Abstract: An egg cup for cutting an egg with a knife has a main body with a base and an upwardly extending sidewall that extends upwardly to a top perimeter. The top perimeter defines an opening that allows access to an interior chamber formed by the main body, wherein the interior chamber is shaped to receive the egg. The egg cup further has a top ring having a connector that connects to the top ring to the top perimeter such that the top ring and the top perimeter form a gap therebetween. The gap is sized to receive the knife between the top ring and the top perimeter so that the knife may slice through the egg and stop at the connector of the top ring.

Abstract: An egg peeler that is configured to separate an egg shell of a hard-boiled egg from the white of the egg. The egg peeler includes a receptacle having a cavity and a lid. The receptacle has a side wall including at least one continuous annular shoulder configured to help crush and separate an egg shell of an egg from the egg white when vigorously shaken. The egg peeler is effective, easy to use, inexpensive, and comprises only two parts and thus very easy to manufacture and package.

Abstract: A shell cracking and retaining device for cracking shelled food products, wherein the device entirely or substantially retains food, shell portions and other debris during the cracking process, and therefore prevents said food, shell portions and other debris from being sent airborne from the device.

Abstract: A support mechanism for preventing outward deflection of a cracker shaft in an egg breaker assembly, about which are supported in orbiting fashion a plurality of circumferentially spaced rows of egg breakers. A disk shaped portion is mounted in slaved rotatable fashion about an intermediate location of the cracker shaft and exhibits a plurality of exteriorly facing and circumferentially offset inwardly recessed scalloped surfaces. An outer fixed and guiding cam is secured to an aligning intermediate location of the breaker and exhibits an inner arcuate extending and guiding/support surface in outwardly spaced and aligning fashion relative to the scalloped locations of the rotating disk.

Abstract: A hand-held, manually operated seed shucking appliance enables a food preparer to remove the seed coverings of black-eyed peas from their kernels. A spring and piston inside a chamber are arranged to compress a load of pre-soaked black-eyed peas against a shuttle rasp threaded between side slots. As a user manipulates the shuttle rasp, the shucks are scraped off the seeds by a scraping surface and both pass through the side slots. The piston is configured to be cocked back such that the chamber can be loaded through one end with a fresh charge of black-eyed peas.

Abstract: A shell cracking and retaining device for cracking shelled food products, wherein the device entirely or substantially retains food, shell portions and other debris during the cracking process, and therefore prevents said food, shell portions and other debris from being sent airborne from the device.

Abstract: An apparatus for shelling boiled eggs is described. The apparatus includes a plurality of spaced-apart shelling rollers which are axially parallel to one another, are arranged in a circulating belt guided over end deflecting rollers in a conveying direction, and are driven in the same rotational direction. A plurality of longitudinal guides are arranged above a top strand of the circulating belt. Pairs of the longitudinal guides form a roof-like channel extending in the conveying direction and are moveable transversely to the conveying direction. A region of the top strand a first operating region breaking open eggshells, and a second operating region for shelling the boiled eggs.

Abstract: A device for cracking open an egg is shown, having egg-size sensing means for determining the size of an egg positioned in the device, thereby providing for automatic calibration of the device to the specific size of an egg to be cracked. The calibration determines how much would the distance between the piercing members and the imaginary longitudinal axis of the egg be reduced before the piercing members stop their advancing towards the egg and start moving apart for cracking its shell open. The device can thus open eggs of different sizes, e.g. having widths between 40 and 50 millimeters, accurately without requiring special preparation or manual calibration. A method for cracking open an egg based on said device is also shown.

Abstract: One embodiment of a tool to pierce and split a coconut to facilitate removal of the water and meat from the nut. The tool includes of a body (100), comprising a frame (110) sufficient in size to accommodate a coconut and a constrictor cup (124), a shaft (210) which has releasably engaged tap assembly (300) and a releasably engaged splitter assembly (400). The body has a hub aperture (160) to receive the shaft (210). The shaft has means to urge both the cutting and the splitting end into coconut. Other embodiments are described and shown.

