SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SORTING RECYCLABLE OBJECTS
First Claim
1. A sorting system comprising:
- a housing;
a tray tiltably coupled to the housing, the tray comprising a top surface configured to receive an object;
an actuator configured to tilt the tray with respect to the housing to at least a first position at which the object, when received by the top surface, rolls or slides off of a first end of the tray, and a second position at which the object, when received by the top surface, rolls or slides off of a second end of the tray opposite the first end; and
an object recognition system configured to determine whether the object received by the top surface is a first type of object or a second type of object, wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the tray to the first position when the object is the first type of object, and wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the tray to the second position when the object is the second type of object.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sorting system according to embodiments of the present invention includes a housing, a tray tiltably coupled to the housing and having a top surface configured to receive an object, an actuator configured to tilt the tray to at least a first position at which the object rolls or slides off of a first end of the tray, and a second position at which the object rolls or slides off of a second end of the tray opposite the first end, and an object recognition system configured to determine whether the object is a first type of object or a second type of object, wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the tray to the first position when the object is the first type of object, and wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the tray to the second position when the object is the second type of object.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A sorting system comprising:
-
a housing; a tray tiltably coupled to the housing, the tray comprising a top surface configured to receive an object; an actuator configured to tilt the tray with respect to the housing to at least a first position at which the object, when received by the top surface, rolls or slides off of a first end of the tray, and a second position at which the object, when received by the top surface, rolls or slides off of a second end of the tray opposite the first end; and an object recognition system configured to determine whether the object received by the top surface is a first type of object or a second type of object, wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the tray to the first position when the object is the first type of object, and wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the tray to the second position when the object is the second type of object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method for sorting objects, the method comprising:
-
receiving an object on a top surface of a tray; scanning the object with a bar code scanner to obtain a bar code number; determining based on the bar code number whether the object is a first type of object or a second type of object; and tilting the tray to cause the object to enter a first outlet based on a determination that the object is the first type of object or to enter a second outlet based on a determination that the object is the second type of object. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A kiosk comprising:
-
a receiving window; and a sorting system comprising a tiltable sorting tray and an object recognition system, the tiltable sorting tray configured to receive an object inserted through the receiving window, wherein the object is one of two or more different types of objects, the sorting system configured to recognize the one of the two or more different types of the object using the object recognition system, the sorting system further configured to tilt the tiltable sorting tray in one direction or another to release the object into a particular container based on the recognition. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
-
Specification