Machine for automatically shelling fresh eggs

An automatic egg shelling machine has a plurality of operative lines that are arranged to be side-by-side and driven by a common drive motor. Each of the operative lines extends in a substantially vertical plane. The operative lines receive eggs from an egg feeding station, and are moved in conveyor fashion along a closed loop. A number of hinged compact groups are distributed along each one of the lines for receiving the eggs from the egg feeding station and breaking the shells of the eggs. The compact groups collect the yolk and the albumen thereof separately.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an automatic machine that is capable of 
breaking off and stripping the shell from fresh eggs that are supplied to 
it in sequence by a conveyor or similar means, as well as distinctly 
collecting the yolk and the albumen of each one of the eggs in view of the 
separate storage of the yolk and the albumen in appropriate containers. 
Such machines are generally of a carrousel type, having a closed loop 
conveyor extending in a horizontal plane and carrying a plurality of 
compact operative groups, each one of which cyclically receives an egg 
from a feeder, breaks off the shell of the egg by means of a knife-type 
apparatus, and separately collects the yolk and the albumen thereof into 
respective appropriately sized cups placed on each other so that they can 
be conveyed into respective separate storage containers. In particular, in 
each compact operative group both the shell breaking means and the 
collecting cups are arranged above each other and aligned vertically. 
Machines of this kind are for instance described in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,137,838 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,864. 
In view of the desire to reduce the space requirements of such 
carrousel-like machines, automatic egg shelling machines have been 
proposed which have a plurality of continuous operative lines in a 
side-by-side arrangement, each line extending vertically. A machine of 
this kind is for example described in Italian patent A 1,223,181. In this 
document, each operative line is in turn formed by two separate 
closed-loop conveyors that are arranged above each other to extend on the 
same vertical plane. In particular, the upper conveyor carries a plurality 
of egg-shell breaking apparatuses, whereas the lower conveyor carries a 
plurality of groups for separately collecting the yolks and the albumens 
of the eggs. 
The solution of the Italian patent enables an output capacity to be reached 
that is certainly greater than that of the carrousel-type machines. 
However, this solution still has some drawbacks: 
In particular, in each operative line, the movement of the two conveyors 
running one above the other must be accurately synchronized so as to 
enable the contents of the eggs that are supported and shelled at the 
corresponding upper conveyor to be correctly collected on the front 
portion of the machine in correspondence with the lower conveyor. This 
involves undesirable complications of the machine from both the point of 
view of its construction as well as its function. 
Furthermore, because sanitary regulations call for the egg yolks and the 
albumens collected in the lower conveyors to be regularly inspected, a 
need arises for the lower conveyors to extend horizontally beyond the 
corresponding upper conveyors. Because of this, the whole machine is under 
definite shape and size constraints, particularly lengthwise, that prevent 
the machine from being compact to any satisfactory extent. 
The above-discussed displacement of the conveyors with respect to each 
other does not allow for an adequate inspection to be carried out of both 
the shells of the eggs in the upper conveyors and their contents on the 
lower conveyors by a single operator at the same time. This of course 
makes it quite difficult, and critical, to operate and use the machine 
under the highest possible sanitary safety conditions. In any case, an 
operator inspecting the collecting portion is quite likely to fail to take 
notice of eggs that may possibly remain unshelled, i.e. not broken, due to 
a malfunction. This results in the unshelled eggs being sent directly to 
discharge, resulting in a reduced production yield and reduced efficiency 
of the machine. 
The broken shells are intended to fall and collect in a screw-type 
discharge channel similar to a gutter that is arranged at the base of the 
upper conveyors in correspondence with an end portion (return point) 
beyond which the lower conveyors extend. Therefore during translation of 
the broken shells along the upper conveyors, filamentous dripping of the 
albumen may occur, which settles on the edge of the gutter-like channel. 
As a result, subsequently a substantially continuous filiform fall of 
albumen occurs from the channel. Should one of the shelled eggs turn out 
to be of a non-edible quality, the dripping albumen from this egg can 
progressively contaminate the discharge channel, the collecting means 
carried on the conveyors under the discharge channel and the product 
collected thereby. The consequences of such a process are clearly 
apparent. 
