Abstract: A conveying system (10) for foodstuffs comprising a first conveyor (11) and a second conveyor (12) placed side by side with the end of the first conveyor overlapping the start of the second conveyor. The overlapping portions of the conveyors are in close proximity so as to define a transfer zone (25). Each conveyor has a plurality of foodstuff supports each adapted to support a single piece of foodstuff, and a tilting device to tilt the foodstuff support of the first conveyor to cause the foodstuff to roll from the support of the first conveyor to the support of the second conveyor. The first conveyor (11) includes a photographic zone and the second conveyor includes a weighing zone and multiple ejection zones.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conveying and staggering envelope contents includes a driven, substantially vertically positioned conveyor belt with an associated conveying slit, through which the envelope contents including documents to be staggered, are moved past an operator. On the side of the envelope contents opposite the conveyor belt (i.e., facing the operator) there is a non-rotary or slowly rotatable delay roller which can be pressed against the document facing it. The delay roller is preferably moved by an electromagnet. The friction between the delay roller and the document facing it is much greater than the friction between the two envelope contents, so that the front document facing the delay roller is decelerated, while the back document is advanced by the conveyor belt until the two documents are staggered. The operator can then detect whether or not there is a document behind the front document, and whether it is correctly oriented.

Abstract: A system for processing documents is provided for use in remittance processing of bulk mail. An extraction unit opens envelopes and extracts the envelope contents, typically in the form of a pair of documents such as an invoice stub and an accompanying check. The extraction unit discards the opened envelopes and feeds the pair of documents in parallel disposition to a document sorting apparatus. The paired, parallel documents are conveyed through a document shifter in the form of nip rollers wherein one document of each pair is at least partially shifted relative to the other document of the pair to expose at least a portion of the covered document to an operator. The documents are then conveyed to a viewing area where the operator visually inspects each pair of documents and manually designates a selected path of movement using a manual input device.

Abstract: A multi-stage, serpentine-shaped buffer has an entry area for receiving documents, a first level comprising a first plurality of document stages, a first turn-around for substantially reversing the direction of document travel following said first plurality of stages, a second level vertically adjacent to said first level, said second level comprising a second plurality of document stages, a second turn-around for substantially reversing the direction of document travel, and a third level vertically adjacent to said second level, said third level comprising a third plurality of document stages.

Abstract: An optical recording and sorting apparatus and method by which documents are stripped from the other documents in a stack and aligned, the data from each document is recorded, and then the documents are segregated into categories based on the data recorded. An apparatus for sequentially registering the documents is used that both separates the documents at desired distance from each other and aligns the documents on a desired movement path.

Abstract: A conveying system for tablet inspection is provided. The conveying system includes a hopper assembly for feeding tablets to a conveyor at a controlled rate. The conveyor includes a pair of conveyor belts surrounding a plenum that communicates with a vacuum pump. The conveyor belts are parallel to one another and are spaced a distance for efficiently supporting a tablet thereon. An uprighter is disposed between the hopper assembly and the conveyor to rotate the tablets into an upright condition supported on an edge. The tablets are stably held in the upright position by the vacuum pump and are moved rapidly in their upright condition by the rotatably driven conveyor belts. The upright orientation of the tablets permits the opposed sides of each tablet to be electro-optically inspected for defects without repositioning the tablets and without changing the direction of movement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating, feeding and sorting stacked products utilizes a computer controlled conveyor transport path. The transport path includes infeed, separating and output sections. The infeed section includes an infeed conveyor and feed roller to regulate downstream movement into the separating section. The separating section includes a plurality of individually and selectively controlled friction feeder rolls arranged on a laterally tilted incline plane. The method and apparatus includes sensors along the separating section for determining position and relative movement of products. Through computer control, individual feeder rolls or sets of feeder rolls on the inclined plane are selectively energized to separate underlying products from stacked overlying or overlapping products. The foregoing process is repeated until all products in a stack have been separated into individual units.

