US3040869A - Transfer mechanism for a machine for handling eggs - Google Patents

Description

H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 INVENTOR HAROLD J. MUMMA BY W I ATTO RNEY H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 00o; ooooojl INVENTOR HAROLD J. MUMMA ATTORNEY H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 m u I n u I I n I u INVENTOR HAROLD J. MUMMA IY W ATTORNEY H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 9 Sheets$heet 4 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 wvw 0 SN 0 0V @Q wQ i o 0 wow vww mwm mw wmm kmm @@m 0 N00 vmm new 0mm 0 Now mew hmm 39 00w, O vmm r 0mm N9 mow how m m 0mm mom vow L mmm m W 1 $1 wow I! ATTORNEY H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 3,040,869

TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS Original Filed D60. 28, 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HAROLD J. MUMMA ATTO R N E Y H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 TRANSFER MEHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 INVENTOR HAROLD J.MUMMA Maw.

ATTORNEY H. J. MUMMA June 26, 19 62 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 INVENTOR HAROLD J. MUMMA ATTORNEY June 26, 1962 H. J. MUMMA 1 TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Original Filed Dec. 28, 1955 HNwm ATTO RN EY TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR A MACHINE FOR HANDLING EGGS Original Filed Dec. 28, 1953 H. J. MUMMA June 26, 1962 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVEN'I'OR HAROLD J. MUMMA .Y NW #W W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,ll4ti,369 TRANSFER MLEQHANISM FGR A MAQHENE FUR HANDLING EGGS Harold J. Mum-ma, Riverside, Calif, assignor to FlViC Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Griginal appiication Dec. 28, 1953, Ser. No. $0,466. Di-

vided and this application May 15, 1959, her. No.

11 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) The present invention relates to machines for handling eggs, and more particularly to a transfer mechanism for an egg handling machine.

This application is a division of my copending application, U.S. Serial No. 400,466, filed December 28, 1953, for a Machine for Handling Eggs.

An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer mechanism operable to receive an egg at an upper level and deliver it to a lower level without subjecting the egg to jars or shocks that might tend to break its shell.

Another object is to provide an improved transfer mechanism for an egg handling machine.

Another object is to provide a transfer mechanism that is operable to receive an egg at a first point with its axis in a horizontal position and deliver it to a second point with its axis in a vertical position.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective of the upper end of a feed elevator and of the adjacent egg weighing mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through said egg weighing mechanism taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through said egg weighing mechanism taken along line 33 of PEG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective of a mechanism that lowers eggs individually from the weighing mechanism into a conveyor underneath which will hereinafter be referred to as the distributing conveyor.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of said egg lowering mechanism, with pant of the distributing conveyor underneath shown in longitudinal vertical section.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6B, 6B, and GF are schematic side elevational views of the egg lowering mechanism illustrating six consecutive operational phases thereof.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken along line 77 of FIG. 6B and illustrating part of the power train between the distributing conveyor and the feed elevator of the associated candling station.

FIG. 8 is a section through the entire feed elevator of the candling station illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is another fragmentary section similar to FIG. 7 taken substantially along line 99 of FIG. 8 and illustrating a subsequent portion of the power train between the distributing conveyor and the feed elevator of each candling station.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are fragmentary vertical sections taken along line 1i1l of PEG. 7 and illustrating different operational positions of a clutch connected into the power train between the distributing conveyor and the feed elevator of each candling station.

