Abstract:
An Avocado Skinning and Pulping Device. The device uses a single cutting blade to cut through both the seed and meat of incoming avocados. The device has a feature that allows for the cutting blade to be sharpened while in operating condition (without the need for removing the blade from the machine). To increase cut uniformity, there are a series of guides, elements and other apparatus that will place the incoming avocados in a consistent orientation relative to the cutting blade before they are cut. The device includes a set of custom-shaped ramps designed to guide and transport the cut avocado halves down to the moving exit conveyor so that the halves land face-down on the exit conveyor. The disassembly and reassembly can be completed rapidly and without the need for additional tools or equipment.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/628,806, filed Dec. 1, 2009 (the “parent application”), now pending. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to food processing equipment and, more specifically, to an Avocado Skinning and Pulping Device. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Avocados have become more and more popular for their versatility and arguable health-related benefits. They come in various varieties and sizes. For example, West Indian avocados produce enormous, smooth round, glossy green fruits that are low in oil and can weigh up to two pounds. Guatemalan varieties produce medium ovoid or pear-shaped, pebbled green fruits that turn blackish-green when ripe. The fruit or pulp of Mexican versions of avocado tends to be smaller (six to ten ounces) with skins that turn glossy green or black when ripe. 
         [0006]    The pulp of avocados is deep green near the skin, becoming yellowish nearer the single large, inedible ovoid seed. The pulp is hard when harvested but softens to a buttery texture as the avocado ripens. Avocados are high in monosaturates and the oil content is second only to olives among fruits in its health benefits. Clinical feeding studies in humans have shown that avocado oil can actually reduce blood cholesterol. To effectively obtain the pulp of an avocado, the avocado must be de-skinned and the seed must be removed. 
         [0007]    In many cases, fruits (such as avocados) and vegetables are more easily de-skinned by the heating of these foods. Such heating does not adversely affect the flavor, texture, or appearance of most such foods. Processing avocados by first heating for the purpose of de-skinning them, however, is not nutritionally sound. Avocados are a fruit which is extremely sensitive to heat. This is particularly so in its green (chlorophyll) layer of its pulp as it lies immediately below the skin and, consequently, is subject to greatest heat exposure and nutritional loss and flavor loss. Additionally, avocado skins are particularly thick and/or rough and most processing techniques are manual or if mechanized, the apparatus is expensive, complex, and not as efficient as desired in that usable pulp is lost in the process. 
         [0008]    Because of their existing and ever-growing popularity, there continues to be a need to effectively and efficiently remove the pulp from an avocado for processing regardless of the size or type of avocado being processed. The prior art has numerous de-skinning or peeling machines and pulp or fruit removal machines which have been cited in the parent application. Most are extremely complex, somewhat cumbersome, and costly to manufacture and maintain. 
         [0009]    The instant inventor previously solved many of the problems associated with pulp removal and skin/seed disposal in his prior issued patents and pending patent applications (U.S. Pat. No. 7,444,930 and application Ser. Nos 11/845,184, 11/845,233, 12/423,356, and 12/628,806); all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0010]    This current avocado pulper, however, is an even more vast improvement to all prior-art devices. It will de-seed, de-pulp, and de-skin an avocado with little human intervention; and, in the same amount of time, will produce more pulp than with any prior-art device and less waste of usable product will result. Unwanted items [skin and seed] will not be co-mingled with the pulp. Moreover, with the relative “flexibility” if the grip belts and the de-seeder, a hard avocado pulp or a stray seed will not jam the avocado pulper. Furthermore, disassembly of the device for cleaning and maintenance has been greatly improved. All these advances and at a speed of production unsurpassed by any other device. 
