1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vegetable shelling apparatus and, in particular, to a vegetable shelling apparatus wherein the separated vegetables pass outwardly from a basket volume in a circumferential direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vegetables, such as peas or beans, when harvested, are encased within a typically dry or membranous outer protective covering known generally as the shell. In order to further process the vegetables it is necessary to separate the vegetable from its protective shell. However, care must be exercised to avoid damage to the vegetables during the husking, or shelling, operation.
Of course, vegetables may be manually shelled, but such a process is burdensome, time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, the prior art provides several vegetable shelling devices, these devices being generally groupable into two main classes.
The first class of shelling apparatus provides an enclosed mesh or otherwise perforated basket, usually cylindrical in shape, into which the vegetables to be shelled are introduced. A suitable agitator is provided within the volume of the basket to break the shells and eject the vegetables therefrom. The openings in the mesh or perforations of the basket are usually sized to permit the shelled vegetables to pass therethrough, while the spent, empty shells are retained within the basket volume. The shelled vegetables pass radially outwardly (relative to the axis of the cylindrical basket volume) and may be collected in a tray, basket, or other receptacle disposed beneath the basket. Although the basket is usually rotated in a predetermined angular direction (no specified direction being optimum), in theory, the only movement required is the agitation of the husked vegetables, for once the shells are broken, the vegetables fall by their own weight through the openings in the perforated basket. Exemplary of such prior art devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 496,206 issued to Placide, 421,244 issued to Chisholm et al., and 457,538 issued to Moulton.
A variation on the basic theme is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,018, to Ferrars, which provides means for radially clearing the openings in the mesh or perforated basket to prevent the unwanted accumulation of spent shells from blocking the egress passages for the shelled vegetables. In the same vein is U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,486 issued to Farmer, Sr., which extends needle-like elements through the mesh or perforations to keep them clear and open. U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,499 issued to Carmichael, Jr., et al., describes a resilient mesh basket structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,696, issued to Carmichael, Jr., relates to an agitator operatively connected to the basket which acts to prevent clogging of the mesh or perforated openings.
A second class of prior art shelling apparatus is that exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,238,950 issued to Taylor. This type of apparatus utilizes closely spaced, stacked roller elements which cause the vegetables to be ejected from their shells by the compression of the shells between the rollers. Such operation is analagous to the wringer operation commonly used on now-outdated washing machine apparatus. One disadvantage of the structure exemplified by the last-mentioned patent occurs due to the requirement that the vegetables be oriented so that the shells enter the rollers substantially perpendicular to their axes of rotation. It is also apparent that a portion of the vegetables being shelled may be squashed or otherwise destroyed with apparatus of the second general classification.
In view of the foregoing, it is advantageous to provide a vegetable shelling apparatus wherein the vegetables to be husked, or shelled, are inserted or deposited within a volume within a basket member such that agitation thereof causes the vegetables and the spent shells to collect in the radially outer regions of the interior of the basket. It is also of advantage to move strainer elements through the collected vegetables and their shells so that the vegetables pass circumferencially through the strainers and out of the basket while the shells are retained therein. Further advantage may be provided by the disposition of the strainer elements in radial gaps between the basket itself and the leading edges of arcuate segments projecting into the basket region. Still further advantage may be provided by rotation of the basket and the agitator at predetermined speeds, so as to maximize the ejection and separating of the vegetables from their shells.