US1647872A - Peeler - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 1,1927.

PEELER Filed Oct. 6, 1925 vI?. Sheets-Sheet 1` Q I.. I Y Il INVENTOR Q ww c NM. v Il a... l, MN.

E w .3. S

J. Q. LEAVITT PEELER Filed Oct.

6, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY M W j,

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES A 1,647,872 PATENi` ,ol-Flca` amor mvrrr, or oenmr, UTAH.

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Application led october 6, 1925. Serial Io. 60,852.

ine invention relates to peelers and more particularly to an apparatus for removing by heat or direct contact of flame the outer skin ofy fruits, vegetables and the like, and while I shall hereinafter refer to the arti- :les as tomatoes in order to avoid constant repetition it is to be-distinctly understood that I desire to cover the apparatus for any use to which it can be put.

An object of the invention is to provide a furnace open at both ends for the passage herethrough of an endless chain, grate, iraper or lother form of conveyor land on which the tomatoes rest and are subjected to he direct contact of iame or heat throughout ;heir outer surface without the necessity of urning the tomatoes in their passage through ',he furnace.

The primary object therefore of the in Eurnace while they remain stationary on thel :onveyor and so subject their outer surface p o heat that the skin will be burned or charred ;-herefrom.

It is then my purpose to deposit said to-` natoes in a washer of standard type in which he friction of the tomatoes rubbing together Lnd against the outer drum and spiralof the vasher together with the continual spray f water will completely remove the charred r burned skins.

I have not illustrated nor shall I describe n detail 'this washer more than to say that may employ any washer which will give bustion.

and which is lined with fire brick, a fire, clay or other fireproof lining 2, and has an out-y let stack for the escape of products of com- This furnace 1 is provided at opposite sides or ends with alined openings '4 and 5,

and the furnace has chutes 6 and 7 secured y reclay baffle 8 is locatedhbrizontally in the furnace and is preferably supported on pillars 9. This baille plate hasaits u per face 1n a plane below the bottom .wal s of the openings 4 and 5 so that the upper run of a conveyor 10 supported on the bottomwall of the opening 4 will be spaced slightly abovethe upper face of baiiie 8 for a purpose which will more fullyhereinafter appear.

The space between the ba'iiie plate 8 and the lower portion of the furnace 1 constitutes a combustion chamber 11 into which flame is directed from a yburner 1,2 which projects into the furnace through the wall thereof, as clearly shown in- Figure l1.

The furnace 1 is supported on a frame 13, the latter being supported by wheels 14 so as to permit the furnace to be conveniently moved as may be desired. y

The conveyor 10, 4above referred to,y which may constitute an endless chain or draper, as it is generallyv known in the trade, is mounted on sprocket wheels 15.and 16, respectively, which latter are secured to shafts 17 and 18, respectively, and said shafts are he desired regults as my invention relates/ mounted in suitable bearing brackets 19 deriore specifically to the manner of burnin Ir charring the skins from the tomatoes an utilize standard equipment for the other teps in the complete process of removing he skins. l

With these and pther objectsin view, the nvention consists in certain novel features -f construction and 4combinations and arangements of parts, which will be more ully hereinafter described and pointed out n the claims. v

In the accompanying drawings- Fi re 1 is-a view, mainly inside elevaion ut partly in longitudinal section, illusrating my improved apparatus;

Fi e 2 is a view in transverse section on he line 2-2 of Figure 1; l

'Figure 3 isA a view in end elevation of l1igure 1.

1 represents my improved furnace, which gray be made'of any size and shape desired pending from platforms 20 and 21, respectively. A

These platforms 20 and 21 project in opposite directions from the furnace, are secured to the furnace and constitute the bottoms of the chutes 6 and 7 and extend be# yond said chutes the desired distance to form platforms one of whichA may constitute `a receiving platform andthe other .a discharge platform for'the tomatoes or other articles. It is to be understood that the upper 'A run of the conveyor 10 moves over these platforms 21 through the chutes 6 and 7 and through the furnace 1, as clearly indi` cated in Figure 1 r One of these shafts 17 or 18 may constitute a drive shaft and has a gear wheel 22 thereon meshing with a pinion 23 on a shaft 24l supported by platform 21, and `on this shaft 24 a pulley 25 may'be secured and -'receive motion from a belt 26 from any sitable source of power. It is of course to be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular driving means, but the above described means constitutes one which may be conveniently employed.

