Tool Arm Pilots On Rotatable Carrier Patents (Class 99/599)
  • Patent number: 6854383
    Abstract: An apple/potato peeler. The peeler includes a base, a main frame mounted to a slightly L-shaped structure on the base, a rotatable and axially movable screw horizontally supported on a screw support member on a vertical frame member disposed at the rear of the main frame, a 3-prong fork fixed to the front end of the screw, a guide piece pivotally mounted on the vertical frame member and being releasably engageable relative to a screw channel of the screw, a resiliently movable peeling arm fore-and aft swingeable pivoted to the front part of the horizontal frame member of the main frame, a U-shaped peeling blade fixed to the upper end of the movable peeling arm by a blade positioning device, and a coring/slicing blade fixed to the front end of the horizontal frame member for cutting flesh of a vegetable fruit held by the 3-prong fork if the screw into continuous spiral slices and for coring fruit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Inventor: Philip Wang
  • Patent number: 6523464
    Abstract: The invention is an automated peeler for peeling vegetables or fruit. The peeler includes a split axle support for securing and rotating an object to be peeled within a frame, and a peeling blade supported on an articulating peeler blade mount secured through a blade arm to a peeler support. As the peeler support is driven along a peeler carriage, a torsion drive forces the peeler blade against the rotating object. The articulating peeler blade mount permits the peeling blade to track an irregular surface of a vegetable such as a butternut squash. The peeling blade comprises an arcuate cutting surface having at least one blade tip extending above a throughbore defined in the surface of the peeling blade so that a peel of the object passes through the throughbore defined in the peeling blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Inventor: Ronald J. Widelo
  • Patent number: 6412177
    Abstract: A hand crank driven fruit and vegetable peeler for peeling away an outer portion of a fruit or vegetable. An arbor is detachably mounted in the hand crank for rotating a fruit or vegetable against a sharp cutting blade. The cutting blade is mounted in the end of a slender member which is pivotally and slidably mounted to a base. During peeling, the fruit or vegetable is manually rotated with the crank as the blade is traversed across an outer portion of the fruit or vegetable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Inventor: Donald G. Ridler
  • Patent number: 6408520
    Abstract: A fruit and vegetable peeler which is driven by a small rotary power tool. An arbor is detachably mounted in the power tool for rotating a fruit or vegetable against a sharp cutting blade. The cutting blade is positioned relative to the fruit or vegetable by a steady rest on the handle. The blade has a narrow elongated front cutting portion and a spaced apart narrow elongated rear portion which pivotally attached to the handle. During the peeling of the fruit or vegetable, the steady rest maintains the position of the blade relative to the fruit or vegetable. In a first aspect of the invention, the steady rest is an integral portion of the handle and has a fixed spatial relationship to the blade. In a second aspect, the steady rest is attached to the handle and its position on the handle is selectively adjustable to accommodate large differences in the size and shape of fruits or vegetables. In a third aspect, a pair of blades and steady rests are provided on a common handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Inventor: Donald G. Ridler
  • Patent number: 6347581
    Abstract: A folding table having a hole in the table top is combined with a fruit and vegetable peeler. The table may include a plastic bag retained within and under the hole for containing peelings therein, or may include a variety of other containers in alternative embodiments. In one such alternative embodiment, the table and peeler are combined with a sink and garbage disposal, whereby the peelings may pass freely through the table and ultimately through the garbage disposal. The table is preferably constructed of materials and components that are easily cleaned, offer stain resistance, and which may be compactly stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Inventors: Janet M. Sahli, Michael J. Sahli
  • Patent number: 6327971
    Abstract: A fruit and vegetable peeler having a blade mounted on a handle and a handle for supporting and traversing the blade along an outer surface of a fruit or a vegetable. The handle has a steady rest for maintaining the position of the blade relative to the fruit or vegetable. The blade has a narrow elongated front cutting portion, a narrow elongated spaced apart rear portion and short connecting end portions for attaching the blade to the handle. In a first aspect of the invention, the steady rest is an integral portion of the handle and has a fixed spatial relationship to the blade. In a second aspect, the steady rest is attached to the handle and its position on the handle is selectively adjustable to accommodate large differences in the size and shape of fruits or vegetables. In a third aspect, a pair of blades and steady rests are provided on a common handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Inventor: Donald G. Ridler
  • Patent number: 6082253
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for peeling a variety of fruits and vegetables wherein a sharp blade is traversed and rotated in a continuous or intermittent manner across a rotating fruit or vegetable. In a first aspect of the invention, the fruit or vegetable is mounted on a slender arbor which cooperates with a pair of surfaces to rotate and constrain the fruit or vegetable with respect to the peeling blade. The arbor is manually rotated with one hand of a user as an opposite hand controlled peeling blade is traversed from side to side and rotated to engage center and end portions of the peeling blade with the fruit or vegetable. In a second aspect of the invention, the arbor is driven by a small electric motor, a small kitchen appliance, such as an electric can opener or mixer, or a small kitchen appliance such as a mixer which cooperates with the arbor to constrain and rotate the fruit or vegetable with respect to the peeling blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Inventor: Donald G. Ridler
  • Patent number: 5957045
    Abstract: The machine for peeling vegetables and fruits has a hollow base. A vertical pole projects upwardly from the hollow base. A threaded rod extends vertically within the vertical pole and is driven into rotation by a handle. The vegetable or fruit to be peeled is held between a support pin rod having one end slidably mounted onto the vertical pole and a remove end which is located at a distance away from the vertical pole, and a support axle rotatably mounted about a vertical axis on top of the hollow base. A set of gears is mounted within the hollow base and connected to the bottom end of the threaded rod and to the support axle so as to drive the support axle into rotation when the handle is rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Les Promotions Atlantiques Inc.
