Dry shuffle feed for produce

A dry shuffle feed apparatus is provided for use with produce for feeding produce in a predetermined timing pattern to processing equipment. One or more shuffle conveyors, each having multiple flights, are provided having an infeed chute and return chute. Produce enters the infeed chute and is fed onto the conveyor, the infeed chute having a multi-angulated surface to prevent bridging of the produce. A return chute extends upwardly alongside the conveyor from the infeed chute and returns excess produce to the infeed chute. The flights on each shuffle conveyor become narrower nearer the output end of the conveyor and overfed produce falls off the conveyor onto the return chute.

BACKGROUND AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
This invention relates in general to a feeding mechanism used for produce 
to feed the produce into processing equipment for peeling, coring, seed 
celling, slicing and other related processing steps. More particularly, 
this invention provides a dry feed system, i.e., a feeding system that 
does not require the use of water tanks, troughs, pumps or other water 
handling apparatus, that operates in conjunction with a shuffle conveyor 
system. 
It is known in the prior art to provide continuous dry feeding apparatus 
which is typically used with continuous feed processing equipment. An 
example of this type of apparatus is U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,317 dated May 23, 
1995, which patent is owned by the assignee of this application. That 
patent teaches a continuous chain conveyor wherein apples are fed onto the 
chain conveyor from one side of the conveyor. The apparatus taught in U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,417,317 is a waterless feed apparatus but is of a continuous 
nature and is used best with continuous feed processing equipment. 
It is also known in the prior art to use a shuffle or "shufflo" system 
which provides a stepping type of feed action through a plurality of 
flights. These stepping type of conveyors lend themselves to operation 
with batch feed type of processing equipment, wherein a given number of 
apples or other types of produce need to be delivered into the processing 
equipment simultaneously and repetitively. However, the prior art shufflo 
or shuffle-type feed systems, of which applicants are aware, do not 
provide a dry feed system working together with a return chute for overfed 
produce to provide a predetermined number of produce items each cycle. The 
prior art shuffle conveyor flights are typically very wide, usually the 
width of the feeding machine. Some prior art shuffle feed systems require 
the use of water tanks and water handling apparatus, which greatly 
increases the cost and operating space for the system. Attempts have been 
made to utilize a shuffle-type or "shuffle" feed mechanism without the use 
of water tanks or water troughs, but those attempts have failed because of 
the tendency of apples and other produce to form "bridges" on the conveyor 
which block the operation of the conveyor. These "bridges" must be removed 
by hand. By the word "bridging," we mean that a group of apples or other 
produce will form an archway typically at the input end of the shuffle 
conveyor, which prevents the conveyor from moving apples or other pieces 
of produce upwardly along the flights to the top or output of the 
conveyor. 
According to the present invention, a dry or waterless feed system for 
delivering a predetermined number of pieces of produce per cycle is 
provided utilizing one or more shuffle conveyors, avoids bridging and is 
compatible with batch feed processing equipment. For example, if it is 
desired to feed two apples simultaneously into a batch fed apple 
processing machine for peeling, coring, seed celling and slicing the 
apples, two of the shuffle conveyors according to the present invention 
may be positioned parallel and adjacent to each other and synchronized to 
provide two apples simultaneously at their output ends for each cycle of 
the conveyor stepping action. Alternatively, a single conveyor could be 
utilized wherein the flights are designed to deliver two apples per cycle. 
A primary object of the invention is to provide a dry shuffle feed 
mechanism for produce which is capable of feeding a predetermined number 
of produce items into batch fed produce processing equipment 
simultaneously and repetitively. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a dry feed apparatus, i.e., 
one not requiring water tanks or water handling apparatus, utilizing one 
or more shuffle conveyors and which avoids the problem of "bridging." 
Another object of the invention is to provide a dry feed apparatus for 
produce for use with batch fed processing equipment wherein the feed 
mechanism occupies a minimum amount of floor space. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a dry feed apparatus capable 
of use in conjunction with round shaped produce such as apples and oranges 
and which also may be used with elongated shaped produce such as pears, 
mangoes, elongated apples, cucumbers, avocados and kiwi fruit. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a dry feed mechanism capable 
of handling a wider size range of produce than the dry feed apparatus of 
the prior art. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the 
following description and drawings wherein:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring to FIG. 1, a dry feed apparatus shown generally as 10 is 
positioned adjacent a batch type of produce processing equipment shown 
generally as 12. A supply source of produce is shown generally as 15 and 
provides a constant supply of produce to the dry feed apparatus 10 of the 
present invention. FIG. 1 shows a plurality of apples 9 being supplied to 
the feed apparatus 10. However, it is to be understood that, although the 
preferred embodiment shown in the drawings has been designed specifically 
for operation with apples and other round shaped produce, the present 
invention is capable of use with elongated shaped produce such as pears, 
mangoes, elongated apples, cucumbers, avocados, kiwi fruit and similarly 
shaped items. The present invention relates to the feed mechanism 10 and 
may be used with a variety of prior art produce processing equipment, such 
as shown as 12 in FIG. 1. Similarly, various types of supply sources may 
be utilized with the feed apparatus 10 of the present invention. The 
preferred continuous supply source shown in FIG. 1 is a merry-go-round 
conveyor moving the apples in the direction of arrows 16. 
