Patent ID: 11937997
Assignee: NOVA-TECH ENGINEERING, LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 8:
9. A beak opening apparatus for opening a beak of a bird positioned in a delivery location relative to the beak opening apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a beak splitter comprising an upper beak contact surface and a lower beak contact surface forming a wedge configured for insertion between an upper mandible and a lower mandible of a beak of a bird positioned in a delivery location relative to the beak opening apparatus, the beak splitter movable between a home position and an opening position, wherein the beak splitter is configured to separate the upper mandible of the bird in the delivery location from the lower mandible of the bird to open the beak of the bird in the delivery location when the beak splitter moves from the home position to the opening position;
a beak opening actuator operably connected to the beak splitter, wherein the beak opening actuator is configured to move the beak splitter between the opening position and the home position, wherein the upper beak contact surface of the beak splitter is configured to contact the upper mandible of the beak of the bird in the delivery location before the lower beak contact surface of the beak splitter contacts the lower mandible when the beak splitter is moving from the home position to the opening position to separate the upper mandible from the lower mandible to open the beak of the bird;
a control unit operably connected to the beak opening actuator, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the beak opening actuator to move the beak splitter between the home position and the opening position; and
a beak tip detector operably connected to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to:
receive a signal from the beak tip detector when the beak tip detector detects a tip of the upper mandible of the beak of the bird in the delivery location; and
operate the beak opening actuator to move the beak splitter between the home position and the opening position after receiving the signal from the beak tip detector.