Harvester for potatoes and the like

Claim 1

A HARVESTER FOR POTATOES, AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FRAME, MEANS TO RENDER SAID FRAME MOBILE, PLOW MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME AND OPERABLE TO REMOVE POTATOES AND VINES FROM THE SOIL OVER WHICH SAID HARVESTER MOVES, FLEXIBLE RETICULATED ENDLESS CONVEYOR MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND ONE COURSE THEREOF BEING POSITIONED TO RECEIVE AND ELEVATE FROM SAID PLOW MEANS VINES AND POTAOTES AND CLODS, AGITATING MEANS COMPRISING MEMBER MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND ENGAGEABLE DIRECTLY WITH THE FLEXIBLE CONVEYOR PER SE TO VIBRATE THE SAME AT A LOCALIZED POSITION SO AS EFFECTIVELY TO JOSTLE THE CONVEYOR AND ALSO POTATOES AND CLODS THEREON IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION TO CAUSE SEPARATION AND REMOVAL FROM SAID POTATOES OF SOIL AND CLODS THROUGH THE OPENINGS OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONVEYOR AGIGATOR MEANS OPERABLE TO DRIVE THE SAME FOR MOVABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, MEANS TO CONTROL THE SPEED OF SAID AGITATOR MEANS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE SPEED OF THE CONVEYOR TO PERMIT REGULATION OF THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH THE AGITATOR MEANS ENGAGEABLE THE CONVEYOR MEANS WHEREBY MAXIMUM SEPARATION OF SOIL AND CLODS FROM POTATOES MAY BE ACHIEVED BY REGULATION OF SAID SPEEDS TO SUIT THE CONDITION OF THE SOIL AND CLODS POTATOES ARE BEING HARVESTED, VINE AND TRASH SEPARATING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND POSITIONED TO RECEIVE THE MATERIAL ELEVATED BY SAID RETICULATED CONVEYOR AND OPERABLE TO REMOVE VINES AND TRASH FROM THE POTATOES AND CLODS RECEIVED THEREBY, VIBRATING MEANS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE POTATOES AND CLODS FROM SAID TRASH SEPARATING MEANS, AND DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID VIBRATING MEANS AND OPERABLE TO POSITIVELY VIBRATE THE SAME TO DISINTEGRATE CLODS AND PASS THE SAME FROM POTATOES WHILE ADVANCING SAID POTATOES FOR DISCHARGE FROM SAID HARVEST FREE FROM SOIL AND VINES.