Abstract: A system is for sorting an article on shipping the article. The article has a tag label in which a symbol is written. The article has an ID tag in which tag information is written. The article is conveyed on a conveyer. A first detector detects the article conveyed on the conveyer to produce a first detection signal. A second detector is located downstream of the first detector and detects the article conveyed on the conveyer to produce a second detection signal. A control device controls a symbol reading device in response to the first detection signal to make the symbol reading device read the symbol as read-out symbol information out of the tag label. The control device controls an ID tag writing device in response to the second detection signal to make the ID tag writing device write the tag information in the ID tag in accordance with the read-out symbol information. The article is sorted on the basis of the tag information written in the ID tag.

Abstract: A conveyor belt (1) leading to a sorting device (2) comprises two superimposed functional sections (3, 12), which are connected to each other via deflected intermediate sections. As a result, the structural length of the conveyor belt (1) is reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to the distribution of mail items with information on the surface of the mail items. Distribution occurs successively by means of various sorting machines. Sorting in particular is carried out in a succession of operations for the last point of distribution. According to the invention, distribution points are determined once the mail items have been received in the first sorting machine and the thicknesses of the mail items are measured by optical scanning of the mail item surfaces. Mail item thicknesses allocated to the distribution points are registered, stored and statistically prepared if required. Optimized sort programs are then calculated for sorting machines assigned to the various distribution points based on information regarding thickness, and the mail items are distributed accordingly.

Abstract: The method of the present invention relates generally to a method for sorting mailpieces using a mail sorting apparatus. In one embodiment of the present invention, instructions are provided to the mail sorting apparatus in a machine readable format such as barcode. The instructions are printed on a form that can be fed into the mail sorting apparatus in the same manner that a mailpiece is fed into the mail sorting apparatus. The form is run through the feed path of the mail sorting apparatus. The barcode is read using a scanner. A signal on the form indicates that the mailpiece is a form, and that information contained in the barcode is an instruction. The instruction may be, for example, an instruction to 1) halt may be implemented through use or reprogramming of application software may be presented by using the form. The method provides for sorting of mailpieces with less stopping of the sorting apparatus to provide new instructions.

Abstract: A system for sorting objects includes an upstream and a downstream conveyor positioned to sequentially receive and convey an object along a first path, and a sorting conveyor belt positioned transversely in a gap between the upstream and downstream conveyors. The sorting conveyor is tilted with respect to the plane of the other conveyors, and carries flexible projections that lift one edge of the object and push it The operation of the sorting belt reduces static friction between the object and the main conveyors as the object is pushed. The system also includes a measuring device operatively linked to provide dimensions and position information about the object to a sorting conveyor controller.

Abstract: Device and process for the manufacture of hollow plastic objects to screen out defective plastic preforms that are to be molded into their desired shape in a molding station before they reach the molding station, the conveyor track leading into the molding station comprising a screening area through which the preforms are conveyed in such a way that they are loosely supported on only one side, wherein screening apparatuses are provided in the screening area to screen out defective plastic preforms in response to signals from an inspection station.

Abstract: A staking press equipped with a component parts selecting apparatus. The staking press is equipped with a component parts supplying unit (17) that has a plurality of component parts storage sections (19, 23) each for storing a plurality of the same component parts. The component parts selecting apparatus includes a device (11) for picking up an image of a mark (m) provided on a surface of a workpiece (W), a parts identifying device (13) for identifying a component part to be installed on the workpiece on the basis of image data from the picking up device (11), a controller (15) for identifying the component parts storage section (19,23) that stores the component parts to be installed in a workpiece on the basis of data from the parts identifying device.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are provided for temperature calibration of a microwave sensor unit used in non-destructively measuring and monitoring meat parameters such as fat, protein, and moisture content of a meat supply presented into the sensor unit. The apparatus implementing the method provides for separating the portion of the meat supply exceeding a maximum allowable meat parameter. The method provides for temperature calibration of the microwave sensor unit by processing microwave signal and temperature measurements of meat samples in combination with laboratory analysis data of the same meat samples to obtain temperature-corrected value of meat parameter measurements of the supply of meat presented into the sensor unit.

Abstract: The Invention relates to an apparatus and a method for sorting objects into destination containers arranged along one or both sides of a continuous conveyer belt apparatus wherein appropriate portions of the belt can be raised and lowered at times and locations to cause objects to fall into appropriate destination containers. Air may optionally be directed toward said objects in coordination with the elevation of the belt to assist in causing the objects to fall into the appropriate destination container.

Abstract: A glass cullet separation apparatus according to the present invention includes a hopper (1), a rotary feeder (6), an inclined guide plate (14), a conveying belt (17), and a foreign glass discrimination device (37). The discriminated device can radiate a laser beam onto a surface of a cullet passing over a slit of the conveying belt (17) for emission therefrom and for discriminating a "yes or no" foreign glass determination by analyzing a spectrum of the emission. Also, included is a color discrimination device (41), a foreign glass discrimination trigger sensor (33), a color discrimination trigger sensor (40), and air nozzles (44) for ejecting the cullet at each predetermined positions which correspond to the cullet of the foreign glass and the cullet of each color. A non-contact type photoelectric sensor (45) is provided for sensing the cullet passing the air nozzle (44).

