Abstract: A multi-pharmaceutical dispensing station includes a circular platform around which a plurality of individual dispensers is arrayed at a convenient loading height. Cylindrical, empty prescription containers bearing indicia of the patient and pharmaceutical to be dispensed into each container. Incident containers first enter an entraining column, where sensors detect the indicia and determine the proper dispenser to which to direct the container. The containers then drop into a dispersion wheel which translates them around the circular station and aligns them with a vertical chute leading to the designated dispenser. Slidable gates cover the chutes until the transport system determines they are above the proper dispenser, then open to drop the containers into the designated dispenser. The dispersion wheel may be used in other applications, such as container content verification, and may include container processing stations along its perimeter for processing the containers before sending them on.

Abstract: A device for discarding trims formed by cutting machines during the cutting of paper logs, including an advancing plane on which paper rolls (R) and trims (RT, RC) advance along a given direction (A), wherein the trims can fall through a discontinuity provided on the advancing plane. The advancing plane is formed by a first extendible conveyor (1) and a second extendible conveyor (2). Each of the conveyors (1, 2) is connected with an extension and retraction device. The discontinuity on the advancing plane is realized or eliminated depending on the extended or not extended configuration of the conveyors (1, 2).

Abstract: Device for discarding trims formed by cutting machines during the cutting of paper logs, comprising an advancing plane on which paper rolls (R) and trims (RT, RC) advance along a given direction (A), wherein the trims can fall through a discontinuity provided on said advancing plane. The said advancing plane is formed by a first extendible conveyor (1) and a second extendible conveyor (2). Each of said conveyors (1, 2) is connected with extension and retraction means. The said discontinuity on the advancing plane is realized or eliminated depending on the extended or not extended configuration of said conveyors (1, 2).

Abstract: The invention relates a device (1) for sorting a harvested stream of fruit in bunches, said device being intended to be mounted in a harvesting machine. The sorting device comprises at least two transverse sorter bars (3) driven with a cyclic relative movement, said movement enabling longitudinal displacement of the stream over said bars, while opening passages (4) between them, said passages being adapted to allow detached berries to drop under said sorting device. The invention also relates to a separation system including such a sorting device and a destemming device, and a harvesting machine including such a separation system and possibly such a sorting device.

Abstract: A sorter for sorting pieces of various diameters and lengths made up of a pair of shafts spatially disposed in parallel within a horizontal plane, each of these shafts having a tapered core to which is connected to a pair of flights. When the shafts are rotated, items placed upon the flights of the shafts are aligned and moved toward the second end of the shaft. When a piece reaches a location where it can tip upon one of the flights and the end of the piece no longer contacts a part of the adjoining flight, the piece will tip. When this piece now traveling between the flights reaches a location where the space between the tapered portions of the cones is sufficiently large so as to allow the potato to fall between the cones, the piece will fall and has thus been sorted for diameter. Larger items thus are sorted to a location further from the first end of the device and smaller items are sorted to a position closer to the first end of the device.

Abstract: Apparatus for eliminating the trimmings of rolls or logs of ribbonlike material coming out of a cutting machine, where at least one roll or log is cut into rolls (14) and small rolls or trimmings (15) from the leading portion of the log and/or trimmings (15?) from the trailing portion of the log, said rolls (14) and trimmings (15, 15?) being made to advance one after another by means of at least one conveyor (11), which acts in a plane of feed (13), in which the plane of feed (13) comprises two sets of fixed supporting elements (16, 16?) for supporting the rolls, said fixed supporting elements being set at a distance apart from one another so as to define an opening (19), in which there are arranged guides (18) for mobile supporting elements (17) for supporting the rolls, the mobile supporting elements (17) being controlled so as to displace to and fro between two sets of fixed supporting elements (16, 16?) and with respect to the opening (19) on the guides, which are set at a distance apart from one another,

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for sorting containers commonly referred to as bottle unscrambler. The apparatus has a bowl assembly consisting of a base and an upstanding generally cylindrical sidewall, a support disc, and an actuator disc overlying the support disc. A plurality of pie-shaped disc segments are disposed in a circular array between the support disc and actuator disc, operatively connecting the actuator disc and support disc so that relative rotation of the support disc and actuator disc effects radial movement of the pie-shaped disc segments between inner and outer limit positions thereby providing a means for selectively varying the channel to accommodate containers of various sizes and shapes.

Abstract: A device for the elimination of trims of rolls or logs of sheeted material able to be arranged downstream of a cutting-off machine of at least one roll or log cut into rolls and little rolls or upstream trims (15?) and/or downstream trims (15), all made to advance one after the next on a transporter (11, 11?) associated with a feed plane (13, 13?), wherein the feed plane (13, 13?) has an opening (17) of a size at least equal to that of the diameter of a log, in which said little rolls or upstream trims (15?) and/or downstream trims (15) fall, the opening (17) being closed by a mobile wall (18) in response to a signal and/or according to a predetermined step, also foreseeing gripper elements from above (20–23) of some of said rolls (14) which are only activated when said mobile wall (18) for closing said opening (17) is absent.