         [0011]    The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed avocado pulper of this disclosure in a different manner or by modifying the avocado pulper of this disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the avocado pulper of this disclosure may be had by referring to the summary of the avocado pulper of this disclosure and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and systems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an Avocado Skinning and Pulping Device. The avocado pulper has two grip belts approximately oval in shape with each grip belt being chain-driven and having a plurality of knurled grip plates therearound. The grip plates grasp an avocado as it is conveyed into the front end opening of the grip belts and rides through the grip belts to the rear opening. A pivotable and adjustable belt guide within an inner section of each grip belt is adapted to exert maximum squeezing pressure on the avocado at the approximate middle section of the grip belts at which point the grip belts are in approximate contact with one another. Pulp is squeezed from the avocado and retrieved. The grip belts separate at the approximate rear defining a rear opening for releasing the skin of the avocado for disposal. A de-seeder adjacent to the front end opening of the grip belts removes the seed from the avocado prior to its entry into the maximum squeezing section. The improvements of this device over its parents relates critically to the design for the disassembly of the grip belt mechanisms, such as for cleaning or maintenance. As herein presented, such disassembly and reassembly can be completed rapidly and without the need for additional tools or equipment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the avocado pulper of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a partial cutaway side view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are partial front and side views, respectively, of the de-seeder subassembly of the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a newly-invented element of the device of  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of one portion of the belt mechanism of the device of  FIGS. 1-2 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of the belt mechanism of  FIG. 6  being partially disassembled; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the belt mechanism with the belts and guide assemblies removed to reveal the support plates; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a top perspective view of one of the articulating guide assemblies in a disassembled state 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a partial top view of the assembly of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a back view of the device of  FIGS. 1-2 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a back perspective view of the device of  FIGS. 1-2  and  11 ; and 
           [0026]      FIGS. 13A and 13B  are partial top views of the assembly of  FIG. 7 , depicting an alternate front guide section. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide an Avocado Skinning and Pulping Device. 
         [0028]    The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the avocado pulper  10  of the present invention. The general operation of this version of the pulper  10  is very similar to that of the parent device. A conveyor belt  90 A feeds cut avocados into the front opening  21  of the device  10  in order to commence the processing. The first grip belt  11 A and second grip belt  11 B operate in counter-rotating fashion (see respective directions D 1  and D 2 ), and thereby draw the avocado-halves into the gap between the belts  11 A,  11 B. The design of these belts  11 A,  11 B are essentially the same as described in the Parent Application, such description being incorporated herein by reference. As will be discussed more fully below, the seed is ejected out from the bottom of gap between the belts  11 A,  11 B, and the skin is dropped out of the rear exit of the gap between the belts  11 A,  11 B. 
         [0029]    The belts  11 A,  11 B continue with the design previously depicted and discussed in the Parent Application, and such description is incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, the face of each grip plate is knurled. Any roughening of the surfaces will suffice but a more structured approach has been shown to provide superior results. A plurality of grooves are cut vertically through each grip plate forming in the process first peaks. Second grooves are cut perpendicular to the first grooves forming in the process second [cross or intersecting] peaks. 
         [0030]    The faces of each grip plate further has a pair of parallel radial cuts formed in them. The radial cuts bear an arc approximately equal to the radius of the drive gear and such is represented in the Parent Application by arc-W. Each radial cut is aligned with the scraping members [ 25 ] and to touchingly communicate therewith. This arc-W, being approximately equal to the radius of the drive gear, causes the scraping members to maintain virtual constant communication with the radial cuts as the grip plates rotate and pass by (rather than hitting the outer edges and missing the central portion of the face of the grip plate). 
         [0031]    It is noted that in non-depicted versions of the device  10 , there are actually two pairs of grip belts  11 A,  11 B forming a pair of side-by-side “pulping” stations at a single piece of equipment, This reduces cost and complexity by consolidating and reducing the number of mechanical drive units, including conveyors and motors. 
         [0032]    There are important differences between this new design  10  and that described in the Parent Application. Specifically, the tensioning and release mechanisms of the two belts  11 A,  11 B have been changed in order to provide more reliable separation of the seed and skin from the avocado meat, to resist the clogging or sticking that can result from the processing of inconsistently-ripened avocados, the device has been altered to handle fully halved avocados (as opposed to avocados having the meat and skin cut in half, but still having a full seed when being “pulped,” as was the device of the Parent Application), and finally to allow the operators of the device  10  to easily disassemble the belt  11 A,  11 B mechanism for cleaning and/or repair without the need for specialty tools or extensive training. 
