Patents Assigned to NFD, Inc.
  • Patent number: 4471876
    Abstract: A cleaning table for sorting newly harvested potatoes or other vegetables from vines, dirt, clods, rocks and other debris. The table includes a deck comprised of a plurality of spaced apart, parallel longitudinal rollers that operate in pairs of counterrotating rollers which rotate toward one another when viewed from the top. The rollers are formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber, soft plastic or the like. One of each pair of rollers can have an elongate helical rib or flight extending from end to end. As potatoes and associated debris move longitudinally along the rollers, the dirt, vines, clods and other debris are separated from the potatoes and fall between the spaces between the rollers. Hard objects pass between the rollers without damage to the rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1980
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1984
    Assignee: NFD, Inc.
    Inventors: John Stevenson, Jr., Glen D. Paulson, Merlyn V. Collette