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing the supply source 15, the dry 
feed apparatus of the present invention 10 and a batch type of apple 
processing equipment generally as 12. 
FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the dry feed apparatus 10 and the apple 
processing equipment 12 of FIG. 2. 
FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show key portions of the dry feed apparatus of the 
present invention separated from the supply source 15 and the processing 
equipment 12 shown in FIGS. 1-3. FIGS. 4A-4C show two shuffle conveyor 
means 20 and 120, both of which are identical in construction. Shuffle 
conveyor means 20 will be described in detail with the understanding that 
the identical parts are contained in the second shuffle conveyor means 120 
as well. It should also be understood that X shuffle conveyors may be 
arranged to deliver output simultaneously, and Y conveyors may be 
positioned parallel to each other. Shuffle means 20 has a plurality of six 
flights 21-26. Flight 21 is the lowermost or first flight and forms the 
input end of shuffle conveyor means 20. The uppermost and last flight is 
flight 26 and, when an apple reaches flight 26 and drops off the upper end 
of flight 26, it drops into processing equipment 12. Upper flight 26 forms 
the output end of conveyor means 20. The longitudinal axis of shuffle 
conveyor means 20 is described by a line that runs from the top center of 
first flight 21 along the center of the tops of flights 22-25 and across 
the top center of flight 26. 
Each of the flights 21-26 has a lower movable member such as member 25a and 
an upper stationary member such as 25b, except that upper flight 26 has 
only one single stationary member 26b. The remaining flights do not have 
their separate members numbered for purposes of clarity. In operation, 
each of the lower flight members such as member 25a moves upwardly and 
forwardly to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 4B and to its final 
position shown in FIG. 4C where the upper edge of movable member 25a is 
aligned with the upper edge of flight 26. During each cycle of the shuffle 
conveyor, each of the upper members 21a-25a moves together in unison and, 
at the end of each cycle, each of those members has advanced an apple 
upwardly to the next flight. The flights of conveyors 20 and 120 are 
synchronized so that apples are simultaneously and repetitively discharged 
from both conveyor output ends into the batch fed processing equipment 12. 
In the preferred design shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, the upper surface of the 
lower flight 21 is wider than the upper surface of flight 25. By having 
the surfaces of the flights become narrower towards the output end of the 
shuffle conveyor 20, more efficient singulation of apples or other produce 
is achieved. Excess apples picked up by the wider lower flight 21 fall off 
the shuffle conveyor into return chute means 60. It is to be noted that 
the flights can be designed to convey two or more pieces of produce, n 
pieces in the generalized sense, but the embodiment shown in the drawings 
conveys a single apple to the output end of shuffle conveyor 20 and a 
single apple to the output end of conveyor 120 simultaneously and 
repetitively with each cycle of the shuffle conveyor. 
An infeed chute means 40 is located adjacent the input end formed by the 
lowermost flight 21 of conveyor 20 for temporarily holding and feeding 
produce such as apples by gravity onto the shuffle conveyor 20. An 
identical infeed chute means 140 is provided adjacent shuffle conveyor 
means 120. For clarity and brevity, only infeed chute means 40 will be 
described in detail. 
A return chute means shown generally as 60 in FIGS. 4A-4C extends upwardly 
from infeed chute means 40 and the return chute 60 extends alongside 
shuffle conveyor 20 and has a multi-angulated surface to prevent bridging. 
