Patent ID: 7748205

Claim:
A harvesting machine for separating a crop from a canopy of a tree in a row of trees, the harvesting machine comprising: a main support frame configured to substantially straddle the tree as said harvesting machine moves along said row of trees, said main support frame supporting a primary sub-frame having a first side frame and a second side frame movably supported by said primary sub-frame, said first side frame and said second side frame defining a harvesting area therebetween, said harvesting area sized and configured to receive the canopy therein when said harvesting machine straddles the tree; a motor supported by said main support frame to drive one or more wheels rotatably disposed on opposite sides of said harvesting machine; a first picking assembly at said first side frame; and a second picking assembly at said second side frame, wherein each of said first picking assembly and said second picking assembly comprises a crop separating mechanism having a plurality of elongated rods positioned so as to dispose a distal end of each of said rods toward said harvesting area with said distal end of each of said rods of said first picking assembly disposed generally toward said distal end of each of said rods of said second picking assembly, a motion inducing means for imparting a short duration snap-like whipping motion to each of said rods and a canopy engaging mechanism configured to selectively move said harvesting machine between a tree engaging position with said rods of said first picking assembly and said rods of said second picking assembly directed into said harvesting area with said distal ends of said rods of said first picking assembly directed generally toward said distal ends of said rods of said second picking assembly so as to engage the canopy of the tree when the tree is disposed in said harvesting area and an open position with said distal ends of each of said rods of each of said first picking assembly and said second picking assembly retracted from said harvesting area and positioned generally outside of the canopy of the tree so as to substantially disengage said rods from said canopy after the crop is separated from the tree for movement of said harvesting machine along said row of trees.