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: The invention relates to a method for sorting individual articles having identification numbers. The method comprises the steps of allocating each individual article a position number based on a position in the stream of individual articles. Next, the individual articles are conveyed from one collecting zone to another via waiting lines. The collecting zones and waiting lines are designed so that the sorting installation configuration corresponds the equation: M=(m.q.r)/n.sup.2. Wherein M equals the size of the sorting installation, m equals the number of waiting lines in the first collecting zone, q equals the capacity of a waiting line in the first collecting zone, n equals the number of waiting lines in each further collecting zone, and r equals the capacity of the waiting lines in the further collecting zones.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for separating a flow of golf balls into a first set of golf balls which meet predetermined specifications and a second set of golf balls which do not meet specifications. The apparatus includes a first elongated cylinder having a central axis positioned at an angle with respect to the horizontal. The elongated cylinder has an open lower end, an open upper end and an interior diameter to allow for the rolling of golf balls of the first set to move therethrough and out of the lower end. A large aperture is formed in an upper surface of the elongated cylinder at a central extent thereof. The interior surface of the elongated cylinder is of an increased diameter between central extent thereof and the upper end thereof. A supplemental small aperture is formed in the upper surface of the elongated cylinder offset from the uppermost extent thereof. The supplemental small aperture is formed at an angle with regard to the axis of the elongated cylinder.

Abstract: In airports, large amounts of luggage have to be sorted and transported. Departing the luggage comes from check-in areas (14) to various finger conveyors (4) that radiate from a central area. A large amount of transit luggage must be handled directly between different finger conveyors (4). Arriving luggage comes from the finger conveyors for delivery to a central delivery area. The invention provides for a transportation system having a high degree of simplicity and clearness both in construction and in operative control. A central rotating conveyor system (2) receives luggage both from the check-in areas (14) and from individual conveyor loops (4) that extend along the separate finger conveyors, whereby departing luggage, as well as transit luggage can easily be sorted out to the correct finger conveyors (4), and arriving luggage conveyed to the central delivery area.

Abstract: A card convey device includes a first convey path, a second convey path, a third convey path, jam detector, convey controller, and card sorter. The first convey path conveys a loaded card. The second convey path is branched from the first convey path and conveys a non-defective card distributed from cards conveyed from the first convey path. The third convey path is branched from the first convey path and conveys a defective card distributed from the cards conveyed from the first convey path. The jam detector detects jam of a card occurring in each of the first, second, and third convey paths. The convey controller conveys a card through each of the first, second, and third convey paths at a predetermined speed, stops a convey operation of the card when the jam detector detects jam of the card, and reconveys the card in response to a reconvey command.

Abstract: The instant invention provides an apparatus and method for reliably separating a selected sheet from a spaced array of sheets transported on a conveyor. The invention continuously maintains vacuum on the conveyors, and uses selectively activated jets directed at the underside of the sheets to divert them for separating. The invention positively controls the destination of discrete, flexible sheets, such as photographic film, by continuously engaging the sheets with another conveyor during separating, sorting, shuffling or the like, as they travel in an array along a conveyor. Positive control of the sheets permits reliable, high speed separating of lightweight, flexible sheets.

Abstract: A sorting machine is disclosed based on a procedure utilizing standard length pulses initiated by the sensing of the leading edge of a sensed product and rejecting a defective product based on sensing where its trailing edge is or should be if covered up by a successive overlapping product. Such detection allows for rejecting products that are either too long or too short. The detection of the trailing edge location also is employed for the activation of a reject mechanism operated on a fixed delay from the occurrence of a defect signal for whatever reason produced from the sensing of a product in the product stream.

Abstract: An automatic sorting and stamping apparatus includes a supply section to which a stack of mail items including standard-size items and nonstandard-size items is placed. The supplied mail items are transferred to a sorting and stamping section along a transfer path extending through a plurality of processing units while being applied with desired processes thereby. The transfer path is constructed by a plurality of conveyors whose operations are controlled by a control section. The control section stores various control values for determining the operations of the conveyors. One of the control values, which is suitable for processing the mail items of the supplied stack, is selected in accordance with the ratio of nonstandard-size items to all mail items forming the supplied stack. The conveyors are driven, based on the selected control value.

Abstract: A sorting device suitable for sorting defective parts from a stream of parts is disclosed. The parts may be non-magnetic. A sorting disc having a number of recesses disposed around its periphery receives the parts to be sorted. A reject disc having a number of reject devices on its tangent to the sorting disc and rotates such that the peripheral speed of the reject devices at the point of tangency is the same as the speed of the recesses in the sorting disc. When a defective part is detected, the appropriate one of the reject devices is activated, withdrawing the defective part from the corresponding recess in the sorting disc.