Abstract: A carrier device can receive cartridges each containing a film from a lateral direction and send them reliably, efficiently and continuously to a photoprinting machine in a straight line, while holding them in position with an arm. Cartridges are supplied one by one into the carrier device from a cartridge housing device located at the side of the carrier device. A cartridge set in a carriage or the carrier device is retained in position by the arms and transferred to the printing machine by driving the carriage with a motor of a driving unit along a guide path. The carriage has a cartridge retaining mechanism and an arm locking mechanism.

Abstract: A document sorting section for sorting flat documents wherein a plurality of primary document conveying paths are interposed between rows of opposing document stacking elements and document diverters are positioned in the primary paths. Each of the primary conveying paths are in conveying communication with separate diverters and corresponding sorting paths, such as angularly disposed sorting paths, wherein each of the sorting paths is in conveying communication with either of the primary conveying paths, but not both. A primary pivotal diverter, located upstream from the first and second primary conveying paths, diverts documents from the main transport path to either of the primary conveying paths.

Abstract: A modular mail processing method and control system for sorting pieces of incoming, internal, and outgoing mail including a plurality of sorting bins which correspond to either mail stops or zip codes depending on which sort plan is selected. The modular mail processing method and control system permitting mixed pieces of mail of various sizes to be sorted. Additionally, an internal mail envelope, which has address regions consisting of blocks, may be utilized in connection with the modular mail processing method and control system in order to allow accurate detection of handwritten addresses.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for sorting waste into different waste types. A first division of the waste is effected into at least two waste types in that each waste type is placed in a bag or container (100, 101) which is provided with at least one marking which indicates the waste type for which the bag is intended. The containers are collected and mixed together for transport to a common sorting plant in which the containers pass an identification mechanism (6) establishing, with the aid of the marking on the bag, the type of waste for which the bag is intended. The information is transmitted to a recording and control system (7) which, via a signal transmission device (73) switches a separating mechanism (9) for adjusting the same into a position in which the bag, on its passage of the sorting plant, is brought into a position reserved for that type of waste indicated by the marking on the container.

Abstract: A modular mail processing method and control system that includes a plurality of induction transport modules and a stacker/transport module. The system maintains a real time statistics concerning the mail flowing through the system. The modularity of the system increases its flexibility in adapting to sorting either incoming or outgoing mail. In addition, a variety of readers and printers can be employed in the system to meet the needs of a particular customer.

Abstract: An apparatus for checking the surface condition of rollers for bearings, in particular barrel rollers, in which the pieces are conveyed and lined up in a row towards a checking station. In order to ensure the correct positioning of each piece during the checking operations, a compression force is applied to a section of the row, and in particular a thrust and a resisting action are applied at the ends of the section, urging the pieces of the section against one another in the course of their translation along a feed direction. Checking operations, for example through eddy current rotating heads, are carried out on pieces of the section.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the capacitance of tablets of varying shapes and sizes by conveying the tablets along a curved path which includes a zone of travel between the plates of a capacitive sensing device. The tablets are conveyed in a relatively fixed orientation by constructing a guide channel including a fixedly-positioned curved guide spaced away from a rotatable disk, and wherein a resilient clamp is provided above the guide channel so as to compress the tablet against the rotatable disk during its path of travel.

Abstract: A sortation system for separating products such as returned cigarette packs. A conveyor system moves the products in a predetermined orientation and minimum spacing past a bar code reader. A turnstile device contains a plurality of diverting bars which are selectively rotatable across the conveyor path in either direction to eject selected products either to the right or left as desired. A processor controls the turnstile device based upon bar code information to separate selected products and to allow the remaining products to remain on the conveyor.