In general, the egg handling machine includes six candling stations, one being identified by the numeral 151 in FIG. 1. Each candling station includes a plurality of racks or chutes, one being identified by the numeral letlH, which chutes are arranged to deliver eggs to cups 154 of an elevator conveyor 16$ which, in turn, delivers the eggs to a Weighing mechanism lat) having a weighing platform ice 346. After being weighed, the eggs are swept from the platform 3% (BIG. 7) across a transfer bridge 55%, hav ing a horizontal portion 554 and a downwardly inclined portion 556, and into cups 552 of the egg lowering mechanism 182 of the present invention. Two transfer arms 396a and 39612 (FIGS. 2, 3, and 7) of the weighing mechanism 18%) are mounted on an endless chain and are arranged to travel in a clockwise direction along the phantom line path indicated in FIG. 7 to perform the above-mentioned sweeping function. It will be noted that the transfer arms 396a and 3961) cooperate with the scale platform 346 and the transfer bridge to provide a conveyor for moving the eggs transversely from conveyor 168 to the lowering mechanism 182. The egg lowering mechanism 182 is arranged to receive eggs which have their axes disposed horizontally and to lower and release the eggs into egg retaining buckets 186 (FIG. 1) of a single file conveyor 185. All six candling stations discharge heir eggs into a single conveyor 185, therefore, the conveyor 185 is operated at six times the speed of the elevator conveyor 168 and is timed therewith to prevent more than one egg at a time from being deposited into the same bucket 11%.

The cups 552 of the egg lowering mechanism 182 have somewhat the shape of a gardeners trowel that has been divided into two uneven segments 552a and 5522: by a longitudinally extending center recess, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 7, with the smaller segment 5521) located on the side of the weighing mechanism. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the mechanism 182 comprises two such trowel-shaped cups 552, separately identified by the re erence numerals 552 and 552" (PEG. 5), which are both supported for rotation about a horizontal axis from a position wherein the cups are located adjacent the transfer bridge 55a to a position wherein they are located above and point into an aligned bucket 186 of the distributing conveyor 185 underneath (FIG. 5). For this purpose, both the cups 552 are secured to short arms 562 that are rotatably mounted upon a common horizontal shaft 564 which projects laterally from the center point of a base plate 566 (FIG. 1) that has somewhat the shape of a double-edged ax blade, as best shown in FIG. 5. Said base plate 566 is secured diamtrically across a sprocket 568 which is firmly mounted upon a horizontally positioned tubular shaft 571'? (FIG. 7) and which meshes with the upper run of one of two endless sprocket chains 574a and 57417 of the distributing conveyor The tubular shaft 57% of the sprocket turns on a pair of ball bearings 576a and 57615 that are interposed between the cylindrical inner surface of said shaft 57% and the outer surface of a stationary shaft 578 which may likewise be of tubular construction and which is adustably held in the side wall 58% of a cabinet 582 that covers a clutch 534 through which the hereinbefore described elevator 1-53 is operatively connected to the sprocket and hence to the distributing conveyor 135 by which said sprocket is driven.

During operation of the machine, the distributing conveyor turns the sprocket 568 in clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5, with its lower segment moving in the same direction as the upper run of the distributing conveyor underneath. To force the transfer cups 552 to participate in the described movement of the sprocket 568, said cups are connected to the base plate 566 by linkage trains 586. The propelling action of said linlcage trains, however, is controlled by a stationary earn 588 in such a manner that during their travel about the shaft 564 the cups 552 will dwell in a horizontal position adjacent to, and aligned with, the transfer bridge 559 for a sufiicient time to allow for an orderly transfer of an egg from the adjacent weighing platform 346 and transfer bridge 550 ao iasee onto their concave egg retaining surfaces, and to allow a pair of retaining fingers 596a and 59%, that move in unison with the sprocket 568, to close over an egg deposited into a cup before the cup drops from the defined horizontal position into a downwardly directed position in which an egg may slide or roll from the transfer cup in a direction radially of the sprocket.

The cam disc 588 is firmly mounted upon the end of a horizontally positioned shaft 592 that is received Within the interior of the hereinbefore mentioned tubular shaft 578 which supports the ball bearings 576a and 576}; for the sprocket shaft 570. The linkage train 586 between each of the trowel-shaped transfer cups 552 and the base member 566 comprises a link 5% (FIGS. 1 and 5) which is pivotally connected at one of its ends to the base member 566 near the edge portion thereof at a point remote from the cup that the particular linkage train is to propel. Near its opposite end, the link 5% carries a roller 5% that is held in engagement with the edge of the stationary cam disc 588 by a pair of springs 598 which are tensioned between intermediate points 666 of said link and points 602 on the base member 566. Pivotally connected to said opposite end of link 594 adjacent the roller 5% is one end of another link 6% whose opposite end is pivotally connected to the end of the short arm 562 to which the transfer cup 552 is secured. The hereinbefore mentioned retaining fingers 599a and 59Gb are fixed to a stud 696 (FIGS. 1 and 7) projecting laterally from the base member 566 in the center region thereof at a point that trails behind their respective transfer cup. Said fingers are formed by two transversely spaced elongated leaf springs whose free ends are bent toward their associated transfer cups 552 as shown at 6th; in FIG. 5 and which are sufficiently removed from their respective cup when in the position shown in the upper quadrants of FIGS. 1, 5 and 6A to present no obstacle to the transfer of an egg from the bridge member 55% onto the cup.

