Harvesting apparatus

Claim 1

A HARVESTING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A FRAME STRUCTURE ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT OVER THE GROUND AND INCLUDING: CUTTING MEANS FOR SEVERING PLANTS ON SAID GROUND FROM THEIR ROOTS; A FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS BEHIND SAID CUTTING MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID PLANTS UPWARDLY TO A GIVEN LEVEL ABOVE THE GROUND; SHAKER MEANS RECEIVING SAID PLANTS FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR SHAKING SAID PLANTS TO SEPARATE THE PLANT FRUIT FROM THE PLANT VINES, SAID SHAKER MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONTINUOUS BELT LOOPS HAVING UPPER HORIZONTAL PORTIONS IN GENERALLY PARALLEL SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP, ADJACENT BELTS BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY A DISTANCE SUCH THAT SAID FRUIT CAN FALL BETWEEN SAID BELTS, AND SAID VINES WILL BE SUPPORTED BY SAID BELTS UPON SEPARATION OF SAID FRUIT FROM SAID VINES; ROLLERS SPACED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE HORIZONTAL PORTIONS OF SAID BELTS, SAID BELTS BEING LOOPED ABOUT SAID ROLLERS AND BEING MOVED BY SAID ROLLERS TO TRANSPORT SAID PLANTS AWAY FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS; AND PAIRS OF WHEELS SPACED ADJACENT THE SIDES OF SAID SHAKER MEANS AND CONNECTED BY TRANSVERSE SHAFTS PASSING THROUGH SAID CONTINUOUS BELT LOOPS; ADDITIONAL SHAFTS PARALLEL TO SAID TRANSVERSE SHAFTS AND ECCENTRICALLY CONNECTED BETWEEN OPPOSED FACES OF SAID PAIRS OF WHEELS SUCH THAT ROTATION OF SAID WHEELS REVOLVES SAID ADDITIONAL SHAFTS OVER A CIRCULAR LOCUS TO LIFT PERIODICALLY SAID HORIZONTAL PORTIONS OF SAID BELTS AND THEREBY PROVIDE AN UP AND DOWN SHAKING ACTION ON SAID PLANTS; AND COLLECTING MEANS DISPOSED BENEATH SAID SHAKER MEANS FOR COLLECTING FRUIT SEPARATED FROM SAID VINES AND FALLING BY GRAVITY THROUGH SAID SHAKER MEANS.