Abstract: A system for sorting randomly oriented objects of various sizes based upon the size of the object includes a transport for conveying a series of objects from an input location to one of a plurality of output locations. An image system is disposed along the transport for capturing the image of each object to be sorted. An image processor detects the minimum and maximum linear dimension of each object based upon the captured image. The image processor further determines the shape of each object based upon the captured image. The minimum or maximum linear dimension is selected based upon the shape of the object. The object is categorized by size based upon the selected minimum or maximum dimension. Structure is provided for selectively routing the object based upon the categorized object size to one of the plurality of output locations.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding tablets in an aligned and uniformly oriented sequence onto a tablet measuring device, including a movable turntable having a deflector for guiding the tablets to a circumferential edge, a guide member and plow assembly respectively aligned in parallel and spaced apart relationship, the guide member having longitudinally-spaced air jets and the plow assembly having respective edge surfaces for slidably guiding tablets to a uniform orientation, and including a gate for removing particles and broken tablets from the channel to prevent them from being conveyed onto the measuring system.

Abstract: A device for the automatic and rapid inspection of ears of corn to select ears having a predetermined length wherein the kernels meet selection standards and the ear has uniform characteristics which length will be trimmed from the ear to provide cut lengths of corn for subsequent treatment. The device includes a first conveyor and inspection area for segregating ears as to conditions of acceptability and determination of quality for ultimate use including trimming of certain of the ears into predetermined lengths with a second transport station arranged to receive the ears and to sort them for subsequent use and to convey the ears of predetermined quality to a trimming device wherein the ear of corn is cut into at least one acceptable length.

Abstract: A machine for sorting graphic and/or printing products in which the products are fed one after the other, comprising a framework, a conveyor for receiving individual products one after the other sensors for identifying each of the individual products on the receiving conveyor a central computer, a control console for the entry of predetermined data, selectively actuated elements for unloading the products from the receiving conveyor and at least one conveyor for discharging the unloaded products, wherein the receiving conveyor consists of a sliding surface and is disposed on the framework inclined at an angle of between 10.degree. and 90.degree.

Abstract: In a method of X-radiation sorting of raw materials, after the stock lumps have been spread in monolayer on the transporting surface and stabilized, they are brought into the mode of unsupported movement along the stabilized paths without rotation. The exposure of the lumps to X-radiation, the measurement of the secondary radiation from the lumps, and the selection thereof are all carried out during this unsupported movement of the lumps. An apparatus for X-radiation sorting of raw materials comprises a steeply inclined vibrating feeder (4) conjugate to a preceding slightly inclined vibrating feeder (3) with a stabilizer (5) located thereabove for stabilizing the lumps of the stock. Over a section (14) of joining the conjugate vibrating feeders (3,4), there is disposed a second stabilizer (6) compensating for the lump torques produced at the point where the lumps pass onto the vibrating feeder (4).

