APPARATUS FOR DESTEMMING AND VEGETATIVE SHREDDING

• US 20090191928A1
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delmar E. Snyder Jr, William Kenneth Snyder
• Original Assignee: Delmar E. Snyder Jr, William Kenneth Snyder
• Inventors: SNYDER, DELMAR E. JR., SNYDER, WILLIAM KENNETH
• Granted Patent: US 8,127,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 460/134
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 2003/005 Removing buds
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 3/00 Cutting implements specially adapted for horticultural purposes; Delimbing standing trees forestry delimbers A01G23/095
• CPC Class Codes: A23N 15/02 for stemming, piercing, or stripping fruit for household appliances A47J21/00; Removing sprouts of potatoes
• CPC Class Codes: A23N 15/025 for stemming grapes

Abstract

A vegetative shredder and destemming apparatus that includes a shredding drum having a interior volume into which a harvested plant crop may be placed for processing. The drum includes a substantially cylindrical side with a plurality of openings and at least one brush roller disposed proximate the cylindrical side. A motor rotates the shredding drum and the brush rollers simultaneously. The apparatus employs centrifugal force to urge portions of the plant material into engagement with the drum'"'"'s cylindrical side and the openings therethrough so as to allow bring the brush rollers to mechanically shred and destem the plant material.

Claims

1. A destemmer and vegetative shredder, comprising:

a cabinet having a bottom side for placement on a floor or ground and a partially open top side;

a waste chute disposed in said cabinet and having an outlet disposed in a side of said cabinet;

a motor housed in said cabinet;

a plurality of rollers disposed proximate said open top side of said cabinet, said plurality of rollers including at least one drive roller operatively connected to said motor with at least one drive belt;

a shredding drum having a substantially cylindrical side with a plurality of openings extending therethrough and an end cap disposed on each end so as to contain a crop, said shredding drum mounted on said plurality of rollers; and

at least one brush roller having bristles, said brush roller disposed proximate said shredding drum, whereby in operation said motor spins said shredding drum and the openings in said shredding drum are sufficiently large so as to allow stems and course vegetative material to be pulled through the openings by centrifugal force and thereby to be engaged by and shredded by said bristles, while fruit, flowers, or other harvest of interest remains in said shredding drum.

2. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 1, wherein said shredding drum is fabricated from a sheet metal and includes having a plurality of elongate slots.

3. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 2, wherein said shredding drum is manufactured by a process of laser cutting.

4. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 2, wherein the slots in said shredding drum are axially oriented.

5. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 2, where the slots in said shredding drum are circumferentially oriented.

6. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 1, wherein said shredding drum is a fabricated from welded wire so as to form a mesh pattern.

7. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 6, wherein said shedding drum comprises a plurality of circumferentially disposed wires forming an outside wall of said shredding cylinder and welded to plurality of spaced apart and substantially parallel transversely oriented wires running substantially from one end of said shredding drum to the other.

8. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 1, wherein at least one of said end caps includes a hinged access door.

9. A destemmer and vegetative shredder, comprising:

a hollow shredding drum having a substantially cylindrical side with a plurality of openings;

at least one brush roller disposed proximate said cylindrical side;

a motor operatively connected to said shredding drum and said at least one brush roller so as to turn both simultaneously;

whereby said apparatus employs centrifugal force to urge portions of a crop of plant material into engagement with said cylindrical side and the openings therethrough so as to allow said brush rollers to mechanically shred and destem the plant material.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said motor includes a drive shaft having a drive pulley, and said at least one brush roller includes a brush roller pulley connected to said drive pulley with a brush roller drive belt and having a smaller diameter than said drive pulley so as to produce a faster rotation of said brush roller pulley relative to said drive pulley.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, including at least two brush rollers, each having a brush roller pulley, and wherein said belt brush roller drive belt is wound through said brush roller pulleys in an over-under pattern, thereby causing said brush rollers to rotate in opposite directions.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, including at leas three brush rollers, including two outside brush rollers and at least one interior brush roller, each of said brush rollers having a brush roller pulley, and wherein said brush roller drive belt is wound through said brush roller pulleys in an over-under-over pattern, thereby causing at least two of said outside brush rollers to rotate in a direction opposite that of said at least one interior brush roller.

13. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 9, wherein said shredding drum is fabricated from a sheet metal and includes having a plurality of elongate slots.

14. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 13, wherein the slots in said shredding drum are axially oriented.

15. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 13, where the slots in said shredding drum are circumferentially oriented.

16. The destemmer and vegetative shredder of claim 91, wherein said shredding drum is a wire basket.