Egg candling device with means to limit the number of eggs viewable at the candling station

Claim 1

EGG CANDLING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING: (A) A FRAME; (B) A CONVEYOR MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR MOVING EGGS PAST A CANDLING STATION, SAID CONVEYOR INCLUDING EGG-SUPPORTING MEMBERS SPACED APART TO DEFINE OPENINGS IN THE CONVEYOR IN WHICH EGGS TO BE CANDLED ARE SUPPORTED BY SAID MEMBERS IN ROWS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE CONVEYOR; (C) ILLUMINATING MEANS POSITIONED TO PROJECT LIGHT UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENINGS THROUGHOUT A PREDETERMINED AREA OF THE CONVEYOR AS IT MOVES PAST THE CANDLING STATION; (D) DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE CONVEYOR AND AT LEAST THOSE EGG-SUPPORTING MEMBERS PASSING THE CANDLING STATION, SAID DRIVE MEANS ROTATING THE EGGSUPPORTING MEMBERS FIRST IN ONE DIRECTION AND THEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION SO AS TO PRODUCE A CORRESPONDING ROTATION OF THE EGGS SUPPORTED THEREBY FIRST IN ONE DIRECTION AND THEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION; (E) FIRST AND SEOCND LIGHT SHIELDING ELEMENTS SUPERPOSED ONE UPON THE OTHER IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION BETWEEN THE ILLUMINATING MEANS AND THE CONVEYOR TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL, COLUMNAR PROJECTION OF LIGHT PASSING THROUGH SAID OPENINGS TO THE ROWS OF EGGS SUPPORTED THEREOVER; AND (F) AT LEAST TWO OPAQUE LIGHT SHIELDS MOUNTED UPON THE FRAME ABOVE THE CONVEYOR AND PRESENTING ADJACENT EDGES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE CONVEYOR IN SAID AREA TO DEFINE A SIGHT OPENING PAST WHICH ALL THE EGGS ARE MOVABLE, ONE AT LEAST OF SAID SHIELDS BEING FREELY SLIDABLE UPON THE FRAME LONGIDUTINALLY OF THE CONVEYOR TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHER SHIELD TO VARY THE WIDTH OF THE SIGHT OPENING AND THE NUMBER OF ROWS OF EGGS IN SAID PREDETERMINED AREA OF THE CONVEYOR THAT ARE VISIBLE AT ONE TIME BY AN OPERATOR STATIONED AT SAID CANDLING STATION.