The multi-angulated surfaces of infeed chute means 40 and return chute 60 
are shown best in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows in perspective view the surfaces of 
chutes 40 and 60 with the shuffle conveyor mechanism not shown in the 
drawing. Infeed chute means 40 has surfaces that extend upwardly and away 
from the input end 21 of shuffle conveyor 20. The input end is shown as 
reference numeral 21 in FIG. 5. The surfaces extending upwardly and away 
from input end 21 include the surfaces labeled F,G,H,I and portions of 
surfaces J, D and E. The purpose of forming those surfaces in a 
multi-angulated array is to prevent "bridging" of the apples as is shown 
best by the schematic representation of FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a prior art 
shuffle conveyor 5 having an input end 6 and an output end 7. The 
relatively flat surfaces 4 adjacent the input 6 of the shuffle conveyor 
allows the apples 9 to form a bridge as shown which effectively interrupts 
the flow of apples onto the shuffle conveyor 5 into the processing 
machinery (not shown). By forming the multi-angulated surface shown in 
FIG. 5 which extends upwardly and away from the input of conveyor 20, we 
have effectively eliminated the "bridging" problem because the apples do 
not have a relatively smooth and flat surface on which they can form the 
characteristic archway shown in FIG. 7. 
In particular, we have found that, by forming a generally U-shaped 
depression 49 in the central portion of the infeed chute means 40 upstream 
of input 21, "bridging" is prevented. Apples that tend to form the central 
part of an archway such as shown in FIG. 7 simply drop downwardly into 
depression 49 onto surfaces H and I and no archway is formed. Also, 
because the surfaces F are sloped upwardly and away from input 21, it is 
very improbable for apples to begin to form an archway on surfaces F. It 
is preferable to utilize both a generally U-shaped depression 49 and 
multi-angulated surfaces sloping upwardly and away from input 21, although 
either of those features alone would reduce the "bridging" problem. The 
generally U-shaped depression 49 has an opening taper, i.e., the width of 
the depression increases as an apple in the depression nears the input end 
21 of the conveyor; the opening taper prevents apples from becoming wedged 
in depression 49. 
Similarly, return chute means 60 has a multi-angulated surface which 
includes surfaces A,B,C,K and portions of surfaces J, D and E. By having 
surfaces that extend upwardly and away from the shuffle conveyor 20, 
bridging is effectively prevented, although the bridging problem is most 
prevalent near the input end 21 of the conveyor. By having virtually all 
of the surfaces of the return chute means 60 at different angles extending 
upwardly and away from conveyor 20 and by having the surfaces nearer the 
conveyor means 20 at a lower elevation than surfaces further away from 
conveyor 20, we have effectively eliminated the bridging problem in the 
return chute 60. 
Return chute means 60 cooperates with shuffle conveyor means 20 to 
singulate apples or other produce. For example, first flight 21 is wide 
enough to receive two apples, but top flight 26 is only wide enough to 
convey one apple. One of the two apples on flight 21 will fall off 
conveyor 20 onto return chute means 60. The remaining apple will become 
centered on upper flights 24 and 25 before reaching output flight 26. The 
excess apples roll downwardly on return chute means 60 toward input end 21 
of conveyor 20. Apples on return chute means 60 have priority over apples 
in infeed chute means 40. This priority is achieved by feeding apples on 
return chute means 60 on top of apples in infeed chute means 40. If apples 
on return chute means 60 did not have priority, apples would accumulate on 
chute 60 and would negatively impact the singulation capability of 
conveyor 20. Excess apples at output end 26 should be avoided, since 
excess apples entering the processing equipment 12 become waste and may 
cause other apples to become wasted as well. If conveyor 20 were designed 
to deliver two apples at its output end 26, excess apples in return chute 
60 would cause excess apples to reach the output end 26. 
Referring to FIG. 1, diverter means 70 and 170 are provided which divert 
apples 9 from the supply source 15 into each infeed chute means 40 and 
140. Diverter means 70 and 170 are identical. Diverter means 70 has a rod 
71 which extends angularly across at least a portion of supply source 15. 
Rod 71, for example, is positioned slightly above the surface of supply 
conveyor 15, for example, by approximately 1/8 inch. Rod 71 will divert 
apples into infeed chute means 40 until infeed chute means 40 is full at 
which point apples 9 will simply bounce over rod 71 and move towards 
diverter means 170 and will fill infeed chute means 140 until that chute 
is full. 
An alternate type of diverter 370 can be utilized with the present 
invention and is shown schematically in FIG. 6. This diverter includes an 
optical sensor 372 and a gate 371 responsive to the optical sensor movable 
between a first position shown in FIG. 6 in which gate 371 causes produce 
to enter infeed chute means 40 and a second position shown in phantom in 
FIG. 6 wherein no produce enters infeed chute means 40. An actuator for 
the gate is provided (not shown) which moves the gate in response to 
sensor 382. 
It is to be understood that changes may be made to the designs shown herein 
without departing from the spirit of this invention.