Egg collector

Claim 2

In an automated egg production system, including at least one row of cages adapted to confine egg-laying hens, an endless elongated cage conveyor belt disposed relative to the cages to receive eggs laid by the hens and to convey the eggs toward one end of the cage row, and collector means at said end of the cage row for transferring the eggs from the cage conveyor belt to another conveyor, the improvement wherein said collector means comprises: a frame at said one end of the cage row; means on said frame for guiding and moving said cage conveyor belt in a substantially horizontal path through a lateral offloading station in said frame; wiper means adapted to engage eggs on said moving conveyor belt and displace said eggs laterally from the conveyor belt; an egg transfer ramp assembly mounted closely adjacent said cage conveyor belt at said offloading station for receiving eggs displaced laterally therefrom by said wiper means, said ramp assembly including a plurality of elongated spaced parallel tines having downwardly sloping end portions; an endless intermediate belt conveyor having a plurality of egg receiving cups secured in spaced relation longitudinally therealong; means mounting said intermediate conveyor for movement through a horizontal path laterally subjacent said cage conveyor belt and underneath said transfer ramp and thence downwardly to a lower egg discharge station; each of said egg cups of the intermediate conveyor comprising a plurality of outwardly projecting fingers disposed in an arcuate concave arrangement facing opposite the direction of travel of said intermediate conveyor; said cup fingers and said tines of the transfer ramp being relatively spaced and disposed for interdigitating movement of the said cup fingers between and relative to said tines, whereby the eggs received on the transfer ramp are deposited individually and successively in the cups of said intermediate conveyor; and means at said lower discharge station of the intermediate conveyor operable to change the direction of movement of said intermediate belt conveyor to cause the egg cups successively to be tilted downwardly at an angle sufficient to discharge the eggs therefrom.

Claim 3

Apparatus for offloading eggs from a conveyor belt, comprising: an intermediate conveyor belt assembly; means mounting said intermediate belt assembly for longitudinal movement in a run alongside said conveyor belt at a closely adjacent lower level; said intermediate belt assembly including: a web of belting, a series of cups carried at spaced intervals on the topside of said belting, each cup having a series of separated fingers outstanding from the belting and arranged to form an egg receiving cavity; a transfer ramp assembly overlying said intermediate belt run for depositing eggs in said cups as said cups advance; said transfer ramp assembly comprising an array of elongated tines arranged to provide a trough sloping downwardly from a location adjacent the level of said egg conveyor belt and toward the level of said intermediate belt assembly, said tines terminating adjacent the topside of said intermediate conveyor belting and being arranged relative to said cup fingers to interdigitate therewith as the cups advance to deposit eggs in the cups; and means for displacing eggs one by one from said egg conveyor belt and onto said transfer ramp assembly.

Claim 4

Apparatus for offloading eggs from a conveyor belt, comprising: an intermediate conveyor belt assembly; means mounting said intermediate belt assembly for longitudinal movement in a run alongside said conveyor belt at a closely adjacent lower level; said intermediate belt assembly including: a web of belting, a series of cups carried at spaced intervals on the topside of said belting, each cup having a series of separated fingers outstanding from the belting and arranged to form an egg receiving cavity; a transfer ramp assembly overlying said intermediate belt run for depositing eggs in said cups as said cups advance; said transfer ramp assembly comprising an array of elongated tines arranged to provide a trough sloping downwardly from a location adjacent the level of said egg conveyor belt and toward the level of said intermediate belt assembly, said tines terminating adjacent the topside of said intermediate conveyor belting and being arranged relative to said cup fingers to interdigitate therewith as the cups advance to deposit eggs in the cups; and means for displacing eggs one by one from said egg conveyor belt and onto said transfer ramp assembly.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein each of said cups includes: a base engaging the topside of said belting, lug means extending from said base through said belting, and fastening means on said lug means engaging the underside of said belting to fasten said cup to said belting, said series of fingers extending away from said base in a direction opposite said lug means to provide an egg-cradling concavity on the topside of said belting.

Claim 6

A transfer belt assembly according to claim 3 wherein said cups are of molded thermoplastic material and said fastening means includes a heat-deformed head on said lug means.

Claim 7

A transfer belt assembly according to claim 4 including an elongated Vee-type belt fastened to the underside of said belting at about the longitudinal median thereof, and wherein said lug means includes a pair of lugs extending through the belting on opposite sides of said Vee-belt.