Abstract: A coconut opening device for creating an opening in a coconut having a tapered end portion formed in an outer husk surrounding an internal shell housing coconut water. The device includes a motor, shaft, and cutting mechanism. The shaft has a proximal end portion coupled to the motor and a distal end portion connected to the cutting mechanism. The cutting mechanism is rotatable with the shaft when the shaft is rotated by the motor. The cutting mechanism is positionable over the tapered end portion of the husk, and operable when so positioned (and rotated by the motor) to cut an opening in both the husk and the shell to provide access to the coconut water housed inside the shell. The coconut may be positioned by a coconut holder when the opening is cut.

Abstract: A tool for breaking and opening an egg comprises first and second complementary concave egg-receiving container members pivoted to one another at a first axis, and first and second concave egg-confining members each pivoted to one of the complementary concave egg-receiving container members at a respective axis parallel to the first axis. Egg-piercing points are formed on mating edges of the egg-receiving container members. In order to break and open an egg, the egg-receiving container members are first operated such that their mating edges are juxtaposed to one another, such that an egg-receiving cavity is formed therebetween. An egg is then placed in this cavity, and the egg-confining members are pivoted so as to confine the egg in the cavity. The tool and egg therein are then rapped sharply against a hard surface, such that the shell of the egg is pierced by the egg-piercing points, defining a separation line extending substantially circumferentially around the shell of the egg.

Abstract: A household press for material that is to be pressed, comprising a nut and a screw. The nut has a head part in the shape of a hollow cylinder. One end of the nut part is delimited by a base and an opposite end continues as a coaxially extending half shell having an internal thread provided with an undercut. The screw has a base at one end and a threaded part delimited by the base, with a thread of the threaded part having an undercut. A grip part adjoins the threaded part remote from the screw base. The threaded part can be placed into the thread of the nut to form a receiving chamber between the bases. The receiving chamber is closed down or shortened upon rotation of the nut and screw relative to one another.

Abstract: A nut cracker having a cup, a lever and a handle. The cup having a wall and a bottom defining an internal, generally conical space sized to contain a nut placed therein such that when the nut is cracked pieces of the shell are contained within the cup. The lever is provided in a slot through the wall of the cup such that the lever can be pivoted towards the portion of interior surface of the wall to crush a nut between a surface of the lever and a portion of interior surface of the wall opposite the lever. The handle is pivotally attached to the top of the cup such that when the handle is moved in a direction towards the cup the lever surface moves towards the portion of the interior surface of the wall.

Abstract: A device for cracking open an egg is disclosed, comprising egg-size sensing means for determining the size of an egg positioned in the device, thereby providing for automatic calibration of the device to the specific size of an egg to be cracked. The calibration determines how much would the distance between the piercing members and the imaginary longitudinal axis of the egg be reduced before the piercing members stop their advancing towards the egg and start moving apart for cracking its shell open. The device can thus open eggs of different sizes, e.g. having widths between 40 and 50 millimeters, accurately without requiring special preparation or manual calibration. A method for cracking open an egg based on said device is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for cracking open an egg wherein the device grips said egg, penetrates the shell of said egg, and opens the shell of the egg to release the contents therein.

Abstract: A simple hand operated device which comprises only two members, a top member (12) which is hinged (14) to a bottom member (16). The top member comprises downward projecting ribs (10) which are located on its underside. The bottom member comprises one or more concavities (18) which are located on the bottom member's upper surface and where an egg or more would sit in.