27 represents a blower which may have a stationary mounting 28 and which communicates by means of a pipe 29 with the burner 12; A fuel oil supply tank 30 may feed by gravity through a pipe 31. to the burner 12, and this tank, pipes 31', 29, burner 12 and blower 27 may constitute a single unit and from which the furnace may be moved as may be desired.

The furnace 1 is formed with a receiving nozzle 32 into which the burner 12 may be projected or removed therefrom at will.

`I would call particular attention to the construction of the baille plate 8 and its relation to the conveyor 10, as illustrated most clearly in Figures 1 and 2. This baffle plate 8 connects all walls of the furnace blit is provided at the sides of the furnace with openings 33, said openings extending from the wall of the furnace, and said openings having inclined inner walls 34 which serve to permit and direct the fiame from under the baffle plate toa position under the conveyor 10, so as to direct a portion of said flame at least through the links of the conveyor into direct contact with the under portion of the tomatoes or fruit thereon.

It will also be noticed that the shape of the interior of the furnace at its upper portion is somewhat curved or dome-shaped as indicated at 35, so that the flame which passes upwardly is deflected downwardly upon the upper side portions of the tomatoes or other articles. Hence the ames are directed into contact with the entire outer surfaces of the tomatoes as they are passed through ,the furnace, and the skins are thereby burned or charred so thatwhen they are passed through the washer, such as above set forth, they will be completely removed.

lt is this idea of movingthe tomatoes or other articles through thefurnace and subjecting the entire outer surface of the tomatoes or other article to the direct flame or heat without turning ormoving the tomatoes on the conveyor which constitutes the broad idea of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to'specific details of construction but desire to cover this idea broadly.

*IIn operation theftomatoes are delivered onto the conveyor on platform 21 and are carried by the :conveyor through the furnace where they receive the burning action above described, andare then moved out of the furnace and deposited inthe washer as above explained.

Various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form of the parts described without departing from the invention, and hence I do not limit m self to the precise details set forth but consi er myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

-I claim:

1. An apparatus of the 'character described, including a furnace having openings in its opposite walls, platforms projecting from said openings, sprocket wheels supported by the platforms, a wheeled frame supporting the furnace, a stationary burner adapted to enter an opening in the furnace, an endless chain conveyor located on said sprocket wheels and platforms and passing through the furnace, sprocket wheels on the frame receiving the lower run of the conveyor, and a perforated baffle plate in the furnace between the run of the conveyor and the discharge end of the burner.

2, An apparatus or the character described, including a furnace having openings in its opposite walls, platforms projecting from said openings, sprocket wheels sup ported by the platforms, a wheeled frame supporting the furnace, a stationary burner adapted to enter an opening in the furnace, an endless chain conveyor located on said sprocket wheels and platforms and passing through the furnace, sprocket wheels on the frame receiving the lower run of the conveyor, a perforated baille plate in the furnace between the run of the conveyor and the discharge end of the burner, said furnace having a dome-like upper portion whereby the heat or flame is deflected downwardly toward the conveyor, and an exhaust stack at the top of the furnace.

3. An apparatus of the character described, including a furnace having openings in its opposite walls, platforms projecting from said openings, sprocket wheels supported by the platforms, a wheeled frame supporting the furnace, a stationary burner adapted to enter an opening in the furnace,

an endless chainconveyor located on said sprocket 'wheels and platforms and passing through the furnace, sprocket wheels on the frame receiving the lower run of the conveyor, a perforated baille plate in the furnace betweenthe run of the conveyor and the discharge end of the burner, a fixed blower, a fixed fuel supply tank communicating with the burner, and an inlet nozzle on the furnace I receiving the burner, said furnace adapted to be moved on its supporting frame toward and away from the burner.

JAMES QUINCY LEAVITT.

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