As the sprocket 568 and hence the base member 566 rotates in clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6A during performance of the machine, the linkage trains 586 and hence the transfer cups 552 are forced to participate in said movement due to the pivotal connection between the first link 594 and the base member 566. However, as a transfer cup 552 reaches a position adjacent to and slightly below the hereinbefore described transfer bridge 550 which is the three oclock position as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the edge of the stationary cam 588, by engagement with the roller 596, moves a pivotal connection 605 between the two links further away from the center axis of the rotary movement as represented by the center aXis of sprocket 568. Hence, advance of the base member 566 in clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6A causes the knee formed by the links 594 and 664 to bend progressively as shown in three consecutive stages in FIGS. 6B, 6C and 6D for the transfer cup 552' such that the transfer cup will remain in its three oclock position adjacent the transfer bridge in spite of the fact that the sprocket 568 and the linkage propelling base member 566 continue to turn in clockwise direction. Sufiicient time is, therefore, provided for an egg to be moved by one of the transfer arms 396 from the bridge member 550' onto the aligned transfer cup 552.

As the transfer cup 552 dwells in the described manner, the retaining fingers 59M and 5%!1 pertaining to said cup, which are rigidly supported from and move in unison with the base member 566 as previously described, gain upon the cup as the egg is being deposited thereinto (FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C) and eventually close upon the egg to retain it in the cup as the roller 596 on link 586 approaches its position of maximum distance from the center axis of the sprocket (FIG. 6D) and the progressive bending of the knee linkage 59 l 6d4 slows down to a degree where it can no longer compensate for the rotary advance of its pivotal connection with the linkage propelling base member 566, which causes the cup 552 to resume its rotary movement and to drop below thelevel of the transfer bridge as shown in FIGS. 6E and 6F. Hence, as the cup begins to drop from tne horizontal position illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 6D, the retaining arms 55% and sees restrain any egg deposited into the cup from sliding radially out of said cup as illustrated in FIG. 6B. In addition, an arcuate fender 6&9 may be provided adjacent the orbit of the transfer cups 552 along the right lower quadrant thereof as viewed in FIG. 5, to cam back into the cups and underneath their respective fingers Sida and 59% any eggs that may escape the retaining grip thereof. Said fender may suitably be supported from the frame structure of the weighing mechanism as shown in FIG. 3.

The cam 588 is of such conformation that it will retain the knee linkage in the bent position illustrated in FIG. 6E so as to maintain the cup and the spring fingers 5%:1, 5%!) in egg retaining relation until the transfer cup 552 approaches its six oclock position and its pointed end moves into alignment with a bucket 156 on the upper run of the continuously operating distributing conveyor as shown in FIG. 6F. At this point, the diameter of the cam begins to recede, and since the roller 596 on link 5% is constantly urged into engagement with the contour of the cam 538 by the springs 59%, said springs force the knee linkage 5E-46fi4- to unbend. This unbending movement of the knee linkage, however, adds to the rate of rotary advance of the cup 552 causing said cup to travel in clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6F at a faster rate than the rotary base member 566 from which the retaining fingers 59th are rigidly supported. As a result thereof the cup 552 and the retaining fingers 590 move apart when reaching their six oclock position permitting an egg held therebetween to escape and drop into an aligned bucket 166 on the distributing conveyor underneath as illustrated in both said FIGS. 5 and 6F. In order that an egg may be dropped gently from the transfer cup 552, the described recession of the edge of cam 5'68 will initially be gradual as shown at the right lower quadrant of FIGS. 5 and 6A to 6F, but will rapidly increase over the adjoining sector of the cam edge, i.e., the cam edge appearing as the left lower quadrant in the above mentioned figures, so that the cup and its respective spring fingers may resume the wide open position illustrated in FIG. 6A by the time the cup reaches again its egg receiving position adjacent the transfer bridge 550 where it dwells to receive another egg as described hereinbefore.

