US 12,245,572 B2
Automated chicken sorting conveyor belt
Steven Meriwether Cole, Acworth, GA (US); Garland Alan Vaughn, II, Dallas, GA (US); and Zachary Adam Chance, Cartersville, GA (US)
Assigned to Hatchery Planning, Inc., Powder Springs, GA (US)
Filed by Hatchery Planning, Inc., Powder Springs, GA (US)
Filed on Aug. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/455,347.
Application 18/455,347 is a continuation of application No. 17/015,684, filed on Sep. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,758,885.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/897,678, filed on Sep. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0397579 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A01K 45/00 (2006.01); A01K 29/00 (2006.01); B65G 15/26 (2006.01); B65G 21/20 (2006.01); B65G 23/44 (2006.01); B65G 47/44 (2006.01)
CPC A01K 45/005 (2013.01) [A01K 29/00 (2013.01); B65G 15/26 (2013.01); B65G 21/2081 (2013.01); B65G 23/44 (2013.01); B65G 47/44 (2013.01); B65G 2203/044 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sorting system, comprising:
a first conveyor belt configured to receive a first chick and a second chick from a sorting process, the first conveyor belt having a first lateral position configured to deposit the first chick in a first area of a bin and a second lateral position configured to deposit the second chick in a second area of the bin, wherein the first lateral position and the second lateral position are a same height above the bin;
the bin to receive the first chick in the first area and the second chick in the second area from the first conveyor belt; and
an optical density sensor configured to determine an amount of chicks to move the bin from the first lateral position to the second lateral position.