Intermediate bracing support and guide for use with an elongated egg cracker shaft and for preventing outward bowing deflection during egg delivery and breaking operations

A support mechanism for preventing outward deflection of a cracker shaft in an egg breaker assembly, about which are supported in orbiting fashion a plurality of circumferentially spaced rows of egg breakers. A disk shaped portion is mounted in slaved rotatable fashion about an intermediate location of the cracker shaft and exhibits a plurality of exteriorly facing and circumferentially offset inwardly recessed scalloped surfaces. An outer fixed and guiding cam is secured to an aligning intermediate location of the breaker and exhibits an inner arcuate extending and guiding/support surface in outwardly spaced and aligning fashion relative to the scalloped locations of the rotating disk. A perimeter support is disposed upon an aligning location of each cracker shaft and which is captured between selected scalloped locations and the inner guide supporting surface corresponding to at least one of egg receipt, breaking and depositing of yolk and albumen contents to synchronized delivery cups and albumen trays associated with the breakers.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a support brace arranged at a generally intermediate location of an egg cracker shaft associated with an egg transfer assembly including at least a breaker operation and in which the shaft and other components are widened (laterally elongated) in order to accommodate a greater number of egg conveying lanes associated with higher processing volume. Use of the support and guide obviates the need for prior art remedies for addressing shaft flexing, such as which have included supporting the shaft in a single direction or separating into separately driven and supported halves. In operation, the intermediate bracing support prevents flexing of an otherwise unsupported and widened cracker shaft, the critical aspects of which are needed during a repeating subset range of rotation of the multiple egg breakers extending from the cracker shaft and which correspond to egg delivery and breaking sub-operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART

The prior art is documented with examples of egg processing and transfer machinery, such as for example that depicted in the automatic egg shelling machine depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,139, to Pelbo. Additional examples of prior art egg processing machines incorporating some form of egg breaker (or cracker) units includes such as is depicted in, U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,434 to Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,246 to Kristensen, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,429, to Pettazzi.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention discloses a support mechanism integrated into an egg breaker assembly for preventing outward deflection of an associated cracker shaft, about which are supported in orbiting fashion a plurality of circumferentially spaced rows of egg breakers. Features associated with the support mechanism include the provision of a disk shaped portion mounted in slaved rotatable fashion about an intermediate location of the cracker shaft.

The disk exhibits a plurality of exteriorly facing and circumferentially offset inwardly recessed scalloped surfaces. An outer fixed and guiding cam is secured to an aligning intermediate location of the breaker. The cam exhibits an inner arcuate extending and guiding/support surface in outwardly spaced and aligning fashion relative to the scalloped locations of the rotating disk.

A generally arcuate perimeter shaped support is disposed upon an aligning location of each cracker shaft and which is captured between a selected one of the scalloped locations and the inner guide supporting surface, this through a subset arcuate range corresponding to at least one of egg receipt, breaking and depositing of yolk and albumen contents to synchronized delivery cups and albumen trays associated with the breakers. The perimeter shaped support may further include an outer radial edge matching a radius exhibited by the inner arcuate support surface associated with the outer fixed and guiding cam.

Additional features include the inner facing guide surface extending from a range equal or less than 180° between an uppermost spool bar receipt location to a lower-most yolk and albumen depositing location. The rotating disk and fixed cam each further have a durable and non-corrosive material. Other features include an approximately twelve o clock entry location and an approximately six o clock exit location configured into the rotating disk, between which occur egg receipt, breaking and depositing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring toFIGS. 1-4, the present invention again discloses a support brace arranged at a generally intermediate location of an egg cracker shaft associated with an egg transfer assembly including at least a breaker operation, and in which the shaft and other components are widened (laterally elongated) in order to accommodate a greater number of egg conveying lanes associated with higher processing volume. As further described, the support and guide prevents flexing of an otherwise unsupported and widened cracker shaft, the critical aspects of which are needed during a repeating subset range of rotation of the multiple egg breakers extending from the cracker shaft and corresponding to egg delivery and breaking.

Referring again toFIG. 1, a perspective illustration is generally shown at10of a breaker subsystem such as which is incorporated into an egg transfer operation and which, for purposes of ease of illustration, includes the removal of associated spool bars nominally at an elevated location, which attend to the delivery of the eggs to dedicated breaker subassemblies which are known according to the art and which extend in radially spaced rows from a central cracker shaft12. Also not depicted for purposes of ease and clarify of illustration of the center support brace are the pluralities of yolk receiving cups and albumen trays, these being typically supported in a closed loop conveyor and advanced in synchronizing fashion with the advancing of the eggs on the delivery spool bars as well as the counterclockwise (as depicted inFIG. 1) advancement of the egg breaker subassemblies (see selected breakers associated with radially offset row14) from a first (elevated) receiving location relative to the spool delivery bars (again removed) to a second delivery location for expelling the yolk and albumen contents of each egg into a specified yolk cup and underneath located and drain through albumen collection tray.

