Systems and methods for sorting insects

{
  "publication_number": "US11020834B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Systems and methods for sorting insects",
  "abstract": "Disclosed herein is an insect sorting system that includes a conveyor stage having a drive unit, a grasping surface movably coupled with the drive unit and having textured surface elements, and a diverter that is configured to remove insects from the grasping surface.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An insect sorting system, comprising: a conveyor stage, comprising: a drive unit; a grasping surface movably coupled with the drive unit and having textured surface elements; a diverter that is configured to remove insects from the grasping surface; and a trough within an angled tube, at least part of the trough being positioned gravitationally below the diverter, wherein the diverter is contiguous with the trough.",
    "2. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein the diverter is positioned within 5.0 mm from the grasping surface.",
    "3. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor stage is configured to move the grasping surface past the diverter at a rate that is between 0.5 cm per second and 100 cm per second.",
    "4. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein the grasping surface is located within the angled tube.",
    "5. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein the angled tube is substantially formed by the grasping surface.",
    "6. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein the diverter is positioned external to the angled tube.",
    "7. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein a longitudinal axis of the conveyor stage forms an angle that is between 5 degrees and 30 degrees relative to a horizontal surface.",
    "8. The insect sorting system of any of claim 1, wherein the diverter is selected from the group consisting of: a fixed brush, a rotating brush, a wiper, a scraper, a straight edge, a gas curtain, and a liquid curtain.",
    "9. The insect sorting system of claim 1, wherein the grasping surface comprises a mesh.",
    "10. The insect sorting system of claim 1, further comprising a hopper having an outlet, at least a portion of the conveyor stage being located gravitationally below the outlet.",
    "11. The insect sorting system of claim 1, further comprising a collector located gravitationally below the diverter."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Insects have been widely considered as pests, and human efforts are directed to reduce the number of pest from living environments. However, insects are also known to contain nutrition, including protein and fats, and thus are a nutritious food source. For this reason, insects are now used as a food source for livestock, such as chicken and other types of birds.\n\nTo provide the best nutrition, insect larvae may be raised until before they become pupae and harvested for livestock feed. Although insects, such as mealworms, are easier to raise than some other species (e.g., livestock), there are some challenges. One challenge is sorting insects into active (live) or inactive (dead) categories. Another challenge is sorting larvae from non-larvae. Efficient sorting is necessary to efficiently raise insects on a large scale. Conventional sorting methods involve a high degree of manual labor, which is expensive and slow.\n\nThis summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.\n\nIn an aspect, an insect sorting system is provided that includes a conveyor stage having a drive unit, a grasping surface movably coupled with the drive unit and having textured surface elements, and a diverter that is configured to remove insects from the grasping surface.",
  "cpc": [
    "A01K 67/366",
    "B07B 1/24",
    "B07B 4/06",
    "B07B 7/01",
    "B23Q 7/003",
    "B23Q 7/02",
    "B23Q 7/03",
    "B23Q 7/12",
    "B65G 37/00",
    "C05F 17/00",
    "Y02W 30/40"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B23Q 7/00",
    "B23Q 7/02",
    "B23Q 7/03",
    "B23Q 7/12",
    "B65G 37/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Beta Hatch Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Virginia Emery"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-10-29",
  "publication_date": "2021-06-01",
  "grant_date": "2021-06-01",
  "priority_date": "2017-10-27",
  "application_number": "US-201816759268-A",
  "family_id": "66247681",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US3942644A",
    "US3965509A",
    "US4040810A",
    "US4114762A",
    "US4115257A",
    "US4293966A",
    "US5660340A",
    "US5759224A",
    "CN103168762A",
    "CN103168762B",
    "KR101464734B1",
    "US10086406B2",
    "US10112215B1",
    "US20180065152A1",
    "WO2018229004A1"
  ]
}