Today in 1954, US Patent 2685966 A was issued, an invention of Florian F. Dauenhauer of Santa Rosa, California, for his “Apparatus for Separating Picked Hops From Leaves and Stems.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
An object of this invention, is, to provide. a conveyor, which is inclined laterally, or sidewise. The hops, leaves and stems to be separated are discharged upon the conveyor near the higher section thereof. The clean hops will roll to the lower section of the conveyor, while unclean hops, leaves and stems, will be moved along the higher section of the conveyor. The clean, hops are conveyed to a sacking device, While the unclean hops are moved from one conveyor to another until all of the leaves and other refuse are separated from the hops.
Thanks for remembering my grandfather’s invention today. We continue to make hop harvesters in the Yakima Valley, carrying on his work.
All the best,
Tom Frazer