Apparatus for separating egg whites from egg yolks

An improved apparatus for separating an egg white from an egg yolk is disclosed for use in an automatic egg breaking and separating operation. The improved separator is used in a method where an egg is cracked and opened and drained into a separator cup. The yolk is supported in an imperforate cup over a substantial portion of its under surface and the surrounding egg white is drained from the yolk into a separate pan through an elongated generally spiral or curving opening in a support member extending upwardly from the yolk support cup. The white collecting pan is positioned to receive the egg white below the yolk cup.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to shell egg processing apparatus and more 
particularly to an improved means for separating liquid egg yolk from 
liquid egg white during an automatic egg breaking operation. The 
separating means of the present invention is an improvement upon and may 
be used in place of the egg separating means described in U.S. patent 
application Ser. No. 606,971 filed Aug. 22, 1975, and now abandoned. 
The egg industry employs high speed automatic machinery for processing 
shell eggs where an important part of the processing in many cases 
involves separating the egg yolks from the egg whites. One present process 
continually feeds eggs into cracking heads which open the eggs and drain 
the yolk and the white into a separator means. Known separators have 
exhibited acceptable separating characteristics at lower separating 
speeds. The present separator is useful at significantly higher operating 
speeds and provides improved separating efficiency by reducing the 
separating time and the percentage of white present in the separated yolks 
and offers superior protection to the exposed yolk. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The improved separator in accordance with the present invention receives 
the egg yolk and white from the cracked and opened egg. The yolk is 
centered generally with respect to the white and is supported 
substantially over its entire under surface. The white is drained or 
separated from the yolk by being directed through a generally spiral or 
curved opening and elongated slot extending along spiral or curved paths 
upwardly from about the perimeter of the yolk. This draining means may be 
jiggled or subjected to air streams to facilitate the egg yolk and white 
separating action. 
The preferred embodiment of the separator means comprises a yolk support 
having a generally imperforate yolk supporting surface with a spiral or 
curved egg white drain opening extending upwardly from the imperforate 
yolk support surface. 
The separator is mounted above an egg white collecting pan and the 
assembled separator and pan are pivotally attached to the separator 
machine. 
Suitable adjustable jiggling means extending along the conveyor path may 
support and provide a jolting motion of variable amplitude. Air nozzles 
may also be positioned along the separator path for directing air jets 
into the separator to assist in the egg white draining operation. 
According, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved 
means for and method of separating egg whites from egg yolks. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved 
separating means and method for providing a more efficient separation of 
egg whites from egg yolks. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved 
separating means of relative simple structure for separating egg whites 
from egg yolks at higher separating speeds and at low machine noise 
levels. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for 
separating egg yolks from egg whites in quiet running automatic machinery. 
Another object of the present invention is to protect the exposed yolk in a 
separating means by providing increased midline support for various sized 
yolks. 
Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an 
understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or 
will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not 
referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of 
the invention in practice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The egg separator of the present invention may be used with automatic egg 
cracking machinery of a number of differing configurations. Such machines, 
including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,455,356 and 3,589,419, for 
example, include conveyors in the form of endless chains or belts for 
supporting a plurality of egg breaking heads and a separating means 
associated with each of the heads. 
The eggs are fed to the breaking heads and thereafter each of the eggs is 
cracked and opened and drained downwardly into the separating means. 
FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, illustrate a breaking head 1 of the type 
described more fully in the above mentioned patents. A number of breaking 
heads 1 are attached to an endless conveyor or turret or other support on 
an egg breaking machine. The attachment of a breaking head 1 to the 
machine includes an angular support bracket 2 coupled at its inner end 3 
to the breaking head support. 
A separator 5, in accordance with the present invention, is releasably 
attached by a locking bracket 6 to a lower hook-like end 7 of a depending 
flange 8 on the bracket 2. The eggs 9, which are being cracked and opened 
and drained are held in the breaking heads 1 between a hold-down means 10 
on support arms 11 in the position illustrated. Pivotally mounted knives 
12 are operated to crack the shells of the eggs 9. Thereafter, the cracked 
egg 9 by the head 1 is opened permitting the egg yolk 13 and the egg white 
14 to drain downwardly into the separator 5 as the cooperating breaker 1 
and separator 5 are carried through the breaking machine. 
