Abstract: A fruit pitting apparatus including at least one of a box cam assembly for driving pitting knives relative to holders containing fruit, an active separating assembly which improves the efficiency of separation of the pitted fruit flesh from the holders after pitting, and a wiping blade positioned to wipe pits from the holders after pitting. The holders can be driven continuously during the pitting operation, or they can be driven intermittently so as to be stationary during pitting and to translate before and after pitting. The separating assembly preferably includes actively driven cam tracks within the knife driving assembly which vary the force with which the holders grip the fruit during and after pitting, especially when the holders are driven intermittently.

Abstract: An apparatus for pitting articles such as prunes or dates. Each article is loaded between jaws of a chuck assembly which translates between stations along a process path. At a pitting turret, a pitting rubber moves below the chuck assembly, and the chuck assembly and rubber translate together until a pitting knife engages the article and ejects a pit therefrom. The chuck assembly then translates the pitted article to a station where the pitted article is discharged. Preferably, a relatively large number of chuck assemblies are provided, each having a fixed jaw fixedly attached to a chain and a sliding jaw slidably mounted to the fixed portion. A relatively small number of pitting rubbers and one pitting knife for each rubber are mounted to the pitting turret.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing helical slices of an object, such as a potato. The apparatus includes a rotatably mounted knife assembly having one or more sets of knife blades arranged in a spiral pattern. Each set of knife blades produces a set of helically shaped potato slices. The spiral arrangement of each blade set reduces the torque needed to slice an object using the knife assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the inventive apparatus includes two sets of slicing blades, for producing two sets of intertwined helical product slices. A curved separator tube, which extends downward from the slicing blade area, disentangles the pair of intertwined slices having the smallest radius, as the blade assembly and the separator tube rotates as a unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing helical slices of an object, such as a potato. The apparatus includes a rotatably mounted knife assembly having one or more sets of knife blades arranged in a spiral pattern. Each set of knife blades produces a set of helically shaped potato slices. The spiral arrangement of each blade set reduces the torque needed to slice an object using the knife assembly. The knife assembly includes a knife bearing rotatably mounted within a housing. To rotate the knife assembly, a gear rotatably mounted on a mounting member engages and drives an outer annular surface of the knife bearing. A liquid is injected through a channel within the knife bearing housing, and preferably also through a channel within the gear mounting member, to flush fragments of the objects being sliced from the knife assembly and gear.

Abstract: An apparatus for severing fragments (such as fleurettes) from a one-piece core of an article, such as a cauliflower, as the article is translated between stations along a process path. In a preferred embodiment, the article is translated through a sequence of stations, including a coring station, along the process path. At the coring station, the article is held in a fixed position by an impaling knife or pin, while one or more rotating coring knives are lowered into engagement with the article by a pivoting arm mechanism. The pivoting arm mechanism causes each rotating knife to trace out a generally helical path as it cores the article.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for severing fragments (such as fleurettes) from a one-piece core of an article, such as a cauliflower, as the article is translated between stations along a process path. In a preferred embodiment, the article is loaded on a rotary table at a first station, then deleafed (or otherwise trimmed) at a second station, then aligned by a set of alignment rollers while translating through third and fourth alignment stations, then cored at a fifth coring station, and finally unloaded at a sixth station. At the coring station, the article is held in a fixed position by an impaling knife (or pin) while a set of rotating coring knives are lowered into engagement with the articles by a pivoting arm mechanism. The pivoting arm mechanism causes each rotating knife to trace out a generally helical path as it cores the article.

Abstract: First and second rotary turrets are connected by a drive belt or chain which carries cups to carry and support the olives while they are being pitted and stuffed. Pitting takes place as the belt passes around one of the turrets and stuffing takes place while the belt passes around the other turret.A folded stuffing strip is fed radially of the stuffing turret and knives carried by the stuffing turret move transversely of the strip to cut off stuffing pieces and carry them away in vertical, stuffing alignment with the cups.

Abstract: First and second rotary turrets are connected by a drive belt or chain which carries cups to carry and support the olives while they are being pitted and stuffed. Pitting takes place as the belt passes around one of the turrets and stuffing takes place while the belt passes around the other turret.A folded stuffing strip is fed radially of the stuffing turret and knives carried by the stuffing turret move transversely of the strip to cut off stuffing pieces and carry them away in vertical, stuffing alignment with the cups. A method for obtaining individual stuffing pieces from a continuous strip is provided.

Abstract: First and second rotary turrets are connected by a drive belt or chain which carries cups to carry and support the olives while they are being pitted and stuffed. Pitting takes place as the belt passes around one of the turrets and stuffing takes place while the belt passes around the other turret.A folded stuffing strip is fed radially of the stuffing turret and knives carried by the stuffing turret move transversely of the strip to cut off stuffing pieces and carry them away in vertical, stuffing alignment with the cups.

Abstract: A turntable with olive cups is advanced stepwise by a suitable Geneva movement. At a feed station unpitted olives are delivered into the cups. Between the feed station and the pitting station the cups are vibrated to properly orient the olives for pitting. After pitting, the olives are stuffed with pimento, the pimento feed system including toothed drive means for a continuous pimento strip, a feed chute which serves to fold the strip in half along its lengthwise centerline, and cut-off knives to sever the strip into sections for stuffing.