Today in 1954, US Patent 2681066 A was issued, an invention of Florian F. Dauenhauer, for his “Apparatus For Picking Hops From Hop Branches And Clusters And For Separating Leaves And Stems Therefrom.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary of the invention’s objects:

An object of invention is to provide an apparatus for picking hops from hop branches and clusters and for separating leaves and stems therefrom is especially designed to receive hop clusters and broken off vine portions that are delivered from the hop picking machine shown in my copending application, Ser. No. 179,722, filed August 15, 1959. The present apparatus comprises two main parts, trommel for separating hops from the other vine portions, and a branch picker for removing hops from hop branches and hop clusters. The branch picker could be used for purposes other than picking hops from branches, such as by of example, the picking of string beans from vines.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the trommel and hop branch picker cooperate with each other to pick hops from branches and hop clusters and to separate the hops from all other parts of the hop vines. The trommel removes freed hops and delivers all other portions of the vine and any hops carried thereby, to the hop branch picker. The hop branch picker severs the hops from any vine portions or hop clusters and delivers the freed hops back to the tromnmel for screening.

A further object of m invention is to provide a device of the type described which is efficient for the purpose intended and will effectively pick and separate hops from hop vine branches or clusters.