         [0033]    One structural difference that can be seen in this view is the addition of the upper guide plate  12 . The upper guide plate  12  is preferably made from one of a variety of common plastic materials suitable for its durability, hardness and resistance to staining or contamination through absorption (since food products are made using the machine  10 ). The upper guide plate  12  functions prevent avocado pieces from flying upward from between the two grip belts  11 A,  11 B, and further to guard against items from being indavertantly dropped between, or snagged by, the belts  11 A,  11 B. Finally, the plate  12  prevents operators from accidentally disengaging the tensioning levers that serve to tens ion and de-tension the guide belts for removal/maintenance as will be discussed more fully below. 
         [0034]    The upper guide plate  12  can be lifted off from the top of the grip belt assembly preferably without the need for any special tools or equipment. Consequently, maintenance requirements for the pulper  10  will be expedited to reduce the expected downtime of the equipment for routine cleaning, repair and/or adjustment as compared to the parent devices.  FIGS. 2 ,  3 A and  3 B illuminate the details of the pulping process executed by this improved device  10 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 2  is a partial cutaway side view of the device  10  of  FIG. 1 , and  FIGS. 3A and 3B  are partial front and side views, respectively, of the de-seeder subassembly  14  of the device of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In contrast to the device of the Parent Application, the instant device  10  is designed to process avocados  95  that have been completely cut in half (seed, meat and skin), rather than leaving the seed as a single whole piece. Since the seed  98 A is halved, the fruit will lay flat on the conveyor belt  90 A—this eliminates the need for the depressions in the belt found in the device of the Parent Application. 
         [0036]    As the avocado  95  rides on the conveyor  90 A it enters into the two rotating grip belts  11 A,  11 B at the front opening  21 . As the belts converge at their approximate middle, the avocado  95  is more fully grabbed. Slightly forward of the middle there is positioned a de-seeder  16  and slightly rearward of the de-seeder  14  is a seed divider  16 . The de-seeder  16  comprises one or more rotating wheel-like structures  24  each having a plurality of protruding spikes or prongs  26  in a star-like or hook-like fashion. Each wheel-like structure  24  rotates in a direction “F” opposite to the direction of travel of the avocados  95 . 
         [0037]    The star-like nature of the prongs  26  project into the seed  98 A and, by the respective movements of the wheel-like structures  24  and avocado  95 , extract and eject the seed  98 A from the avocado  95 . The seed divider  16  prevents contamination or co-mingling of the extracted seed-half  98 A with the pulp  18  which will be squeezed from the avocado  95  as it progresses rearward and is squeezed by the grip belts  11 A,  11 B in combination with the belt guides (see  FIGS. 6 and 7 ). 
         [0038]    The wheel-like structures  24  of the de-seeder  14  are cleaned by a cooperating comb-like structures  17  having protruding fingers, and are in touching communication with each wheel-like structure  24  to thereby scrape the wheel-like structures  24  and clear any seed  98  residue therefrom. 
         [0039]    This squeezing more effectively occurs at a point rearward of the middle of the grip belts  11 A,  11 B and slightly rearward of the seed divider  16 . The avocado  95  and its skin  22  rides generally fully within the grip belts  11 A,  11 B and at the central section of the belts  11 A,  11 B (between the seed divider  16  and the out edge of the belts  11 A,  11 B), maximum inward biasing by the belt guide elements (which will be discussed in more detail in connection with subsequent drawing figures), thereby, squeezing out the pulp  18 . The pulp  18  falls to a point rearward of the seed divider  16  and forward of the upper end shield  20 . Squeezing pressure diminishes at a point rearward of the upper end shield  20 , and wherein a slight separation between each grip belt  11 A,  11 B occurs, which causes the skin  22  to be discarded. The scraping members  25  remove any residual skin  22  from the belts  11 A,  11 B. 
         [0040]      FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the device  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The bulk of the elements of the device  10  are attached to, and supported by, the base frame  30 . This simplified mounting structure facilitates the cleaning and maintaining of this improved device. From this viewing angle, we can see one each of the pair of mounting posts  32  and support struts  33 . The support struts  33  on either side of the housing  99  interconnect the motor drive and other components within the housing  99  to the base frame  30 . The mounting posts  32  extend downward from the housing  99  to rigidly support the grip belts  11 A,  11 B and their associated tensioning mechanisms, including the idler gears. 
