Vacuum egg lifter

Claim 1

IN A VACUUM-TRANSFER DEVICE WHEREIN A PLURALITY OF SUCTION CUPS ARE PROVIDED FOR TRANSFERRING EGGS FROM A GIVEN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WHEREIN SAID EGGS ARE POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY TO A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID EGGS ARE IN A FARTHER SPACED RELATIONSHIP AND TILTED INTO AN ORIENTATION WHICH IS AT AN ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL, THE IMPROVEMENTS COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF CUPS IN A FIRST HORIZONTAL ROW; (B) ADDITIONAL MEANS SPACED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LASTMENTIONED MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ADDITIONAL SPACED CUPS IN ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL STRAIGHT HORIZONTAL ROWS, EACH CUP BEING ALIGNED WITH ALL ADJACENT CUPS WHEREBY EACH OF SAID CUPS FALLS INTO TWO STRAIGHT, PARALLEL HORIZONTAL ROWS, EACH OF THE SAID TWO STRAIGHT, PARALLEL HORIZONTAL ROWS BEING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ONE ANOTHER AND IN A SINGLE HORIZONTAL PLANE; (C) MEANS FOR APPLYING A TURNING MOMENT SIMULTANEOUSLY TO EACH OF THE SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR THE SAID CUPS WHEREBY TO TILT EACH OF THE SAID CUPS AND THEREBY TILT SAID EGGS IN THE SAME DIRECTION WHILE MAINTAINING SAID CUPS IN A SINGLE HORIZONTAL PLANE; (D) MEANS TO CHANGE THE HORIZONTAL SPACING BETWEEN SAID FIRST-MENTIONED SINGLE ROW OF CUPS AND SAID ADDITIONAL SPACED ROWS OF CUPS AND THEREBY INCREASE THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID EGGS WHILE MAINTAINING ALL OF THE SAID CUPS IN A SINGLE ONE OF SAID ROWS EQUIDISTANTLY SPACED AT ALL TIMES; AND (E) MEANS TO APPLY A VACUUM TO THE INTERIOR OF EACH OF THE SAID CUPS.