US3779159A — Egg marking apparatus

Claim 1

Independent Claim 194 words

An egg marking apparatus for use with an egg processing machine that has means for grading eggs prior to depositing the eggs into a conveyor having a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets for carrying the eggs and memory means for recording and processing information relating the grade of an egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor into which the egg is deposited, said apparatus comprising in combination a commandable egg marking device aligned with and mounted adjacent to the egg conveyor for individually marking the passing eggs in the egg conveyor in response to the information within the memory means, said marking device including marking means mounted so as to be movable between an operative marking position and an inoperative marking position spaced away from the eggs on the conveyor, and means operably connecting the marking device to the memory means whereby said marking means can be commanded into and out of operable marking engagement with individual passing eggs on said conveyor, the commandable movement of the marking means being determined by the information within the memory means relating the grade of the egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor passing thereby.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 194 words

An egg marking apparatus for use with an egg processing machine that has means for grading eggs prior to depositing the eggs into a conveyor having a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets for carrying the eggs and memory means for recording and processing information relating the grade of an egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor into which the egg is deposited, said apparatus comprising in combination a commandable egg marking device aligned with and mounted adjacent to the egg conveyor for individually marking the passing eggs in the egg conveyor in response to the information within the memory means, said marking device including marking means mounted so as to be movable between an operative marking position and an inoperative marking position spaced away from the eggs on the conveyor, and means operably connecting the marking device to the memory means whereby said marking means can be commanded into and out of operable marking engagement with individual passing eggs on said conveyor, the commandable movement of the marking means being determined by the information within the memory means relating the grade of the egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor passing thereby.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 207 words

An egg marking apparatus for use with an egg processing machine that has means for grading eggs prior to depositing the eggs into a conveyor having a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets for carrying the eggs and memory means for recording and processing information relating the grade of an egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor into whIch the egg is deposited, said apparatus comprising in combination a plurality of commandable egg marking devices aligned with and mounted adjacent to the egg conveyor at longitudinally spaced positions along the conveyor for marking each passing egg in the egg conveyor in response to the information within the memory means, said marking devices each including marking means mounted so as to be movable between an operative marking position and an inoperative marking position spaced away from the eggs on the conveyor, and means operably connecting the marking devices to the memory means whereby each marking means of each marking device can be commanded into and out of operable marking engagement with individual passing eggs on said conveyor, the commandable movement of each marking means being determined by the information within the memory means relating the grade of the egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor passing thereby.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 207 words

An egg marking apparatus for use with an egg processing machine that has means for grading eggs prior to depositing the eggs into a conveyor having a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets for carrying the eggs and memory means for recording and processing information relating the grade of an egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor into whIch the egg is deposited, said apparatus comprising in combination a plurality of commandable egg marking devices aligned with and mounted adjacent to the egg conveyor at longitudinally spaced positions along the conveyor for marking each passing egg in the egg conveyor in response to the information within the memory means, said marking devices each including marking means mounted so as to be movable between an operative marking position and an inoperative marking position spaced away from the eggs on the conveyor, and means operably connecting the marking devices to the memory means whereby each marking means of each marking device can be commanded into and out of operable marking engagement with individual passing eggs on said conveyor, the commandable movement of each marking means being determined by the information within the memory means relating the grade of the egg to the particular pocket on the conveyor passing thereby.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 90 words

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said egg conveyor is continuously driven at a constant speed and each of said marking means includes a rotatable wheel having at least one printing die mounted at the periphery thereof and means for driving said wheel in timed rotation so that the tangential speed of said die is equivalent to the speed of the conveyor, and the die is spacially synchronized with the moving pockets of the conveyor whereby on command said die individually engages the eggs in the pockets of the conveyor.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 69 words

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of said rotatable wheels are mounted on a pivotable arm movable between a raised inoperative position and a lowered operative position corresponding to said operative marking position of the associated marking means and each of said rotatable wheels are operatively connected to said drive means by a timing chain whereby the printing dies can selectively engage individual eggs carried by the conveyor.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 67 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said pivotable arms are operably connected to rotary solenoids whereby, upon energization of a rotary solenoid, the associated arm will be caused to pivot quickly into its operative position for engaging the individual egg carried by the conveyor therebelow and upon subsequent deenergization of the rotary solenoid the associated arm will be caused to pivot quickly out of its operative position.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 36 words

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said memory means includes a plurality of mechanical switches and said rotary solenoids are electrically connected to the switches thereby providing quick responses to the information within the memory means.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 90 words

A marking head of elastomeric material for use with a marking device having a projecting pin for retaining the marking head thereon, said marking head comprising in combination an elastomeric body portion having a recess, an elastomeric printing die snugly received in said recess and projecting outward beyond said body portion, and a reduced neck of elastomeric material about which the body portion is free to swivel, said neck having an axial bore in which said projecting pin is snugly engaged to attach said marking head to said marking device.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 90 words

