Aaron J Warkentin

40516458, Oct 4, 1977

Oct 26, 1976

5/735155

Aaron James Warkentin - Orange Cove CA

B65B 506

53248

Apples are packaged by introducing them in a water bath in which they float upwardly into an open bottom porous cage. After the cage is filled with apples it is moved laterally in the water bath to an apple loading zone for packaging in a wooden bin. The wooden bin is initially placed at such zone below the apple filled cage. The bin and cage are then raised out of the water to an elevation between a bin feed conveyor and a bin discharge conveyor. When and as the bin is being raised upwardly through the water the apples from the cage fall into the bin and once such apple filled bin reaches the above mentioned elevation an empty bin on the feed conveyor is moved to dislodge the apple-filled bin onto the discharge conveyor with the empty bin then remaining on the elevator and being subsequently moved downwardly through the water to a position below expectant arrival of another apple-filled cage. The apparatus to a certain extent is duplicated in that there are two apple receiving stations and correspondingly two open bottom cage bottom cages and while one cage is being filled with apples floating up through its open bottom, the other cage may be raised and lowered at the apple packaging zone and for this latter purposes the two cages are movable horizontally from a corresponding apple receiving station to the apple loading zone and vice versa.

42459362, Jan 20, 1981

Jun 11, 1979

6/047230

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA

Pennwalt Corporation - Philadelphia PA

B65C 5302

406137

A flume for transporting fruit and the like such as between a sorter and a packaging apparatus and for measuring the batches of fruit into the packaging apparatus comprises a trough for accumulating the fruit and a slowly moving paddle for directing the water flow against the fruit to transport the fruit toward an exit gate. The manner of transporting the fruit permits the use of a single production line for processing fruits of varying degrees of buoyancy, such as apples and pears, without the need for using a flotation agent in connection with the latter.

42032741, May 20, 1980

Dec 8, 1977

5/858821

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA
Jacob Hiebert - Reedley CA

Pennwalt Corporation - Philadelphia PA

B65B 3530

53537

Articles of fruit are fed to a receiving head, positioned in a predetermined pattern for packing, transferred in that pattern to a transfer rack which advances toward and pivots into a container to be loaded, and deposits the fruit in the same pattern. Apparatus for pivoting the transfer rack as it advances toward the container includes rotational members connected by a chain. Additional articles of fruit in a different pattern are deposited as a second layer by means of adjacent duplicate apparatus.

50296922, Jul 9, 1991

Aug 2, 1990

7/561947

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA

B65G 4734
B65G 1712

198365

Off-loading conveyors having endless roller chains to which are mounted bow tie rollers on rods extending laterally from the chain. The bow tie rollers define concavities for receipt of product units to be conveyed and off-loaded at an appropriate station. Off-loading elements are mounted to the chains which include paddles extending to between the bow tie rollers. The off-loading elements include levers which cooperate with an actuation system to pivot the paddles through the concavities to remove product at appropriate stations.

51956284, Mar 23, 1993

Jul 10, 1992

7/911766

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA

B65G 4746

198370

An off-loading conveyor having an endless roller chain to which is mounted bow tie rollers on mounting pins extending laterally from the chain. The bow tie rollers define concavities for receipt of product units to be conveyed and off-loaded at an appropriate station. Off-loading elements are mounted about axes perpendicular to and on the chains and include downwardly inclined portions extending to between the bow tie rollers and arms which cooperate with an actuation system to pivot the downwardly inclined portions through the concavities to remove product at appropriate stations.

52151794, Jun 1, 1993

Aug 30, 1991

7/754050

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA

B65G 2900

198365

Off-loading conveyors having endless roller chains to which are mounted bow tie rollers on rods extending laterally from the chain. The bow tie rollers define concavities for receipt of product units to be conveyed and off-loaded at an appropriate station. Off-loading elements are mounted to the chains which include paddles extending to between the bow tie rollers. The off-loading elements include levers which cooperate with an actuation system to pivot the paddles through the concavities to remove product at appropriate stations.

41066286, Aug 15, 1978

Feb 20, 1976

5/659898

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA
George A. Mills - Three Rivers CA

B07C 528
B07C 5342

209 74M

Apparatus for automatically sorting fruit and the like by weight or color, or both, using conveyance system to move objects to be sorted past an electromechanical weighing station and an optical color sensing station which, in conjunction with sequential and combinational logic, compare the color and weight of the item to a predetermined criteria and sort according thereto.

43298311, May 18, 1982

May 5, 1980

6/146995

Aaron J. Warkentin - Orange Cove CA
Jacob Hiebert - Reedley CA

Pennwalt Corporation - Philadelphia PA

B65B 510

53537

Apparatus for automatically, rapidly, and simultaneously packing multiple layers of fruit, such as cantaloupes, for example, into packing boxes wherein the layers of fruit are packed in a predetermined staggered or complementary pattern. A pair of packing heads, i. e. , a first packing head and a second packing head, in near side-by-side relationship, are automatically simultaneously tilted, in response to like mechanisms or actuators, to deposit the fruit which are automatically prearranged thereon in a predetermined pattern into indexed packing boxes. The second packing head which packs the top layer of fruit is set back slightly from the first packing head which packs the first or bottom layer of fruit thus allowing the second packing head to place its fruit onto the bottom layer. The container is then automatically moved forward in order that the next cycle can take place. Structure providing this unique arrangement is described.