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US 8,025,028 B2Granted
Automated egg injection machine and method
AssigneeAvitech, LLC
InventorsRafael S. Correa, Marco A. Quiroz, William D. Samson, Erich F. Bevensee
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AssigneeAvitech, LLC
InventorsRafael S. Correa, Marco A. Quiroz, William D. Samson, Erich F. Bevensee
Estimating the term…
A pneumatically operated egg injection machine includes a sealed frame structure with a pair of in line parallel tracks through an injection section and a transfer section in series. An injection assembly includes a plurality of injectors gripped in a support plate to simultaneously inject vaccine into the same injection region irrespective of egg height and orientation. Fluid delivery systems meter prescribed vaccine dosages to the injecting needles with reduced turbulence, friction, heat and residence time to increase the delivered titer to the injected eggs. A transfer assembly lifts the injected eggs by causing a reduced pressure around the injection hole while maintaining the injection hole at atmospheric pressure. The injection assembly is sprayed with a sanitizing solution at the same time that the injected eggs are moved from the injection section to the transfer section.
A suction cup assembly for transferring injected eggs having an injection hole in an upper surface of each egg which comprises a body section and a contact section at a lower portion of said body section that is separable from said body section, said contact section contacting said egg at a location spaced from said injection hole and encircling a top portion of the egg to enclose a central area over said top portion that includes said injection hole, said contact section imposing a reduced pressure at said location on said egg to grip said egg without applying negative pressure to said hole, said central area being in communication with a surrounding atmosphere through an opening to maintain atmospheric pressure at said injection hole so that a pressure inside said egg is unaffected by the reduced pressure imposed by said contact section, said opening being configured in said contact section such that air can pass between said central area and said surrounding atmosphere through said opening without entering said body section.
A suction cup assembly for transferring injected eggs having a hole in an upper surface of each egg, said assembly comprising an upper body section with a vacuum chamber and a separate contact section positioned below said upper body section and separable therefrom, said contact section having an egg contacting surface that encloses a central area around the egg injection hole, said egg contacting surface including generally concentric inner and outer suction seals that are spaced from said hole and from one another to form a generally circular vacuum ring between said seals, said contact section further including an annular midsection having a plurality of spaced suction holes providing air flow communication between the body section vacuum chamber and the vacuum ring when negative pressure is applied to said vacuum chamber, said central area being separated from said negative pressure and directly connected to atmospheric pressure through an opening in said contact section so that a pressure inside the eggs is unaffected when the negative pressure is applied to the vacuum ring through the spaced suction holes to grip the eggs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.