A marking head of elastomeric material for use with a marking device having a projecting pin for retaining the marking head thereon, said marking head comprising in combination an elastomeric body portion having a recess, an elastomeric printing die snugly received in said recess and projecting outward beyond said body portion, and a reduced neck of elastomeric material about which the body portion is free to swivel, said neck having an axial bore in which said projecting pin is snugly engaged to attach said marking head to said marking device.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 49 words

The marking head of claim 7 wherein said printing die comprises a hollow member defined by a rear wall, at least one side wall, and an elastomeric face diaphram having printing indicia thereon whereby said face diaphram can conformally flex about the curvature of the object while printing thereon.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 28 words

The marking head of claim 8 wherein said rear wall and side wall are thin elastomeric walls capable of collapsing and stretching to conform to objects being marked.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 64 words

The marking head of claim 7 wherein the walls of said printing die have an aperture therein in communication with the atmosphere so as to permit said printing die to freely collapse when in printing engagement with an object except for the restraint imposed on the die by the engagement of the walls of the recess of the body portion of the marking head.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 186 words

An egg marking device for applying printing marks to eggs using a conveyor having a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets for carrying eggs, said marking device comprising a marking wheel, a plurality of marking heads uneven in number and uniformly spaced around the periphery of the marking wheel, each of said marking heads being arcuately spaced apart a distance which is substantially one-half of the linear spacing between successive pockets on the said conveyor, means for rotating said marking wheel at the same speed as the eggs are carried thereby, means for moving the marking wheel cyclically between operative printing engagement and inoperative printing engagement positions between successive applications of the printing marks, and an inking means for applying ink to said marking heads in the inoperative printing engagement position, whereby said arcuate spacing of the marking heads and the speed of the rotating means permit the marking heads to alternate in their sequence of entering into printing engagement with the eggs in the conveyor and whereby said uneveness in the number of marking heads allows the marking heads to alternate in their sequence of inking.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 186 words

An egg marking device for applying printing marks to eggs using a conveyor having a plurality of uniformly spaced pockets for carrying eggs, said marking device comprising a marking wheel, a plurality of marking heads uneven in number and uniformly spaced around the periphery of the marking wheel, each of said marking heads being arcuately spaced apart a distance which is substantially one-half of the linear spacing between successive pockets on the said conveyor, means for rotating said marking wheel at the same speed as the eggs are carried thereby, means for moving the marking wheel cyclically between operative printing engagement and inoperative printing engagement positions between successive applications of the printing marks, and an inking means for applying ink to said marking heads in the inoperative printing engagement position, whereby said arcuate spacing of the marking heads and the speed of the rotating means permit the marking heads to alternate in their sequence of entering into printing engagement with the eggs in the conveyor and whereby said uneveness in the number of marking heads allows the marking heads to alternate in their sequence of inking.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 190 words

An egg marking device for placing a unitary mark on a moving egg, comprising: a marking wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced pins extending radially from a central hub, each of the pins being rigidly mounted at one end to the hub; a plurality of marking heads each having a base portion and a flexible portion, the base portion being firmly attached to the terminal free end of one of said pins remote from the hub and the flexible portion extending radially outward from the base portion, said flexible portion being free to flex and to swivel about the radial axis of the pin and having a flexible printing surface disposed thereon, whereby each marking head is capable of conforming to the curvature of the shell of an egg that is presented to a marking head with a cocked orientation; a pivotal arm rotatably supporting the marking wheel; drive means for rotating the marking wheel in synchronization with the moving egg; and means for pivoting said arm alternately between operative and inoperative positions thereby moving said printing surface into and out of unitary marking engagement with the moving egg.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 190 words

An egg marking device for placing a unitary mark on a moving egg, comprising: a marking wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced pins extending radially from a central hub, each of the pins being rigidly mounted at one end to the hub; a plurality of marking heads each having a base portion and a flexible portion, the base portion being firmly attached to the terminal free end of one of said pins remote from the hub and the flexible portion extending radially outward from the base portion, said flexible portion being free to flex and to swivel about the radial axis of the pin and having a flexible printing surface disposed thereon, whereby each marking head is capable of conforming to the curvature of the shell of an egg that is presented to a marking head with a cocked orientation; a pivotal arm rotatably supporting the marking wheel; drive means for rotating the marking wheel in synchronization with the moving egg; and means for pivoting said arm alternately between operative and inoperative positions thereby moving said printing surface into and out of unitary marking engagement with the moving egg.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 52 words

The marking device of claim 12 wherein said flexible portion of each marking head further includes a flexibly swivelable, frusto-conical neck portion connecting the flexible portion to the base portion, whereby the flexible portion of the marking head is free to swivel and to flex about the radial axis of the pin.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-12-17	1977-06-18	1977-12-18	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-12-17	1981-06-18	1981-12-18	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-12-17	1985-06-18	1985-12-18	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Egg marking apparatus

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