Abstract: An apparatus including a source for producing a concentrated light beam, such as a laser, a background element spaced from the source against which the light beam is directed, and a transport arrangement for moving translucent bodies, such as French cut potatoes, through the light beam. When light from the source impinges upon a pure translucent body, the light is scattered or diffused within the body around the point of impingement so as to illuminate a surface area of the body larger than the cross-sectional area of the light beam, but light from the source impinging upon an impurity in the translucent body is scattered or diffused to a lesser extent. The background element is formed of a material which causes light from the source which impinges on it to be diffused within the material in a manner similar to the diffusion of the light in the translucent bodies.

Abstract: A method of detecting and sorting pieces of insulating materials admixed in small pieces of conductive materials, which comprises detecting and amplifying the surface potentials of the conductive materials and the insulating materials by a surface potentiometer on the basis of a time differentiation method, inputting the signal to a comparator, and sensing the presence of the insulating materials. This method is utilized to detect and sort plastics admixed in pulp and papermaking materials or cereals.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device by which a defective product is removed from a path through which products are continually fed. The device has a feeder feeding products, a sensor detecting defective products, and a remover taking the defective products from the path. The sensor outputs a signal denoting a defect in either the trailing half of a first product or the leading half of an adjacent second product. The remover has a function for obtaining the number which is a quotient obtained by dividing the distance between the sensor and the remover by the length of a normal product. The remover takes out the defective and the adjacent product when the number of products passing the remover is equal to the quotient obtained by the above calculation.

Abstract: An apparatus for discriminating and sorting out defective plastic bottle crates from sound bottle crates comprising driving means for urging an indenter or contact tip provided at the tip of a vibrating rod of an ultrasonic hardness tester into steady contact in indented state with a bottle crate, detecting means for detecting resonant frequency of said vibrating rod which is varied by the urging of said indenter or contact tip into steady contact with said bottle crate, and means for distinguishing and sorting out defective bottle crates from sound bottle crates in response to the resonant frequency detected by the detecting means.

Abstract: Apparatus for sorting packagings such as cans of a certain type of material from packagings of other types of materials comprising a support member transporting the packagings one by one to a compression station at which are disposed first and second pressing members arranged to move relative to each other to compress the packagings transported by the supporting member. The relative movement of the pressing members and transfer of the packagings when relative movement of the pressing chambers has ceased is controlled by a regulating mechanism such that when compressive forces of a magnitude within a predetermined range required for packagings of the type of material in question allow the pressing members to move towards each other to complete the pressing operations whereby the packagings are compressed to a size before transfer to a collecting device. In the case of compressive forces of a magnitude outside the predetermined range, the packagings are prevented from being transferred to the collecting device.

Abstract: A device is provided for testing the integrity of each container in a conveyed sequence of containers by individually applying pressure internally of each, sensing that pressure and generating a signal having a magnitude corresponding to the value of that pressure, comparing that signal magnitude to a selected threshold signal value, providing an output control signal indicative of the achievement of that signal magnitude and setting an enablement device in one of two states corresponding to the presence and absence, respectively, of that output control signal. One of those states corresponds to an unacceptable container condition and the other to an acceptable container condition. If the unacceptable container condition or reject state exists, a reject cycle is enabled over at least an enabling duration sufficient to clear the container or broken portion thereof from the position it occupies in the sequence.

Abstract: A spinning machine has a plurality of spinning stations and a transport installation including a conveyor belt for receiving ready spun spinning bodies and for conveying them to a container in a predetermined sequence. A thread sensor scans the spinning stations with respect to thread breaks and supplies corresponding data to an evaluation device. This device has a memory in which the thread break number and thread break standstill time of the individual spinning bodies are stored and expressed on call. These stored values are used to control a sorting device which operates in such a way that the spinning bodies are sorted into different containers according to their thread break number and thread break standstill time. A quality selection of the spinning bodies may, therefore, be made in that, for example, all spinning bodies which are produced without any thread breaks and with the same yarn length are judged as being perfect and may be directly further used.

Abstract: A device is provided for testing the integrity of each container in a conveyed sequence of containers by individually applying pressure internally of each, sensing that pressure and generating a signal having a magnitude corresponding to the value of that pressure, comparing that signal magnitude to a selected threshold signal value, providing an output control signal indicative of the achievement of that signal magnitude and setting an enablement device in one of two states corresponding to the presence and absence, respectively, of that output control signal. One of those states corresponds to an unacceptable container condition and the other to an acceptable container condition. If the unacceptable container condition or reject state exists, a reject cycle is enabled over at least an enabling duration sufficient to clear the container or broken portion thereof from the position it occupies in the sequence.

Abstract: Sensors associated with a pair of weighing devices of a weight sorting system are operative through a logic circuit to effect release of loads from conveyor carriers. Lockout and reset actions produced internally of the logic circuit distinguish between sequential signals produced by the sensors and a single signal produced by one of the sensors during any monitoring cycle, to effect release of the loads between upper and lower weight limits, respectively, established by said weighing devices.