Container for eggs, method and apparatus for arranging and stabilizing eggs in a container

Abstract

A method for arranging eggs in a container. Eggs placed in receptacles of the container come to a resting orientation, by virtue of the contouring of the receptacle, such that a long axis of the first egg is tilted toward a rear portion of the container at nearly uniform angles slightly offset from a vertical axis, and parallel side-to-side. Using features of the container, movement of eggs from their resting orientation, as well as twisting (spinning) about their long axes is resisted during marking, shipping or handling. The orienting of eggs in the receptacles or compartments thereof may be aided by use of an egg orienter. Tilting of the eggs may be facilitated by using receptacles or compartments which are asymmetrically contoured with respect to the vertical axis.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 401,241, filed on Feb. 21, 2012, titled “A Container For Eggs, Method and Apparatus For Arranging and Stabilizing Eggs in a Container,” which is hereby incorporated in its entirety. This application is also a continuation-in-part of the following U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12 / 690,859, 12 / 690,872, 12 / 690,876, 12 / 690,886, 12 / 690,890, 12 / 690,896, and 12 / 690,898, all filed Jan. 20, 2010, each titled “Systems And Methods For Processing Eggs” and hereby incorporated by reference herein; and of PCT Application No. PCT / US2011 / 021680 (Pub. No. WO2011 / 091011), also incorporated by reference, which PCT application in turn is a continuation of the following U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12 / 690,859, 12 / 690,872, 12 / 690,876, 12 / 690,886, 12 / 690,890, 12 / 690,896, and 12 / 690,898, all filed Jan. 20, 2010, each titled “Systems And Methods For Processing Eggs” and hereby incor...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a new egg container design that helps to keep the eggs in a consistent and stable position during shipment and handling. The container has receptacles that guide the eggs into a uniform resting orientation, allowing for easy identification and marking of the eggs. The receptacles have features that prevent the eggs from tilting side-to-side or getting stuck in one position. The container also includes a cover that applies pressure to the eggs to resist movement, while still allowing them to be identified and marked. This design helps to maintain the quality and appearance of the eggs, and makes it easier for consumers to open and enjoy them.

Problems solved by technology

For many of the same reasons making them desirable food stuffs, eggs also present a unique safety risk.

Eggs are a perishable item susceptible to spoilage, as well.

When these things are done, the consumer is no longer able to evaluate the expiration date of individual eggs prior to using them.

To reduce the chance of a consumer being sold a spoiled egg, certain governmental bodies in the United States and elsewhere, e.g., the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and various state governments, currently do not allow retailers to “repack” eggs, i.e., to move eggs from one package to another.

This restriction, unfortunately, can result in tremendous waste.

For example, whenever the integrity of even a single egg in a package in the hands of a retailer is compromised (e.g., is broken), the entire package of eggs must be discarded.

Not only is this wasteful of otherwise good eggs, but also of the resources used to produce those eggs.

When contamination (and possibly spoilage) of eggs is discovered, therefore, not only is it likely that the number of persons made ill—or worse—will be quite large, but also that enormous numbers of eggs must be recalled and destroyed.

Many of those eggs will not have been contaminated and will have to be destroyed—at considerable financial loss—because there is no way to isolate the bad eggs from the total population of eggs from a suspect source.

Such products, however, have a tendency to leak into the interior of eggs and can result in undesirable ink spots within them.

The tendency of such products to wash off or fade also means that such markings are susceptible to tampering and even unintentional loss of integrity (e.g., dripping and smearing from condensation and handling), and has generally limited their acceptance.

While the mechanical orienter succeeds in desirably arranging the eggs for laser marking, it does nothing to maintain the positions of the eggs in their containers thereafter.

As a result, in shipment and handling, eggs may tilt, twist (spin) and otherwise move within their containers and when a purchaser opens the container, the uniform arrangement of the eggs at the time of marking will not have been maintained.

Due to such movements, some of the markings (e.g., freshness date and traceability information) thus may not be readily visible to the purchaser simply by opening the container.

Further, such movement may contribute to breakage of some eggs.

Such movements, moreover, may induce the consumer to touch, spin and / or remove and replace the eggs in the carton, for the purpose of moving the egg back into its original forward-facing position, so the dates and traceability codes can be more easily read by the consumer, This touching and handling activity increases the risk of spreading disease organisms from hand to egg and from egg to hand, and then from hand to grocery wagon handle and other products in the supermarket.

It also increases the risk of breakage—the more each egg is handled, the more eggs will break as a result of such handling.

At the same time, while eggs are positioned and remain in suitable resting orientations that allow for more surface area on the eggs facing the front of the container to be marked and to be visible, containers described herein also reduce the possibility for eggs disposed in such resting orientations to be damaged.

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