Abstract: A pellet diameter inspection system has a laser scanning apparatus operable for detecting and measuring the outside diameter of the pellets, a pellet transfer apparatus operable for transferring pellets end-to-end in a row along a feed path past the laser scanning apparatus, and a pellet reject apparatus operable for removing from the feed path any off-sized diameter pellets measured by the laser scanning apparatus. The pellet reject apparatus includes an ejector member and a support member capable of supporting the ejector member along and adjacent to one side of the feed path and of moving the ejector member through an eject stroke across the feed path from a home position to an end position in order to remove pellets from the feed path and through a reverse stroke across the feed path from the end position to the home position. The pellet reject apparatus also includes an actuator mounted to the support member and, in turn, mounting the ejector member.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically processing a supply of cartons, in flattened form and of different types, in accordance with a selectable number of plural, different and separately identifiable carton types. Unsorted cartons are removed in successive layers from stacks thereof and transported in serial succession along a transport path. Sorting modules are disposed along the transport path, each including respectively associated routing and stacking devices individually predesignated to receive and stack a given, identifiable carton type. A system controller tracks the progress of each carton, simultaneously for plural cartons, along the transport path and when a match of the carton type with a predesignated stacking device is determined, actuates the associated routing device to route a carton of a matching type from the transport path and to the associated stacking device for stacking.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating feeding and sorting stacked products utilizes a computer controlled conveyor transport path. The transport path comprises infeed, separating and output sections. The infeed section includes an infeed conveyor and feed roller to regulate downstream movement into the separating section. The separating section includes a plurality of individually and selectively controlled friction feeder rolls arranged on a laterally tilted incline plane. The method and apparatus includes sensors along the separating section for determining position and relative movement of products. Through computer control, individual feeder rolls or sets of feeder rolls on the inclined plane are selectively energized to separate underlying products from stacked overlying or overlapping products. The foregoing process is repeated until all products in a stack have been separated into individual units.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for grading objects according to their size, the objects are advanced along a broad, flat and divided conveyer path. Image data relating to the size of respective objects is obtained with the aid of a camera scanning against a light source. At the correct moment in time, control signals are transmitted to finger groups, preferably four, which function to guide ten or more objects simultaneously in mutually different directions, in accordance with the respective sizes of the objects. In one embodiment, the lowest fingers are replaced with triangular-shaped guidance blocks. A large number of objects can be sorted gently and effectively from the transport path into mutually different, individually selective sizes.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting or otherwise treating objects, wherein the apparatus includes an endless belt which is in contact with a guide by means of which the endless belt is given a curved portion. At least one path between the guide and the curved portion of the belt is provided for the passage of objects therethrough. The path has an inlet portion arranged to receive objects which have traveled thereto along a trajectory which has a substantial horizontal component at the inlet portion, and the path has a vertically disposed outlet portion. A feeder is provided for feeding the objects to the inlet portion of the path. The belt is driven so that objects passing into the path through the inlet portion thereof are centrifugally forced against the belt and carried thereby to the respective outlet portions. The objects are sorted or otherwise treated as they fall under gravity from the outlet portion.

Abstract: A device for sorting tablets by capacitive measurement, including a disk rotating between capacitor plates, a tablet fielding device for sequentially metering a series of tablets onto the disk, an arcuate guide assembly for guiding the tablets along a guide path as the disk rotates, and a deflector assembly for deflecting the tablets along one of the possible paths, as a consequence of the capacitance measurement.

Abstract: A method for separation of beverage bottle components including high density polyethylene (HDPE) basecup; poly ethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle body; aluminum cap; paper/plastic labels and adhesives, including disjoining, isolating and separating the various bottle components. The method essentially involves steps of: bisecting the bottles into two halves to disengage the cap from the bottle body; heating the bisected bottle halves so as to cause thermal softening of the adhesives; mechanically isolating the thermally loosened assemblage; subjecting the isolated components to a flotation tank; collecting the light (floating fraction) and heavy (sunk fraction) fractions separately; air classifying the light HDPE fraction to remove labels; separating the components of the heavy fraction (aluminum and PET) due to their size differential.

Abstract: A slide conveyor for an optical sorting machine is disclosed wherein the conveyor is gently twisted over its length by about 85 degrees. The conveyor is channel-like in that it has two sides converging at its U-shaped bottom at an acute angle. The angle has a radius much smaller than the radius of the convex flat side, but slightly larger than the radius of the smallest edge angle radius of the slightly convex, disc-like products being conveyed. At the upper end, the centerline of the bottom angle is vertical and at its lower end, positioned just above the viewing station of the optical sorter, the centerline is about 5 degrees above horizontal. The conveyor slopes at a grade of about 75 degrees. The conveyor both singulates and orients the products conveyed.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting articles according to size inlcudes a plurality of moving belt assemblies and an elongated hopper provided above the moving belt assemblies for feeding a plurality of articles to the same. The fed articles are aligned and spaced apart as they are transported along the moving belt assemblies. A light emitting device is adjacently disposed on one side of each movable belt assembly, and a photodetecting device is disposed opposite the light emitting device and adjacent to the other side of the movable belt assemblies. The articles cast shadows upon the photodetecting device as they move past the light emitting device. The photodetecting device transmits electrical signals corresponding to the sizes of the shadows which are received by a control circuit. The control circuit classifies the detected articles according to the transmitted electrical signals and actuates a plurality of electromagnetically operated push rods.