Abstract: A device for the elimination of trimmings of rolls or logs of ribbon-like material that can be connected below a cropper machine of at least one roll or log, in turn fed by a feed surface (11) of rolls (12) and top and/or tail crop ends (21), one after another, comprising, below of the feed surface (11), at least one conveyor element (16) closed in a ring which moves around a pulley (14) and which receives the rolls (12) and top and/or tail crop ends (21) on an upper section, the conveyor element (16) having an opening (17) with a dimension at least equivalent to the diameter of a log, inside which the top and/or tail crop ends (21) fall, the opening (17) being positioned as the conveyor element (16) rotates at the beginning of the upper section when the top and/or tail crop ends (21) reach this point.

Abstract: A device for the selection and elimination of crop ends of rolls of kitchen towel and/or toilet paper, in which the device is supplied by at least one row of finished rolls (12) and by top and tail crop ends (13) cut in sequence from at least one log, and including a structure (14) supporting an upper belt unit (16) and a lower belt unit (15a, 15b), facing each other to receive the rolls (12) and crop ends (13), the lower belt unit (15a, 15b) having a first, belt subunit (15a) and a second belt subunit (15b) separated by an opening (26), upstream the first belt subunit (15a) with a fixed lower surface (32) underneath the upper belt unit (16) to turnover the crop ends (13) and with a contact means (33, 35) being provided a the entrance of opening (26), on the turned crop ends to rotate them into the opening (26), letting the cut and finished rolls (12) pass by.

Abstract: A cherry sizing process and apparatus in which cherries are sized in stages, with each stage including substantially parallel rollers and with each stage having a gap different than the other stages. Preferably, the larger size cherries are removed before the final sizing stage. In addition, the larger cherries are preferably removed as an overs product, i.e., as the cherries which do not pass through the gap between rollers at the stage at which the larger cherries are removed. The different gap settings can be set based upon recommended ranges which have been determined based upon the recognition that a particular gap will have a predictable removal efficiency for each of various cherry sizes. In addition, the gap can be selected utilizing a simulator which determines the result of each sizing stage based upon statistical information concerning the size distribution of cherries to be sized and the removal efficiencies of each stage for each cherry size.

Abstract: A rotating lumber sorting device has a rotatable transfer element provided on its periphery with a plurality of receptacles which are spaced from one another in a peripheral direction and have different widths substantially corresponding to different thickness of boards to be sorted, and a plurality of guiding elements having inlet ends located close to the transfer element and also having different widths substantially corresponding to the widths of the receptacles, so that the boards of different widths are first received into the receptacles of the transfer element with each part received in a corresponding one of the receptacles, and thereafter the boards are transferred to the guiding elements and each board is transferred from a corresponding one of the receptacles of the transfer element into a corresponding one of the guiding elements, the guiding elements having outlets which are spaced from one another so as to guide having different thickness into separate accumulating places.

Abstract: A particulate separating device (1) has an inlet (8) leading to sets of inter-leaved discs (2 and 3). The spacings between the discs determine the sizes of the particles which can pass through to an acceptance outlet (12) while larger particles are carried over to a rejection outlet (10). A comb-like barrier member (11) is interleaved with the set of discs (3) to assist in the removal of particles into the rejection outlet (10).

Abstract: A fruit grader comprising a plurality of belts which diverge away from a loading station and which overlie parallel and closely spaced transverse belts, all the belts being of a soft resilient elastomer, and where encountered by the fruit, being between supports so that they are easily deflected, thereby firstly limiting damage to the fruit due to impact and secondly limiting damage which can otherwise be caused by bounce when the direction of travel of the fruit is changed from longitudinal to transvers, bounce being inhibited due to the fruit entering the valleys between adjacent spaced parallel transverse belts.

Abstract: Fruit, which may be oblong fruit such as olives, are mechanically sorted into two separate vessels, depending on whether they are, or are not individually thick enough to be clamped between a reciprocating head and a plate, while the head and plate rotate about a drum axis at a downstream end of a carrying run of an endless conveyor for the fruit. The clamped (oversized) fruit are carried further about the periphery of the drum than are the non-clamped (undersized) fruit, allowing these two classes of fruit to be collected separately. In a preferred embodiment, the fruit are individually deposited on the conveyor and subjected to common orientation before passing between the reciprocating head and the plate.

Abstract: The invention is a motor driven device designed for the purpose of separating and sorting flatware, fed to the unit in random fashion. A hopper receives the pieces, and the speed of a concaved separating disc is employed to separate the flatware and move it handle first between the sorting disc and guides. The pieces are measured by the relation of the guides to the circumference of the disc and dropped into individual collection boxes. A threaded stud may be employed for the adjustment of the machine to a variety of patterns of flatware.

Abstract: Apparatus for sorting items according to size wherein the items are dropped between a pair of opposed sorting discs having facing sides with the spacing between the sides varying radially of the discs, with withdrawing elements being interposed at various radial locations between the facing sides of the discs for separately receiving the items in accordance with the size thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus for size-grading elongated objects of differing diameters, such as green beans or the like, comprises concentrically arranged inner and outer hollow rotatable slotted drums, with the outer drum having a greater number of axially extending circumferentially spaced apart slots therein than the inner drum; drive mechanisms for rotating both drums in the same direction but at different relative speeds, whereby the slots in the inner and outer drums overlap in different relationships and cooperate so as to define entry slots of different widths at different peripheral positions around the outer drum; an object feeding chute outside the outer drum for directing objects to be size-graded to an entry slot of desired width; a conveyor within the inner drum for receiving size-graded objects which have fallen through the selected entry slot, and a collector on the outside of the outer drum for collecting those objects which have not fallen through the selected entry slot.