Device for the selective transfer of slaughtered poultry, supplied on a conveyor track, to one or more discharge stations, under control of at least one grading station disposed along the discharge conveyor track

Claim 2

Device for the selective transfer of slaughtered poultry, supplied on a conveyor track (5), to one or more discharge stations (15, 17, 19), under control of at least one grading station (7, 9) disposed along the conveyor track, characterized in that each discharge station (15, 17, 19) comprises a control device for removing from the convey­or track (5) poultry selected by the grading station (7, 9) for the particular discharge station, a buffer device in which the birds to be discharged can be temporarily stored, and a device for taking the birds to be discharged into the desired discharge position.

Claim 3

Device according to Claim 1, in particular for the selective transfer of slaughtered birds, hanging by the legs from the first conveyor track (5) to a second conveyor track (25), characterized in that accommodated between an infeed station (40) cooperating with the first conveyor track (5) and the discharge station (46) cooperating with the second conveyor track (25) is an endless transfer track (28), having guided along it transfer hooks (34a ... 34j) which can either stop or be driven along this transfer track, along the transfer track (28) in the direction of movement (30) in front of both the infeed station and the discharge station there is sufficient space for the accumulation there of a number of empty or bird-carrying transfer hooks (34a ... 34j), and a first stop (42), controlled by the grading station (7, 9), is arranged for the release one by one of transfer hooks (34a ... 34j) to a position for cooperation with the first conveyor track (5) for removal of a bird from this conveyor track, and a second stop (48) is arranged for the release of the bird-carrying transfer hook (34a ... 34j) to a position for cooperating with the second conveyor track (25).

Claim 4

Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that the transfer conveyor track (28) is preferably designed as a fixed circular first ring (28), coaxial with a rotary driven second ring (32), and the transfer hooks (34a ... 34j) are guided on the first ring and are provided with friction blocks (94a, 94b) for cooperation with the second ring.

Claim 5

Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that in the first conveyor track (5) the birds are moved along hanging by the legs from suspension hooks (12), and in the second conveyor track (25) are moved along with their legs clamped against fixed guides (22), the plate-shaped overhang hooks (34a ... 34j) are designed with take-up slots (82, 84), the first conveyor track (5) at the infeed station (40), where the birds are pressed by a guide (41) disposed along the conveyor track out of the hooks (12) into the overhang hooks (34a ... 34j), is tangent to the overhang conveyor track (28), and the second conveyor track (25) at the discharge station (46), where the birds are pressed by an ejector from the transfer hook (34a ... 34j) between the conveyor track guides (22), is at right angles to the overhang conveyor track.

Claim 6

Device according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized by detectors (60, 70) disposed along the overhang conveyor track (28), for determining the number of overhang hooks (34a ... 34j) accumulated in front of the infeed station (40) or discharge station (46), while the control device for the first (42) and second stop (48) is designed in such a way that the first stop (42) cannot be released when the number of hooks accumulated before the second stop (48) exceeds a particular value, and the second stop (48) cannot be released when the number of hooks accumulated in front of the first stop (40) exceeds a predetermined value.

Claim 7

Device according to Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each stop (40, 48) has a tilting arm (48a) which hinges about a shaft (51) which is parallel to the rotary shaft of the second ring (32), said arm being designed with two spaced stops (53a, 53b), each cooperating with a boss (98) on each of the overhang hooks (34a ... 34j).

Claim 8

Device according to Claims 1-6, characterized in that the selection device (9) is formed by a weighing device.