Patent ID: 6981357
Filing Date: 2006-01-03
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. A method for harvesting fruit from a field comprising the steps of: a) providing a plurality of workers; b) providing a vehicle with tires adapted for travel across a field, said vehicle having a pair of conveyors in linear relationship to one another and which laterally extend from said vehicle across a plurality of rows, each conveyor comprising a conveyor belt and a trough positioned above said conveyor belt in fixed relation thereto, where both the conveyor belt and trough are sufficiently sized for accepting flats, said vehicle further having a pallet conveyor spanning the width of said vehicle and in parallel relationship to said pair of conveyors; c) aligning said vehicle so that said pair of conveyors span a plurality of rows from which fruit is to be inspected; d) displacing said vehicle from one end of the field to the other while workers standing behind said pair of conveyors harvest ripened fruit into flats which when filled, are placed onto one of said conveyor belts which transport the flats to an unloading position; e) removing said filled flats from said pair of conveyors and palletizing said filled flats on pallets located upon said pallet conveyor; f) changing the horizontal orientation of said tires for travel along the edge of the field without altering the orientation of the vehicle relative to the field; g) traveling a distance until the pair of conveyors of said vehicle span different rows of fruit to be inspected; h) arc displacing said pair of conveyors substantially 180 degrees over the vehicle to the opposite side; i) changing the horizontal orientation of said tires for travel across the field; and, j) repeating steps d–i as necessary until the field has been traversed.