Assembly for handling multiple straws for packaging animal semen

An assembly to manipulate a plurality of straws for packaging animal semen each having a predetermined diameter and a predetermined length, comprising:

• a freezing rack having a rim and a bottom surrounding a central free space, said bottom comprising two toothed walls which extend longitudinally along said central space, each toothed wall having a set of toothing at its apex comprising a succession of teeth and hollows, the sets of toothing of said toothed walls being identical with each hollow delimited by a surface having a curvature according to said predetermined diameter, and
• a crosspiece comprising parts which are movable relative to each other such that movement of the parts relative to each other causes the parts to take a position in which said crosspiece is removably secured to said freezing rack at a place provided to receive at least one of said plurality of straws,
• characterized in that said crosspiece comprises a central portion and two feet projecting at opposite ends of said central portion, said feet, being configured to cooperate with at least one hollow of each of the sets of toothing, said crosspiece, being configured to have a retracted position in which said feet are brought towards each other and an extended position in which said feet are held away from each other, said rack and said crosspiece being configured such that the crosspiece in the extended position is secured to said rack and such that the crosspiece in the retracted position is free to be removed from said rack.

An assembly to manipulate a plurality of straws for packaging animal semen each having a predetermined diameter and a predetermined length, comprising:

• a freezing rack having a rim and a bottom surrounding a central free space, said bottom comprising two toothed walls which extend longitudinally along said central space, each toothed wall having a set of toothing at its apex comprising a succession of teeth and hollows, the sets of toothing of said toothed walls being identical with each hollow delimited by a surface having a curvature according to said predetermined diameter, and
• a crosspiece comprising parts which are movable relative to each other such that movement of the parts relative to each other causes the parts to take a position in which said crosspiece is removably secured to said freezing rack at a place provided to receive at least one of said plurality of straws,
• characterized in that:
• in said freezing rack said bottom comprises a bottom wall in the form of a rectangular frame surrounding the central free space, the bottom wall comprising two transverse sections and two longitudinal sections, said toothed walls extending transversely to the bottom wall and internally bordering said longitudinal sections, said rim extending transversely to the bottom wall and comprising two longitudinal walls externally bordering said longitudinal sections of the bottom wall and two transverse walls externally bordering said transverse sections of the bottom wall, said longitudinal walls each comprising at their apex a gutter portion;
• said assembly further comprises a straw transfer device comprising two lateral skids and a straw collector delimiting a housing, opening over the whole of its length by a mouth, said collector being disposed between the two lateral skids, said freezing rack, said transfer device and said crosspiece being configured:
• in order for said transfer device to have a first extreme position in which it is disposed with each lateral skid bearing on a said gutter portion while said collector is located over one of said two transverse sections of said bottom wall;
• to have a second extreme position in which said transfer device is disposed with each lateral skid bearing on a said gutter portion while said collector is located over another of said two transverse sections of said bottom wall;
• such that in the absence of said crosspiece at the said place, by sliding the transfer device from the first extreme position to the second extreme position with said skids sliding over said gutter portions, said plurality of straws initially disposed on said rack is collected in said collector of said transfer device;
• and such that in the presence of said crosspiece at the said place, by sliding the transfer device from the first extreme position with said skids sliding on said gutter portions, the transfer device cannot go beyond a position in which said central portion of said crosspiece is inserted into said mouth, whereby only the straws located between said transverse section of the bottom wall and said crosspiece are collected in the collector of the transfer device.