         [0041]    Each grip belt  11 A,  11 B has an individual drive gear driving its rotation, with the two drive gears being synchronized so that the two belts  11 A,  11 B are also moving synchronously. The drive gear for the first grip belt  11 A is driven to rotate by the first drive shaft  34 A, which is driven by the motor drive located within the housing  99 , and supported above the belts  11 A,  11 B. 
         [0042]    An additional feature viewable from this perspective is one of the pair of “squeegee” pegs  36 A. Each peg ( 36 B is not shown in this view) extends downwardly from the upper guide plate  12  outside of each of the grip belts  11 A,  11 B. The pegs (e.g.  36 A) have a rubberized coating and are positioned close to the face of their respective grip belt (e.g.  11 A) so that any buildup of avocado meat will be scraped off of the entire face of each segment of the belt. It has been found that the addition of these pegs (e.g.  36 A) provides additional improvement in the gripping reliability of the belt segments, and therefore also improves the reliability of the avocado skin removal processing.  FIG. 5  provides additional detail regarding these features. 
         [0043]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a newly-invented element of the device of  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 —the upper guide plate  12 . As discussed previously, the upper guide plate  12  can be removed from the device [ 10 ] without the need for tools (the use of square brackets [ ] denotes that the identified element is not depicted in the instant drawing figure). It is retained on the device [ 10 ] over the top of the grip belts by cooperation between a pair of pegs that extend upwardly from the grip belt tensioning elements. Those upwardly-extending support pegs insert into the pair of apertures  38  formed through the upper guide plate  12 . The weight of the plate  12  and associated elements is sufficient to retain the plate  12  atop the support pegs. The squeegee pegs (e.g.  36 A) extend downward from the upper guide plate  12  a distance of 1.5 to 3.0 inches. These pegs (collectively  36 ) can be removed and replaced, such as to rejuvenate the rubberized coating on the pegs. The notches  40 A and  40 B are oriented to accept the two mounting posts [ 32 ] therein so that the guide plate  12  can extend far enough along the length of the grip belts to the back-end of the machine to adequate guard against avocado materials from flying up from the grip belts.  FIG. 6  begins to illuminate the grip belt mechanism and its improvements as compared to the device of the Parent Application. 
         [0044]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of one portion of the belt mechanism of the device of  FIGS. 1-2  and  3 - 4 . Generally speaking each grip belt mechanism comprises the gears, sprockets, shafts, tensioners, levers and related linkages, springs and the grip belts themselves, as these elements are involved in the support, guidance and movement of the individual grip belts. Here, the right-side grip belt mechanism  13 B (to the reader&#39;s right in  FIG. 1 ) is depicted. 
         [0045]    The grip belt  11 B is made up from a plurality of chain-link-type belt elements  42  as is extensively described in the Parent Application, as well as more than one of the prior parent applications. That description is incorporated herein by reference. One critical aspect of the instant design that distinguishes it from the device of the Parent Application is the tensioning/release/guide subassemblies. These elements have been redesigned in order to render them more effective at handling the avocados as they are being “pulped,” and further to make the entire machine much easier to disassemble for cleaning and repair. The success of these improvements has been demonstrated to increase the uptime of the machine, as well as the throughput of the machine when it is in operation. 
         [0046]    The grip belt  11 B is driven by a drive gear at the rear of the current view and an idler gear at the front of the current view. These gears maintain the oval shape of the belt  11 B. In order to provide the desired squeezing force against avocados being processed, while also “flexing” around the pieces of fruit as they pass between the belts [ 11 A],  11 B, there is a multi-piece inner guide train made up of a front guide section  131 A, an intermediate guide section  136 A and a rear guide section  141 A. As can be imagined, the mirror-image of this inner guide train operates on the first grip belt [ 11 A]. 
