Method for sorting out certain containers, such as industrial containers, bottle crates etc. from a stock of containers and a device on a container for the identification of a to be sorted out container

• US 4,690,751 A
• Filed: 04/03/1985
• Issued: 09/01/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alexander Schoeller & Company AG
• Original Assignee: Alexander Schoeller & Company AG
• Inventors: Umiker, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WACYRA, EDWARD MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US06/723,963
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 209/3.1-3.3, 209/523, 209/524, 209/547, 209/555, 209/583, 235/456, 235/458, 235/459, 235/461, 235/470, 235/475-477, 235/489, 235/490, 235/494, 235/385, 235/375, 198/349
• US Class Current: 209/3.3
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00

Abstract

Containers, e.g. bottle crates, industrial containers, of a common issue (Fxx1), e.g. a manufacturing series, are provided with a specific marking which indicates that they belong together. The mixing up of the various issues (Fxx1 . . . Fyz1 . . . Fzz2) which occurs during the circulation (Z, RZ) can again be reversed in an automatic sorting process, which makes it possible to sort out a desired sub-quantity (Fxx1) and to subject same to a further process stage (Rxx1, Axx1). The marked containers display an optically readable marking (3, 4), from which the information for the automatic sorting out of an issue can be noted.

Claims

1. Method for sorting out containers, such as bottle crates and industrial containers, from a stock of containers by means of optical detection, which comprises:

providing a stock of containers with specific markings from which it can be noted if they belong to a common issue, whereby after being mixed up during use the containers of a common issue are brought together;

optically detecting said markings;

separating containers from said stock based on the optical detection of containers belonging to a common issue;

further checking the separated containers at a further processing stage for reuseable containers; and

returning said reuseable containers to a more recent common issue, wherein the marking is changed before returning separated items to said more recent common issue.

2. Device for the identification of a container, such as bottle crates and industrial containers, to be sorted out from a stock of containers by means of optical detection, which comprises a stock of containers with specific optically detectable markings from which it can be noted if they belong to a common issue whereby after being mixed up during use the containers of a common issue are brought together, characterized in that each container bears a marking identifying characteristics of the container wherein said marking is stamped into the material of the container as an integral part thereof during the manufacture thereof and the marking is such that it can be changed with regard to the information therein from a marking indicating an older date of manufacture to a marking indicating a more recent date of manufacture.

3. Device according to claim 2 wherein the marking consists of a series of optically readable perforations in the material of the container.

4. Device according to claim 2 wherein the marking consists of a plurality of optically readable, web-like raised parts in the surface of the container.

5. Device according to claim 4 wherein the marking is a multibar marking.

6. Device according to claim 5 wherein a marking bar comprises at least two height stages.

7. Device according to claim 5 wherein a marking bar comprises at least 3 height stages.