For purposes of the present invention, the configuration and construction of the above described features of the spool bars, egg breakers and yolk cups/albumen trays are asserted to be, by themselves, fairly well known and such that additional description and/or illustration thereof is unnecessary. In this manner, the pertinent features of the intermediate located and arcuate extending guide and support forming a part of the present invention are better depicted and explained and for assisting in preventing undesirable bowing or deflection of an otherwise unsecured midpoint location of a lengthened cracker shaft, such as which is subject to the mid-most located rows of breakers, and which can be of particular concern during the subset rotary cycle encompassing spool bar egg receipt and breaking/delivery to synchronized and lower located yolk cups/albumen trays.

The above said, and referring again toFIG. 1, associated components of the intermediate located central axial support and guide include a first generally disc shaped portion16which is mounted about a generally mid location of a central rotating cracker shaft18associated with the breaker operation. As shown, the disc16(which can include any type of durable and non-corrosive material such as without limitation any of an Acetal based material, heavy duty nylon or other material). The disc16as depicted further exhibits a plurality of outer circumferential spaced apart and extending scalloped cutouts, see at20,22,24et seq., extending 360° about an outer rim of the disc16.

Without further explanation, the angularly spaced arrangement of the scalloped cutouts corresponding to the radially offset and outer coaxial supporting locations of the individual rows of breakers. This is representatively depicted at14and which includes a generally arcuate exterior perimeter shaped (shown as circular) support26mounted at a midpoint location of the breaker support shaft14which aligns and seats within a selected scalloped location24.

An outer fixed and guiding cam surface (such as also constructed of a heavy duty nylon, polymeric or other suitable material) is further illustrated at28and is secured to an aligning midpoint location of the breaker such that an inner arcuate extending and guiding/support surface30is aligned in outwardly/opposingly spaced manner relative to the exterior facing scalloped recesses or cutouts20,22,24, et seq. of the cracker shaft mounted and rotating disc16. As shown inFIG. 1, the inner arcuate profile30of the cam surface generally corresponds to an angular range equal or less than 180° extending from an uppermost, generally twelve o′clock entering position, generally depicted at32, relative to the counter clockwise rotating (as viewed inFIG. 1) direction of the disk16, to an exiting substantially six o′clock position, generally at34, as further shown.

The circular support26arranged on the outer parallel and coaxial orbiting shaft supporting the breakers14likewise is dimensioned to contact the inner arcuate surface30of the fixed cam surface28such that, in combination with the inner scalloped locations of the rotating disk16, operate over the dedicated rotational range to prevent undesirable outward bowing or flexing of the cracker shaft18over the critical subset arcuate range corresponding to a series of egg delivery and breaking operations. As depicted in succeeding illustrationsFIGS. 2-4, these include a first specified egg receipt location approximate to the twelve o clock position (FIG. 2) corresponding to delivery from the spool bars to the individual and plural circumferentially spaced breaker rows (again only one of which is shown inFIG. 1). Although not shown inFIG. 1, it is further understood that each additional and orbiting breaker support (i.e. cracker) shaft includes an identical shaped support26which acts to maintain the relative positioning of the supported breakers relative to the cracker shaft12and in response to a tendency of an otherwise unsupported shaft12to outwardly bow or deflect.

FIG. 3is a succeeding perspective of the cracker bar at a counterclockwise advanced approximate eleven o clock position of the central bracing support and approximating an egg delivery location to an associated breaker.FIG. 4is a further succeeding perspective of the cracker bar at an approximate six o clock position following egg delivery and breaking, such as into associated pairs of yolk cups and albumen trays, and in which the cracker bar is disengaged from the central support shaft.

Referring finally toFIG. 5, a sectional perspective is generally shown at36of an alternately configured guide or support profile38associated with a selected cracker bar, as compared to the generally circular shape associated with the support26described inFIG. 4. The support38exhibits, in relevant part, an outer radial curved surface40which matches an identical radial curve associated with the inner arcuate profile30of the outer fixed and guiding cam28. Upon the cracker bar depicted inFIG. 5being installed in a manner similar to the alternate variant ofFIG. 4the support profile38is aligned so that a further arcuate edge42seats within a selected semi-circular (scalloped) cutout20,22,24et seq., while the opposite outer radial edge40seamlessly guides along the matching inner radial surface30of the outer fixed cam guide28.

As previously described, the necessity of designing wider cracker shafts corresponds to the incorporation of wider spool bars for increasing a number widthwise egg delivery lanes to the breakers, the result of which has previously resulted in inadequate bracing or support at the midpoint location of the rotating cracker shaft resulting in uneven egg delivery and/or breaking. In this manner, the present invention is intended to eliminate the undesirable flexing/bowing of the cracker shaft at the midpoint location, thereby maintaining the middle most egg breakers in a fashion intended to ensure proper egg delivery and breaking into the respective yolk cups and albumen trays.