Egg collector
AssigneeChore-Time Equipment, Inc.
InventorEarl Barrentine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for collecting eggs from a number of poultry cages is disclosed. The apparatus includes a collector conveyor belt for receiving the eggs from egg cages, and a ramp conveyor belt for de-escalating the eggs from the collector conveyor. The cage bottoms are extended to provide a trough in which the collector conveyor belt is carried. Opposite the cages, strips of low-friction material act as bumpers to maintain without damage eggs upon the collector conveyor. A diagonal fence is provided above the collector-ramp belt conveyor junction point to encourage easy, undamaged egg transfer action from the collector to the ramp conveyor. Resilient fingers mounted in rows upon the ramp conveyor encourage undamaged egg de-escalation. An accumulator belt conveyor receives the eggs from the ramp conveyor and carries the eggs to an accumulation point.
Claims23
Apparatus for collecting eggs from a number of poultry cages, the cages including means for urging any eggs laid in the cage to a cage collecting location, the apparatus including first collector conveyor means for receiving the eggs at each cage egg collecting point, and having a tail end, ramp conveyor means for receiving the eggs from the first collector conveyor means, and having a head end, the collector conveyor means tail end and the ramp conveyor means head end being located in adjacent, parallel, co-planar positions, deflector means for urging the eggs from the collector conveyor to the ramp conveyor means, finger means including a short finger and a long finger mounted side-by-side in a row upon said ramp collector means to permit easy egg acquisition and safe egg retention on the ramp conveyor means out of contact with any other egg during ramp conveyor means operation, drive means for driving the collector conveyor and the ramp conveyor means, the ramp conveyor means being driven substantially twice as fast as the collector conveyor, and accumulator conveyor means for receiving the eggs from the ramp conveyor means and for conveying the eggs to an accumulation point.
Egg collecting apparatus for collecting and de-escalating eggs from a row of cages, the apparatus including collector conveyor means for receiving the eggs from the cages, and ramp conveyor means for receiving the eggs from the collector conveyor means, finger means mounted side-by-side in a row upon said ramp collector means to permit easy egg acquisition and safe egg retention on the ramp conveyor means out of contact with any other egg during ramp conveyor means operation, the collecting apparatus further providing deflector means for urging the eggs from the collector conveyor to the ramp conveyor means, conveyor support apparatus for supporting the collector conveyor means tail end and the ramp conveyor means head end in adjacent, parallel, co-planar positions, and drive means for driving the collector conveyor and the ramp conveyor means, the ramp conveyor means being driven substantially twice as fast as the collector conveyor means to permit easy, non-damaging egg transfer from the collector conveyor to the ramp conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.