Abstract: The invention relates to a cracking-shelling mechanism for nuts with a hard or soft shell, with a plurality of first and second blocks the facing sides of which have a plurality of complementary first and second notches in a staggered arrangement, wherein each first notch is associated with at least a second notch and forms a cracking hole with each one, wherein the notches have first and second vertexes for each hole, forming a specific angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, and in the standby position of the first block, said first and second vertexes of each first notch are arranged so as to coincide with second and first vertexes, respectively, of a second notch.

Abstract: A hand-held, manually operated seed shucking appliance enables a food preparer to remove the seed coverings of black-eyed peas from their kernels. A spring and piston inside a chamber are arranged to compress a load of pre-soaked black-eyed peas against a shuttle rasp threaded between side slots. As a user manipulates the shuttle rasp, the shucks are scraped off the seeds by a scraping surface and both pass through the side slots. The piston is configured to be cocked back such that the chamber can be loaded through one end with a fresh charge of black-eyed peas.

Abstract: A method for harvesting biologics from eggs by which an egg is de-capped by positioning the egg in a reference opening so as to expose an upper section of said egg, then, while said egg is positioned within the reference opening, cutting the upper section of the egg by moving a cutter member over the reference opening through the egg, and then removing the debris formed from the cut upper section. The biologics can then be harvested in various ways such as by inverting the egg to allow the biologics to drain for collection. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also provided.

Abstract: An espresso tamper including a force calibration means is shown. The tamper is optimally handheld. Upon force of a desired magnitude being applied by a user, at least one discrete signal, such as an audible, visual, tactile or electrical signal is emitted. The tamper handle includes an anti-rotation feature. The handle is flared to avoid pinching the user's fingers during operation and to stop the user's fingers from sliding down the handle or in any way touching the base, thereby rendering the tamper more effective and safe. The tamper and force-calibration kit and method of use optimize espresso making.

Abstract: A legume sheller having both an air separator and a sieve separator for removal of residual chaff or trash. Airflow through a screen carries legumes and trash upward, wherein most of the lighter trash is carried farther up the separator and over into a trash retainer. The legumes, and some residual larger pieces of trash, fall over a weir onto a sieve. The sieve has holes therein that permit the legumes to pass through into a collector. Slidable plates adjust the hole dimension. A vibrating table facilitates movement across the downward sloping sieve surface. Baffles prevent the legumes from rolling too quickly across the sieve. The sheller is equipped with a reversing conveyor that carries trash to a bag.

Abstract: An improved nutcracker and shelling process use centrifugal force to accelerate nuts so that their shells shatter upon impacting a target surface. The nutcracker includes an impeller having an intake for receiving nuts and an outlet for discharging the nuts. During operation, the impeller is spun so that the nuts received at the intake are accelerated as they pass through the impeller. The nuts reach a sufficiently fast speed so that their shells fracture upon hitting the target surface after being thrown from the impeller.

Abstract: A nutcracker for simultaneously cracking a plurality of similar nuts in a single discreet operation provides a five sided box-like base defining a chamber having an open top, carrying a rigid bottom plate bottom and defining a slot in the front side extending downwardly to the bottom for nut shell removal. One or more spacers configured to fit within the cracking box chamber above the bottom plate, defining similar medial orifices and having different vertical thicknesses are stacked on the bottom plate to define a cracking chamber having a depth of eighty to ninety percent of the average height of nuts to be cracked. A striker plate having a non-resilient body with peripheral configuration to cover the orifice of the spacer and an upstanding handle manually impacts on the uppermost spacer to crack nuts in the cracking chamber.

Abstract: Machine for opening pistachios, a reservoir containing pistachios, a device for opening pistachios, and a device for supplying pistachios from the container to the opening device. The opening device includes a rotary shaft which carries a coaxial disk equipped on its periphery, with a plurality of chambers, each of a size to accommodate a pistachio. During the rotation of the shaft, these chambers can be consecutively placed opposite the supply device and opposite a breaker piston.

Abstract: An apparatus for shelling nuts comprises adjustably opposed, manual or motor-driven, rotary wheel-type rollers that engage nuts and, as they rotate, forcibly crack the shell as the nut is transported between the rollers. The clearance between the opposed rollers is adjustable by the user to obtain an optimum cracking result. A receiving hopper is provided wherein a ready supply of nuts can be presented to the opposed rollers. The hopper design includes a chute projection that orients and directs the nuts toward the rollers where an adjustable gauge further positions the nut for optimal entry. The opposed, counter-rotating cracking rollers are grooved in a manner that provides multiple surfaces with which to contact the nut and thereby apply a plurality of forces to its perimeter. This plurality of forces is uniformly applied to produce multiple fractures in the shell.