The improved separating means of the present invention and its separating 
action will now be described in more detail. The action of the separating 
means is independent of the precise form of the egg cracking head so that 
a variety of cracking means may be used to open the eggs 9 and to drain 
the egg yolk 13 and the egg white 14 downwardly into the egg separator 5. 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the egg 
separator 5 in accordance with the present invention. The egg separator 5 
includes an egg white pan 15 having a capacity sufficient to easily 
accommodate the volume of egg white 14 from the largest eggs normally 
handled by the egg breaking machine. A guide pin 16 is attached to the pan 
15 for the purpose of setting the height of the pan 15 with respect to the 
breaker 1 as the egg content is dumped and for providing a subsequent pan 
positioning and variable separator jiggling motion in one embodiment of 
the invention. The pin 16 rides on an elongated egg separator support 
guide 17, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5-7, and moves clear of the 
support guide 17 in a separator dumping motion as illustrated in FIG. 8. 
A separator cup 18 is mounted above the pan 15 on a support arm 19. The 
separator cup 18 functions to separate the yolk 13 from the egg white 14 
after they are dumped into it from the cracking head 1 in the manner 
described below. 
FIGS. 3 through 8 illustrate the operation of the egg separator 5 in 
accordance with the present invention. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the yolk 
13 and the egg white 14 drain downwardly into the separator cup 18. The 
cup 18 is positioned below the breaking head 1 so that the yolk 13 drops 
onto the yolk support portion 20 of the separator cup 18 which has an 
imperforate surface with an upwardly facing concave shape, as illustrated. 
The egg white 14 flows downwardly over and around the yolk 13 tending to 
partially fill the yolk cup 18 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
As the egg white accumulates in the separator cup 18, the portion of the 
white 14 surrounding the yolk 13 is drained by the white drain portion 21 
which extends outwardly and upwardly from the yolk support portion 20. 
The cup-like yolk support portion 20 of the separator cup 18 is 
proportioned and shaped so that it receives the yolk or yolk sac 13 and 
contains it in a rounded form as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The yolk 
13, in this shape, substantially fills the support portion 20 to its rim 
causing the egg white 14 to accumulate above the rim of the yolk support 
portion 20 between the upper surface of the yolk 13 and the outwardly and 
upwardly flaring surface 5 of the white drain portion 21. 
The preferred white drain portion 21 includes an elongated drain slot 22 
which encircles this portion for passing the egg white 14 outwardly of the 
separator cup 18 and downwardly to the pan 15. The preferred shape of the 
white drain slot 22 is spiral or helical so that it completes more than 
one full turn as the upper end of the slot merges with the upper edge of 
the white drain portion 21. A preferred means for providing this shape of 
drain slot 22 is obtained by bending or otherwise shaping an elongated rod 
member 23 in the spiral form illustrated so that the curved rod takes the 
form of an outwardly flaring spiral or helical shape. The white drain 
portion 21 as illustrated comprises approximately two full turns of the 
rod 23 with the lower end of the rod being welded or otherwise attached at 
24 to the yolk support portion 20 and with its upper end being welded or 
otherwise attached at 25 to the support arm 9 which connects the separator 
cup 18 to the pan 15. As can be seen by FIG. 2 the innermost edge of the 
drain portion has at least the first full turn with its radially innermost 
edge positioned directly above the underlying outer edge of the yolk 
support portion. 
The white drain slot 22 provides an elongated opening for the egg white 14 
drainage action around the entire separator cup 18 at all levels of the 
separator cup from the upper edge of the yolk support portion 20 to the 
upper edge of the drain portion 21. A rapid and complete drainage of the 
egg white occurs because of this since the egg white 14, when it first 
accumulates in the separator cup 18, drains at all levels simultaneously 
and continues to drain from the separator cup 18 down to the upper surface 
of the yolk 13 through the lowermost portion of the spiral-shaped drain 
slot 22. 
If desired, a connecting bar 26 may be welded or otherwise fastened between 
the adjacent sections of the spiral-shaped rod 23. This relatively narrow 
bar 26 causes no significant reduction in the flow rate or separating 
efficiency of the separator 5. 
While a drain portion 21 formed of a curved rod has been described, this 
portion may be otherwise formed as, for example, from a cup-like member 
perforated with a generally spirally-shaped slot or with separate 
elongated slot sections arranged so that they combine to provide a 
substantially arcuately-shaped and elongated drainage slot with about one 
or more turns. 
