Improvements in Egg Turners.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1897-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Egg Turners.
I, LEONARD WALDO WOODS, Poulterer, of De Soto, in the County of Jefferson,
State of Missouri, one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object the production of a simple and effective egg
holder and turning device for incubators, and to so construct the turning device
as to render it capable of being readily taken apart and folded in compact shape,
when not in use, for storage or shipment.
A further object is to provide improved egg holding means for use in crates for
shipping or egg turners or storing racks for storing eggs in cool storage houses,
for preserving eggs for hatching on poultry farms, and also for incubation on a
large scale.
To this end, my invention consists first in a rotary turner mounted on a shaft
journaled in standards, and provided with a series of removable shelves each
carrying holders to support the eggs, said shelves being fastened on one side by a
removable rod or bar, which, when removed, permits the said shelves to be drawn
out, and the said rotary egg turner being connected when desired by a stay pin or
bolt to the standards, so as to prevent it from moving, in order to maintain one
portion of the egg uppermost.
My invention also consists in an egg holder provided with removable shelves
having cleats forming egg rows, a strip or layer of cushioning material between
said cleats on which the eggs are designed to rest, egg clips each comprising two
pieces of spring wire bent to form semi-circular, oppositely projecting clamping
portions and downward and lateral terminal extensions projecting under and
clamped by the same cleats.
My invention also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations
and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and specifi-
cally set forth in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation view of an egg turner constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken through the egg turner looking down upon
one of the removable shelves.
Figure 4 is a large detail view in side elevation of a portion of a shelf showing
the construction of the egg holders.
Figure 5 is a top or plan view of the same.
Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the rotary egg turner which
is constructed of two side boards or pieces 2, a top board 3 and a bottom board 4,

page_text: of such length and width as desired. This egg turner frame is provided with a
shaft 4 extending across between its side boards and having its ends 5 projecting
through the same and journaled in the upper ends of standards 6. These two
standards are connected at the bottom by a cross bar 7, the ends of which are passed
through said standards and secured by stop pins 8 inserted through the same.
This construction provides a staunch three-sided base frame or stand which may
be readily disconnected and packed into compact shape for shipping or other pur-
poses.
The shaft 4 passes centrally through the side boards of the egg turner frame,
and the said frame is thereby adapted to be rotated so as to have either of its ends
uppermost. Each of the side boards 2 of the egg turner frame is provided with
a series of grooves formed by spaced ledge pieces 81, to receive and support remov-
able shelves 9. These shelves are made as wide as the side boards 2 of the egg
turner frame and are adapted to be entered into the grooves formed by the ledges 8¹
at one side of the frame, fixed vertical bars 10 being provided at the opposite side
to limit the movement of the shelves in that direction, when the shelves have been
inserted in position. A removable bar 11 is provided at the opposite side of the
frame and is adapted to be disengaged from the frame whenever it is desired to
remove the shelves. The lower end of this removable bar 11 is inserted in an
opening 12 in the end board 4 of the egg turner frame, or a metal socket attached
thereto, and its upper end is adapted to enter an opening 13 in the other 'end
board 3, the said bar being provided with an eye 14 with which a hook 15 on said
end board is adapted to engage to hold the removable rod in position. T
The removable shelves 9 are constructed with a series of spaced longitudinally
extending cleats 16, between which are longitudinal strips or layers 17. of. felt.
A series of egg holders are also arranged between two adjoining cleats and are
constructed of clips 18 formed of spring wire, a series of these clips being. placed
between the rows formed by adjoining cleats along the entire length of the shelves
and at suitable distances apart.
The clips 18 are each formed of two pieces of wire 18 and 18b, each having an
outwardly or oppositely projecting semi-circular main portion 18, adapted to clamp
about the egg, and downward and lateral end extensions 18d, which project under
and are clamped by the cleats 16.
In practice, the point or butt of the egg, as the case may be, rests upen the strip
or layer 17 of felt and is clamped by the egg holding clips 18.
...
In the process of incubation it has been found necessary, in order to secure the
best results, to turn the eggs at certain periods, and for this purpose my invention
has been devised. In the beginning, for instance, the eggs may be inserted point
down upon the felt layers and maintained in such position by the spring,. clip
holders, and at the end of a predetermined time the egg turner may be rotated on
its shaft 4 so as to bring the other sides of the shelves uppermost, thus leaving
the eggs hanging pendant from the spring clips on the other side of said shelves
and with their butt ends uppermost. The spring clips clamp the eggs tightly and
prevent them from falling out.
!
A stay pin 19 projecting through an opening in one of the standards 6, is pro-
vided to enter an opening 20 in the side boards of the egg, turner frame adjacent
each end board thereof, in order that the said frame may be held stationary..
Shelves constructed substantially in accordance with my invention may be
advantageously employed in egg crates or egg holders of various kinds.
My invention provides a simple and effective construction of egg turner which
may be manufactured at small cost and is adapted to be collapsed or taken apart
and folded, in order that it may be packed away or shipped in compact shape.
It should be understood that my improved egg turner is intended to. be used in
connection with ordinary incubators in which case the device would be inserted
bodily in the casing of the incubator or the standard 6 might be dispensed with
and the rotary egg turner mounted in the sides of the incubator casing.
51

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In an egg turner, the combination with suitable supporting means, of an egg
turner frame mounted on a shaft pivoted to said supporting means, and provided
with a series of removable shelves each carrying egg holders, substantially as
described.
2. In an egg turner, the combination of a supporting frame, an egg holding
frame mounted on a shaft journaled in said supporting frame, and provided with
a series of removable shelves each carrying holders to receive and support the
eggs, fixed bars at one side of the said egg frame to limit the movement of the
shelves in that direction, and a removable bar at the other side thereof adapted to
be detached from the frame, substantially as described.
3. In an egg turner, the combination of a knockdown or foldable supporting
frame, an egg turner frame mounted on a shaft journaled in said supporting frame
and provided with removable shelves each having a series of longitudinal extending
cleats and a strip or layer of cushioning material between the same, a number of
wire egg clips between said cleats and adapted to hold the egg in position to rest
upon the said cushioning material, a fixed stop bar at one side of the egg frame to
limit the movement of the shelves in that direction, a removable bar at the other
side adapted to be detached to allow the shelves to be removed, and a stay pin or
bolt engaging one of the said standards of the supporting frame and the egg frame
to hold the latter in fixed position, substantially as described.
4. In an egg holder, the combination of a case or frame, removable shelves fitted
in said case or frame and each provided with egg rows formed by a series of longi-
tudinally extending cleats, a strip or layer of cushioning material between said
cleats, and egg clips in said rows each comprising two pieces of spring wire bent
to form semi-circular, oppositely projecting portions, and downward and lateral
terminal extensions projecting under and clamped by the said cleats, substantially
as described.
Dated this 1st day of July 1897