Diamond Automations, Inc.

Sanovo Technology Group

Diamond International Corporation

George N Bliss

Leslie P Thomas

John C McEvoy

Keith H Pietila

James M Nield

An egg carrier including a gripper mechanism wherein the egg carrier is operative to grip and release an egg at a predetermined orientation. Accordingly, the egg carrier includes a mechanism whereby the gripper mechanism can be rotated whereby an egg can be released at an angle greater or less than 90&#xb0;. The gripper mechanism capable of gripping an egg in one orientation and then pivoting or changing the orientation of the egg such that the egg is released at a predetermined angle.

Apparatus and method of egg transfer within an egg handling machine

An egg orientation mechanism orients eggs within an egg handling machine including a plurality of randomly arranged eggs on a first egg conveying mechanism. A lifter mechanism located on the first egg conveying mechanism raises each egg away from the egg conveying mechanism to off balance and rotate the egg so that the egg is oriented to with larger end of egg leading as egg is released into a second egg conveying mechanism. A clamshell egg receiver includes a front wall, a rear wall and egg receiving space formed between front wall and the rear wall. Either one of front wall or rear wall pivots about a pivot point located below a centerline of the egg receiving space. A method of releasing an egg includes holding an egg by an egg holder, rotating the egg holder and releasing the egg at an angle greater or less than 90 degrees.

An automated actuation device for releasing items within a confined space, particularly an automated pickup head and gripping plate assembly which is used to grip egg cartons or trays and place those egg cartons or trays in stacks in a shipping container or basket. The actuation device includes a pickup head which may be mounted on any known or conventional apparatus for moving and orienting the pickup head and gripping plates to grasp individual items such as, e.g., egg cartons or trays, and to transfer those items to, and insert those items within, a confined space such as, e.g., a shipping container or basket. Mounted on the actuation device is a pickup head and gripping plate assembly. This assembly is actuated by an air cylinder connected to the assembly by a spider arm and an actuating bar. The gripping plate itself is connected to the pickup head by a first link and a second link. The first and second links are pivotally mounted on the pickup head, while an intermediate portion of the gripping plate is pivotally and slidably attached to the second link. A biasing element, attached on the second link, biases the gripping plate to an open position.

Apparatus for releasing items within a confined space

An automated device for releasing items within a confined space, particularly an automated pickup head which is used to grip egg cartons or trays and place those egg cartons or trays in stacks in a shipping container or basket. The device includes a pickup head which may be mounted on any known or conventional apparatus for moving and orienting the pickup head to grasp individual items such as, e.g., egg cartons or trays and to transfer those items to, and insert those items within, a confined space such as, e.g., a shipping container or basket. Mounted on the pickup head is an actuation device such as, e.g., two air cylinders, each having one end connected to the pickup head and another end connected to a first link. The first links are pivotally mounted on the pickup head, and are pivotally attached at one end to an upper end of a gripping finger. A biasing element biases the gripping fingers to an open position. An intermediate portion of each gripping finger is pivotally and slidably attached to a second link. The second links are pivotally mounted on the pickup head. The lower end of the gripping fingers are preferably slightly curved, and are used to grip the side and bottom of the items to be inserted and/or removed within the confined space.

An apparatus for conveying, cleaning, drying, oiling, candling, grading and packing eggs and high speeds. A main conveyor assembly, which includes two or more conveyors, transfers eggs continuously in spaced-apart, aligned relationship to transfer at which eggs are packaged according to their previously-determined individual physical characteristics, such as weight, cracks, dirt, etc. The conveyors can run in the same direction, or may run in opposite directions. The transfers accommodate the at least two conveyors, and include a section which gathers ejected eggs and may convey them to a packing station in a manner which prevents egg collisions. The eject mechanism for ejecting eggs from the conveyors ensures proper distribution of the eggs across a transfer so as to prevent egg collisions and to ensure that the packers are filled equally across their widths.

High-speed egg processing system and method

An apparatus for transferring eggs continuously conveyed in spaced-apart, aligned relationship by a conveyor to a receiving station at which eggs are packaged according to their individual physical characteristics. A frame on which solenoid-actuated plungers are mounted is disposed adjacent the conveyor at the receiving station for releasing eggs having the same physical characteristics from the conveyor in a predetermined sequence at the receiving station. The frame is movable with respect to the receiving station according to the speed of the conveyor.

Egg processing system

An automatic article stacking system wherein a plurality of articles to be stacked are arranged in layers prior to being stacked. The layers are advantageously arranged horizontally orthogonal to one another so as to enhance the stability of the stack. A measurement system is provided for determining whether any of the articles exceeds a predetermined size limit. In one embodiment which is arranged for stacking egg cartons, a determination that the egg carton exceeds the predetermined size limit signifies that the egg carton is open and, therefore, not in a form suitable for stacking. The open egg carton is conveyed under an elevator which accumulates the articles to be stacked, and to a discharge area. Thus, closed egg cartons are accumulated in layers and stacked. Successive layers of articles are stacked under prior stacked layers.

Automatic article stacking system

An egg packing apparatus includes an endless conveyor including a plurality of rotatable parallel rollers each provided with a plurality of abutments in the form of annular flanges. The flanges of any one roller are aligned with flanges on other rollers to form a plurality of transport channels or feed paths extending to respective guide chutes. The guide chutes are each defined by a pair of opposing side walls, a pivotably mounted plate member and an additional wall opposite the plate member 36, the additional wall being provided with a V-shaped portion extending inwardly towards the plate member so that the guide chute has a decreased width in a central region. Upon the deposition of an egg on the plate member with the narrow end of the egg is contact with one of the side walls of the guide chute, the plate member is pivoted and the large end of the egg is temporarily held between the additional wall and the plate member, allowing the narrow end of the egg to swing downwardly. The egg is then placed narrow end down into a transfer device and transferred to a carton.

Egg packer with egg alignment device

An article coding and separating system such as for instance, in which articles or defective eggs which are randomly dispersed in a plurality of similar articles are coded and their location identified. An elongated pivotally mounted pointer is disposed so as to be pivotable over an inspection area in mutually orthogonal directions, parallel and transverse to the longitudinal axis of a conveyor, and axially movable towards and away from the articles being conveyed. The pointer generates signals for simultaneously indicating the position of articles on the conveyor within the inspection area, and the type of article being identified.

Article coding and separating system

An apparatus for transferring individual trays of eggs from the top of adjacently spaced stacks onto a conveyor member. A lifting head is provided for each stack of egg trays and includes thereon vacuum cups which are engagable with each of the individual eggs in the uppermost tray. A vacuum actuated gripper is further provided with each lifting head assembly for engaging and lifting the uppermost tray away from the remainder of the stack. Each lifting head assembly is associated with a rotatable drive to effect rotation during transfer while also moving adjacently spaced lifting head assemblies with respect to one another in order to avoid contact during simultaneous rotation of adjacent lifting head assemblies. Relative movement between each head assembly and the respective support platform is also provided to accommodate variations in height between adjacent stacks to insure proper engagement with the uppermost tray to be transferred.

Growing community of inventors

Franklin, MI, United States of America

George N Bliss