Patent ID: 8601942

Claim:
A pecan nut meat extractor, comprising: (a) a substantially hollow frusto-conical segment joumalled about an axial drive shaft, said segment having a minor upper base and a major lower base, said upper and lower bases each defining unitary surfaces for precluding access to a hollow interior of said conical segment, said segment further including a frusto-conical lateral surface between said upper minor and lower major bases, said lateral surface including a multiplicity of splines having interdigitating spaces therebetween substantially similar in polar separation to that of said splines, said splines defining elongate metallic elements, each having a substantially square cross-section, sides of said splines secured within equipolar complemental substantially equilateral triangular indentations formed circumferentially within said frusto-conical segments; and (b) a hollow cylinder proportioned for symmetrical containment of said frusto-conical segment below and about said segment, including means for securing said hollow cylinder during rotation of said frusto-conical segment, an interior surface of said cylinder opposing said lateral surface of said conical segment and defining a pattern of protrusions for interaction with shells of pecan nuts provided to the extractor between said lateral surface of said conical segment and said interior surface of said cylinder, said interaction and associated pressure on shells of said nuts increasing as a function of an axial downward advance of nuts fed into an interstitial annular region between said frusto-conical segment and an upper area of said interior of said hollow cylinder, wherein pressure upon shells of said nuts increases as a function of advance thereof toward said lower major base until said nuts are cracked, said cylinder bottom including an exit chute permitting release of cracked nuts from said cylinder.