Abstract: A hard boiled egg shelling device for quickly and easily removing the shell from a hard boiled egg. The hard boiled egg shelling device includes a supporting assembly for supporting a hard boiled egg which includes a support member having a base portion, an intermediate portion, and an upper portion spaced above the base portion; and also includes a shelling assembly for removing the hard boiled egg from its shell which includes a bellows mounted to the upper portion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing an eggshell, which provides a body and handle for holding an egg softly by linkage between them, a removing plate for breaking the eggshell with the handle, an operating device for expanding the removing plate so as to extract the contents in the egg so that the convenience in removing the eggshell is proposed, the eggshells are removed easily and rapidly, and most of all, the sanitation in removing the eggshell is improved.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing hard-shelled nuts and a method therefore. A nut processing apparatus has a plurality of mechanical grippers moving in a continuous loop, each gripper configured to carry a nut through a plurality of processing stations. A conveyor system sequentially transports single nuts from a hopper to a position where the mechanical grippers may engage each nut and begin the processing cycle. Once engaged, the grippers carry the nuts to a grooving station where a grooving blade is brought into contact with the shells of the nuts. Once the grooving blade is in contact with the shells, the grippers rotate the nuts one complete revolution, thereby cutting a groove in the peripheries of the nuts. The grippers then carry the nuts to a splitting station, where splitting blades are brought into contact with the shells of the nuts where the grooves have been cut, thereby splitting the shell into two parts.

Abstract: This invention is to an improved pecan shucker apparatus for shucking pecans, and particularly for obtaining pecan meat halves that are intact and easily freed of the undesirable parts of the pecan, such as the pecan shell and other inedible parts of the pecan. The pecan shucker is suitably supported and has attached thereto a reciprocating actuator for moving a pecan along a longitudinally disposed axis of the apparatus. A plurality of circumferentially arranged roller assemblies are arranged for the rollers thereof to be radially moved towards one another and into engagement with the outer surface of a pecan nut which may be placed therebetween, while exerting a compressive force on the pecan shell of a magnitude to crush the shell at selected areas thereof. Consequently, after the pecan shell is crushed, and the blade passed lengthwise between the halves, the pecan meat halves are shucked from the broken shell and emerge undamaged and are easily freed of debris.

Abstract: Automatic egg shelling machine (10) comprising two or more continuous production lines (A, B, C, D, E, F) to permit cyclic circulation of the various egg shelling devices (61) and the yolk and white collecting devices (62) on vertical parallel planes, each production line (A, B, C, D, E, F) being in turn composed of two half-circuits one above the other on the same vertical plane, the first to carry and move along the selling devices (61) and the second, below the first, to carry and move along the collecting devices (62), a shelling device (61) and a collecting device (62) meeting each other cyclically on the front (33) of the machine (10) on each production line (A, B, C, D, E, F) timed to meet at the moment when each egg is placed on the shelling device (61) by an external egg feeding machine, means being provided to break the shell, separate the two halves of the shell, discharge the broken shells, the egg white and the yolk into special containers (181) (182), and hand operated means to allow any waste t

Abstract: An egg cracking device which includes two formations which are adapted to move towards a central portion of an egg thereby to pierce the shell of the egg and then to move apart to crack the egg shell into the halves.

Abstract: An apparatus for shelling boiled eggs is adapted to crackle the egg shell in a first section by impact action for a certain period and to subsequently transfer the egg to a second section, in which the egg shell fragments are cleared from the egg body. The first section includes a tubular egg positioning member with an upper opening and a lower opening which during the crackle action are positioned above two shafts rotatable in the same direction of rotation. The second section comprises a conveyor belt and a retainer roller mounted in spaced relationship from a cylinder, the roller and the cylinder being rotatable about substantially parallel axes of rotation and being capable of contacting the upper side of the conveyor belt. The apparatus is capable of shelling the eggs without causing damage thereto, even though the eggs are only light-cooked, i.e. so-called "smiling" eggs.

Abstract: The nutcracker apparatus includes a frame on which there is provided a front and a rear head assembly that each has a head which is resiliently urged toward the other but is limited in such movement by a knife at least in part located in a slot in the head. Each knife is mounted on a rod, the rear rod being movable toward the front rod to initially clamp the nut and as the movement of one head toward the other is limited by the uncracked nut, the rear knife continues to move toward the front knife to crack and/or split the nut. In one embodiment the rear knife is mounted by the rear rod which is moved forwardly by a pivotal handle moving binder members into binding engagement against the rear rod. In the second embodiment the rear rod is a piston rod of a piston cylinder combination that is operated automatically to crack a nut as the nut is dropped between the heads.

