The invention relates to an individual egg transport device, characterized in that it includes: an upper cup provided to receive an egg, a base provided to ensure a stable position of the egg when the individual device is placed on a conveyor belt, a gripping element allowing a gripping member to grasp the individual device in order to transport it from a first location to a second location. The invention also proposes a gripping member, a filling facility and a filling method using the individual egg transport device.

[Problem] To provide a fish egg processing apparatus capable of performing predetermined processing on fertilized eggs with higher efficiency, and collecting proper fish eggs.

[Solution] When a housing recess that houses fish eggs one by one is conveyed to a predetermined processing position, and a capillary is raised and lowered to inject a gene solution, the housing recess is imaged from a direction that intersects a depth direction and a conveying-in direction, and an injection operation by the capillary is controlled by determining, along a possibility determination flow, whether to inject a predetermined substance into each of the fish eggs before processing, based on a previously determined condition.

A pack stacker system for stacking articles is presented. The pack stacker system is configured to lift an article from a conveyor while the conveyor is in operation and stack the article on a second article while the conveyor is in continuous operation. The pack stacker system is accurate and can operate without human intervention.

A vertical washer or dryer, such as integrated into an egg handling operation. The vertical washer or dryer includes a vertically extending body supporting a carousel conveyor adapted to support pluralities of eggs during transport in successive ascending and descending fashion within the body between an inlet location and an outlet location of the body. A first egg conveyor communicates the eggs with the inlet location of the carousel conveyor, a second egg conveyor communicating the eggs with the outlet location. A least one of a plurality of egg washer spray bars or, in the separate variant, a plurality of egg dryer air knives, are integrated into the body in communication with the carousel conveyor for washing/drying the eggs while supported upon the carousel conveyor.

A laying nest is provided with an improved ejection system, in which the risk of expelling eggs together with the hens is suppressed. The floor of the laying nest can rotate in both directions. Thanks to this arrangement, at first it can be rotated in a first direction for inclining it towards the egg collection area and ensuring that all the laid eggs are removed; next, it can be rotated in a second, opposite direction for inclining it towards the hen coop and thus expelling the hens from the laying nest. In a preferred embodiment, the driving arrangement of the ejection system of the laying nest is entirely arranged below the floor of the laying nest, so as to not occupy room in the laying nest and to be protected from manures and dirt that may be present in the laying nest.

An egg-orienting station for an apparatus for transporting eggs and packaging them in egg packs has a plurality of tracks, which are arranged parallel to one another in the conveying direction, and a transfer region for transferring the eggs to a conveyor belt. An adjustment device is arranged upstream of the transfer region, the adjustment device being used to insert the eggs, optionally by way of the bottom or of the top of said eggs, in egg holders of the first conveyor belt.

An automatic egg tray stacking apparatus turns alternate egg trays through the operation of movable guides at the junction with a loading conveyor before conveying the egg trays toward a stacking mechanism that first stops the egg tray and then lowers the stack on top of the egg tray before re-elevating the partially formed stack to permit the entrance of a new egg tray into the stacking mechanism. Once the stack of egg trays is completed, the stack is allowed to move onto a stack conveyor and is moved forwardly for shipment. The stacking mechanism is operated by a single actuator having dual pneumatic cylinders that provide a three position operation of the lifting function with the stacking mechanism having lifter members engaging all four sides of the lowermost egg tray of the elevated stack. A control mechanism operates the apparatus with input from appropriately positioned sensors.

An apparatus for receiving and transporting a stream of eggs, comprising, a conveyor for transporting eggs in a transport direction T, a releasing device connected with the conveyor, for releasing predetermined eggs away from the conveyor, separately, downwardly out of the stream, a guide for receiving and taking over such an egg from the releasing device and guiding it to an egg processing apparatus, and two driven star wheels placed substantially close to each other, with shafts perpendicular to T, and with opposite directions of rotation of the shafts, while upon rotation their blades along a part of the rotation path are placed over each other and transport the eggs substantially cupwise downwardly. In a suitable manner, with this apparatus, for example intact but dirty eggs can be released from a sorting stream and be received for further handling or processing.

The present invention relates to an apparatus (10) for shelling eggs which includes: a casing (11) defining a shelling compartment (A) and an unloading compartment (B); a shelling device (12) housed in the shelling compartment (A) and configured to open egg shells; an unloading device (13) housed in the unloading compartment (B) and comprising at least one hopper member (14a, 14b, 14c) suitable for receiving and unloading a shelling product consisting of albumen, yolk or a mixture of albumen and yolk; a transport device (15) comprising conveyors (16, 17) configured to separately transport albumen and yolk from the shelling device (12) to the unloading device (13); sanitizing devices (18, 19a, 19b, 20, 30) housed in the casing (11) and adapted to emit ultraviolet radiation and which comprise a first sanitizing device (18) positioned to irradiate operating surfaces of the at least one hopper member (14a, 14b, 14c), to reduce a bacterial load on said operating surfaces which are surfaces that come into contact with yolk and/or albumen during the operation of the apparatus (10).

An egg transfer system is provided. Such a system includes a first securing arrangement configured to engage and deflect about an egg such that the egg is capable of being seated within the first securing arrangement. A second securing arrangement is opposingly positioned with respect to the first securing arrangement, the second securing arrangement being configured to engage and deflect about an egg such that the egg is capable of being seated within the second securing arrangement. The first and second securing arrangements are configured to interact through relative movement with respect to one another, such interaction thereby causing an egg to be transferred therebetween. Associated systems and methods are also provided.