Abstract: A sorter sorts discrete bruisable articles, such as pieces of fruit like apples, with minimum bruising. A continuous conveying chain has a number of discrete article supporting elements connected to it for linear movement with it, and for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the chain. At various stations along the chain a self-singulating section is provided in which the articles are singulated onto the supporting elements, a weighing section (or like property determining section) is provided after the self-singulating section, and a discharge section is provided at which the articles are dischargee depending upon the weight sensed in the weighing section. The same chain supporting elements may continue through a second self-singulating section, a second weighing section, and a second discharge section. The supporting elements comprise plastic cups defining a shallow depression on a top face, e.g. a conically shaped depression with sidewalls making an angle of about 20.degree.-30.degree.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for randomly selecting and automatically testing surface mount passive electronic components. A detachable hopper is utilized to contain a plurality of randomly oriented electronic components which are agitated pneumatically and urged by vibration and gravity into a uniform orientation within a groove in an inclined track plate. A seal plate acts in conjunction with the groove within the track plate to form an elongate throat passage which is periodically cleared to prevent clogging by pulsating pneumatic pressure. A component detection circuit is utilized to detect the presence of an electronic component at a predetermined testing position and a pair of movable conductive probes are then urged into contact with the component to permit testing. In response to a successful test the component under test is then ejected pneumatically back into the detachable hopper.

Abstract: A method of optically checking the appearances of chips and sorting the chips comprises the steps of feeding chips onto chip-passage body to cause the chips to run on the chip-passage body in a predetermined direction; during the running of the chips on the chip-passage body, individually separating the chips to stop the chips one by one at each of two predetermined checking positions; irradiating light obliquely and straightly with respect to a chip at one of the predetermined checking positions to pick up an optical image of one of undersurface and top surface sides of the chip as a video signal by means of a first TV camera; irradiating light obliquely and straightly with respect to the chip at the other of the predetermined checking positions to pick up an optical image of the other of the undersurface and top surface sides of the chip as a video signal by means of a second TV camera; sending the video signals to image processing sections, each of which includes at least an analog-to-digital conversion un

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing documents in a path wherein the documents each have first and second ends. Some of the documents have the first end being the leading end, and others of the documents have the second end being the leading end. The documents are conveyed to a receiver. The documents with the first end leading are conveyed into one end of the receiver. The documents with the second end leading are conveyed into the other end of the receiver from the opposite direction. The documents in the receiver then all have the same end orientation in the receiver. Two documents may initially be fed one on top of the other between a rotating wheel and retard pad. This selectively retards one document against the pad until the other document has been fed further forwardly beyond the leading edge of the one document.

Abstract: For a mail stacker including a compartmented path equipped with switches and stack compartments for sorting the letters, to avoid congestion of the letters assigned to the same compartment upon entry into the compartment there is provided a secondary conveying path parallel to part of the primary conveying path, with the length or transporting speed of the secondary conveying path being dimensioned so that, after two of the above-mentioned letters have been separated and combined again, they are now transported in an overlapping arrangement.

Abstract: A system for the processing and handling of products including the method and apparatus therefor. A conveyor includes rocker elements fixed thereto which may be selectively tipped by means of an actuator and camming surface to off-load products conveyed in a single file arrangement. The rocker elements are positioned on a chain to form an elongate support for the conveyed products. Two conveyors positioned side by side for receiving product in series may be used to provide a full view of the surface of the product for sensing by multiple sensors.