Abstract: A nutcracker, mounted on a base, grips a nut to be cracked between a movable piston and an adjustable anvil. The user sets the optimum cracking distance initially by lining up an index marker located on the piston and adjusting the anvil to firmly hold the opposite end of the nut. Thereafter, the user need only move the lever handle to its up position and insert the nut--no further adjustment of the anvil is necessary for similar sized nuts. The user then moves the piston a limited distance by activating the lever handle connected to the piston through a toggle joint, or by some other limited-movement arrangement. This limited movement enables the inventive nutcracker to crack the nutshell without damaging the meat inside.

Abstract: An apparatus for collecting albumen drippings or stringers from conveyor-mounted egg breaking and separating units. The apparatus includes a collection container with an exhaust opening connected to a vacuum pump, an albumen discharge opening and an albumen and air intake opening. A vacuum pickup head includes an opening positioned in the travel path of the egg breaking and separating units. The albumen drippings or stringers are drawn through the pickup head inlet opening and into the collection container. An exhaust valve assembly in the collection container closes the exhaust opening when the albumen reaches a predetermined full level, which releases the partial vacuum for discharging the albumen contents.

Abstract: The pods of fava beans are cut and then squeezed to separate the seeds from the pods of the beans. The beans are fed vertically and downwardly between a pair of converging conveyor belts that frictionally engage and move the beans along a path. A stationary spring-loaded and depth gauged cutting blade is disposed in the path to cut the pods whereafter the belts function to squeeze the pods to force the beans therefrom.

Abstract: The pods or husks of fava beans are pierced by a plurality of cutting wheels whereafter the beans are compressed to separate the pods from the seeds of the beans. The beans are fed into a stationary trough which defines an elongated bed supporting the beans and a moveable conveyor belt overlies the bed to frictionally engage and move the beans therealong. The peripheries of the cutting wheels project upwardly through slots formed through the trough to effect the piercing function.

Abstract: A nutcracker includes a frame having a jaw member mounted thereon and connected to a threaded support portion for movement relative to said frame to adjust for the size of nuts being cracked. A second jaw member is mounted juxtaposed to the first jaw member and is pivotally supported on said frame for oscillating movement by a rotating cam. A nut support member has a trough portion which is disposed below and between the jaw members in their minimum spaced position to crush a nut for supporting the nut for engagement by the jaw members and for movement to discharge a nut into a container disposed below the jaw members after the shell cracking or crushing cycle is completed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cracking and removing the shells from nuts is disclosed. The nuts are held between the conical end surface of a tail stock and the end of a hollow barrel. A free moving billet, having a concave, conical end surface, is positioned within the barrel at the end opposite the nut. The billet is accelerated so as to strike the nut and shatter the shell with minimum deformation thereof.

Abstract: The nut cracking apparatus includes a conveyor comprised of a plurality of parallel slats connected to endless chains for intermittent movement from a hopper to a nut gripping and cracking apparatus. Each slat is provided with a row of openings extending therethrough for receiving nuts from the hopper and an underlying support is provided to retain the nuts in the openings until each slat is moved in sequence to a plurality of cracking apparatus. Each nut is located between an upper and lower nut gripping block each of which has a recess therein with a slot in the bottom thereof. The lower nut gripping block is spring biased on a fixed blade to normally have the blade retracted out of the recess. The upper nut gripping block is spring biased on an opposed blade which in turn is connected to the piston of an hydraulically operated piston and cylinder device. The upper nut gripping block is normally biased so that the blade is withdrawn from the recess.

Abstract: A nutcracker includes a base (12), a stationary jaw (16), a movable jaw (21) and an adjustable post (20). A driving cylinder (36) is urged along the longitudinal axis of the post (20) by a lever (26) connected through a connecting link (30). A spring (42) allows the post (20) to float until a canting pin (46) contacts one end of a ring (22) disposed around the post (20). When the ring (22) cants to contact the post (20), the force applied to the driving cylinder (36) is translated directly to the post (20) to crack a nut disposed between the stationary jaw (16) and the movable jaw (21).

