Abstract: A method of eliminating hot spots in a mass of sponge iron particles made by gaseous reduction of iron ore. A layer of the particulate product is moved to a separating station, near which the layer is viewed by an infra-red detector that generates a control signal when insufficiently cooled particles register therewith. The control signal is used to shift the position of a particle guide member at the separating station to cause insufficiently cooled particles to be diverted from the main particle stream. Preferably the separation is carried out in two stages. Apparatus for carrying out the method is disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Mixed solid waste, such particularly as municipal waste, is subjected to treatment which separates the majority of the ferrous metal pieces from the other solids, and the invention provides apparatus for separating the resulting mass into (a) flat-shaped pieces (b) chunky-shaped pieces, and (c) long thin or otherwise oversized pieces by causing all the pieces to advance along a moving conveyor surface through successive stations at which openings of predetermined size and shape accept pieces of the (a) and (b) shapes, having only the (c) category on the conveyor.

Abstract: A particle spacing and metering device having a supply hopper above a pair of contra-rotating rollers. An aperture in the floor of the hopper is provided with a regulator which controls the flow of particles to the rollers. The regulator has a body fixed to a shaft rotatably mounted in the aperture. A cam-type metering face has a groove of increasing depth and width to enable selected variation of a throat through which the particles flow.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating pickles of an undesired configuration (e.g., crooked or enlarged at one end) from those of acceptable configuration (e.g., relatively straight and uniform from end to end). It employs a series of horizontally spaced rods to which the pickles are fed and over which the desired pickles are traversed, while undesired pickles (nubbins) fall through the spaces between the rods. The means that supports and journals the rods is such that the spacing between the rods can be adjusted while maintaining equal spacing between adjacent rods for the entire series.

Abstract: A storage vessel includes a housing which has an inlet for introducing flowable particulate material into, and an outlet for withdrawing the same from the housing. At least one expandable cushion is located inside the housing and is operative for expanding and collapsing so as to agitate the material contained in the housing to thereby prevent agglomeration of the material. Air is introduced into the cushion to expand the same.

Abstract: Demountable, modular, apparatus permitting item/documents, such for example as checks, to be stacked at high speed on opposite sides of a linear main-line item feed-through pathway. Indicators are included for indicating in which direction, forward, right or left of the main-line pathway an item diverting gate is directed and item position sensing devices are located within and adjacent to the diverting gates. Each demountable module, if more than one is employed, is provided with right and left columnators including concentric roller members disposed between a resilient drive roller. Idler rollers are demountably, replaceably secured adjacent respective drive rollers by resilient flat spring members for ease and efficiency of replacement, repair and/or removal. Each diverting gate includes an LED and phototransistor combination for sensing the passage therethrough of an item.

Abstract: There is disclosed in the present application apparatus for separating articles or workpieces such as axially leaded electronic components, from a group of jumbled similar articles, arranging the articles in order in a reservoir in the form of a vertical guideway in which all are similarly oriented and discharging the articles from the reservoir one at a time in a controlled manner so as to obtain a count either of a predetermined number or of a total in a given lot.

Abstract: A machine for picking up seeds from a mass of seeds and depositing the seeds individually comprises a row of suction heads each having a suction duct terminating in an orifice and a container for holding the mass of seeds. The row of heads are pivotally mounted and are provided with a driving mechanism which swings the heads to and fro along a path between a pick-up position in which each of the orifices is adjacent the container and a discharge position in which seeds picked up by suction through the orifices are discharged. In order to enable each head to discharge at the discharge position only a single natural seed rather than a pelleted seed, a wiper member is provided and extends parallel to the row of heads in their path between the pick-up position and the discharge position. The wiper member has a curved surface and the heads swing close to this surface just before they reach the discharge position.

Abstract: Intended primarily for use in the commercial photofinishing industry, a convertible loading and delivery pouch together with associated mounting means in an automatic sorter device is disclosed. A number of such pouches demountably installed at successive loading stations along the sorter conveyor path are maintained suspended from parallel support arms in normally open, article receiving position with the front walls of the individual pouches bowed outwardly to accommodate the articles being discharged from the conveyor at such stations. With the pouches removed from the support arms, the front walls can be bowed inwardly against the sidewalls and rear wall in order to permit interengaging the cooperating elements of a closure device such as a slide fastener to secure the contents within the pouch for delivery purposes.

Abstract: The invention comprises one or more feed conveyors in communication with a sorting conveyor, so that items placed on the feed conveyors can be transferred to the sorting conveyor. Where more than one feed conveyor is used, their outputs are first run through a merge conveyor so that the outputs are compatible with use of a single sorting conveyor. A device for reading a code that has been placed on the item to be sorted is provided and a computing device to which such reader is connected is programmed to determine which diverter is to be activated by a particular code read by the reader. A timing device is provided that, when used in conjunction with the computing device, integrates the travel time of an item along the sorting conveyor to determine when the item has reached the particular diverter required to be activated to cause the item to be properly sorted. A control signal emanates from the computing device when the timer has completed its cycle and is used to switch on the pertinent diverter.

Abstract: A hydraulic actuated agricultural product sorting apparatus employing a hopper introducing products into a fluid flow which carries them into two counter-rotating spirals mounted side by side which align and merge the products and then moves them in line into a singulator which uniformly spaces them prior to their movement through an inspection station which inspects them and signals a gating means for sorting the products according to the signals received from the inspection station.

