US1813527A - Egg packing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1931. w. w. cEcn.

EGG PACKING MEcHANrsM Filed oct. 1o, 192s vwentoz WARRENW Geen.

Patented July 7, 1931 WARREN W. CECIL, F IDIXON, CALIFORNIA EGG PACKING MECHANISM Application-filed October 10, 1928. Serial No. 311,456.

.15 tion or main chamber having separably disposed therein a packer mechanism having associated therewith means for conveying the eggs disposed in their illersfrom such collector means to a shipping crate without re- .20 handling same, or forthe 'operation of transferring eggs within the compartmented fillers from one shipping case or crate to another, exclusive of the use of packing chambers, obviating the injury to the hands of the packer, eliminating breakage, and providing substantially a single functioning device to perform ,.a multiplicity of steps involved in known methods.

The object of the invention resides in the 30 providing of a light and durable carrier made of sheet metal, provided with a central packing compartment that may be carried with ease during the gathering of eggs, said carrier being also provided with compartments into 35 which a number of fillers may be placed during the gathering of the eggs, and employed Within the packing compartment as needed. Said packing compartment may have any desired capacity, and when filled is carried to 0 the point of crating, the carrier is then released therefrom and said packing structure is depended within such packing case, vand the supporte-r releasing means is actuated to cause all of the compartmented fillers with eggs in 5 proper juxtaposition to be deposited Within l the shipping crate, without the aid of additional handling and eliminating entirely any possible injury to the operators manually actuating the structure.

Another and further object of the invention and its use thereof contemplates a simplified method of collecting or gathering and crating, eggs for commercial use. In one embodiment the carrier is taken to the source of gathering eggs, and during the time of packing andassorting the eggs, disposed within the compartmented filler means, until the required number are obtained (eliminating in this instance a second handling) thence carried to the shipping source and packed within the crates or containers to receive same by merely a single operation, that of releasing the packing compartment forming structure, to dispose its contents within said crate, likewise eliminating one .or more handling of the eggs, obviating entirely breakage at the final point of handling and packing, and removing from the known methods the injury to the hands of the operatives.

In the following, I describe the general embodiment and nature of .the invention the features thereof being more particularly defined hereinafter in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. l is a vertical section View of the egg carrier, showing the packing chamber Vor compartment provided with a series of fillers and illustrating the relative position of the device during the time the same is employed to collect or gather the eggs at the point or source of supply; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier andthe general structure as employed as an .egg collector and packing unit, and Fig. 3, is a detail vertical sectional view of one of the corner supports of the packing compartment means, showing the positioning means in its retaining position and illustrating the specific mechanism arranged for actuation to dispose the collect- Aed eggs within a part of or all 0f the reception space of the usual or general type of packing cases employed for egg packing and sho ping purposes.

imilar numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings l designates a carrier receptable of portable size and form having formed therein a main collector compartment 2 and auxiliary compartments or pockets 3 and 4 adapted to receive a quantity of breakdown packing fillers of the type commonly employed in the known methods of packing eggs for commercial handling and shipment, together with a handle 5 and holding clips 6 for retaining the carrier stationary as a unit during the moment of withdrawing the packing structure therefrom.

The packing structure comprises a rectangular frame 7 of any suitable material and consists of four tubular posts 8 fastened to said frame 7 arranged to set normally within the collector compartment 2. Each of said posts 8 have mounted therein rods 9 provided at their upper ends with caps 10 between which and the attaching sleeves 11 of frame 7 are disposed expansive springs 1 2 arranged as the means of controlling the positions of said rods 9 in said tubes 8, said rods 9 having pivotally mounted on their lower ends fingers 18 arranged to form the removable supporting means for the series of flats or compartmented iillers 14 into which the eggs are gathered and shipped. Rods 9 have cut therein one or more notches 15 as may be required, and said sleeves 11 of frame 7 have pivoted therein at 16, pawls 17 engaged by iiat springs 18 for holding said pawls 17 in sliding contact with said rods 9 and when all thereof are in their set positions with relation to said rods provide the position of the packing structure during the moment of collecting the eggs and likewise the moment of retaining the collected packed eggs into position for disposing same within the final com-V inercial shippingcontainer or case or crate.

A strap 19 is disposed within compartment 2 and the ends thereof allowed to engage the sides of carrier 1, its object being to provide means adapted to act as additional support across the bottom layer of iats 14 during the moment of depositing the racked eggs within the shipping crate. i

The position of the packing structure shown in Figs. 1 and 3 constitutes the position of same during the egg gathering period and when the requirednninber are gathered, said collector structure is lwithdrawn from carrier 1 and the element as a unit projected within the packing case, pawls 17 actuated to permit springs 12 to thrust rods 9 upwardly carrying therewith fingers 13 and permitting the ,gathered eggs in compart mented flats 14 to rest within the packing case, thence said packing structure is withdrawn from said case or crate, the fingers 13 reset by thrusting rods 9 downwardly until pawls engage notches 15 to reset all mechanism, thence disposed within compartment 2 of the carrier 1 and the method of gathering the eggs resumed.

By causing the device to function in the manner described hereinabove, it is apparent lthat several needless handlings of the eggs are eliminated, in fact the only handling of the eggs necessary in carrying ont the invention is the initial one that of collecting the eggs from the nests, and another and material fault found in the packing of eggs for commercial shipment is entirely obviated, that of causing injury to the hands of packers in their slow and costly methods of depositing separate layers of eggs within walls of a shipping crate. Serious results are known in connection with present day methods of packing, one of the most important ones being the barking of skin upon the hands of operators who have been known to require medical attention immediately after completing one o r two crates of eggs for commercial shipment. A

The invention may be practiced in the manner asset forth or it may be varied in many ways without departin from the 4general scope of the method and structure as is herein shown, described and claimed.

Thr-.t is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. An egg packing mechanism comprising a supporting structure consisting of vertically disposed members, a frame connecting said members arranged to form the housing for a series of compartmented fillers carrying a quantity of packed eggs, means disposed in said members for holding Vsaid packed compartmented fillers in said housing, and means for releasing said holding means to dispose said packed eggs within a packing case.` n

2. A device of the character described comprising a supporting structure consisting of vertically disposed retaining members and a frame connecting said member to form la packer mechanism, thrust rods operative in said retaining members, supporting fingers mounted on the lower ends of said rods, springs mounted on said rods engaging said retaining members controlling the relative positions of said supporting fingers, cams pivotally mounted on said frame engaging means on said rods adapted to hold said fingers in their operative and inoperative positions, manually controlled means for setting said fingers into position to support a series of egg packing iiats and separators, andmeans whereby when said packer mechanism is disposed in an egg crate and said cams released said springs ret-urn said fingers withsaid retaining members and desposits said packed unit of eggs within said cratewithout handling.

3. A. device of the character described including an egg packing mechanism consisting of a unity structure composed of corner Yes supporting posts, a series of connecting rods ,e

uniting said struc-tare int-o a supporting frame, thrust rods disposed in said posts, springs engaging said rods and posts, gripping supporting fingers pivotally mounted in the lower ends of saidrods and operative within said posts, cams mounted in said frame adapted to engage stops in said rods for holding said ngers in their projected supporting position to receive a series of separators and Compartmented egg flats into which eggs are packed for shipment and means permitting the manual disposition of said packer unit Within an egg crate and when said cams are released permit said springs to Withdraw said lingers Within said posts to deposit said packed eggs lwithin said crate and thereby eliminate the handling of said eggs and the means of compartmenting same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 29th day of August 1928.

WARREN W. CEGIL.

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