Discrimination between live and non-live poultry eggs is a well-known in the poultry industry. “Candling” is a common name for one such technique. Eggs to be hatched are typically candled to identify clear (unfertilized), rotted, and dead eggs (collectively “non-live eggs”). Non-live eggs are removed to reduce the risk of contamination and the costs of in ovo vaccination. Automated egg removal apparatus are known (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,208 to Embrex), but current systems tend to employ arrays of suction cups, making it impractical to place non-live eggs into a discrete location for a subsequent use (e.g. filling an egg carton for later sale of unfertilized eggs). Moreover, the poultry industry is constantly looking for improved ways of separating live and non-live eggs that are efficient, that reduce costs, and that reduce the risk of contamination to live eggs. Applicants thus sought to develop an improved automatic egg candling and relocation apparatus, which can place the non-live eggs in specific locations, including into an egg carton.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds