Improved Apparatus for Stoning and Slicing Stoned Fruit, such as Peaches, or for Coring and Slicing Apples or Pears or other.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
DIPUITIVATIO
Improved Apparatus for Stoning and Slicing Stoned Fruit, such as
Peaches, or for Coring and Slicing Apples or Pears or other.
"
Fruit.
I, JAMES HOPE HUNTER, of Tigre F.C.N. Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic, but
temporarily of the Arundel Hotel, Arundel Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My 'invention relates to apparatus for the treatment of fruit prior to preservation
for exportation or other purposes, in which it is desired to remove the stone or
core, and at the same time to slice the fruit into two or more portions, and is
carried out in an extremely cheap, simple and efficacious manner.
My apparatus consists in a suitable metal frame to be attached to a bench or
other support, formed somewhat in a G shape, so that the upper part of the fraue
may conveniently carry a sliding rod or bar, reciprocated up and down by a hand lever,
pivoted towards the back of the frame, so that the handle conveniently projects
towards the operator, standing in front of the G frame, who can thus operate the
hand lever with one hand, while he handles the fruit with the other.
Upon the under projecting portion of the G frame is fitted a circular support
of small size, cupped at the upper end to form a rest for the fruit. This rest may
be adjusted and locked by a set screw at any convenient height. The before
described reciprocating rod or spindle is fitted with a cutting tool made of fine
steel with the lower edges sharpened to the requisite keenness.
A convenient shape for the cutting tool is that of a hollow cylindrical punch with
sharp cutting edges along the lower cutting face, provided with two or more
radially spreading wings of which the lower edges are also sharpened to a cutting
keenness.
The central hollow punch serves the purpose of cutting out the stone from stoned
fruit, such as peaches whilst the pair of radial wings suffices to slice the fruit in
two, and where more wings are used will serve to slice the fruit to any desired
portions.
A variety of such cutters are provided with the machine to suit the various sizes
of fruits and to cut out the cores of various classes of fruit, such as apples and
pears.
The said hollow punch is made so as to fit over the cylindrical rest on which the
fruit stands, where the action is checked after the cut has been completely finished,'
by a suitable check without injury to the cutting edges.
The method of operation is for the labourer to adjust the fruit in the requisite.
position upon the cylindrical rest with the left hand, whilst the cutter is brought
down smartly on the fruit by operating the pivoted lever by the right hand, the
core or stone being ejected through the hollow punch, whilst the sliced fruit falls
apart into a suitable receptacle below.
I may equivalently substitute a treadle movement for the operation of the cutter
spindle in place of the hand lever; or again I may fit a wheel and crank to the
frame to be operated by hand or by a power band for the same purpose..
This apparatus I have found in practice to be most effective for its purpose, and
such as to enable one labourer to do as much work as about 8 to 10 working with an
ordinary hand knife, and with a cleanly and finished appearance, not to be attained
by the use of the knife.
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. --
Improved Apparatus for Stoning and Slicing Stoned. Fruit, such as
Peaches, or for Coring and Slicing Apples or Pears or other
Fruit.
I, JAMES HOPE. HUNTER, of Tigre, F:C.N. Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to apparatus for the treatment of fruit prior to preservation
for exportation or other purposes in which it is desired to remove the stone or core;
and at the same time to slice the fruit, such as peaches, apples, or pears &c. into two
or more portions, and it is carried out in an extremely simple, cheap, and efficacious
manner.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I now proceed to describe
the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed. Like letters refer to like
parts throughout the various figures.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of my apparatus.
Figure 2. is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 3. is a perspective view of a cutter employed therein.
Figure 4. shows the machine arranged to be operated by a treadle.
Figure 5. shows an arrangement by which the machine may be operated by a rotary
motion where a steam or other motor is used.
My apparatus consists in a suitable frame A to be attached to a bench or other
support. The upper part of the frame carries a sliding rod or bar B guided by
bearings in the frame and reciprocated up and down by a lever D. which has its
fulcrum at E upon the back of the frame and is pivotted at F to the sliding bar B.
The opposite end. J of the lever D is connected by the connecting rod M to the
operating lever N which is pivotted at O' to a suitable bracket P fixed to the bench.
This lever N is arranged so that the handle conveniently projects towards the
operator standing in front of the frame, who can thus operate the machine with one
hand whilst he handles the fruit with the other.
Upon the lever D a weight R is arranged so as to counterbalance the weight of the
sliding bar B and levers D and N.
For the hand lever operating the cutter bar, I may substitute an equivalent treadle
motion for operation by the foot of the labourer as shown in Fig. 4.
Or, equivalently a wheel might be fitted with crank motion to effect the reciproca-
tion of the cutter bar either by hand, or with a pulley revolved by a machine band
driven by steam or other power as shown in Fig. 5.
Fitted to the under projecting portion of the frame is a cylindrical rest or:
support G of small size, cupped at the upper end to form a rest for the fruit.
This support G may he adjusted and locked in position by a set screw H at any.
convenient height.
The before described reciprocating rod or spindle B is fitted with a cutting tool K
made of fine steel, with the lower edges sharpened to the requisite keenness. The
shape of the cutting tool is that of a hollow cylindrical punch with a sharp cutting
edge at the lower face, and provided with two or more radially spreading wings L,
the lower edges of which are also sharpened to a cutting keenness.
The hollow punch serves the purpose of cutting out the stone from stoned fruit,
such as peaches, or for coring apples or pears, and the pair of radial wings L at the
same time slices the fruit' in two, and if more wings are used they will serve to slice
the fruit into any number of desired portions.
A variety of such cutters may be provided with the machine to suit the various
sizes of fruits and to cut out the cores of various classes of fruits.
The said hollow punch K is made'so as to fit over the cylindrical rest G on which
the fruit stands; so that the cutter descends over the top of the rest so as to completely

page_text: finish the cut, and is thereafter checked by a collar adjustable on the cutter, spindle,
without injury to its cutting edges.
The method of operation is for the labourer to adjust the fruit in the requisite
position upon the cylindrical rest G with the left hand whilst the cutter K is brought
down smartly on the fruit by operating the hand lever N with the right hand, the core
or stone being ejected through the hollow punch and the sliced fruit falls apart into a
suitable receptacle below.
The fruit may be skinned by a distinct operation before or after the slicing and
stoning or coring operation.
This apparatus I have found in practice to be most effective for its purpose, and
such as to enable one labourer to do as much work as about 8 to 10 men working with
an ordinary hand knife, and giving a cleanly and finished appearance not to be
obtained by the use of the knife.
It is obvious that considerable economy may be effected by duplicating the machines
so that the attendant thay feed two machines one with each hand thereby reducing
the amount of labour required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An apparatus consisting of a frame A guiding the movement of a reciprocating
rod B carrying a compounded cutter K L for stoning or coring and slicing simul-
taneously, and a cylindrical rest G entering the descending cutter, operated through
a pivotted hand lever N by an attendant, substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of February 1890.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., as Agents for the Applicant.