It will be understood that the described transfer mechanism and the distributing conveyor must operate in synchronisrn so that a transfer cup moving into the position illustrated in FIG. 6F will always find an aligned bucket in the distributing conveyor underneath, and as pointed out hereinbefore, the drive sprocket 568 of the described transfer mechanism is, therefore, driven directly from the distributing conveyor by being in mesh with the upper run of one of the sprocket chains of said conveyor as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7.

As pointed out hereinbefore, the tubular shaft 570 of the sprocket 568 is employed to drive the feed elevator of the respective candling station and the weighing mechanism associated with said station from, and in properly timed relation with, the distributing conveyor, and for this purpose it carries a ratchet 626 (FIG. 10) that constitutes the driven side of the hereinbefore mentioned clutch 584. Said ratchet has a single tooth 621 that is ordinarily engaged by the hook-shaped head 622 of a pawl 623. Said pawl is pivotally supported from the adjacently positioned radially directed wall 624 of a lip 625 (FIG. 7) which is rigidly secured to a sprocket 626 that is rotatably mounted upon the tubular shaft 570 and constitutes the driven side of the clutch 584. A spring 627 compressed between the rear edge of the pawl head 622 and a horizontal portion 628 of the lip 625 that extends over the pawl, urges said pawl into the defined position of engagement with the single tooth 621 of the ratchet 620, as illustrated in FIG. 10, wherein the rotary power of the tubular shaft 570 is transmitted to the sprocket 626.

The sprocket 626 in turn is operatively connected by means of a sprocket chain 630 with another sprocket 631 that is firmly mounted upon a counter shaft 632 disposed below the tubular shaft 570 of the sprocket 568, as best shown in FIG. 9. Said last-mentioned shaft 632 is rotatably supported in the clutch cabinet 582 and a cabinet 216 of the weighing mechanism 180 and carries at a point beyond the outer wall of said last-mentioned cabinet 216 a sprocket 633 (FIG. 8) that is operatively connected by means of an endless sprocket chain 634 with a sprocket 635 which is firmly mounted upon a drive shaft 218 of the elevator 168-. Likewise supported from the counter shaft 632 at a point below the weighing mechanism is a bevel gear 636 that meshes with another bevel gear 637 which is rotatably supported from the walls of the cabinet 216. Pinned to said bevel gear 637 is a sprocket (not shown) that is operatively con nected by means of another endless sprocket chain 640 (FIG. 9) with a sprocket 641 which is firmly mounted upon a drive hub 498 (FIG. 2) that carries a control cam 487 which effects the relative approach of the weight switch supporting frame 450 and the weight disc supporting bracket structure 350 (FIG. 2). Thus, whenever the clutch 584- is engaged, the feed elevator and the Weighing mechanism of the pmticular candling station will operate in properly timed relation with each other and with the distributing conveyor.

To effect disengagement of the clutch 584 and in this manner bring the feed elevator and the weighing mechanism of a particular candling station to a standstill while the distributing conveyor may continue to operate, the tail end 642 (FIG. 10) of the pawls 623 carries a camming arc 644 that swings with the pawl about the axis of the tubular shaft 576 as long as the head 622 of the pawl engages the single tooth 621 of the drive ratchet 620 under the urgency of spring means 627. A means is provided, however, that may be operated to urge the camming arc 644 in radial direction toward the center axis of rotation of the tubular drive shaft 570 causing the pawl head 622 to disengage, and remain disengaged, from the solitary tooth 621 of the ratchet 626 so that the drive connection between the tubular shaft 578 and the sprocket 626 is interrupted. For this purpose a onearmed actuating lever 645 is pivotally supported from one of the walls of the clutch cabinet 582, as shown at 646 in FIG. 5 and lies normally below the circular orbit of the camming are 644, as shown in FIG. 10. When said lever 645 is raised, however, into the position illustrated in FIG. 11, where it intersects the rotary orbit of the pawl tail 642, the camming are 644 on said tail will strike against the upper edge of the lever 645 causing the pawl 623 to swing in counter-clockwise direction about its pivot which disengages its head 622 from the tooth 621 of the ratchet 62%. As a result thereof, the driving connection between the tubular shaft 570 and the sprocket 626 is interrupted and the latter will cease to turn, causing the feed elevator and the weighing mechanism to cease operation.