Abstract: A novel container sorting and handling system is provided for sorting a plurality of diverse types of containers into preselected types for either reuse, reclamation or disposal depending upon the type of container. The sorting system comprises a housing having a sorting station defined therein and an infeed conveyor for sequentially and individually transporting containers to the sorting station. At the sorting station the individual containers are rotated by a roller in order to bring the UPC Code, bar code or other code on each container into alignment with an optical scanner at the sorting station. The optical scanner produces an output signal representative of the bar code and this is in turn fed to a computer which compares the signal from the optical scanner with a plurality of prestored values in the computer. As a result of this comparison, the computer generates an output signal representative of the type of container at the sorting station.

Abstract: A liquid containing and dispensing device is disclosed. The device comprises a rigid wall container adapted to receive a sealed liquid containing pouch having flexible walls in close contact with the walls of the container, and a pouring spout having a tubular depending portion with a sharpened end slidably mounted in the container and adapted to perforate the top of the pouch and form a seal around the opening in the pouch to effect pouring of the contents of the pouch.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for increasing the product storage capacity of selective product dispensing machines, which must handle a plurality of generally cylindrical product types with one or more product types being accommodated in significantly greater quantity than others, while retaining the operational reliability of staggered stack releasing for all product types. The apparatus utilizes a lower zone of the total product storage space available within a cabinet of any given size to provide staggered stack chambers of appropriately limited height for a maximum number of product types to be selectively handled, and utilizes the remaining upper zone of the available storage space to accommodate a maximum number of stored products of one or more preferred product types to be made available in greater quantity than others, with the preferred type products stored on superimposed inclined shelves and fed by gravity to the upper end of corresponding staggered stack compartments.

Abstract: A device for dispensing a plurality of rectangular objects and depositing the objects on a surface in uniformly spaced relationship with the objects standing upright on a short edge, more particularly, a device for setting up dominos in a row so that the dominos can be knocked down sequentially. The device includes a wheel supported body which supports an upstanding supply chamber for storing stacked dominos, and an ejecting assembly at the bottom of the supply chamber which ejects the bottom most domino toward the rear of the body as the body rolls across a surface. The ejecting assembly moves each domino into engagement with a top and side guide assembly which cooperates with the ejecting assembly to cause the domino to be deposited on the supporting surface and stabilized thereon in a stationary position before the device moves away from the domino so that the domino remains upright and does not fall.

Abstract: A dispenser assembly for disposable plastic bowls is disclosed which includes a rectangular housing, open at the top, and a housing cover disposed thereover and defining a circular opening in the top. A slotted, flat, rectangular article supporting plate rides along raised, elongated and vertically extending rails formed on opposite inside walls of the housing which project into the slots. A coiled spring disposed in the housing supports the plate and extends around a raised circular wall formed on the bottom of the plate. A series of three elongated elements or nibs project downwardly from a ceiling of the housing cover around the circular opening and project inwardly of the opening a slight distance sufficient to interfere with and catch against the rolled rims of bowls stacked on the plate and projecting upward through the opening in the housing cover. A companion lid dispenser can be incorporated into the housing for convenience and efficient utilization of space.

Abstract: A potato seed planter in which seeds are loaded into cups on an endless conveyor from a hopper of a seed receptacle. The conveyor is driven on upper and lower sprockets and arranged on the receptacle with the cups in two parallel rows in staggered constant relationship and moving upwardly through the hopper for seed loading. The cups pass around the upper sprocket, invert and enter a contoured tube thereat and descend in an attached discharge tube to a furrow. The cup bottoms are inclined transversely and support the seeds in their descent against the wall of the discharge tube. At the bottom the seeds are discharged from the planter and guided by the transversely inclined cup bottoms are deposited one by one alternately from one row and then the other in the furrow with precision heretofore unacheived. The planter further comprises a wheeled frame and one or more, attached, laterally extending, flexible frames upon which the receptacle is supported.

Abstract: A horizontal diaphragm with a central recess has a downwardly extending peripheral lip engaging the periphery of an open neck of a container of fluid. A vertical hollow tubular element in the neck has an upper section disposed below the diaphragm and engaging the neck periphery. The section wall defines an inverted truncated cone with spaced longitudinally extending slots. A lower section has an upper opening coincident with the lower cone end and a lower opening extending into the container below the liquid level. A vertical bore in the element has a first constriction which passes liquid disposed in the lower section. The bore wall contains a vertical cylindrical recess communicating at its top end with the cone interior. A vertical tube extends through a central hole in the diaphragm. The tube is slidable in said recess and has a second constriction interiorly disposed intermediate its ends. The tube interior is connected by conduits to the concave recess.

Abstract: A flow controlling pouring spout has a hollow body portion provided with structure to facilitate attachment to the lip about a pouring opening of a container. A spout portion extending normally generally horizontally communicates with the interior of the container through the hollow body portion and has a baffle separating a lower pouring passage and an upper displacement air passage which extends from adjacent to the discharge opening of the spout to the inner end of the spout and has a displacement air opening from the inner end of the air passage to the inner end of the pouring passage. A hinged closure plug is mounted on the discharge end of the pouring spout. Swivel structure connects the pouring spout with the base portion to permit turning the spout from pouring orientation to non-pouring orientation. Stabilizing and flow controlling slidably cooperating flanges are provided on the swivelly related base portion and spout.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for performing certain manufacturing operations on a container such as forming a beaded rim around the upper open end of the container. The apparatus includes mechanism for dispensing rimless containers into container-receiving receptacles which are mounted on a rotatable turret which moves the containers from one station to another station of the apparatus. Gripping means is provided to retain the containers within the receptacles and bead-forming means is also provided and is operable to form a bead on the upper disposed edge of the container. Ejection means is also provided for ejecting a finished container from a receptacle.