         [0047]    Each guide section  131 A,  136 A,  141 A has suitable apertures formed through it for the purpose of mounting these elements to the metallic structure of the tensioning framework. One element of note is the first mounting peg  44 A that protrudes substantially above the top surface of the intermediate guide section  136 A. The first mounting peg  44 A cooperates with the right-side aperture [ 38 ] formed through the upper guide plate [ 12 ], and is responsible for retaining the upper guide plate [ 12 ] in place atop of the pair of grip belt mechanisms. 
         [0048]    There are two hand-operated levers provided as a part of the grip belt mechanism  13 B. The belt guide release lever  46  is operated in the direction “B” to provide transverse tension (and alternatively to release such tension) onto the outer side of the grip belt  11 B. The gear tension release lever  46  is operable to provide longitudinal tension (and alternatively release such tension) on the idler gear shaft  48 , by causing the idler gear shaft linkage to move in direction “T.” As should be apparent, moving the idler gear shaft  48  in direction “T” will either cause the grip belt  11 B to be more tautly held by the drive and idler gears, or it will cause the grip belt  11 B to be loosened from those gears (presumably for the purpose of removing the grip belt  11 B from the gears. For the purpose of future reference, a pair of chain link pegs  51  are identified. Each belt element  42  is connected to the two adjacent belt elements  42  essentially the same as a conventional bicycle drive chain. Just as the chain links are attached to one another by roller links, so are the adjacent belt elements  42  interconnected. Additional information regarding both tensioning mechanisms is provided in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of the belt mechanism [ 13 B] of  FIG. 6  being partially disassembled. The mounting post  32  supports all of these elements in a position in spaced relation to the front conveyor belt [ 90 A]. The second drive shaft  34 B is driven by the main motor drive unit, which is not depicted in this drawing figure. The second drive shaft  34 B drives the second drive gear  60 B, the teeth of which drive the grip belt [ 11 B] to rotate. The idler gear  52  (at the front end of the mechanism [ 13 B]) supports the front end of the grip belt “oval” and allows it to move freely. 
         [0050]    The top guide sections  131 A- 141 A have corresponding bottom guide sections  131 B,  136 B,  141 B that attach to the underside of the mechanism [ 13 B]—under the idler gear  52  and second drive gear  60 B. Each set of guide section has belt grooves  62  formed in one face as shown (i.e. so that the grooves on the top sections face the grooves on the bottom section). The grooves  62  retain the heads of the chain link segment pegs [ 51 ] as the grip belts [e.g.  11 B] are driven to rotate around the mechanism [e.g.  13 B]. 
         [0051]    As should be apparent, moving the gear tension release lever  46  upward (in along arc “B”) will cause the gear release linkage  54  to move away (“T 1 ”) from the reader in this view. This in turn allows the idler gear  52  to move in the same direction, which releases the tension on the grip belt. 
         [0052]    When in operation, the gear tension release lever  46  is pushed (along arc “B”) to the down position (towards the reader in this view), which causes the gear release linkage  54  and idler gear  52  to move in direction “T 2 ,” which exerts tension on the grip belt [ 11 B] as it is suspended around the idler gear  52  and second drive gear  60 B. Tension on the grip belt [ 11 B] is maintained by the gear biasing spring  80 B, which substitutes for a direct linkage connection between the lever  46  and the linkage  54 . The tension exerted by this spring  80 B allows the mechanism to self-adjust tension if component wear tends to loosen a grip belt. 
         [0053]    In another non-depicted version, the gear tension release lever  46  is oriented to rotate in a horizontal plane (i.e. the shaft on which it rotates is oriented vertically) when tensioning and detensioning the grip belt. This non-depicted version is implemented in order to remove potential impingement between the lever  46  and a guide belt. 
         [0054]    The chain link segments are “sandwiched” between the upper ( 131 A,  136 A,  141 A) and lower ( 131 B,  136 B,  141 B) guide sections (on the avocado-facing side of the belt mechanism [ 13 B]. 