While the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and as described in the specification was specifically devised, and is employed, for processing eggs, it will be understood the apparatus embodying the principles of the invention may be usefully employed with other articles, such as avocados, lemons, or other highly priced fruit.

It will be understood that modifications and variations of the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A mechanism for lowering eggs from an upper to a lower level comprising a horizontally disposed rotary shaft, means for turning said shaft, a base plate mounted for rotation with said shaft, an egg supporting member loosely supported from said shaft for rotation thereabout, a knee linkage operatively connecting said egg supporting member with said base plate, and camming means arranged to vary the distance of the joint of said knee linkage from the center axis of said shaft during rotation thereof so as to alter the speed of rotary advance imparted to said eg supporting member from said base plate through said linkage, said camming means being of such conformation as to delay advance of said egg supporting member at a predetermined point of its rotary orbit.

2. A mechanism for lowering eggs from an upper to a lower level comprising a horizontally disposed rotary shaft, means for turning said shaft, a base plate mounted for rotation with said shaft, an egg supporting member loosely supported from said shaft for rotation thereabout, a knee linkage operatively connecting said egg supporting member with said base plate, camming means arranged to vary the distance of the joint of said knee linkage from the center axis of said rotary shaft during rotation of said base plate so as to alter the speed of rotary advance imparted to said egg supporting member from said base plate through said linkage, an egg retaining member rigidly supported from said base plate at a point trailing said egg supporting member, said camming means being of such conformation as to delay advance of said egg supporting member at a predetermined point of its rotary orbit until said egg retaining member reaches an effective egg retaining position relative to said egg supporting member and to speed up rotary advance of said egg supporting member beyond the rotary advance of said egg retaining member at a lower predetermined point of its rotary orbit so as to effect separation of said members and allow an egg held therebetween to drop from between said members.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said egg supporting member has the form of a longitudinally split trowel.

4. A mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said egg retaining member comprises a pair of transversely spaced spring fingers.

5. In combination, an egg transporting conveyor comprising a pair of parallel sprocket chains carrying a sequence of buckets supported from said sprockets and adapted to hold eggs with their main axes disposed ver tioally; and a mechanism for lowering eggs from an upper position wherein their main axes extend horizontally to a lower level with their main axes disposed vertically comprising a horizontally disposed rotary shaft, means for turning said shaft comprising a sprocket enmeshed with one of the chains of said egg transporting conveyor, a base plate mounted for rotation with said sprocket, an egg receiving member loosely supported from said. shaft for rotation thereabout, a knee linkage operatively connecting said egg supporting member with said base plate, stationary camming means arranged to vary the distance of the joint of said knee linkage from the center axis to said shaft during rotation of said base plate so as to alter the speed of rotary advance imparted to said egg supporting member from said base plate through said linkage, a yieldable egg retaining member nigidly supported from said base plate at a point intermediately of said egg supporting member and the point of pivotal connection of said knee linkage to said base plate, said camming means being of such conformation as to delay advance of said egg supporting member at about the 3:00 oclock point of its rotary orbit until said egg retaining member reaches an effective egg retaining position relative to said egg supporting member and to speed up rotary advance of said egg supporting member beyond the rotary advance of said egg retaining member at about the 6:00 oclock point of its rotary orbit so as to effect separation of said members and allow the egg held therebetween to drop from between said members into an aligned bucket of said conveyor.

