Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1887
Complete Left, 26th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1888
I, ROBERT NORTON, of 45 Myrtle Road, Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, boiler
maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in an apparatus or implement for
gathering fruit from trees.
My improvement consists of a pair of tongs, the ends of which are shaped somewhat
like the bowl of an ordinary spoon and can be padded with leather flannel or other
material so as not to injure the fruit to be gathered; they may if preferred be made
of rings with fine wire woven across or filled in with leather or in other ways so as to
grasp the fruit in the same manner as when made solid.
One arm of the tongs is attached to a suitable staff or rod of sufficient length to
reach the fruit as it hangs, and to the other arm is attached a string leading through a
ring or rings on the rod down to the hand of the user, who by it opens the jaws of
the tongs and applies them to the fruit to be gathered. When the lower arms of the
tongs are drawn together by the string the upper arms open to receive the fruit and
are closed again by a suitable spring which brings the two bowls together so as to
embrace the fruit. The spring just sufficient to hold the fruit without unduly
pressing and thereby damaging it, and may be arranged so as to be adjusted in
strength to suit any kind of fruit.
By gently turning the handle round, the fruit comes off without plucking at it or
shaking the branch, and so the crop may be gathered and brought safely to the ground
without shaking off any of the fruit.
1
It will be noticed that the pressure applied to the fruit is not dependent on the
strength or carefulness of the person using the gatherer, so that the fruit is not
damaged by undue pressure.

page_text: AAPparatus
*
CATHCS
I ROBERT NORTON of Ipswich in the County of Suffolk, Foreman boiler-maker do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
...
རྣ་༽
The object of my invention is the production of an improved implement or
appliance for gathering fruit from trees.
In order that my Invention may be the better understood I have appended the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 represents an elevational view of
the implement constructed according to my Invention and Figure 2 is a plan view of
'one of the "cups " hereinafter described.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a light pair of tongs A one limb a of
which is attached to suitable staff or rod B of sufficient length to enable the operator
to reach the fruit upon the tree. The other, and, moveable limb, b is extended
outwards at a suitable angle to the staff or rod B. The limbs a and b are jointed at c
by a pin or rivet so that the limb 6 may be freely moved. The free ends of the
limbs a, b, are provided with hollow "cups," d, d' shaped somewhat like the bowl
of a spoon. Said "cups" may be of metal or they may be simply rings to which
are attached bags or pockets of any suitable material as shown by Figure 2. The
cups d d and the limbs of the tongs A are kept closed by means of an india rubber
or gutta percha band e or other suitable spring which may be arranged to fit within
any of the notches f, f¹, f¹¹, and the tension of which is adjustable according to the
requirements of any kind of fruit to be gathered. A cord his attached to an eye
formed at the extremity of the limb b, said cord passing under a pulley i and through
suitable guiding rings toward the end of the staff B, to which it is attached.
In using the implement or appliance according to my invention, the cord / is pulled
so as to open the cups d d' and embrace the fruit, the cord is then released and the
staff gently turned so that the stalk of the fruit is broken, without pulling the fruit or
shaking the branch. By pulling the cord again, the fruit may be dropped into a
basket or other receptacle without injury.
It also forms a feature in the improved fruit gatherer according to my invention,
that in using same, the pressure, or grip, upon the fruit may be regulated with great
nicety, and such pressure when adjusted is not dependent upon the person using the
implement,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
The improved fruit gatherer or picker substantially as herein described and shown
in the accompanying drawings.