Abstract: A sorter sorts discrete bruisable articles, such as pieces of fruit like applies, with minimum bruising. A continuous conveyor chain has a number of discrete article supporting elements connected to it for linear movement with it, and for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the chain. At various stations along the chain a self-singulating section is provided in which the articles are singulated onto the supporting elements, a weighing section (or like property determining section) is provided after the self-singulating section, and a discharge section is provided at which the articles are discharged depending upon the weight sensed in the weighing section. The same chain supporting elements may continue through a second self-singulating section, a second weighing section, and a second discharge section. The supporting elements comprise plastic cups defining a shallow depresssion on a top face, e.g. a conically shaped depression with sidewalls making an angle of about 20.degree.-30.degree.

Abstract: To qualify the heights of inwardly projecting nuclear fuel rod-positioning stops formed in the sidewall of tubular ferrules 12 utilized in fuel bundle spacers, an automated gauging apparatus, seen in FIG. 6, is provided to handle successive ferrules on an automated basis. The apparatus includes an orienting station 32 for longitudinally reorienting each ferrule, if necessary, and angularly orienting each ferrule in a pickup position. A mechanism 68 picks each ferrule from its pickup position and places it on an arbor 84 with the rod-positioning stop surfaces bearing against arbor reference surfaces. A plurality of eddy current probes 96 (FIG. 8) are positioned to measure the proximity of ferrule peripheral surface sites adjacent the stops and thus provide output gauging signals indicative of the heights of the various stops.

Abstract: Drill bits (16) are delivered in a mixed, bulk form, in a random orientation, into an alignment unit (30). Aligned drill bits (16) move from the alignment conveyor (30) into the upper end of a singulator (36). Singulated drill bits (16) are delivered by the singulator (36) into a singulated drill bit conveyor (38, 49). Identifying means (202,236,240) identify each drill bit (16) as it travels and in conjunction with computers "A" and "B", cause a reversal of end-to-end orientation, if necessary, and movement of a deposit conveyor (52), and placement of each identified drill bit (16) into a dedicated receiving receptacle (54). The components of the system are arranged to take a small amount of floor space and provide good utilization of floor space.

Abstract: A selection device for candy, in which confections are dispensed loose onto a first table turning at relatively low speed and spiralled around a fixed guide before being scattered onto a second, annular table that is concentric and coplanar with the first and rotates at higher speed; this second table is encompassed by a cylindrical pan, rotated at the same higher speed about an axis angled away from the axis of the tables to the extent that corresponding peripheral stretches of the second table and the top edge of the pan are made to converge in the same plane. The top edge of the pan is castellated with tapered radial sockets that are designed to accommodate the confections singly, conveying them through a circular path and into contact with a number of fixed cam profiles by which they are deflected from the sockets in such a way as to enable centrifugal ejection at respective selection and reject stations.

Abstract: Document processor equipment for processing documents requiring operator intervention for the purpose of functions like key entry and encoding of data associated with certain ones of the documents includes an improved system for transporting and presenting documents to the operator for such intervention. A document view station has split parallel transport paths for routing documents requiring operator intervention to the front path near the operator with documents not requiring operator intervention being routed to and along a rear path, the respective routing being effected by a diverter automatically controlled in response to information read from the documents. A preview station and document hold station are respectively provided upstream and downstream from the document view station.

Abstract: A veneer stacking system providing the feature of consistent air suction above the multiple veneer stacks enabling reliable separation of the veneer sheets from an overhead conveyor. This consistent air suction is provided by independent air chambers for each stack. It also includes aligning belts for aligning the sheets on the overhead conveyor. An aligning belt replaces a section of one or both of the conveyor belts and is independently driven to speed up or slow down one side of the sheet to achieve the desired alignment. It also includes improved knock-off shoes activated byh cylinders connected to master cylinders in a master cylinder housing activated by a common mover piston for simultaneous knock off of veneer sheets onto the stacks.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high speed asynchronous fruit sorter, particularly suitable for pit scanning of cherries in order to segregate cherries containing pits from pitted cherries.