         [0055]    In addition to the first mounting peg [ 44 A], second  44 B, third  44 C and fourth  44 D mounting pegs hold the guide sections  131 A- 141 A in place and allow them to flex and move as necessary to accommodate the passing of avocados through the machine. Pinching mechanism  58  is actuated by moving pinching release lever  50  in direction “A.” When moved towards the “tension” position (away from the reader in this view), the biasing spring  80 A will drive the biasing post  56  in direction U 1  (away from the reader). The biasing post  56  causes the pinching post  139  to move in direction U 2  by action of an angle drive element (located beneath the drive gear  60 B) that rotates about the mounting post  32 . The biasing element  80 A exerts sufficient pressure against the biasing post  56  and resultingly against the pinching post  139  so that the two guide belts (i.e. by virtue of the matching pinching mechanisms on each grip belt) will be pushed together firmly enough to squeeze the meat and seed out of the skins, but not so hard as to damage the fruit. 
         [0056]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the belt mechanism with the belts and guide assemblies removed to reveal the support plates. The support plate assemblies  135 A,  135 B are slidingly attached to the support posts  32  so that they can move back and forth towards one another (sideways in this view) in order to create the “pinching” force against the avocado halves passing between the two grip belts [ 11 A,  11 B]. As can be seen, the mounting pegs  44 A,  44 B,  44 C,  44 D extend upwardly from the plates, upon which the upper guide sections  131 A,  136 A,  141 A mount. 
         [0057]    Corresponding mounting pegs also extend downwardly (and not viewable from this perspective) at the same points as those pegs (collectively  44 ) that can be seen here. The downwardly-pointing mounting pegs (not shown) are virtually identical to those depicted here, with one exception—the downwardly-extending first mounting peg has a flat head (like the head of a nail), which serves to keep the bottom intermediate section [ 136 B] attached to the support plate  135 A,  135 B (since it hangs from the plate).  FIGS. 9 and 10  provide additional detail regarding the guide sections. 
         [0058]      FIG. 9  is a top perspective view of one of the articulating guide assemblies  64  in a disassembled state. As discussed previously, each guide assembly  64  has a pair of mated sets of guide sections that are oriented to that the belt grooves  62  face each other when assembled. Rounded slots  47  allow the rear guide sections  141 A,  141 B to engage the fourth mounting peg [ 44 D], while also permitting the operator to easily remove the guide assembly  64  by sliding it forward (away from fourth mounting peg [ 44 D]) to pull out the assembly  64 . 
         [0059]    Pinching cost  139  extends upwardly from the bottom intermediate section  136 B and is provided to interact with the pinching mechanism [ 58 ] discussed above. As should be apparent, the top of the pinching post  139  extends through the pinching post aperture  137  formed through the upper intermediate guide section  136 A when the articulating guide assembly is fully assembled on the machine [ 10 ]. 
         [0060]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , the instant assembly [ 64 ], and in particular the interconnection between the rear guide sections and the intermediate sections, has changed. Rather than the index pin [ 43 ] design of the device of the Parent Application, now the intermediate and rear guide sections (e.g.  136 A,  141 A) interface with each other by a modified head extension  35 . This head extension  35  is configured to snap into the socket  66 . The index pin [ 43 ] has been replaced by a finger element  70 , which is an integral part of the intermediate guide section  136 A, rather than a separate element. The finger element  70  is a protrusion from the head extension  35  that is not fully the same thickness as the head element  35 . 
         [0061]    The recessed section  68  formed in the opposite side of the socket  66  cooperates with the finger element  70  (when the two guide sections  136 A,  141 A are snapped together). It should be apparent that the recessed section  68  is not cut through the entire thickness of the rear guide section  141 A, but is only cut deep enough to accommodate the thickness of the finger element  70  therein. The cooperation between the finger element  70  and the recessed section  68  permits angular movement between guide sections  141 A,  136 A to the point where the finger element  70  strikes either end of the recessed section  68 . 
