Abstract: An improved roller shaft for a food peeling machine that allows for an improved method of changing abrasive sections that are on the shaft, the improved shaft having a first and second end with removable retaining elements and the method involving the use of a hydrostatic cylinder to place a new abrasive section on the roller shaft thus causing the most worn section to slide off the shaft.

Abstract: An improved peeling machine for controlling the removal of a peeling from a food product, the peeling machine having a hopper with a supply auger that pushes a food item to a peeling chamber, the peeling chamber having a plurality of parallel longitudinal rollers arranged in an arcuate juxtaposition relation, as the food item moves through the plurality of rollers, the food item is peeled and moved toward the discharge gate of the peeling machine, the improvement is the use of an abrasive material on the rollers that is formed using electrostatic charges to align the abrasive particles onto an epoxy layer and adhering this epoxy layer onto the exterior surface of the roller.

Abstract: An improved discharge gate for a food peeler having an S-shaped portion edge such that a food item is able to uniformly flow from the peeling chamber out of the discharge gate and at the same time, the gate causes efficient flow within the peeling chamber of the peeling device such that all of the food items within the peeler are uniformly peeled.

Abstract: An improved roller shaft for a food peeling machine that allows for an improved method of changing abrasive sections that are on the shaft, the improved shaft having a first and second end with removable retaining elements and the method involving the use of a hydrostatic cylinder to place a new abrasive section on the roller shaft thus causing the most worn section to slide off the shaft.

Abstract: A method of controlling the removal of peelings from a potato product in a peeling machine having abrasive rollers, a rotatable discharge gate, and a discharge conveyor includes providing a shadow-free lighting structure over the conveyor, taking photographs of product on the conveyor flowing under said lighting structure, determining the number of dark pixels in each photograph and passing that number to a processor, placing a defined value for the preferred number of dark pixels in the processor, comparing the determined number of dark pixels with the predetermined value of dark pixels, and adjusting the operation of the machine to increase or decrease the amount of peelings being removed to bring the number of dark pixels subsequently determined closely to the predetermined value of dark pixels. A product peeling machine has a high speed camera over the conveyor. A high speed camera is mounted over the conveyor to take photographs of groups of product moving with the conveyor.

Abstract: A separator apparatus to separate less dense particulate material from dense particulate material has a tank for containing fluid which has sidewalls and a sloping bottom with upper and lower ends. A vertically oriented housing is secured to the tank and has an upper and lower end with the lower end being in the tank and the upper end extending above the tank. An auger means is mounted within the housing and extends the substantial length thereof. A discharge location is located in the tank adjacent the lower end of the bottom for removing dense objects therefrom. The housing has a discharge location at its upper end for discharging the less dense objects lifted from the tank by the auger apparatus. A spout is located at the discharge location for the housing and has a spout that has a wall tangential to the cylindrical housing for quickly and easily receiving less dense objects from the outer periphery of the helical flighting.

Abstract: A potato chip manufacturing machine comprising a frame, an elongated oil cooking kettle mounted on the frame, and an oil circulation circuit connected to the oil for causing flow of cooking oil in a longitudinal direction through the cooking kettle. Flow retarding paddles are horizontally mounted in a transverse direction over the oil in the kettle and are adapted to retard the flow of potato slices longitudinally in the kettle. A powered conveyor device is mounted on one end of the kettle to remove cooked potato slices from the oil. A potato slicing means is pivotally mounted on one end of the frame. The potato slicing means, the paddle and the conveyor are powered by variable speed motors. Either a gas or electrical heat means is provided over the kettle to heat the oil therein. Elongated, spaced apart heat exchanger bars are located on the bottom of the kettle. The vanes of the retarding paddles are sand blasted and bent slightly to prevent adhesion by potato slices.

Abstract: A two-lever electromagnetic print actuator having a pivoted bellcrank armature and an end-pivoted print hammer is urged to free-flight by energy transfer at an energy transfer contact surface. The armature pivot, print hammer pivot and energy transfer surface are aligned in sequence and substantially coplanar. This converts input energy to optimum print velocity with minimum wear. In operation, energizing a coil attracts the armature to the stator, imparting energy to an energy transfer surface on an energy transfer armature leg. The energy transfer surface moves in an arc, delivering energy to a related energy transfer surface on the print hammer. The print hammer goes into pivoted free-flight when the armature strikes a stop pad. There is mimimum sliding, and thus minimum wear, between the energy transfer surfaces of the print hammer and armature as they both move in arcs of similarly convex circles which remain tangent at their contact point.

Abstract: A sectional gasket 11 includes corner junction members 12, straight junction members 13, and extension members 14. The junction members 12 and 13 each include a recess 19, and the recesses 19 each include axially extending laterally inwardly facing sealing surfaces 20 and 21. The extension members 14 each have a uniform lateral cross-sectional configuration along their entire axial extent. Each extension member 14 includes axially extending, parallel, laterally outwardly facing sealing surfaces 25 and 26. The sealing surfaces 25 and 26 extend continuously and without interruption along the entire axial extent of the extension member 14. The extension members 14 are characterized by the absence of any special tongue and recess at their opposite ends, and the extension members 14 are manufactured and stored in long continuous strips which are cut to the desired length and used in combination with the junction members 12 and 13 by the end user of the gasket 11.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive head assembly comprises a silicon substrate, a magnetoresistive element mounted on the substrate, and sapphire members formed around said substrate in a sandwich type configuration. The portion of the head which interacts in transducing relation with a magnetic medium is so configured as to realize improved wear characteristics as well as good heat dissipation with low thermal noise.

Abstract: A sectional gasket 11 includes corner junction members 12, straight junction members 13, and extension members 14. The junction members 12 and 13 each include a recess 19, and the recesses 19 each include axially extending laterally inwardly facing sealing surfaces 20 and 21. The extension members 14 each have a uniform lateral cross-sectional configuration along their entire axial extent. Each extension member 14 includes axially extending, parallel, laterally outwardly facing sealing surfaces 25 and 26. The sealing surfaces 25 and 26 extend continuously and without interruption along the entire axial extent of the extension member 14. The extension members 14 are characterized by the absence of any special tongue and recess at their opposite ends, and the extension members 14 are manufactured and stored in long continuous strips which are cut to the desired length and used in combination with the junction members 12 and 13 by the end user of the gasket 11.

Abstract: A flux extender or guide for a magnetic read head having a magnetoresistive read element. The element is mounted on a substrate, contained, for example, in a hand-held wand structure. The element is spaced from the contact portion of the wand, to permit a small amount of wear of the head to take place, before the read element comes into contact with the record media. In order to increase the spacing between the magnetoresistive element and the contact portion of the wand, the flux guide or extender is utilized. The flux guide or extender is a wedge-shaped piece of magnetizable material.At the end of the flux guide closest to the read element, the guide is approximately as wide as the element and tapers down to approximately three quarters of its top width at the lower end of the guide. The guide is of uniform thickness and thicker than the read element. The cross-sectional area is selected to be from two to three times the cross-sectional area of the read element.