6. A mechanism for lowering articles from an upper level to a lower level comprising a horizontally disposed shaft, an article supporting member supported from said shaft for rotation thereabout, linkage means mounted for rotation with said shaft and connected to said supporting member for imparting rotary movement thereto, an article retaining member carried by said linkage means at a point trailing said support member for rotation with said shaft, means for rotating said shaft to move said article supporting member from an upper article receiving station to a lower article discharging station, and means engaging said linkage means to alter the speed of rotary advance imparted to said supporting member for delaying the advance of said supporting member at said article receiving station until said article retaining member reaches an effective article retaining position and to increase the rotary advance of said supporting member at the article discharging stat on so as to increase the separation between said article retaining member and said article supporting member to allow an article to drop therebetween.

7. A mechanism for lowering articles from an upper level to a lower level compnising a horizontally disposed shaft, an article supporting member supported by said shaft for rotation thereabout, an article retaining member carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and arranged to trail said supporting member, means for rotating said shaft to move said article supporting member from an article receiving station to a lower article discharging station, linkage means interconnecting said shaft and said members to vary the space between said supporting and retaining members during rotation of said shaft, and means engaging said linkage means to decrease the space between said supporting and retaining members at said article receiving station to grip an article and to increase the space between said supporting and retaining members at said article discharging station to release an article.

8. A mechanism for lowering articles from an upper level to a lower level comprising a horizontally disposed shaft, an article supporting member supported by said shaft for rotation therewith and relative thereto and adapted to receive an article when in a horizontal position, a yieldable article retaining member carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and arranged to trail said supporting member for engaging an article carried by said supporting member, means for moving said article supporting member relative to said retaining member from a position wherein the supported article is spaced from said retaining member to a position wherein the article is clamped against said retaining members, and means for rotating said shaft to move said article supporting member from a horizontal article receiving station to a lower article discharging station.

9. A mechanism for transferring eggs between an upper and a lower level comprising a horizontally disposed rotary shaft, means for turning said shaft, support means mounted for rotation with said shaft, an egg supporting member loosely supported from said shaft for rotation therewith and relative thereto, a linkage operatively connecting said egg supporting member with said support means, and camming means operatively connected to said linkage and arranged to actuate said egg supporting member upon rotation of said shaft so as to alter the speed of rotary advance imparted to said egg supporting member from said support means through said linkage, said camming means being of such conformation as to delay advance of said egg supporting member at a predetermined point of its rotary orbit, said egg supporting members being of fixed length.

10. A mechanism for lowering eggs from an upper to a lower level comprising a horizontally disposed rotary shaft, means for turning said shaft, support means mounted for rotation with said shaft, an egg supporting member loosely supported from said shaft for rotation thereabout, a linkage operatively connecting said egg supporting member with said support means, camming means operatively connected to said linkage and arranged to actuate said egg supporting member upon rotation of said shaft so as to alter the speed of rotary advance imparted to said egg supporting member from said support means through said linkage, an egg retaining member rigidly supported from said support means at a point trailing said egg supporting member, said eamming means being of such conformation as to delay advance of said egg supporting member at a predetermined point of its rotary orbit until said egg retaining member reaches an effective egg retaining position relative to said egg supporting member.

11. In combination, a first horizontal conveying means adapted to advance eggs and similar articles horizontally with their main axes disposed horizontally and transversely of the direction of movement of said first conveying means, a second horizontal conveying means adapted to advance articles horizontally in a direction transverse to said first conveying means with the main axes of the articles disposed vertically and transversely of the direction of travel of said second conveying means, said second conveying means being disposed at a lower level than said first conveying means, and transfer means including an article supporting member movable to a horizontal position to receive an article with the main axis of the article disposed horizontally at the level of said first conveying means, said supporting member being movable to a lower vertical position to lower the article onto said second conveying means while changing the position of the main axis of the article from the horizontal to the vertical.

References (Jited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,461,222 Myers July 10, 1923 1,514,185 Houten Nov. 4, 1924 2,643,778 Socke June 30, 1953 2,646,897 Francisco July 28, 1953

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