Abstract: A press for extracting juice from comestible solids and semi-solids such as fruit and vegetables which includes a stationary perforated platen, a juice pervious conveyor belt for carrying comminuted comestible into pressing position over that platen, a feeder for forming a series of separated non-continuous beds of comminuted comestible upon the belt, a rotary drive moving the belt incrementally to position each bed of comestible in sequence over the stationary platen and a pressing platen which has a pressing cavity overlying the stationary platen defined by a depending sealing flange circumscribing the bed of comestible and a flexible membrane within the cavity that can be expanded into pressing engagement with the bed by pneumatic pressure in order to press juice from the comestible for drainage through the juice pervious belt and perforated stationary platen into a juice collection pan.

Abstract: This invention relates to an apple orienting device suited to orient apples, particularly those apples which are relatively long as compared to their diameter. The orientor includes a set of rollers which are rotated intermittently and are mounted on a shaft adjacent to one end of an apple carrying receptacle to roll the end of a long apple upwardly so as to orient the apple vertically in the receptacle. The orientor also includes a larger wheel for rotation adjacent to one side of the apple receptacle that has a number of protuberances spaced along its circumference to align the core of apples in the receptacle with the rollers.

Abstract: A press for extracting juice from comestible solids and semi-solids such as fruit and vegetables which includes a sectionalized stationary perforated platen, a juice pervious conveyor belt for carrying comminuted comestible into pressing position over that platen, a feeder for forming a series of separated non-continuous beds of comminuted comestible upon the belt, a rotary drive moving the belt incrementally to position each bed of comestible in sequence over the stationary platen and a pressing platen which has a pressing cavity overlying the stationary platen defined by a depending sealing flange circumscribing the bed of comestible and a flexible membrane within the cavity that can be expanded into pressing engagement with the bed by pneumatic pressure in order to press juice from the comestible for drainage through the juice pervious belt and perforated stationary platen into a juice collection pan.

Abstract: A rotary live knife assembly includes a directionally biased shaft housing with a rotary peeling cutter mounted on a shaft within the housing, a chip breaker also mounted on the shaft and a guard on the shaft housing for adjusting the depth of cut made by the cutter into a piece of fruit during a peeling operation. The guard is positively positioned on the shaft housing relative to the direction of shaft housing bias and the guard has a peel shearing surface facing upstanding blades of the chip breaker to sever removed peelings into small pieces by a scissor-like action.

Abstract: In prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,586,081, 3,586,151 and 3,869,974, machines are disclosed for orienting an apple along the axis of its central core. The oriented apple was impaled on a fork and rotated while being processed. The machine herein disclosed cuts the apple into a plurality of rings and thereafter removes the core so that when the apple is released, one has a plurality of annular apple segments which are useful in decorating salads and the like.