Abstract: The present invention is a nut cracker apparatus that will successfully and efficiently crack nuts and separate the meat from the shell. To enable successful cracking the present invention comprises a housing having an inlet and outlet. Interiorly located in the housing is a rotatable horizontally disposed drum. A shaft having a plurality of paddles extends centrally through the drum. Secured to the wall of the drum is a plurality of removable screens. Nuts are fed to the inlet into the rotatable drum. During rotation, the paddles impart a force on the nuts causing them to crack and having the shells dislodge from the meat. The screens enable the appropriately sized meat to fall therethrough.

Abstract: A nutcracking apparatus including a housing having opposing sidewalls. A hammer plate having an upper and lower portion is pivotally attached at its upper portion to the opposing sidewalls of the housing. A camshaft is positioned in abutment with a lower portion of the hammer plate, and a drive attached to an outer end of the cam shaft for effecting rotation thereof. An anvil plate having an upper and lower portion is spaced from the hammer plate is pivotally attached at its upper portion to the opposing sidewalls of the housing. A device is provided for moving the lower portion of the anvil plate towards and away from the lower portion of the hammer plate.

Abstract: A hard boiled egg shelling device for quickly and easily removing the shell from a hard boiled egg. The hard boiled egg shelling device includes a supporting assembly for supporting a hard boiled egg which includes a support member having a base portion, an intermediate portion, and an upper portion spaced above the base portion; and also includes a shelling assembly for removing the hard boiled egg from its shell which includes a bellows mounted to the upper portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting kernels of fresh corn from ears thereof and recovering kernels and cream therefrom for eating or preserving for future eating. The apparatus comprises a hand-held electric drill having a drill bit adapted to grip the ear at its stalk-end while the drill rotates the ear about the axis of the drill while pressing the ear into cutting tube having screw points projecting inwardly thereof causing said kernels to be ripped from the ear and discharged along with corn cream downwardly by gravity into a receiver for further processing.

Abstract: An egg breaking knife used in an egg breaking device which increases the yield of the egg breaking device. The upper edge of the egg breaking knife is in a “V” shape. The “V” shape creates a lower drainage point to eliminate any “damming” of egg shell contents which may occur in the egg shell halves. The knife edge of the egg breaking knife of the present invention may also include a vertical slot or opening, preferably at the vertex or intersection point of the “V” shape, which assists in preventing “damming” of egg contents and enhances the drainage of egg contents from the egg shell halves. The lower edge of the egg breaking knife of the present invention may include a drip point, preferably located below the vertical slot, which serves to collect all egg content drippage at a single location, to ensure that a minimal amount of egg content drippage remain adhered to the egg breaking knife during egg content dumping.

Abstract: A nut cracking machine comprises a cylinder mounted in bearings for rotation about a long axis of the cylinder. The cylinder has projections extending radially from its cylindrical surface. An anvil plate is held at a fixed predetermined distance from the cylinder when the machine is in operation. The cylinder is power driven. A feed hopper is provided for receiving nuts and directing the nuts onto the cylinder, the cylinder rotating in a direction to direct an upper part of the cylinder toward the anvil plate member, toward an increasingly restricted space between the cylinder and the anvil plate.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing hard-shelled nuts and a method therefore. A nut processing apparatus has a plurality of mechanical grippers moving in a continuous loop, each gripper configured to carry a nut through a plurality of processing stations. A conveyor system sequentially transports single nuts from a hopper to a position where the mechanical grippers may engage each nut and begin the processing cycle. Once engaged, the grippers carry the nuts to a grooving station where a grooving blade is brought into contact with the shells of the nuts. Once the grooving blade is in contact with the shells, the grippers rotate the nuts one complete revolution, thereby cutting a groove in the peripheries of the nuts. The grippers then carry the nuts to a splitting station, where splitting blades are brought into contact with the shells of the nuts where the grooves have been cut, thereby splitting the shell into two parts.

Abstract: A mechanical nut cracker for a machine having an adjustably positioned crushing plate and crusher bar for cracking various types of nuts. The mechanical nut cracker includes a crusher assembly having a crusher bar rotationally attached to an end of a base member. The crusher assembly further includes a pair of side walls and a slanted back wall extending upwardly from the crusher bar and between the side walls. A crusher plate assembly is adjustably coupled to the base member for positioning in spaced relationship to the crusher bar. The crusher plate assembly includes a crusher plate, a pair of plate assembly side walls, and a slanted front wall extending up from the crusher plate and between the plate assembly side walls. The crusher plate assembly further includes a pair of arms extending outwardly for adjustably engaging the base member.

