Abstract: A hand cracker for nuts, particularly thick shelled macadamia nuts, the cracker having a receptacle with a bottom and a side wall for receiving a nut to be cracked with an off-center cracking shaft with wedge blades arranged circumferentially around the shaft and a crank device to rotate the shaft and wedge the nut between the wedge blades of the shaft and the wall of the receptacle wherein the nut is cracked by the force of the wedge action of the wedge blades.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for splitting closed pistachio nuts in a controlled manner such that the longitudinal sutures of the nuts will be cracked open. The apparatus includes a cylindrical housing wih a mandrel mounted for rotation therein to provide an annulus into which nuts can be introduced. According to various features of the apparatus, the pistachio nuts are rotated, oriented and then split along their sutures in the annulus and subsequently discharged through an opening in the housing. There is also provided a continuous process of treating closed shell pistachio nuts which includes the step of removing the denser foreign particles from the closed shell nuts by flotation; and a soaking step so that the shells of the unopened pistachio nuts will be saturated with water to provide a degree of shell flexibility such that when pressure is applied to the suture of the shell to effect splitting, the shell will flex rather than crack.

Abstract: A gripping device with a plurality of rods, pivotably engaged to at least two plates. As the plates are rotated in opposite directions, the distance between rods is changed. One specific embodiment of the invention functions as a pecan cracker. A pecan placed within the perimeter of the rods, between the plates, will, upon sufficient rotation be grasped by the closing rods. Upon sufficient farther rotation, the pecan shell will crack. Control over the force applied is usually sufficient to properly crack the shell without breaking the meat of the pecan.

Abstract: A nutcracker includes upper and lower endplates and a plurality of rod members loosely interfitted with apertures in the endplates. Adjacent ones of the rod members interfitted to one of the endplates are widely spaced to admit nuts into a nut envelope defined by the rod members. Relative rotation of the endplates enables the cracking of the nut within the nut envelope.

Abstract: Disclosed is a nutcracker comprising at least one rotary disk with sharp teeth on its circumference blade, and a stator plate with sharp teeth on its curved blade, said stator plate being positioned with its curved blade in confronting relation with the rotary disk blade, leaving the gap between the curved blade and the disk blade, setting narrower downstream.

Abstract: A nutcracker having a horizontal base and a horizontal lower cracking plate removably positioned on the base. An upper cracking plate is horizontally disposed above the lower cracking plate and slidably engaged on an upper frame for supporting the upper cracking plate above the lower cracking plate and allowing vertical and horizontal movement of the upper cracking plate relative to the base and lower cracking plate.

Abstract: A nutcracker, comprising a tubular anvil with an annular end wall having a series of axial projections and recesses, for receiving an end portion of a nut thereagainst, a blade-like member with a narrow blade-like edge facing the anvil for engagement with the other end of the nut, and a lever or other member for moving said blade-like member toward said anvil with a nut between them.

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 pistachio huller is provided wherein a means having projections pushes unhulled nuts between the surface of the means having projections and a surface of a means having slots, the slots being narrower than the pistachio nuts to be hulled. The projections protrude into the slots and the hulls are ruptured and abraded through contact between the surface of the means with projection and the surface of the strips forming the means having slots whereby the nuts are hulled.

Abstract: A high production nutcracking method and apparatus is provided wherein the nuts are fed from a hopper on a feed conveyor, while being singularized and oriented in the hopper. The oriented nuts are thereafter advanced by the conveyor individually in succession to a cracking apparatus, which comprises a plurality of cracking units mounted on a rotatable turret. The rotating cracking units are cyclically controlled so as to clampingly engage and lift each oriented nut from the advancing conveyor, and so as to preserve its orientation. The nut is then cracked and thereafter released at separate spaced points along the circular path of travel of the cracking unit.

Abstract: A base having a lengthwise extending opening within which are received a number of slidably mounted plate members each spring urged to spaced apart relationship with an adjacent plate member to enable placement of a nut to be cracked thereon. Inserts for each plate member limit closing movement therebetween to prevent crushing of the nut. A lever imparts closing, nut cracking movement to the plate members. Each plate member is recessed to receive the spring ends and further recessed to receive the movement limiting inserts.

Abstract: An implement for breaking open nuts by cracking instead of crushing them; the device including a concave stationary jaw, in which the nut is seated, and a concave slidable jaw for moving against an opposite side of the nut, the slidable jaw being supported on a screw-threaded shank that rotates in a stationary threaded opening so to advance the movable jaw a specific distance that is enough to crack open only the nut shell and not the nut meat.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for cracking nuts that comprises back and front end plates connected together by a plurality of rods. The rods are attached at their end portions to the respective plates by pivotal connections and are spaced and disposed in an array that together with the plates defines an enclosure. One of the plates contains an aperture for the insertion of a nut to be cracked within the enclosure defined by the rods. Rotating one plate with respect to the other constricts the enclosed space, thereby cracking the nut within.