Similar contamination problems can arise from the various reservoirs in 
which the edible product (yolk, albumen and mixed product) is stored, 
since they are situated downstream of reservoirs used to store the 
non-edible product, i.e. the product that is unfit for food. In fact, 
should the product contained in the collecting means be found to be 
non-edible, the same collecting means is actuated by an operator to cause 
it to discharge the product into the appropriately provided storage 
reservoir. It is therefore practically impossible to prevent dripping of 
the non-edible product from taking place at the subsequent storage 
reservoirs, where they eventually contaminate the contents. The problem is 
particularly noted with respect to the reservoir where the yolks are 
stored, because this reservoir is generally arranged at the rear end 
portion of the machine on the outside of the operative lines, i.e. at a 
position at which the direction of movement of the lower conveyors is 
reversed and, as a result, dripping is more likely to occur. On the other 
hand, the relative arrangement of the various storage reservoirs is 
necessary in order to provide sufficient space for the operator to 
conveniently inspect the product which is carried by the collecting means 
without any need arising for the space that is occupied by the machine in 
the lengthwise direction to be further increased. 
Some of the more delicate yolks can undesirably rupture when falling from a 
shell-breaking apparatus down to the respective collecting means providing 
therebelow. This drawback is common to carrousel-type egg shelling 
machines provided with compact shell-breaking and collecting means, 
because the shortest possible yolk-falling height is usually determined by 
geometric and/or size constraints. The practical result is a substantial 
drop in the efficiency of such machines. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an 
automatic machine for shelling fresh eggs in which the typical drawbacks 
associated with prior art machines are eliminated or minimized. In 
particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an 
automatic egg shelling machine that is particularly compact and simple in 
its structural arrangement but yet is capable of operating in a simple 
reliable manner with a high degree of efficiency. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine that is 
generally capable of operating under stringent safety and hygiene 
conditions. 
In accordance with the present invention, the abovestated objects are 
accomplished by a machine for automatically shelling fresh eggs that 
comprises an egg feeding station, a plurality of operative conveyor lines 
that are arranged side-by-side and are adapted to receive eggs from the 
egg feeding station, each of the operative conveyor lines comprising a 
single closed-loop conveyor and extending in a substantially vertical 
plane, a drive means for driving each of the plurality of operative 
conveyor lines along its respective single closed-loop, and a plurality of 
compact groups distributed along each of the plurality of operative 
conveyor lines for breaking the shells of the eggs received from the egg 
feeding station and separately collecting the yolk and the albumen of the 
eggs. 
Preferably, the machine according to the present invention has each of the 
compact groups comprising a collecting apparatus that comprises a yolk 
collecting pan located above an albumen collecting cup and a shell 
breaking apparatus that is arranged above the collecting apparatus. The 
collecting apparatus is at a position offset relative to the shell 
breaking apparatus in a direction away from the egg feeding station. 
The yolk collecting pan preferably has an inclined chute that protrudes in 
a direction toward the egg feeding station and extends along a vertical 
line that passes through the shell breaking apparatus as well as adjacent 
to the vertical line, so that the contents of an egg falling from the 
shell breaking apparatus is collected by the inclined chute and guided to 
the pan and subsequently to the albumen collecting cup. 
A plurality of reservoirs for the differentiated storage of albumen, yolk, 
mixed albumen and yolk, and non-food grade product from the compact groups 
is provided inside the plurality of closed-loops. The reservoirs are 
substantially horizontally aligned with each other. One of the reservoirs 
stores the non-food grade product therein, and is located downstream of 
the other reservoirs with respect to the direction of travel of the single 
closed-loop conveyors. A chute having a screw conveyor for collecting an 
discharging broken egg shells, further, is located within the closed-loops 
form by the plurality of operative conveyor lines. 
Each of the compact groups is preferably pivotably mounted to one of the 
plurality of conveyor lines. The yolk collecting pan is pivotably mounted 
on a vertical line that is further away from the egg feeding station than 
a center line of the egg breaking apparatus, furthermore. The egg breaking 
apparatus and the collecting apparatus in each compact group are mounted 
on a common support, furthermore, that is pivoted to one of the plurality 
of operative conveyor lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawing figures, an egg shelling machine according to the 
present invention comprises a plurality of operative lines 1 that are 
provided in a side-by-side arrangement. One such operative line 1 is seen 
from the side in FIG. 1. Each operative line is, for example, formed by a 
closed-loop conveyor chain 2 that extends in a substantially vertical 
plane and is mounted on appropriate reversing rollers 5 together with a 
suitable guide system. The closed loop chain 2 is driven by a motor 
driving means 4 such as an electric motor. A plurality of compact groups 3 
are freely hinged onto the chain 2 in each operative line, for carrying 
the eggs, breaking the shell of the eggs and collecting the yolk and the 
albumen separately. 
As can be seen in FIG. 1, each operative line 1 extends to form a single 
closed-loop configuration, along which the compact groups 3 are 
distributed. Accordingly, as will become further apparent, the entire 
machine has a simple, compact and rational structure. In a per se known 
manner, the operative lines in the side-by-side arrangement are preferably 
interconnected by means of appropriate cross-beams 31 as seen in FIG. 2, 
and are caused to progress simultaneously at the same pace. 
