Patent ID: 8273396
Filing Date: 2012-09-25
Classification: A23N

Abstract:
1. A method for effectively cracking whole nuts and separating cracked nut hulls from nut meats with a nut cracking device which consists essentially of a feeding member for selectively feeding whole nuts to the nut cracking device, an adjustable propelling member equipped to receive whole nuts from the feeding member and propel the whole nuts at a desired predetermined trajectory velocity and an adjustable impacting plate adjustable to a desired predetermined angular position for cracking nut hulls of the propelled whole nuts impacting thereupon so as to thereby expose shelled nut meats therewithin for separation therefrom, said method consisting essentially of: a) selectively feeding and delivering the whole nuts to the adjustable propelling member adjusted to the desired predetermined trajectory velocity so as to achieve a desired level of cracking and separation of the shelled nut hulls from the nut meats upon impacting and cracking of the whole nuts against the adjustable impacting plate; b) adjusting the adjustable impacting plate to the desired predetermined angular position so as to achieve in combination with the desired predetermined trajectory velocity a desired level of cracking and separation of the shelled nut hulls from the nut meats upon the impacting and the cracking of the whole nuts upon the adjustable impacting plate; c) cracking the whole nuts by propelling the whole nuts at the predetermined trajectory velocity against the adjustable impacting plate preset at the desired predetermined angular position so as to cause the nut hulls to crack and separate from the shelled nut meats upon the impacting thereupon; and d) the shelled nut meats separated from the cracked nut hulls.