Claim 8

Apparatus for transferring eggs from at least two egg collection conveyor belts arranged at vertically-spaced and horizontally-offset levels to a common unloading station below the lowermost one of said levels, said apparatus comprising: a frame; channel means in said frame at said levels for supporting and guiding said belts for linear motion relative to said frame; means providing a lateral gate in each of said channel means to afford lateral offloading of eggs from the conveyor belts; wiper means disposed in each of said channel means adjacent said gate for resiliently engaging eggs on the belt as it advances forwardly and displacing the eggs laterally through the gate; means providing a transfer ramp extending alongside and below each gate, said transfer ramp including a series of elongated tines disposed in spaced relation and shaped to provide an elongated concave trough having portions sloping downwardly away from the level of said conveyor belt; an intermediate conveyor belt assembly mounted in said frame for movement in a linear run parallel to said conveyor belt and underneath each transfer ramp, said intermediate conveyor including: a web of belting, and a series of rearwardly-concave cups carried at spaced intervals by said belting, each of said cups having a series of separated fingers adapted to interdigitate with said transfer ramp tines as said intermediate belt advances beneath said transfer ramp; a pair of rollers engaging the underside of each intermediate conveyor belt at spaced locations upstream and downstream of said transfer ramp to support said intermediate belt underneath said transfer ramp; tilting means engaging the underside of each intermediate belt assembly adjacent said unloading station to tilt the cups successively for offloading the eggs carried in the cups; chute means mounted by said frame to at least partially underlie the path of movement of said cups around said tilting means and to interdigitate with said cup fingers to receive eggs offloaded therefrom by the aforesaid tilting action; rotary brush means mounted in said frame adjacent said chute and tilting means and having bristles for engaging said cups as they advance around said tilting means to cooperate therewith and with said chute means to positively control offloading of eggs from said cups; and drive means mounted in said frame for rotating said brush means and advancing said egg conveyor belt and said intermediate belt assembly in the same directions.

Claim 9

Apparatus for transferring eggs from at least two egg collection conveyor belts arranged at vertically-spaced and horizontally-offset levels to a common unloading station below the lowermost one of said levels, said apparatus comprising: a frame; channel means in said frame at said levels for supporting and guiding said belts for linear motion relative to said frame; means providing a lateral gate in each of said channel means to afford lateral offloading of eggs from the conveyor belts; wiper means disposed in each of said channel means adjacent said gate for resiliently engaging eggs on the belt as it advances forwardly and displacing the eggs laterally through the gate; means providing a transfer ramp extending alongside and below each gate, said transfer ramp including a series of elongated tines disposed in spaced relation and shaped to provide an elongated concave trough having portions sloping downwardly away from the level of said conveyor belt; an intermediate conveyor belt assembly mounted in said frame for movement in a linear run parallel to said conveyor belt and underneath each transfer ramp, said intermediate conveyor including: a web of belting, and a series of rearwardly-concave cups carried at spaced intervals by said belting, each of said cups having a series of separated fingers adapted to interdigitate with said transfer ramp tines as said intermediate belt advances beneath said transfer ramp; a pair of rollers engaging the underside of each intermediate conveyor belt at spaced locations upstream and downstream of said transfer ramp to support said intermediate belt underneath said transfer ramp; tilting means engaging the underside of each intermediate belt assembly adjacent said unloading station to tilt the cups successively for offloading the eggs carried in the cups; chute means mounted by said frame to at least partially underlie the path of movement of said cups around said tilting means and to interdigitate with said cup fingers to receive eggs offloaded therefrom by the aforesaid tilting action; rotary brush means mounted in said frame adjacent said chute and tilting means and having bristles for engaging said cups as they advance around said tilting means to cooperate therewith and with said chute means to positively control offloading of eggs from said cups; and drive means mounted in said frame for rotating said brush means and advancing said egg conveyor belt and said intermediate belt assembly in the same directions.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 6 including shaft means in said frame mounting said intermediate conveyor belt rollers in horizontally-spaced parallel vertical planes transverse to the paths of movement of the egg collection belts to cause the intermediate conveyor belts to have parallel upwardly and downwardly disposed runs, one of said shaft means including a common drive shaft mounted adjacent the bottom of said frame, pulley means mounted on said common drive shaft with said intermediate belts all trained therearound to provide said cup tilting action, and means connecting said common shaft to said drive means for causing said common drive shaft to rotate and hence to drive all of said intermediate conveyor belts.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the drive means for each of said egg conveyor belts includes a pair of rolls mounted in the frame downstream of said transfer ramp assembly, and including removable receptacle means mounted in said frame adjacent said rolls for receiving waste carried by said egg conveyor belt into said frame.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said drive means for each intermediate conveyor and said egg belt conveyor causes the intermediate conveyor to advance at a linear velocity about twice the linear velocity of its associated egg belt conveyor.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said transfer ramp has a substantially horizontal portion disposed alongside said lateral gate at a predetermined level with respect to the intermediate conveyor belt as to cause the cup fingers to advance through the ramp tines at a slightly higher level than the ramp level for engaging eggs on the horizontal portion of the transfer ramp and advancing them toward the sloping portion thereof for deposit in the cups.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 6 including a resilient deflector plate disposed vertically above the transfer ramp assembly at about its longitudinal median and in spaced relation with said gate for cooperating with the wiper means to cause eggs to be loaded one at a time on the transfer ramp assembly.