The machine has a front end portion 6 adjacent to which is provided a 
roller-type or similar feeding apparatus 7 that is adapted to convey fresh 
eggs in sequence toward the grooves 3. 
As shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4, each one of the groups 3 is hinged 
on a respective chain 2 at an upper point 8. From the upper point 8, a 
pair of bars 9 carrying a shell-breaking apparatus 10 extend downward. In 
a per se known manner, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,864 
(incorporated herein by reference), the shell breaking apparatus 10 
comprises in turn two support jaws 11 that are provided in a side-by-side 
arrangement and are capable of being moved apart. Between the two support 
jaws 11 is provided an apparatus 12 that is hinged in a knife-like 
configuration to the two support jaws 11. Above the jaws 11 is hinged a 
retaining arm 13 that is associated with an actuating lever 14. 
Below the shell-breaking apparatus 10, each compact group 3 is further 
provided with a collecting apparatus that comprises a pan 15 and a cup 16 
for collecting the yolk and the albumen, respectively. In particular, the 
pan 15 and the cup 16 are substantially vertically aligned in a rearward 
position with respect to the shell-breaking apparatus 10. In particular, 
an inclined chute 32 that extends along the vertical line that passes 
through the shell-breaking apparatus 10 protrudes frontally from the pan 
15. The pan 15 is hinged centrally at 17 so as to be able to be normally 
maintained in a horizontal position. The pan 15 is hinged onto at least a 
longitudinal cross-beam 18. The cup 16 is also hinged to the longitudinal 
cross-beam 18, for example at the front of the cup 16 as illustrated at 19 
in FIG. 3. 
In a per se known manner, the cup 16 is also normally maintained in a 
horizontal position, and each collecting apparatus 15, 16 is associated 
with linkages (not shown for greater simplicity) that can be actuated into 
various positions so as to selectively allow for the yolk and the albumen 
to be unloaded separately, jointly, or into a waste collecting container 
in case of a non-edible or non-food quality product. The cross-beam 18 is 
mounted on the rear side on a bracket 21 that extends rearwardly from the 
lower end portion of the bars 9. 
The structure of the groups 3 turns out to be particularly compact with the 
present invention, and to such an extent so as to allow for the chute 32 
to be positioned close to the shell-breaking apparatus 10, relative to 
which the entire product collecting apparatus 15, 16 is advantageously 
displaced backwards. In this regard, it should be noted that when the 
operative lines 1 are in motion, each compact group 3 must move along with 
the front end portions of the jaws 11 running flush with the feeding 
apparatus, i.e. coming into the closest possible relation therewith, so as 
to ensure a safe transfer of the fresh eggs from the feeding apparatus to 
the compact groups 3. This would not be possible in the case of compact 
groups of the traditional type, i.e. with shell-breaking apparatus and 
collecting apparatus arranged above each other on the same vertical line. 
As a matter of fact, the pan 15 and the cup 16 must have horizontal 
dimensions that are larger than the jaws 11 of the shell-breaking 
apparatus so as to be able to collect the liquid contents of the shelled 
eggs without any spillage. As a result, in a machine according to the 
present invention in which the operative lines 1 are arranged in a single 
vertical closed-loop configuration, it would be practically impossible to 
move the groups 3 so as to enable the jaws 11 to skim, i.e. to correctly 
come close to the feeding apparatus 7. This could theoretically be 
achieved by providing the jaws 11 with front protrusions that are adapted 
to receive the still sound eggs and rotate them into a proper 
shell-breaking position. In practice, however, such a solution is 
impractical because it results in an unstable state of the eggs as they 
are rotated, thus resulting in substantial ineffectiveness of the machine 
along with the undesired oversizing of the compact groups. Quite to the 
contrary, according to a feature of the present invention, such problems 
are solved in a simple and effective manner thanks to the aforementioned 
rearward offset position of the collecting apparatuses 15, 16 (which 
eliminates the geometrical interference) and the presence of the chutes 32 
(which enable the liquid content of the broken eggs to be collected 
optimally without taking up any substantial space vertically). 
It should be further noted that in each compact group 3, the chute 32 lying 
close to the shell-breaking apparatus 10 is capable of very delicately 
collecting and transferring the liquid content of the broken eggs from the 
shell-breaking apparatus 10 to the separate collecting means 15, 16. In 
this manner, most delicate egg yolks can also be collected without any 
risk of rupture. 