Abstract: A nut-cracking method and apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus comprising at least first and second spaced-apart impact members and a nut-dispenser. The nut-dispenser operates to dispense at least one nut at a sufficient velocity along a first path of travel towards the first impact member, whereupon the at least one nut is redirected by the first impact member at a sufficient velocity along a second path of travel between the first and second impact members. The at least one nut is then cracked on one of the at least first and second impact member. According to the inventive method, at least first and second impact members are provided in spaced-apart relation. At least one nut is dispensed at a sufficient velocity along a first path of travel towards the first impact member such that the at least one nut impacts the first impact member.

Abstract: A process for splitting pistachios including a bin dumper, a sizer, moisturizers, blowers and splitting units arranged in seriatim. The blower removes excess water and particles from the nut surfaces after moisturizing and before splitting. The splitter includes a controlled surge bin having a brush gate associated with a sensor to control flow to a singulator. A vibrated singulator operates to release nuts to a splitting mechanism having opposed elements with cavities aligned to receive the ends of the nuts. Cradles retain the nuts in alignment for compression. Lateral vibration is induced in the cradles to ensure placement of the retained nuts.

Abstract: This invention provides for an apparatus that will shell and separate the shells from the meat of a cracked nut or legume. The apparatus of the present invention is also provided with an adjustable slide plate that will render the apparatus with the capacity of dehulling any variety nut or legume.

Abstract: A mechanism for cracking nuts utilizing a rotating member including a plurality of cells. Each cell of the rotating member is sized to contain a single nut which is accessible through an entrance to the cell. The cell also includes a plate against which the walnut may rest. Each nut, if elongated, is oriented in each of the cells such that the long axis of the nut lies between the entrance and the plate of each cell. Cracking heads are employed in association with each of the cells such that any single cracking head is sized to move freely in and out of the entrance of each of the cells and may contact the nut within each cell. A striker or impact producing device imparts an impinging force to any of the cracking heads to crack the nut between the cracking head and plate within each of the cells of the rotating member.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel method of treating nuts with a compressed carbon dioxide gas so as to make them oxidation-resistant. For carrying out the method, a device is used, which can contain a compressed carbon dioxide gas and which is equipped with (i) (a) door(s) or (a) gate(s) to put nuts into and take them out of itself, (ii) (a) heater(s) to heat nuts in itself, (iii) (a) chiller(s) to chill nuts in itself, and (iv) (a) valve(s) to introduce a carbon dioxide gas into itself and release the gas out of itself. Nuts as treated by the novel method with the illustrated device are to be satisfactorily oxidation-resistant when they are stored.

Abstract: Means for cracking and removing the inner shell of a Macadamia nut after its outer shell has been husked off comprising a vertical open top tubular member having a side wall opening with a nut feeder tube, and disposed upon a hard transverse surface, the inside diameters of the tubular member and its side opening and feeder tube all being such as to allow passage of nuts through them. Yielding means are provided to limit the entry of nuts from the feeder tube into the tubular member through the side wall opening and a grippable ram is slidably disposed in the tubular member for movement upward above the side wall opening, and forceful movement back down the tubular member past the yieldable means to crack a nut which has entered the tubular member through the side wall opening against the hard transverse surface on which the tube is disposed.

Abstract: This egg breaking machine provides a means for separating egg shell from the liquid part of the egg. The eggs (1), along with the egg holder, commonly called a filler flat, containing thirty or less eggs, are placed into the egg breaker pan (3). At one end of the pan is attached a hinge (5) that is also attached to the upper section or egg support guide (6). The egg support guide has holes (7) that allow the egg tops (8) to fit through. With the eggs and egg holder placed inside the egg breaker pan, the guide is placed down on top of the eggs exposing the top section of the eggs. Placed on top of the support guide, there is an egg cutter (12) made from a flat metal plate attached to a horizontal support beam that rotates from a connecting rod placed at the end of the pan opposite the support guide hinges.

Abstract: A nut cracking machine constructed to crack nuts of different size in a continuous operation is provided, the machine having first and second disks that are spaced apart with opposed tapered faces forming a narrowing gap therebetween, the first disk being rotated on a first axis and the second disk being rotated together with the first disk on a second axis slightly skewed from the first axis such that the face of one disk is oblique to the face of the other disk and when rotated together, the gap between the faces of the disks has a wide sector and a narrow sector. The machine includes a feed mechanism to feed nuts of different size to the space between the disks where the space is widest, the nuts advancing between the tapered faces until the nuts are engaged by the disks and are then transported to where the gap narrows, the disks compressing the nuts therebetween and cracking the shells.