         [0062]      FIGS. 11 and 12  depict the rear end of the device [ 10 ], which is substantially unchanged from the device of the Parent Application. The scraping members  25  are provided to scrape off skin and skin fragments stuck to the grooves formed in the grip belt elements while the belts are in operation. Unlike the device of the Parent Application, the empty avocado skins exit the rear opening  51  between the grip belts and travel in direction “C” down the upper end shield  20  and the lower end shield  78 . The rear ramps/covers are made in two pieces so that each shield  20  or  78  can be removed independently for cleaning and maintenance, depending upon the particular requirements of the moment. The avocado skins exit from the rear of the device [ 10 ] rather than from underneath the grip belts so that there is clear separation between the effluent to avoid the inadvertent cross contamination of the avocado pulp with the empty skins. The pulp exits ahead of the rear opening  51  on the front side of the shields  20  and  78 . 
         [0063]    The scraping members  25  are biased towards the belt elements by rotational force transmitted down the arms  72  from the adjustable stop members  74 . The stop members  74  are equipped with biasing springs  76  that can be adjusted in their biasing force to insure proper scraping force without interfering with the operation of the belts. Each stop member  74  can be released (flipped around) so that the scraping members  25  are completely removed from contact with the grip belts, such as when the operators wish to remove the grip belts for maintenance/cleaning. 
         [0064]    Finally, turning to  FIGS. 13A and 13B , we can examine an alternate design for the front guide sections  131 A. As is well-known, avocado fruit will tend to exhibit a wide range of textures, depending upon the source of the fruit, the ripeness of each individual piece of fruit, as well as the handling of fruit being processed. In any particular gross lot of fruit, therefore, it is very likely that the hardness of the incoming fruit will vary (sometimes fairly widely). This variation also effects the ease and effectiveness of the equipment to remove the seed and skin from the pulp. 
         [0065]    To better handle difficult-to-pulp fruit, an alternate front guide section  131 A′ was developed. The change in design is related to the interior surfaces of the front guide sections  131 A′ (as well as the non-depicted lower front guide sections  131 B′). In their alternate form, these faces  200  have a double-curved, or double-arcuate shape. While the standard front guide sections  131 A,  131 B have flat faces, these alternate sections  131 A′ (and the lower sections) have a pair of “bumps” or curved portions on the facing sides of the front guide sections  131 A′ so that a first pinch zone  206 A and a second pinch zone  206 B are created. The change, while seemingly fairly simple, has proven to produce quite impressive results. 
         [0066]    The first pinch zone  206 A is located near the front opening  21  of the guide sections, just past (i.e. “downstream”) the end of the conveyor  90 A. The second pinch zone  206 B is further down the path between the two guide sections (and belts, when in operation), and is located just upstream of the deseeder  14 . Adding a second pinch zone tends to allow the equipment to do a better job of loosening the seed prior to the deseeder  14  actually removing the seed from the fruit. 
         [0067]    The first pinch zone  206 A is a narrowed portion between the two front guide sections  131 A′, just as the fruit is leaving the conveyor  90 A. The narrowing of the gap causes the incoming fruit to be grasped by the facing belts (not shown), and held up between the belts as the fruit leaves the end of the conveyor  90 A. The pinching action keeps the fruit higher up between the belts, and prevents the seed from inadvertently dropping out. 
         [0068]    When the fruit reaches the second pinch zone  206 B, the second pinching force applied by the grip belts will now cause the seed half to drop down just as the fruit reaches the deseeder  14 . This two-squeeze process tends to be consistently more effective at the deseeding and pulping of the fruit, where there is a wide variety of textures and hardness in the incoming fruit. 
         [0069]    In order to create the individual pinching zones  206 A,  206 B, the faces  200  of the guide sections  131 A′ have a pair of facing peaks  202 A and  202 B bracketing a valley  204 . In  FIG. 13B , these peaks  202 A,  202 B and valley  204  have been accentuated in order to make their general arrangement clear to the reader, but not necessarily to depict the actual scale of their size. Furthermore, dashed tangent line “T” has also been provided in order to accentuate the curvature of the faces  200 . In practice, the dimensional size of the peaks  202 A,  202 B and valleys  204  may be adjusted to accommodate the composition of the typical incoming fruit being processed by a particular pulping device of the present invention. Varying the size of the peaks  202 A,  202 B and valleys  204  will effect the amount of pinching force exerted at the first and second pinching zones  206 A,  206 B. 
         [0070]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.