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate at 30 another embodiment of the separator cup 
where one or more drainage outlets 31 are provided at the rim of the yolk 
support portion 32. The outlets 31 may be provided for facilitating the 
final drainage of the egg white 14 from the rim portions of the egg yolk 
support portion 32 particularly for smaller type egg yolks. The separator 
cup 30 operates otherwise in a manner similar to that described above. 
During the draining period as the separator 5 is carried on the conveyor 
through the positions illustrated in FIGS. 3-8 and with its attitude 
controlled by the guide 17 and the guide follower pin 16, the draining of 
the egg white 14 may be facilitated by imposing a jiggling motion on the 
separator 5. This jiggling is applied by vertically adjustable steps 33 on 
the guide 17 over which the separator guide pin 16 glides (FIG. 4). For 
example, an up and down movement where the separator 5 is moved up and 
down several times through adjustable heights has been found useful. 
Additionally, it has been found effective to direct a stream of air into 
the separator cup 18 as illustrated in FIG. 6. For example, an air stream 
may be directed by a nozzle 34 into the separator cup 18. This action may 
be repeated using additional nozzles or sets of nozzles at varying angles. 
The air nozzles are conveniently mounted along the path of the separators 
5 and adjacent to the conveyor 2 which carries the separators 5. 
An improved separating action is obtained in this separator which is rapid 
and which results in a fully satisfactory separation of the egg white from 
egg yolk. The separator cup has a relatively long opening between the 
turns of the rod 23. This opening extends about two complete turns between 
the lower yolk support portion 20 and the upper end of the rod 23 adjacent 
to the support arm 19. The principal separating action, however, takes 
place in a portion of this slot which extends approximately 330.degree. 
from the upper end of the spiral rod 23 around to a point adjacent the 
support 19. 
The width of this slot between the turns of rod 23 throughout this 
330.degree. section has been found to be most effective with a width of 
about one-quarter inch. The adjacent portions of the spiral rod 23 above 
and below this slot section provide an adequate support for the edges of 
the yolk 13 both for a single yolk and for an occasional second yolk from 
a double yolk egg. 
Rapid and effective drainage of the white 14 in the slot 22 is obtained as 
the white 14 drains quickly through the particular portion of the slot 22 
where the maximum white build-up occurs as the white 14 drains downwardly 
from the cracked and opened egg. The efficiency of the drainage is 
increased since the separating or outward white flow occurs at the point 
of maximum build-up regardless of where it occurs within the separator 
cup. A rapid and unimpeded flow of the white 14 through this portion of 
the slot 22 tends to draw adjacent white 14 around the slot 22 and through 
the opening due to the high flow rate or momentum of the draining white. 
The drainage action is further facilited by the downward spiral of the 
slot 22 as the downward force of the flowing white 14 turns the yolk 13 on 
the yolk support cup 20 to whatever yolk position most readily facilitates 
the white draining operation at the point of maximum white build-up. 
The related method comprises draining the egg white from the yolk through 
the elongated and inclined slot and thereby causing the flowing white to 
build up or to concentrate its mass at a narrow portion or zone of the 
slot. This zone often, but not always, occurs at the lower end of the wide 
330.degree. upper portion of the slot 22 near the bar 26. The 
spiral-shaped edges of the slot 22 formed by the spiral rod 23 provide an 
almost continuous yolk edge or mid-line support for the yolk during the 
white draining period preventing yolk rupture. 
In addition to the above discussed 330.degree. principle drain portion, the 
slot 22 also extends on down to the edge of the yolk support cup 20. This 
additional slot portion provides for a full drainage of white 14 from the 
zone immediately adjacent to the edge of the yolk 13. In particular, it 
drains the light white 14 which readily drains through this narrower and 
lower portion of the slot 22. 
It will be seen that an improved means has been provided for a rapid and 
efficient separation of egg whites from egg yolks. The improved separator 
is adapted for use in high speed automatic egg breaking machines. The 
improved separating action of the separators permits the operating rate of 
existing egg breaking machines to be increased when these separators are 
substituted for prior designs. They therefore may be used to improve 
existing egg breaking systems. 
As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of 
the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the 
invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be 
understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and 
not in a limiting sense.