway between adjacent mold cups. The mold cups are arranged with their wide side faces extending in their direction of travel, and the single jets of coolant impinge upon wall portions of the mold strips which extend transversely between such opposing wide side faces. The heat exchanger for refrigerating the coolant includes a vertically super-imposed array of heat exchanger tubes that is located directly under the mold cups so that the coolant will drip from the mold cups onto the heat exchanger tubes. The coolant then cascades from upper to lower heat exchanger tubes and is refrigerated by the time it trickles into a collection housing situated below the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A packing is provided with a multilayered construction and a cup-like shape. The packing is configured to be carried in a packing holder for reciprocating motion within a pump cylinder. Some of the layers in the packing terminate on the convex face of the cup shape at radially spaced locations therearound. Thus, a peripheral portion of a number of the layers behind the cup lip are exposed to be engaged by the cylinder wall at a continuous contact area therearound. The hardness of the layer located outermost on the convex face is the greatest, and the hardness of each succeeding adjacent layer is lesser than the one immediately preceeding when progressing toward the cup lip along the convex face. Extrusion of the packing between the packing holder and the cylinder wall and subsequent severe localized wear is resisted by the greater hardness layers.

Abstract: A system for processing citrus fruit includes a juice extractor and finisher from which wet peel and pulp and finished juice are obtained. The stream of wet peel pulp is separated into press liquor and press cake components. The press cake is introduced into a dryer where it is contacted by superheated steam so that the press cake is elevated to a high temperature without oxidation, and moisture is driven from the press cake to provide surplus steam and dried pulp from the dryer. The press liquor is conducted to an evaporator where moisture is removed providing a molasses concentrate. The finished juice is conducted to another evaporator where moisture is removed providing a juice concentrate. The surplus steam is directed from the dryer to both of the evaporators to provide the heat for evaporation. The remainder of the steam from the dryer is directed to a heat exchanger where it is superheated without dilution with noncondensible gases for a subsequent passage through the dryer.

Abstract: Aligned conveyors support and supply a single file of articles to the infeed lug conveyor of a horizontal form, fill and seal wrapping machine. The aligned conveyors are oriented to intersect the infeed conveyor at an angle which can range from 90 to 135 degrees. The chosen angle of intersection is dependent upon article size and geometry. One of the aligned conveyors functions to organize the articles in abutting relation and yet maintains crowding forces or backlog pressure to a minimum. As the leading article of the row of abutting articles arrives at the intersection of the aligned conveyors and the infeed conveyor, it is controllably propelled to the infeed lug conveyor of the wrapping machine.

Abstract: A sequential feeder for rapidly feeding fruit to a sequential citrus fruit extractor includes a plurality of chain conveyors, each conveyor being mounted in a vertical plane extending between a lane of a fruit hopper and a lower extractor cup of the extractor. Each chain conveyor includes a plurality of fingers mounted in uniform intervals thereon. A guide plate assembly is provided for each chain for having a contour which causes the chain to move upwardly from the fruit support through a broad curvature adapted to assure that the fingers maintain positive control of the fruit. The guide plate assembly has a sharply curved upper end which causes the fingers of the chain conveyor to pivot rapidly forward after a fruit has been elevated to a height above the associated lower extractor cup such rapid pivoting causes the fruit to be propelled at a high speed into the associated cup.

Abstract: A citrus fruit juice extractor capable of processing at least 900 fruit per minute includes a set of lower extractor cups rigidly mounted in a linear arrangement to the extractor frame and a set of movable upper extractor cups adapted to interdigitate with the lower cups to extract juice from fruit received in the lower cups. The upper cups are mounted upon separate drive rods that are respectively clamped to cam follower arms, and the follower arms are sequentially driven by cams affixed in a balanced arrangement upon a camshaft to drive the upper extractor cups in a preselected sequence. The juice extractor further includes perforated strainer tubes extending downwardly of the lower extractor cups and hollow orifice tubes slidably received within the strainer tubes. The orifice tubes are sequentially driven by hydraulic slave cylinders that, in turn, are respectively controlled by master cylinders.

Abstract: A collating apparatus for cans or other articles of circular cross-section comprises a plurality of conveyor belts running parallel to one another and a constraining wall inverted just above the belts serving to collate the cans into a nested configuration, i.e., with transverse lines of cans at approximately an angle of 60.degree. to one another whereby a maximum number of cans can be accommodated in a given space. The constraining wall has a transverse portion facing an intake throat aided by zig-zag portions which build up a triangle pattern until the wall space has been filled. A circle of cans is then lifted magnetically.