Abstract: An apparatus for shelling boiled eggs is adapted to crackle the egg shell in a first section by impact action for a certain period and to subsequently transfer the egg to a second section, in which the egg shell fragments are cleared from the egg body. The first section includes a tubular egg positioning member with an upper opening and a lower opening which during the crackle action are positioned above two shafts rotatable in the same direction of rotation. The second section comprises a conveyor belt and a retainer roller mounted in spaced relationship from a cylinder, the roller and the cylinder being rotatable about substantially parallel axes of rotation and being capable of contacting the upper side of the conveyor belt. The apparatus is capable of shelling the eggs without causing damage thereto, even though the eggs are only light-cooked, i.e. so-called "smiling" eggs.

Abstract: An electric powered portable nutcracker is provided that includes an actuator for forcing a piston to move in a direction toward a stationary jaw to crack a nut so that the broken shells can fall into a compartment in the base. The nutcracker can be structured so that it will separate the nut from the cracked shells into two different segments of the compartment in the base.

Abstract: A process for shelling nuts, particularly pistachio nuts, includes the step of slowly and continuously compressing the nuts in the longitudinal direction and not increasing the compression at the moment when the shells break.This compression can preferably be effected in the longitudinal direction with the aid of two rotating disks arranged to be slightly inclined relative to each other.

Abstract: An oscillating deck for treatment of a product such as peanuts is mounted on a main frame by air mounts. The deck is driven in linear oscillation by a pair of vibration motors. The deck supports a cascade of conveying surfaces which deliver the product to treatment stages such as rollers and debris removal devices; the treatment stages being mounted independently of the deck.

Abstract: A nutcracker includes a frame having a jaw member mounted thereon and connected to a threaded support portion for movement relative to said frame to adjust for the size of nuts being cracked. A second jaw member is mounted juxtaposed to the first jaw member and is pivotally supported on said frame for oscillating movement by a rotating cam. A nut support member has a trough portion which is disposed below and between the jaw members in their minimum spaced position to crush a nut for supporting the nut for engagement by the jaw members and for movement to discharge a nut into a container disposed below the jaw members after the shell cracking or crushing cycle is completed.

Abstract: An apparatus for shelling beans is provided and consists of a machine for piercing the beans and separating their pods. The pods are then automatically removed and placed in a container while the beans are automatically removed and placed in another container.

Abstract: A nutcracking apparatus comprising a motor driven rotary roller type cracker member with longitudinal serrations or teeth which engages a nut and forcibly cracks the shell between the roller member and a stationary cracking member comprising a plurality of spaced apart cracking plates having a series of serrations or teeth formed thereon along a curved path. The stationary cracking member is mounted on a support member which is slidable on a bearing member within the apparatus housing and is adjustably positioned by an actuating screw. The adjustable support member includes a gauging jaw mounted thereon which is cooperable with a second gauging jaw mounted on the apparatus housing for gauging the overall dimension of a shell-enclosed nut.

Abstract: The nut cracking apparatus includes a conveyor comprised of a plurality of parallel slats connected to endless chains for intermittent movement from a hopper to a nut gripping and cracking apparatus. Each slat is provided with a row of openings extending therethrough for receiving nuts from the hopper and an underlying support is provided to retain the nuts in the openings until each slat is moved in sequence to a plurality of cracking apparatus. Each nut is located between an upper and lower nut gripping block each of which has a recess therein with a slot in the bottom thereof. The lower nut gripping block is spring biased on a fixed blade to normally have the blade retracted out of the recess. The upper nut gripping block is spring biased on an opposed blade which in turn is connected to the piston of an hydraulically operated piston and cylinder device. The upper nut gripping block is normally biased so that the blade is withdrawn from the recess.

Abstract: This table is designed to be used for a patented inertia-type nutcracker. Primarily, it consists of a top with legs, and it includes a plurality of openings through it, for supporting receptacles which receive shelled and unshelled nuts. It further includes an opening and a pair of pegs, for rendering the nutcracker stationary when in use.

Abstract: A triphammer nutcracker for use in fracturing the shells of various nuts of differing sizes and shell textures is disclosed. An operating handle is raised and lowered in a pumplike manner to provide access to a cracking chamber wherein the nut to be cracked is placed, to slide a shield completely around the cracking chamber, and to retract and release a spring biased hammer which strikes a pestle with sufficient force to drive the pestle toward the mortar thereby cracking the nut held therebetween. The broken shell fragments fall into a catch basin and any remaining shell and the nut meat fall into the catch basin as the next operating cycle is started. The nutcracker is structured in a manner such that the hammer will not be released to crack the nut until the shield is in place to enclose the cracking chamber thereby preventing flying nut fragments.

