Automatic egg receiving and positioning machine to orientate eggs for vacuum lift placement in containers

Claim 1

An automatic egg receiving and positioning machine to orientate eggs with their pointed end down and their round air cell end up for vacuum lift placement into containers, comprising: a. a machine frame; b. a powered conveyor positioned with respect to the machine frame and when operated to deliver eggs in random directional positions and in various quantities with the principal axes of the eggs being essentially horizontal; c. an oscillatable egg mover to slidably advance over the powered conveyor during its operation to direct the eggs into parallel rows with their principal axis remaining essentially horizontal and then aligned with the direction of motion of the conveyor, comprising, in turn, spaced parallel guides having their entry ends raised upwardly at an angle and then as a group these guides are arranged in different lengths to be joined at their raised ends by a horizontal chevron shaped interconnector, and the other ends of the spaced parallel guides are arranged opposite one another and formed with connecting pin receiving structure; d. an oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid to receive eggs leaving the oscillatable egg mover in multiple rows and also at the same time leaving the powered conveyor, and then orientate the eggs during its high frequency two level oscillatory motion to position the eggs with their pointed ends down and also to move them along in such position into a packaging group, awaiting removal with a vacuum lifter, comprising, in turn, spaced parallel egg support bars mounted on a sub frame and having triangular cross section top portions presenting between these side by side egg support bars an effective egg receiving width greater at their top and gradually becoming narrower down to the base of their triangular cross section top portions, these spaced parallel egg support bars having leading ends centrally and vertically slotted and formed with connecting pin receiving structure and a connecting pin, whereby this oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid is pivotally connected to the oscillatable egg mover which directs the eggs into the parallel rows; and e. a subassembly of a power unit and actuating and supporting mechanisms to move the oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid in a high frequency two level oscillatory motion to position the eggs with their pointed ends down and also to move them along in such position into a packaging group for removal with a vacuum lifter, and to also slidably move the oscillatable egg mover which is pivotally attached to the oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid, thereby slidably oscillating the egg mover with its leading chevron orientated space parallel guides into oncoming bunches of eggs to divide these bunches of eggs progressively into multiple side by side parallel rows, comprising, in turn, leaf springs arranged in a group preferably of four springs with respect to the oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid, being removably secured at their top portions on the sub frame which holds the spaced parallel egg support bars and being removably secured at their bottom portions to the machine frame, a cam follower secured to the resulting subassembly of both the leaf springs and the mounted spaced parallel egg support bars, a cam positioned with the cam follower, a shaft rotatably supported on bearings, and the bearings removably secured to the machine frame, so the shaft thereby is positioned to firmly support and to rotate the cam, and a power unit supported on the machine frame to drive the shaft, so upon operation of the power unit, preferably a high speed electric motor, the shaft is rotated at high speeds causing the cam with its irregular shaped cam surface to effectively move the cam follower and consequently the subassembly of both the leaf springs and the mounted spaced parallel egg support bars whereby both the oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid and the oscillible egg mover are moved against the return forces of the leaf springs, and to obtain the effective overall motion, the cam and cam follower and the leaf springs are further arranged and adjusted to move the oscillatable egg orientating and moving grid in a cycle of a two level oscillatory motion in a sequence as follows: quickly downwardly from the grouping of eggs, then quickly forwardly below the grouping of eggs, then slowly upwardly to recontact the grouping of eggs, then accelerating very quickly on a returning motion, and then thereafter commencing another like cycle followed by succeeding cycles as the power unit continues to operate and eggs are aligned in rows, orientated, and positioned for packaging.