Abstract: An apparatus and method for sorting a food product, such a fruit or vegetable, is disclosed. The food product to be sorted is introduced into a rotatable sorting chamber through an inlet opening. Whole and firm product is discharged out of the chamber through an outlet opening. Soft food product, on the other hand, is expelled radially out of the chamber through the sides of the chamber as the chamber rotates.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a cage (rotatable in one direction) formed by roller brushes (rotatable in the opposite direction) radially arranged about a axis to define a sloped chamber. A fender is located along one side of each roller brush. A stationary tube, closed at both ends and having a motor-driven rotatable auger therein, extends through the chamber. The tube has four openings (proceeding from the high to the low end of the chamber): a top (supply) opening; a bottom (feed) opening; a top (recovery) opening; and a bottom (discharge) opening. Unhulled nuts from the supply opening are fed through the feed opening by the auger and form a single layer against the chamber wall and advance through the sloped chamber. During cage and roller rotation, each nut is trapped between a fender and the bristles in the outgoing quadrant of the adjacent roller brush and the hull is removed.

Abstract: Apparatus for cleaning and peeling food products, such as fruits and vegetables, without the use of water, comprises a stationary housing in which a motor-driven brush cage is rotatably mounted. The cage comprises a plurality of cylindrical roller brushes radially arranged about a generally horizontal (but slightly downward slope) axis to define a generally cylindrical product-processing chamber. A rotatable product inlet tube at the chamber inlet end directs the product into the product chamber. A motor rotatably drives the inlet tube and the cage in one direction and, through a stationary ring gear and pinion gears on the brushes, causes each brush to rotate in the opposite direction. The inlet tube has vanes inside which impart initial rotary motion to the product entering the chamber. Product accumulating in the chamber forms a single layer against the wall of the chamber as it is advanced therethrough, making contact with substantially all the rotating brushes which effect cleaning and peeling.

Abstract: A method for cooking potatoes in hot water-vapor consists of disposing dried potatoes in non-overlapped, non-contacting relationship above a body of boiling water so as to expose them for about five minutes to a confined body of hot water vapor maintained at atmospheric pressure. The apparatus comprises a water container for a body of water, a heat source to heat and maintain said body of water at its boiling point, a perforated motor-driven movable conveyor structure on which diced potatoes can be arranged in non-overlapped, non-contacting relationship and which is located closely above the surface of the body of water, and an enclosure overlaying the conveyor stucture and the water container for entrapping hot water-vapor there or within so as to expose the diced potatoes thereto, said container having apertures therein so as to maintain the hot water-vapor at substantial atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A method for cooking potatoes in hot water-vapor consists of disposing dried potatoes in non-overlapped, non-contacting relationship above a body of boiling water so as to expose them for about five minutes to a confined body of hot water vapor maintained at atmospheric pressure. The apparatus comprises a water container for a body of water, a heat source to heat and maintain said body of water at its boiling point, a perforated motor-driven movable conveyor structure on which diced potatoes can be arranged in non-overlapped, non-contacting relationship and which is located closely above the surface of the body of water, and an enclosure overlying the conveyor structure and the water container for entrapping hot water-vapor there or within so as to expose the diced potatoes thereto, said container having apertures therein so as to maintain the hot water-vapor at substantial atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A chiropractic thruster for use in chiropractic treatment to apply controlled impact forces or thrusts to a human body comprises a rubber tipped free-floating punch, the length of stroke of which can be adjusted to control the force applied to the body. The punch delivers one stroke whenever the trigger of a three-way poppet valve is depressed and causes a burst of compressed air to flow from a relatively large compressed air reservoir in the thruster handle to one side of a spring-biased piston in a relatively smaller air cylinder located in the thruster. The piston comprises a piston rod which drives the punch and which, when the piston is biased to retracted position, is spaced from the inner end of the punch by a predetermined distance.

Abstract: A processing machine for washing, scrubbing, or peeling products, such as vegetables or fruit, comprises a plurality of elongated rotatable processing rollers (with brushes or abrading elements thereon) arranged to define a U-shaped trough through which the products pass for processing. A rotatable waste discharging auger is located below the trough. A rotatable product mobilizer apparatus, comprising a drive shaft, helical rods arranged around and supported on the drive shaft and located in the trough, and augers on the drive shaft at the opposite ends of the helical rods, operates to raise the product layer next to the processing rollers thereby creating a tumbling action, to positively move the products toward the discharge end of the processing rollers, and to control product load level in the trough as a function of the rotational speed of the product mobilizer apparatus.