Patents Examined by Allan N. Knowles
  • Patent number: 4373638
    Abstract: Apparatus for sorting ore rocks in which rocks are fed in stream past detector to measure characteristic selected as basis for sorting and into free flight trajectory from which selected individual rocks are deflected according to measure of said characteristic for those rocks. Apparatus is characterized by rock feed means comprising pair of movable elements having surfaces defining upwardly facing nip and which move downwardly at nip to grip rocks and accelerate them downwardly into free flight such that the free flight trajectory is substantially vertical.The movable elements may be a pair of horizontal rollers having resiliently deformable peripheral surfaces or a pair of flexible endless belts arranged in loops having upper parts defining the nip and, below the nip, adjacent downwardly extending runs between which the rocks are gripped and moved downwardly for some distance below the nip before being projected into vertical free flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1983
    Assignee: Sphere Investments Limited
    Inventor: Mark A. Schapper
  • Patent number: 4359148
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for accepting or rejecting a single type of coin, which is designed and constructed only to accept genuine coins of a particular value or denomination, and to reject spurious coins or slugs which may have the same dimensions. The present invention also provides an auxiliary coin acceptor-rejector component or device which may readily be fitted into already existing coin operated devices so as to discriminate more accurately between genuine coins and spurious coins or slugs. In such apparatus a sensing coil is provided for discriminating between genuine and non-genuine coins by suitable circuitry to actuate an accept solenoid to receive a genuine coin in an accept slot and to direct all other non-genuine coins to a reject slot. To discriminate between genuine and non-genuine coins two parameters are utilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1982
    Assignee: Third Wave Electronics Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald C. Davies