Improvements in Fruit Pickers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 13th Nov., 1890--Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL DI MULTICATION.
Improvements in Fruit Pickers.
I, JOHN W. CAIN, of Rusk in the County of Ritchie and State of West
Virginia, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple convenient and efficient device
by means of which a person may be enabled while standing on the ground to pick
fruit from the tops of trees.
The device consists essentially of a shaft or handle of any convenient length carry-
ing a picker and a trunk which is attached at its upper end to the shaft and terminates
at its lower end in a receptacle or sack. A bow or loop is fixed to the upper end of
the handle and projects beyond the end thereof, and carries an angular jaw which is
pivoted to the loop and has a forwardly-extending portion which corresponds in size
and shape to the loop and which when closed lies parallel therewith but is prevented
from closing by pins which project from the inner edge of the jaw and impinge upon
the loop so that the tender branches of the trees will not be nipped between the jaw
and the loop. The jaw is provided with an upper covering and is held normally in a
closed position. It is opened by means of a pull handle which is connected to the
jaw through a lever which is pivoted to the handle of the device and a connecting rod.
The pull handle is guided at its lower end by a strap which encircles the shaft and is
clamped thereto. Extending from the lower side of the bow or loop and suitably
attached thereto, is the trunk which terminates in a spout which is attached to the
receptacle or sack. The spout has a netting in one side through which the fruit may
be examined, an elbow in which the fruit may stop, and a vertical opening through
which a particular fruit may be extracted. The bag, spout, and sack or receptacle,
should be made separable. The sack is provided with a strap by which it may be
suspended from the neck and shoulders of the operator, a flap by which the upper
opening of the sack may be closed, and a terminal spout through which the fruit may
he emptied from the sack into another receptacle. The terminal end of the spout is
provided with a loop which may be hooked upon a button on the top of the sack,
while the sack is being filled, to prevent the fruit from dropping through the spout.
The device is operated as follows;
The operator places the strap around bis neck, thrusts a hand through the loop,
and grasps the shaft with both hands. He then swings the jaw by the pull handle
and places the loop beneath the fruit to be plucked and then releases the jaw and the
springs close it over the fruit. Then, by slightly dropping the handle, the fruit will
be pulled from the limb and will roll, through the bag and spout, into the sack.
Dated this 26th day of August 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fruit Pickers.
1, JOHN W. CAIN, of Rusk, in the County of Ritchie, and State of West Virginia,
United States of America, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple convenient and efficient device
by means of which a person may be enabled, while standing on the ground, to pick
fruit from the tone of trees

page_text: To this end my invention consists in a fruit picker constructed substantially as
hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specifi-
cation, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, with the jaw open, and
Figure 2 is a detailed view, shewing the jaw in the closed position. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.
.
j
To one end of a suitable staff or handle A is fixed a loop B which is made prefer-
ably of metal and which is firmly attached to the handle so as to project beyond the
end of the same.
Pivoted to the loop B by the rod a is an angular jaw Chaving a
forwardly-extending portion C which corresponds in size and shape to the loop B
and which, when closed, will be parallel with the loop, it being prevented from closing
upon the loop by the pins which project from the inner edge of the jaw C and
impinge upon the loop B so that the tender branches of the trees will not be nipped
between the jaw and the loop. The jaw C is provided with an upper covering Cand
is held normally in a closed position, as shewn in Figure 2, by the spiral springs d
which extend from a cross-bar e of the part C to the cross-barf of the loop B. A
rod g extends across the elbow of the jaw C to which a connecting rod his attached,
said rod extending parallel with the handle A and having its lower end affixed to the
pin of the arm D which is pivoted to the handle A and extends laterally therefrom.
Near the outer end of the arm D is another pin from which a rod h¹ extends
parallel with the handle through the brace j and terminates in a hand loop ². The
brace projects from between the ears ' of the clasp k, the brace being held between
the ears by the screw and the clasp being tightened upon the handle by the screw /
which extends through the ears. Only one clasp and brace jis needed, but if the
handle A is very long several arms D may be placed thereon. Extending from the
lower side of the loop B and suitably attached thereto, is a bag E which terminates
in a spout F which is suitably attached to a receptacle or sack H. The spout F has a
netting Fin one side, through which the fruit may be examined, an elbow F2, in
which the fruit may stop, and a vertical opening F3, through which a particular fruit
may be extracted from the elbow. The bag E, spout F, and sack H, should be made
separable, as shewn. The sack H is provided with a strap m, by which it may be
suspended from the neck and shoulders of the operator, a flap H', by which the upper
opening of the sack may be closed, and a terminal spout H2, through which the
fruit may be emptied from the sack into another receptacle. The terminal end of the
spout is provided with a loop n which may be hooked upon a button o on the top of
the sack, while the sack is being filled, to prevent the fruit from dropping through the
spout.
The device is operated as follows;—
The operator places the strap m around his neck, thrusts a hand through the
loop 2, and grasps the shaft or handle A with both hands. He then pulls upon
the loop 2 and this will pull the rod ¹ which will swing the arm D, actuate the
rod h, and cause the jaw to swing open upon the rod a, as shewn in Figure 1.
The operator then places the loop B beneath the fruit to be plucked, and loosens
his hold on the loop 2 when the springs d will close the part C of the jaw C
upon the loop B and over the fruit to be plucked when by slightly dropping the
handle A the fruit will be pulled from the limb and will roll through the bag E
and spout F into the sack H.
It is obvious that a wire or cord may be substituted for the rods and h¹ and
that any suitable spring may be used instead of the springs d to hold the jaw C
in closed position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1. In a fruit picker, the combination, with the handle A, the loop B secured to the
handle and projecting above the same, and the bag E secured to the loop, of the
angular iaw ( nivoted to the said loon and provided with the nine & projecting from

page_text: its inner edge and with the covering C³, the spring d, for holding the jaw normally
closed, the arm D pivoted to the handle, the rod connected to the arm and to the
jaw, and the rod ¹ connected to the outer end of the said arm D, substantially as
shewn and described.
2. In a fruit picker, the combination, with the bandle A, the loop B secured to the
handle, and the bag E secured to the loop, of the angular jaw C pivoted to the loop
and provided with the pins b and the covering C2, the springs d for holding the jaw
normally closed, the arm D pivoted to the handle, the rod h connected to the jaw and
arm, the brace projecting from the handle below the arm D, and the rod h¹ secured
to the outer end of the arm D passed through the brace j and provided with the band
loop h2, substantially as shewn and described.
3. A. fruit picker, comprising the handle A, the loop B secured to the handle,
the bag E secured to the loop and terminating in the spout F, the receiving sack H,
to which the spout is connected, provided with the strap m and the terminal spout H²,
the pivoted and spring-pressed jaw C provided with the pins 6 and the covering (2,
and means for opening said jaw, substantially as shewn and described.
4. In a fruit picker, the combination, with the bag E attached to the picking
mechanism, as shown, of the spout F having netting F', elbow F2, and opening F3
therein, substantially as shewn and described.
J. W. CAIN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.