In a preferred manner, the closed-loop configurations formed by the 
operative lines 1 have a horizontally elongated arrangement, while 
reservoirs are provided inside the closed-loop configurations in a 
substantially horizontally aligned arrangement for differentiated storage 
of the product. In particular, starting from the rear end portion 22, 
through to the front end portion 6 of the machine, there are successively 
provided a reservoir 23 for the storage of albumen, a reservoir 24 for the 
storage of the yolk, a reservoir 25 for the storage of mixed product, a 
reservoir 26 for the storage of non-edible or non-food quality product, as 
well as (preferably downstream of all such reservoirs) an arrangement 27 
for washing the compact groups 3. In a preferred manner, a screw-type 
discharge chute 28, of a per se known type, is provided between the 
washing arrangement 27 and the reservoir 26 in order to collect and 
discharge the broken shells of the eggs. 
With respect to the rear end portion 22, the machine further comprises a 
tank or a similar vessel 29 for the inspection of the stored albumen. 
The egg shelling machine according to the present invention is of course 
completed by the provision of appropriate mechanisms for time-controlled 
operation thereof and for the resetting of compact groups 3. Such 
mechanisms are, for example, of the type comprising cams and associated 
position checks. Additionally, the machine may comprise mechanisms to 
drive the screw 28, the washing apparatus 27, etc. Also such mechanisms 
may be of any type that fulfills the desired purpose, such as those 
described in the aforementioned prior patent specification. For greater 
simplicity and ease of understanding, they will not be specifically 
described here. 
From the above description, the manner in which the egg shelling machine 
generally operates can be inferred quite clearly, so that there is little 
point in explaining the details of the operation here. Only the most 
significant aspects of the operation will thus be briefly described below. 
With reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that each one of the side-by-side 
operative lines 1 is driven in a counterclockwise direction, and each 
group 3 moves along in sequence by the feeding arrangement 7 to pick up a 
fresh egg with the jaws 11. The shell of the egg is then broken through a 
jerking movement of the knife-like apparatus 12. The two halves of the 
broken shell are parted from each other by a movement of the jaws 11; the 
jaws 11 open apart so as to enable the liquid content of the egg to fall 
down by gravity from the shell-breaking apparatus 10. The liquid content, 
or liquid product, is collected by the chute 32 thereunder, which conveys 
it delicately toward the pan 15, where the yolk is collected. In a per se 
known manner, the albumen separates by gravity from the yolk and falls 
into the cup 16 thereunder. 
Because of the operative lines 1 being provided along individual vertically 
extending closed loops supporting the compact groups 3, during the 
translational movement of the operative lines 1, an operator (who is 
preferably standing at the rear end portion 22 of the machine) can 
conveniently inspect not only the product contained in the collecting 
apparatuses 15 and 16, but also the possible presence of unbroken eggs at 
the shell breaking apparatuses 10. At this position the operator is able 
to intervene in the most appropriate manner. 
In a per se known manner, the operator will act on appropriate levers 
according to the particular need. As a result, at the upper portion of the 
machine the pans 15 and the cups 16 are normally "released" to pour their 
respective contents into the storage reservoirs in a differentiated 
manner. In particular, the albumen in the cup 16 is poured into the 
reservoir 23, and the yolk in the pan 15 is poured into the reservoir 24. 
Alternatively, both products may be poured into the same reservoir 25, 
provided for storing a mixed product. 
Should the operator discover that the product collected by the apparatuses 
15, 16 is not fit for human consumption, i.e. not suitable for food 
applications, the operator intervenes (by respective levers, e.g.) so as 
to cause the apparatuses 15 and 16 to be operated so that they will pour 
their contents into the reservoir 26. Due to the fact that the reservoir 
26 is arranged downstream of the other storage reservoirs (as well as 
upstream of the washing arrangement 27), there is practically no 
possibility for non-food quality product to drip accidentally into the 
storage reservoirs 23, 24 and 25, where it could clearly contaminate the 
food-quality edible contents thereof. The hygienic safety conditions are 
further enhanced by the side-by-side arrangement of the reservoirs within 
the operative lines 1, i.e. in positions in which the compact groups 3 are 
not subject to any particular undesired vibration. 
The relative arrangement of the various operative components of the machine 
as described above is such as to prevent any filamentary accumulation of 
albumen from forming on the borders of the screw-type chute 28. Thus no 
undesired spilling of the product which could possibly contaminate the 
contents of the underlying company groups 3 can take place. In a per se 
known manner, the chute 28 collects and discharges the broken shells as 
they are released from the shell breaking apparatuses 10. 
Each cycle of operation is completed by, possibly, washing and resetting 
the compact groups 3, which again come to pass by the feeding apparatus 7 
under appropriate conditions of cleanliness and in a correct position. 
It will be appreciated that the above-described egg shelling machine can be 
subject to a number of modifications without departing from the scope of 
the present invention.