Root crop handling devices

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR SEPARATING ROOT CROPS FROM DEBRIS ACCOMPANYING THE HARVESTING OF SUCH CROPS, WHETHER SUCH DEBRIS IS LIGHT, HEAVY, HARD, FRANGIBLE, ADHERENT, OR OF COARSE OR FINE CONSISTENCY; SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A ROTARY CYLINDER DISPOSED IN AN APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL PLANE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDER ABOUT ITS AXIS, A CONTINUOUS BAR WOUND IN HELICAL FORMATION ABOUT SAID CYLINDER, AND MEANS AT INTERVALS ALONG SAID CYLINDER FOR SUPPORTING SAID HELICALLY COILED BAR IN POSITION SPACED FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDER, THE DIRECTION OF WINDING OF SAID HELICAL BAR AND THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDER BEING SUCH AS TO TEND TO MOVE MATERIAL DELIVERED ONTO SAID CYLINDER BOTH LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND IN A ROTARY DIRECTION TOWARD WHICH THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE CYLINDER ARE TURNING, MEANS ENCLOSING SAID WOUND CYLINDER ON BOTH LATERAL SIDES THEREOF; THE LAST NAMED MEANS ON THE SIDE OF THE CYLINDER TOWARD WHICH THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE CYLINDER TURN, AND THUS THE SIDE TOWARD WHICH THE MATERIAL IS MOVED, COMPRISING A RESILIENTLY YIELDABLE BAFFLE PLATE SUBJECT TO YIELDING UPON THE MOVEMENT THEREAGAINST OF A LARGE HARD PIECE SUCH AS A ROCK; THE HELICAL ROD SERVING TO MOVE THE CROP IN A GENERALLY LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION ALONG THE DEVICE, AND THE FINER DEBRIS FALLING FROM THE DEVICE THROUGH THE SPACES BETWEEN THE SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER AND THE WOUND HELICAL ROD; AND A DISCHARGE SPACE AT ONE END OF SAID DEVICE THROUGH WHICH THE RELATIVELY LIGHTER WEIGHT CROP UNITS ARE DELIVERED.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR SEPARATING ROOT CROPS FROM DEBRIS ACCOMPANYING THE HARVESTING OF SUCH CROPS, WHETHER SUCH DEBRIS IS LIGHT, HEAVY, HARD, FRANGIBLE, ADHERENT, OR OF COARSE OR FINE CONSISTENCY; SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A ROTARY CYLINDER DISPOSED IN AN APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL PLANE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDER ABOUT ITS AXIS, A CONTINUOUS BAR WOUND IN HELICAL FORMATION ABOUT SAID CYLINDER, AND MEANS AT INTERVALS ALONG SAID CYLINDER FOR SUPPORTING SAID HELICALLY COILED BAR IN POSITION SPACED FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDER, THE DIRECTION OF WINDING OF SAID HELICAL BAR AND THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDER BEING SUCH AS TO TEND TO MOVE MATERIAL DELIVERED ONTO SAID CYLINDER BOTH LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND IN A ROTARY DIRECTION TOWARD WHICH THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE CYLINDER ARE TURNING, MEANS ENCLOSING SAID WOUND CYLINDER ON BOTH LATERAL SIDES THEREOF; THE LAST NAMED MEANS ON THE SIDE OF THE CYLINDER TOWARD WHICH THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE CYLINDER TURN, AND THUS THE SIDE TOWARD WHICH THE MATERIAL IS MOVED, COMPRISING A RESILIENTLY YIELDABLE BAFFLE PLATE SUBJECT TO YIELDING UPON THE MOVEMENT THEREAGAINST OF A LARGE HARD PIECE SUCH AS A ROCK; THE HELICAL ROD SERVING TO MOVE THE CROP IN A GENERALLY LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION ALONG THE DEVICE, AND THE FINER DEBRIS FALLING FROM THE DEVICE THROUGH THE SPACES BETWEEN THE SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER AND THE WOUND HELICAL ROD; AND A DISCHARGE SPACE AT ONE END OF SAID DEVICE THROUGH WHICH THE RELATIVELY LIGHTER WEIGHT CROP UNITS ARE DELIVERED.