Method and apparatus for transferring a bird from one conveyor system to another

An apparatus for transferring birds from an overhead conveyor system to a secondary conveyor system, wherein the birds are carried along a processing path in an inverted attitude suspended by their legs from shackles of the overhead conveyor system and the secondary conveyor system, the apparatus comprising:

• a support frame,
• means for rotating said support frame about a vertical axis in response to the movement of the overhead conveyor,
• a series of transfer modules on carried said support frame and adapted to rotate about said support frame so as to move adjacent the processing path in timed relationship with the movement of the birds on the overhead conveyor line, each transfer module including a bird lifting plate having recesses formed therein for receiving the legs of a bird, said bird lifting plates adapted to move upwardly and downwardly on said support frame and and tilt from a vertical lifting position toward a horizontal transfer position as said lifting plates are rotated about said support frame,
• cam means on the support frame for moving each transfer module and its bird lifting plate upwardly and downwardly and for tilting said bird lifting plate of each transfer module from an upwardly extended bird lifting position adapted to engage and lift the birds from the shackles of the overhead conveyor line, toward a substantially horizontal bird transfer position as each transfer module moves along the processing path, and
• guide means mounted adjacent the processing path for engaging the legs of the birds when said bird lifting plates are in their horizontally extending bird transfer positions and for guiding the legs of the birds from said bird lifting plates onto a transport means for transferring the birds to a support means of the secondary conveyor.

A method of transferring a bird being carried in an inverted attitude suspended from a shackle of a first overhead conveyor system from the first conveyor system to another conveyor system comprising:

• tilting a transfer plate having notches formed along one edge thereof so that the notches face upwardly, with the transfer plate in its upturned attitude moving the transfer plate upwardly between the bird and the shackle,
• engaging the legs of the bird with the notches of the transfer plate as the transfer plate is moved upwardly and lifting the legs out of the shackles,
• moving the transfer plate in timed relationship with the movement of a bird receiving member having notches formed circumferentially therealong to align the notches of the bird receiving member with the notches of the transfer plate,
• tilting the transfer plate toward a substantially horizontal attitude with the notches of the bird receiving member and the notches of the transfer plate becoming substantially aligned and at the same time moving the transfer plate toward the bird receiving member with the legs of the bird being received within the notches of the bird receiving member transferring the bird from the transfer plate to the bird receiving member, and
• transferring the birds from the bird receiving member to the shackles of the other conveyor system.