    Inventors: Shen Long He, Pierre Tardif
  • Patent number: 5950528
    Abstract: A fruit peeling machine comprises a base, a transmission rod, an engagement device, a fruit fastening member, and a peeling tool. The transmission rod is rotatably and slidably mounted on the base and provided with at least two spiral slots different from each other in guide range and forming on the transmission rod a meeting place and a separating place which is separated from the meeting place by a distance. The fruit fastening member is fastened with the front end of the transmission rod. The peeling tool is mounted on the base to facilitate the peeling of the fruit held by the fruit fastening member. The engagement device is mounted on the base and composed of at least two engaging members each having two engaging teeth engageable with the spiral slots to enable said transmission rod to displace variously in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the transmission rod at the time when the transmission rod is rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Inventor: Yu-Chang Wang
  • Patent number: 5690022
    Abstract: A peeling device includes a base in which a motor is disposed and two ends portions extend from the base wherein a transmitting device is disposed in one of the end portions and is actuated by the motor, a first lead screw rotatably supported between the two end portions and driven by the transmitting device, a movable member movably and threadedly engaged with the first lead screw and a knife disposed to the movable member, a first fork member extending from one of the end portions and mechanically connected to the transmitting device and a second fork member adjustably disposed to the other end portion such that an object to be peeled by the knife is securely positioned between the first and second fork members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Inventor: Liao-chu Chai
  • Patent number: 5640898
    Abstract: A machine (10) for automatically peeling substantially elongated fruits (15), advantageously for peeling kiwis, comprising a frame (11) supporting a conveyor suitable for translating said fruits (15) from a first feeding station towards a peeling station, said conveyor being provided with means (14) suitable for substantially aligning to each other the longitudinal axes of the fruits which are placed on the conveyor and for rotating said fruits about said longitudinal axes. Furthermore, the machine comprises at least a peeling device (30) cooperating with said means (14) provided on the conveyor, said device (30) being provided with means (53) for cutting and raising a given area of skin of each fruit (15), said cutting and raising means (53) acting during the rotation phase of the fruit about its longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Inventor: Tiziana Tomelleri
  • Patent number: 4920875
    Abstract: A bacon slicing or skinning machine has a housing for a set of conveyors including a traction wheel located beneath an elongated path for the products which are to be skinned or sliced. A blade holder is pivotably mounted at a level above the path adjacent the traction wheel on the heads of two independently movable arms which flank the path and carry a pivot bearing for the holder. The bearing is located in front of a device which limits the extent of movement of the holder and its blade from a starting position to a working position in response to engagement of the cutting edge of the blade by an oncoming product. Such device can comprise a pintle which extends with play into recesses of the arms, or an eccentric on at least one of the arms, such eccentric being tracked by a rearwardly extending follower of the holder. Springs are provided to permanently pull the arms downwardly so as to urge the holder to the starting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Maja-Maschinenfabrik Herman Schill GmbH
    Inventor: Hermann Schill
  • Patent number: 4466344
    Abstract: A bacon skinning machine wherein the knife is movable with reference to the traction wheel by a support having two arms which carry the knife holder. The arms are movable lengthwise and are pivotable by two eccentrics mounted on a shaft which is rotatable by a single lever. The lever can move the support to a position in which the holder and the knife can be detached from the arms, to a position in which the holder automatically conforms its position to the thickness of the rind on a slab of bacon, and a starting position. The arms are biased in a direction to urge the knife toward the periphery of the traction wheel, and such arms engage pivot pins in the machine frame in that position of the support when the holder can be detached from the arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1984
    Assignee: Maja-Maschinenfabrik Hermann Schill GmbH
    Inventor: Hermann Schill
  • Patent number: 4137839
    Abstract: An improved cutting head for a mechanical vegetable and fruit peeling machine, and a machine incorporating the cutting head. The cutting head has an elongated body with means on the body for pivotably connecting it to means on the peeling machine which move the head. The pivot connecting means are located intermediate the ends of the body. A cutting member is mounted on one side of the body with respect to the pivot connection. A portion of the cutting member is spaced outwardly from the side of the body. Preferably, the cutting edge of the cutting portion is aligned with the axis of the pivot connection in a plane which is generally perpendicular to the length of the body. Guide means positioned on the other side of the body forwardly of the cutting member guides the cutting edge at a desired depth when peeling a vegetable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1979
    Inventors: Fernand Couture, Rene Allard