Patent GB-375487-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for grading and marking eggs according to weight
IPC: B07C5/16
Filed: 1931-05-04
Abstract: 375,487. Grading eggs by weighing. WESTS MACHINES, Ltd., 115, Pitt Street, Sydney, and WEST, S. W., Nedlands, Tessa Street, Chatswood, near Sydney, Australia. May 4, 1931, No. 13182. [Class 143.] An egg grading and marking machine including a rotary turret fitted with a plurality of egg-carrying members and a ladder belt arranged for delivering eggs from feeder means on to the respective egg-carrying members and means for ejecting the eggs according to weight at various stations, is characterized in that the feeder means consist of a table having a movable floor adapted for crowding the eggs towards a back fence, a strip belt level and parallel with the moving floor, and means for moving the floor rearwardly towards the fence and for moving the strip belt forwardly towards the ladder belt, the strip belt being adapted to take eggs in single file from the crowded mass and to deliver them one by one to the ladder belt. The eggs, placed in a tray A, Fig. 1, are moved towards a V-shaped rear wall G by two belts D and are moved in the opposite direction in single file by a central belt E which delivers the eggs to a ladder belt 11. The ladder belt pushes the eggs to the top on a pair of curved guide rails 22, Fig 2, whence they run down on to the outer ends of pivoted arms 45, Fig. 5, as these are successively brought opposite the ladder belt by a rotating turret 161. A stop plate 101, Fig. 2, is automatically lowered into the path of the egg to prevent overrunning, and the egg is retained in position on the pivoted arm by a U-shaped member 122, Fig. 5, pivotally mounted on the arm by a pin 46 and having a downwardly-directed trip finger 47. The pivoted arms 45 carry rollers 49 which normally run along a circular track 53, but on arrival at a grading station 164 the roller runs on to the tracklike ends 65 of loaded weigh beams 60, the track being cut away to allow free vertical movement of the roller. If the egg is of sufficient weight the weighbeam is depressed and the roller descends on to an auxiliary track 54. In this position of the roller the trip finger 47 is sufficiently lowered to be engaged by a stationary cam 55 which pushes in the trip finger and tilts the U- shaped member 122 so as to eject the egg either on to a conveyer belt or on to a rotating disc 141 leading to a collecting tray. Lighter eggs which fail to depress the weighbeam are carried forward to further grading stations. Printed records, apparatus for giving.-Before reaching the first grading station, the egg is conveyed, by the rotating turret 161, under a date, trade mark, &c. printing roller 70 carried by a spring-pressed bent lever 76 the depending arm of which is controlled by a cam and by a weighbeam-controlled catch so that the printing roller is only lowered into printing position if the egg is sufficiently heavy to be subsequently accepted by one of the grading stations. Otherwise the egg passes through the machine unmarked. An egg delivered at a grading station on to a rotating disc 141 is carried thereby into contact with one of three arms 147 projecting from a marking wheel 145. The pressure of the egg rotates the marking wheel which is pressed downward by a spring so as to print the grade mark on the surface of the egg. An inking roller 156 bears lightly on the printing roller. A deflector 159 removes the egg from the disc. When the grade marking is not automatically applied to the egg as described above, the marking may be effected by a gang marking device applied to each tier of eggs in the shipment case.