GB412912A - Improvements in or connected with egg grading and packing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

412,912. Grading and packing eggs. BARTON, C. N., 119, Worple Road, Wimbledon, London. Oct. 3, 1932, No. 21812, [Class 143.] An egg grading and packing machine comprises means for conveying a plurality of eggs along a track, a plurality of traps (corresponding to the grades) located in the track and adapted to be actuated by the weight of the eggs so as to divert the eggs of each grade into a corresponding compartmented contamer, means being provided for automatically positioning an empty compartment of the container to receive a graded egg when the egg is diverted from the track. The eggs, after candling, are placed singly in cradles 1 as the cradles are successively presented at the right-hand end of the machine shown in Fig. 1, the cradles being slid along the track by a link 3, Fig. 5, connected to a continuously-moving endless belt 2. The track is interrupted in three places to receive weighing platforms 16 each adjusted by a weighted lever according to its grade weight. Adjacent each weighing platform is an inclined guideway 27, Fig. 6, leading to a lower track 28. An egg of sufficient weight depresses the platform so that the leading edge 30 of the cradle engages the incline and the cradle is diverted down the guideway. A spring-pressed plunger 6 on the cradle engages, and rotates, a cam 31 so as to couple-up a driving-clutch, and the plunger is also pushed back to discharge the egg into a V-shaped container EC. The container is divided into compartments by partitions 34 carried by a partition conveyer 35 which is moved one step to the right each time the descent of a cradle causes the coupling- up of the above-mentioned clutch. After a predetermined number of eggs have passed down the incline, dumping cams 66, Fig. 5, allow the V-shaped sides of the compartments to open and drop the eggs into a row of cells in a filler carried on a transverse conveyer 36, Figs. 1 and 6. The V-shaped sides being again closed by the cam. As described in Specification 412,913, [Group XVII], the cellular filler is then carried forward one step to bring the next row of cells into position for filling, and a new collapsed filler is automatically supplied from a magazine, opened out and presented for filling. When fillers having fewer cells in a row are used, the action of the dumping cams may be correspondingly varied by means of a shift lever so as appropriately to change the time of dumping. The fillers when fully charged are carried forward to a platform for wrapping by manual or automatio means. Eggs too light to depress any of the weighing platforms are carried forward and are tilted off their cradles by an inclined portion 122, Fig. 1 of the track, or by a projecting arm. The cradles deflected along the lower track re-join the upper track at an incline 112. The machine may be modified by dispensing with the V-shaped intermediate containers EC, the eggs being dropped directly into the final fillers.