Abstract: A fruit pitter includes a frame, a fruit holder supported by the frame, and a lid and a pusher plate each pivotally attached to the frame. The fruit holder has a hole formed therethrough. The lid is moveable between a fully closed position adjacent to the fruit holder and a fully open position away from the fruit holder. A cutting rod depending from the lid passes through the fruit holder hole when the lid is moved from the fully open position to the fully closed position. The lid and the pusher plate rotate relative to the frame about a common rotational axis. The pusher plate is located between the fruit holder and the lid, and the cutting rod passes through the pusher plate as the lid is moved between the fully closed position and the fully open position.

Abstract: A cherry pitter includes a container having a removable cherry holder with a plurality of cavities for holding cherries. A mating plurality of cutters is secured to the lid of the container, which is pivotally secured to the container. By rotating the lid downward the cutters are pushed into and through the cherries, pushing the pits into the container. A spring-loaded push-off plate holds the cherries down against the holder as the lid rotates upward again, separating the cherries from the cutters. These and other examples of the invention will be described in further detail below.

Abstract: Described is a pitting machine, system and process that singularizes or individualizes fruit pieces, such as cherries, olives, dates and plums and that attempts to remove pits and pit material from each fruit piece. A conveyor comprises depressions, wells or receptacles for accepting fruit pieces for processing. The conveyor accepts fruit pieces into wells, passes the fruit pieces into a pitting area wherein the pitting machine removes pit material from the fruit pieces by a matrix of punching needles or pitting needles. The matrix moves in an oscillatory fashion in synchronization with generally continuous movement of the fruit pieces engaged in the conveyor. The singularization enables easier and better processing, sorting, and quality checking of fruit pieces. Quality checking may be done before and after pitting of fruit pieces. Quality checking may include desired color and size of each fruit piece. Quality checking virtually ensures successful or sufficient removal of pits and pit material.

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: A pitting knife drive assembly for mounting in a fruit pitting apparatus to drive pitting knives of the pitting apparatus. The pitting knife assembly includes a box cam, a drive assembly for rotating the box cam, a pivot unit which undergoes reciprocating pivoting motion in response to the rotating box cam, and a set of one or more shafts which reciprocate longitudinally in response to the reciprocating pivoting motion of the pivot unit. Preferably also, the pitting knife assembly includes a subassembly for causing the shafts to undergo reciprocating motion in directions perpendicular to their longitudinal axes. A preferred implementation of this subassembly includes a carriage driven by a rotating eccentric, where the eccentric and the box cam are mounted along a common drive shaft, and the drive assembly includes a motor for rotating the drive shaft.

Abstract: A cherry pitter comprising a pitting station (24) adapted to support a cherry (88) having an opening 84 sized to allow passage of a pit (85), but not the cherry (88). A pit ejector (26) adapted to reciprocate along a longitudinal axis includes an elongate punch having a number of arms (50, 52, 54, 56) radiating out from the longitudinal axis, each arm extending beyond the proximal end of the punch to form a cruciform cross-section. One of the arms (56) has a substantially flat profile and the other three arms (50, 52, 54) have an undercut portion (66) of the same order of axial length as the diameter of a typical cherry. The punch is oriented so that the flat arm (56) projects towards a delivery passage (22). The delivery passage (22) has an arcuate channel that aligns the cherries and delivers them to the pitting station (24) one at a time. The elongate punch drives into the cherry (86) and pushes the pit through the outer flesh of the cherry (86) and through the opening (84) and into a pit chamber (94).

Abstract: Apparatus for pitting dates wherein an endless apron consisting of plates with sockets for dates is transported stepwise by two chains past a hopper which dispenses randomly distributed dates onto the upper sides of successive plates, past an adjustable elastic refuser which intercepts overlapping dates and directs some intercepted dates into empty sockets, past a rotary brush which inclines partly inserted dates in a direction counter to the direction of movement of the plates, past a centering station wherein semicylindrical extensions of tubular centering elements penetrate into the sockets of the adjacent plate to promote or cause complete penetration of partly inserted dates into the respective sockets, and thereupon past a removing station where the cutting edges at the leading ends of reciprocable tools penetrate into the sockets to expel pits from the dates.