Abstract: A device for forcefully removing husks from coconuts provided with a pair of hingedly connected wedge blades adapted to be inserted into the coconut husk. One blade is stationary and the other blade has a handle to enable it to be rocked for prying the husk away from the seed. Two or more operations are required for removing the entire husk. The so-called stationary blade is fixed to a vertically movable cross bar, the ends of which slide on spaced rods forming part of a frame. The frame is intended to be mounted upright on a support, such as a post.

Abstract: A nut cracker includes a base that supports an adjustably fixed anvil member and a moveable ram member under the control of a handle, there being a guide interconnecting the ram member with the base which maintains the ram member in an erect position. The confronting faces of the anvil member 17 and the ram member 27 are provided with recesses into which the ends of the nut are received with clearance so that the outer rim of such recesses engage the nut to provide the cracking force to its shell remotely from the ends of the nut. With this construction, a heavy-duty unit is provided which is especially useful for cracking nuts that have hard or strong shells such as black walnuts and butternuts, and the construction further enables the shells to be broken and nut meats recovered in larger pieces without over-cracking.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic machine for peeling hard-boiled eggs.The machine comprises a frame 3, a rotating stand comprising a plate 14 mounted at an end of a vertical shaft 7 rotating in a bearing 4, hard-boiled egg receiver cups 17 suspended around said plate 14, a chute 26 for conveying hard-boiled eggs, an upper carrier plate 26 for a return jack 21 and sleeves 27 distributed at the periphery of said plate and through which a series of vertically displaceable tools may slide, and a return plate 23 fixed at the end of the rod 22 of the jack 21 and adapted to control the displacement of the tools which are urged in the direction of the stand by compression springs.Application in the automatic peeling of hard-boiled eggs on the industrial scale.

Abstract: The machine comprises a series of egg cracking and contents separating heads carried on bracket plates which are connected to form a continuously traveling chain conveyor advancing in a horizontal path along which there are means for actuating the cracking and separating mechanisms on each head, with the cracking mechanisms being activated at a transfer station so as to receive a group of eggs from a feed conveyor and while advancing to crack and open the shell portions at a dumping area where each egg contents is dropped into the associated, swingably mounted separating mechanism, comprising a yolk cup and an albumen collecting pan, which is disposed beneath the cracking mechanism and which is advanced to a discharge area where the assembly is tilted so as to discharge the yolk and the albumen into separate receptacles, there being means enabling an operator to inspect and manually discharge a whole egg contents into a collecting receptacle or a spoiled egg into another collecting receptacle when the egg yol

Abstract: Machine for cracking shell fruit comprising a rotor (1) formed of two plates (2) and (3) and having cavities (4), the axes of the plates (2) and (3) being inclined so as to vary the overall size of the cavities (4), and furthermore comprising a feed device formed in particular of transfer tubes (19) and cups (20) mounted on a disk (18).

Abstract: First and second levers are pivotally connected together at one end and have opposed portions provided with one or more cross grooves for receiving nuts to be cracked. These grooves have varying depth from one end to the other and also have varying width, thus accommodating a wide range of nut sizes. The grooves also have transverse ribs to hold nuts in place while being cracked. In a preferred structure, the grooves are defined by straight wall segments meeting in angular relation. One of the levers may comprise a base portion for seated support on a supporting surface, and the other lever may comprise a handle for applying leverage.

Abstract: A versatile food preparing machine which includes various attachments for selectively processing many different kinds of foods. The machine is characterized by incorporating a bottomless hopper and a food support pad for restingly supporting the food at various levels as it protrudes downwardly from the hopper. An interchangeable reciprocatable food processable element, e.g., a knife or shredder/grater element, etc., workingly engages the food by cyclically moving between the hopper and the adjustable food support pad, e.g., whereby slices of various thicknesses may be made from certain kinds of foods. Ejector structure cyclically ejects particles of the processed food, e.g., slices of okra and the like, downwardly away from the food processable element. Particular structure is also included for collecting the ejected slices of food to facilitate subsequent storage thereof in a food freezer.