Abstract: A nut cracking device commprising a hammer having an opening for receiving the end of a nut and applying columnar pressure thereon and a plate which faces the hammer for receiving the opposite end of the nut and applying columnar pressure thereon. A spring urges the hammer toward the plate in a cracking process wherein a rotating shaft repeatedly draws and releases the hammer. A turntable, also motivated by the rotating shaft, has an opening for receiving a nut from a reservoir of nuts and transferring that nut to a rest disposed between the hammer and the plate. The rotating shaft also motivates the rest to pivot allowing the nut to fall from the rest after it has been cracked.

Abstract: A nutcracker which automatically adjusts for nut size. The nut is cracked between a piston and a receiver. The receiver holds the nut and is locked into place by a latching mechanism made up of a plurality of disk elements, stacked together. A locking lever raises one or more disk elements out of place and latches against the flat face of an adjoining disk. A cover may be provided to activate the latching mechanism and cover the nut to be cracked, protecting the user.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic machine for peeling hard-boiled eggs.The machine comprises a frame 3, a rotating stand comprising a plate 14 mounted at an end of a vertical shaft 7 rotating in a bearing 4, hard-boiled egg receiver cups 17 suspended around said plate 14, a chute 26 for conveying hard-boiled eggs, an upper carrier plate 26 for a return jack 21 and sleeves 27 distributed at the periphery of said plate and through which a series of vertically displaceable tools may slide, and a return plate 23 fixed at the end of the rod 22 of the jack 21 and adapted to control the displacement of the tools which are urged in the direction of the stand by compression springs.Application in the automatic peeling of hard-boiled eggs on the industrial scale.

Abstract: Peeling of the shells of boiled eggs is realized continuously, promptly and simply by introducing the boiled eggs into a cylinder through which water is flowing, the cylinder performing circular movement about a substantially horizontal axis with the magnitude of the circular movement increasing gradually from an initial portion towards a terminal end portion. The boiled eggs are firstly made to collide with the inner surface of the cylinder by small circular movement of the cylinder, and rendered more elastic with the eggshells of fine fragments to the degree that the shell membrane remains unbroken. Next, the shell membrane is broken by applying a whirling water stream and a centrifugal force generated by large circular motion. The boiled egg contents are then separated from the eggshells so smoothly as to be slipped out of their shells.

Abstract: Apparatus for de-shelling hard-boiled eggs which comprises a feeding arrangement for feeding hard-boiled eggs to a position between two walls. The walls are reciprocated to bat the eggs to-and-fro between the walls to shatter the egg shells. The fragments of shell are washed away by a water spray, the de-shelled egg then being discharged. The walls may be parallel walls between which the eggs are passed on a conveyor or may be part of a continuous wall forming an oval container in which the eggs are de-shelled individually. In this case a plurality of said oval containers may be provided.

Abstract: A nut huller and/or sheller comprising, in combination, a container with its long axis vertical, a rotatable shaft concentrically mounted within said container, a plurality of radially extending blades mounted on said shaft to form a rotor assembly, said blades being divided into an upper group attached to an upper portion of said shaft in a helix of one direction and a lower group attached to a lower portion of said shaft in a helix of the opposite direction, a means for journaling said shaft in said container, and a means for rotating said rotor assembly.

Abstract: A horizontally oriented tubular screen has a shaft extending through it. Outwardly adjacent one end of the screen the shaft is configurated as a feed screw which receives cereal grain and feeds it into and through the screen. Within the confines of the screen the shaft is provided with one or more rows of pins projecting radially from the shaft. The pins of each row are located in a common plane, and the two planes include with one another an angle no greater than 90.degree. in circumferential direction of the shaft. The outlet end of the screen communicates with an outlet section through which the cereal grains are discharged.

Abstract: A receptacle has an end wall with an upper edge against which to crack eggs. The bottom of the receptacle extends beyond the end wall to form a shelf to catch egg drippings which fall outside of the receptacle. Side walls of the receptacle also extend beyond the end wall to form reinforcing gussets for the shelf. The opposite end wall is sloped and cooperates with the side walls to form an egg-delivery chute. A rib projects outwardly of the chute to pivotally engage the lip of a vessel to which eggs are delivered when the receptacle is tilted.