Abstract: A circulation-type bill deposit and dispensing apparatus, is provided with a shift mechanism which moves the bills to a predetermined position to the left or right side with respect to their feed direction so as to eliminate dispersion of bills in the lateral direction. Thus errors in discrimination of truth or falsehood or in discrimination of denominations and feed jams are prevented. An inverse shifting mechanism is also provided for moving bills to the opposite side from the initial shift (with respect to the feed direction) by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: The invention maintains the focus of a reader in a postal sorting and transporting system which is equipped to read an image of an address on either side of a mail article. The address reading apparatus uses two address readers disposed on opposite sides of a transfer path over which the mail articles travel. An address-carrying surface detector is disposed along the transfer path and upstream of the two address readers. Two floating roller pairs are provided at the inlet and the outlet of the address readers, to hold the mail article therebetween. A pressure roller driving mechanism responds to an output signal delivered from the address-carrying surface detector for selectively fixing one roller of either roller pair at a predetermined distance from the mail article's address carrying surface so that the distance between the address carrying surface and the appropriate address reader is kept constant.

Abstract: From a different stock of tires each time a conveyor belt has a tire placed onto it and centered by a transverse positioning device; in alignment with a vulcanization press or an iron hand or a collecting arm, a number of sensors, particularly photocell sensors, monitor the incoming tire and stop it in the correct position for it to be collected by the iron hand or collecting arm.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail in a continuous and automatic procedure includes an operative combination of processing stations including an input station for receiving incoming mail in bulk fashion and for separting the pieces of mail for individual delivery to the remainder of the apparatus; a station for detecting irregularities in the contents of the envelopes, such as metal items, folded contents, or oversized items; a station for out-sorting envelopes rejected in accordance with the determinations made at the detection station; a station for opening the envelopes, preferably along multiple edges; a station for removing the contents from the opened envelopes, for subsequent processing of the contents; and a series of stations for handling and orienting the contents for subsequent delivery to a plurality of output stackers.

Abstract: An orienting and sorting device for elongate objects includes a first conveyor surface having a plurality of parallel channel-like sections into which the objects are mechanically aligned. The first conveyor surface is divided into a plurality of transverse sections, each section being separated by a greater distance therebetween for sorting the oriented objects by size. The sorted objects are further stacked in a bin for removal from the work area.

Abstract: An automated inspection system for identifying objects by their geometrical shapes includes an orientation device wherein objects are conveyed one-by-one at constant velocity to abut at least one stationary member which urges the objects to an orientation common to other conveyed objects. After objects reach a stable common orientation, an inspection device is operated to detect waves which interact with the conveyed objects against the stationary background.

Abstract: A system and process for sorting and conveying articles consisting of discarded tires and debris from one site to another site. The system and process receives articles in bulk, and concurrently singularizes and conveys the separated articles. Various physical characteristics of the individual articles, such as weight and size, are determined as the articles are continuously conveyed. Those articles having a physical property outside of a predetermined parameter range are ejected from the system. The remaining articles are then accumulated into groups of articles based on a physical characteristic of each article such that the sum of the physical characteristics of the articles of each group will be above a minimum and not exceed predetermined maximum values. The group of articles is then conveyed as a unit out of the system for a following operation such as disposal of the articles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of sorting cutlery, comprising opto-electronic dynamic recognition and identification of the cutlery. The pieces of cutlery are brought forward in a longitudinal direction one by one behind each other on a moving conveyor belt (12). The movement of the belt is precision linked to a pulsator (13), which emits pulses with a frequency that is directly proportional to the speed of the belt. The pieces of cutlery are brought by the conveyor belt to pass one by one through an optical read-off unit (14) between a light source (32) and a bar (40) of photo-transistors (33) or light-conductors (38) which transmit light to photo-transistors. The bar extends at right angles to the direction of movement of the belt, so that it is partially shaded by the cutlery when this passes, whereupon the photo-transistors in the parts of the bar shaded at any moment are inactivated.