Abstract: An improved egg breaking machine is described of the type in which a plurality of cooperating egg cracking heads and separators carried by a drive means, such as a roller chain, automatically crack and drain eggs and separate the liquid egg yolk and white. The drive chain carries the cracking head and separator combinations through egg loading, cracking, draining, and yolk and white separating positions. An improved cracker head is disclosed which operates in three automatically controlled positions including a fully closed, partially opened, and a fully opened position whereby the initial and subsequent shell drainage are facilitated. Additionally, an improved cracking head and separator mounting and spacing control means is disclosed for improving the drainage from the egg to the separator.

Abstract: A nut cracking machine particularly for cracking pecans enables faster and more reliable nut cracking with fewer machine adjustments and longer machine life. Air spring activation of the hammer mechanism and a cam operated hammer cocking and release mechanism render the machine more efficient and reliable. The structure facilitates manufacturing with economy.

Abstract: A cylindrical tool with a breaking edge at one end, when disposed over and about an end of an egg, upon being struck, penetrates the shell to sever an end segment therefrom. The breaking edge is at the end of a thin member having a wall thickness of the same order of magnitude as the thickness of the egg shell, a double beveled end, and a reinforced body. The tool may be separately contained with its own handle or may be integrated in a separable base of an egg cup. The egg cup bowl may be elastic or otherwise provided with means for cushioning the egg. The breaking edge may be continuous, serrated, crenellated or otherwise configured.

Abstract: A hand-operated device, in the form of a gun, shatters nut shells and the like. The gun has an inertia weight and a limited movement hammer bolt between which a nut shell is inserted and held in place by pressure applied on a trigger against a pistol grip. A striker rod is moved against the biasing action of a spring to permit the pressure applied on the trigger to move the inertia weight and the hammer bolt forwardly by a distance corresponding to the extent of the limited movement of the hammer bolt. The striker rod is released to move under the biasing action of the spring and strike the hammer bolt, and the hammer bolt in turn strikes against the nut shell, which is backed up primarily by the inertia of the inertia weight but also partly by the pressure on the trigger to impact and shatter the nut shell.

Abstract: A utensil for cracking eggs comprising tongs having oppositely disposed handles pivotally attached to each other having a gripping end, and eggshell-cracking and separating members formed at the opposite distal end thereof, the pivot connection of the handles being positioned intermediate the ends thereof and provided with a biasing spring to keep the cracking and separating members in a closed abutting relationship. An egg is positioned within adjacent supporting rings which are flexibly connected to respective handles so as to be opened together with the separating members, after the egg is cracked, by applying force against the cracking member.

Abstract: A nut sheller which embodies a base having a lower nut holder on which a nut to be shelled may be positioned, a spring operated hammer operable upwardly to strike the nut holder, an opposing inertia anvil operable from a remote nut loading position to a lowered position into engagement with the nut to be shelled, and a lever adapted to be manually moved to bring the inertia anvil down and then automatically cause the hammer to operate, the lever being operably connected to cock the hammer against its spring as the lever is moved back to its remote nut loading position. Shielding means are provided, moved under the control of the operating lever so that the shell fragments fall into a nut bowl arranged below and around the nut holder. Thus the entire nut shelling operation may be accomplished by one hand, merely by moving the lever in one direction and then returning it.

Abstract: A nutcracker designed to eliminate the scattering of shells and hulls in the cracking operation which includes a carrying tray with a hinged base mounted therein and having a cooperating hinged cracking lever with cracking lever flanges to permit cracking nuts by operation of the lever and simultaneously preventing the hulls or shells from scattering. The nut is confined in a cracking chamber defined by the cracking lever, the cracking lever flanges and the hinged base.