Tomato harvester

Claim 1

A TOMATO HARVESTING MACHINE, INCLUDING IN COMBINATION: CUTTING MEANS SUPPORTED BY THE FORWARD END OF SAID FRAME; AN ELEVATOR SUBFRAME SUPPORTED BY SAID MAIN FRAME JUST TO THE REAT OF SAID CUTTIING MEANS; A PLURALITY OF SPACED-APART PARALLEL GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GUIDE STRIPS ON SAID SUBFRAME ALONG AND OVER WHICH TOMATO PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN CUT OFF BY SAID CUTTING MEANS CAN SLIDE; A SERIES OF RIGID FINGERS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN EACH ADJACENT PAIR OF GUIDE STRIPS; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FINGERS CYCLICALLY FROM THE LOWER END TO THE UPPER END OF SAID GUIDE STRIPS AND FOR THEN RETURNING THEM BENEATH SAID STRIPS; CAM MEANS ON SAID SUBFRAME FOR CAUSING SAID FINGERS TO DESCEND FORWARDLY BENEATH AND NEARLY PARALLEL TO SAID GUIDE STRIPS, THEN TO TURN AT THE FORWARD END TO PICK UP SAID PLANTS WHILE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE GROUND AND THEN TO LIFT THE PLANTS WHILE TURNIING UNTIL THEY ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID GUIDE STIRPS AND TO MOVE IN THAT POSIITION TO CARRY SAID PLANTS OVER SAID GUIDE STRIPS, AND THEN SESCEND AGAIN SAID BEFORE; A PAIR OF OSCILLATING MEANS MOUNTED TRANSVERSELY ON SAID MAIN FRAME, ONE BEHIND THE OTHER WITH THE FORWARD ONE LOWER THAN THE REAR ONE; A PLURALITY OF WALKING BARS MOUNTED ON SAID OSCILLATING MEANS AND EXTENDIING BEHIND SAID GUIDE STRIPS, EACH BAR HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDING RESILIENT FINGERS FOR ENGAGING SAID PLANTS AND SHAKING, ROLLING, AND BOUNCING THEM FROM FIEIR FORWARD END TO THEIR REAR END; A PLANT DISPOSAL HOPPER IN SAID FRAME AT THE REAR END OF SAID WALKING BARS INTO WHICH PLANTS FALL FROM THE UPPER END OF SIAD WALKING BARS; A REARWARDLY AND UPWARDLY MOVING DE-LEAFER CONVEYOR BELT BELOW SAID WALKING BARS, ON WHICH SAID TOMATOES FALL FROM SAID PLANTS AND BY WHICH LEAVES FALLING FROM SAID PLANTS ARE MOVED INTO SAID HOPPER; CONVEYOR MEANS ON SAID FRAME EXTENDING FROM A TOMATO-OUTLET END OF SAID DE-LEAFER CONVEYOR BELT; A SORTING AND INSPECTION CONVEYOR BELT ON SAID FRAME MOVING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, TO WHICH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS CARRY SAID TOMATOES; MEAND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID SORTING CONVEYOR AND PROVIDING A DIVISION FOR SAID CONVEYOR INTO A SELECT STREAM AND A CULL STREAM; A COLLECTION MEANS AT THE OUTPUT END OF EACH SAID SELECT STREAM INTO WHICH THE SELECT TOMATOES DROP FROM SAID SORTING CONVEYOR; AND A CULL DISPOSAL MEANS FOR EACH SAID CULL STREAM.