Method and apparatus for sorting plastic items
First Claim
1. An apparatus for disengaging interlocked bottle clusters into single bottles comprising:
- (a) a housing;
(b) a first movable support for fingers attached within said housing;
(c) a first plurality of fingers each having a base end and a striking end, with said base end attached to said first movable support and said striking end extending away from said support;
(d) a second movable support for fingers attached within said housing;
(e) a second plurality of fingers each having a base end and a striking end, said base end attached to said first movable support, said striking end extending away from said support; and
(f) means for moving said first and second movable supports, said moving means being configured so that said first movable support moves at an angular velocity of at least about three times the angular velocity of said second movable support;
wherein said first movable support and said second movable support are positioned relative to each other so that as said first movable support moves said first plurality of fingers, and as said second movable support moves said second plurality of fingers, said striking ends of said first plurality of fingers intermesh but do not contact said striking ends of said second plurality of fingers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of sorting plastic items by measuring the effect an item has on light directed at a stream of items from a light source, then selectively removing items from the stream based on a comparison of the light measured and the light emitted from the detector is provided. The invention also includes an apparatus for separating plastic items which comprises a light source, a detector for measuring the effect an individual item has on light emitted from the detector, and sortation means for selectively removing items from the stream based on a comparison of the light emitted by the light source and that measured at the detector. A method for separating single plastic bottles from engaged interlocked bottle clusters comprising directing an air jet at an item sufficiently forceful to displace a single bottle to a collection means but insufficiently forceful to displace an interlocked bottle cluster is also provided.
35 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An apparatus for disengaging interlocked bottle clusters into single bottles comprising:
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(a) a housing; (b) a first movable support for fingers attached within said housing; (c) a first plurality of fingers each having a base end and a striking end, with said base end attached to said first movable support and said striking end extending away from said support; (d) a second movable support for fingers attached within said housing; (e) a second plurality of fingers each having a base end and a striking end, said base end attached to said first movable support, said striking end extending away from said support; and (f) means for moving said first and second movable supports, said moving means being configured so that said first movable support moves at an angular velocity of at least about three times the angular velocity of said second movable support; wherein said first movable support and said second movable support are positioned relative to each other so that as said first movable support moves said first plurality of fingers, and as said second movable support moves said second plurality of fingers, said striking ends of said first plurality of fingers intermesh but do not contact said striking ends of said second plurality of fingers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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- 7. A method for striking the individual bottles of an interlocked bottle cluster with opposed movable fingers to create a separating torsional force comprising the step of striking the interlocked bottle cluster with two sets of intermeshing but noncontacting fingers mounted on movable supports to disengage the bottles which comprise the interlocked bottle cluster.
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12. A method for separating individual bottles of an interlocked bottle cluster, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing an interlocked bottle cluster comprising at least two interlocked bottles; and striking the interlocked bottle cluster with two sets of opposed, movable, intermeshing, noncontacting fingers to create a separating torsional sufficient to disengage at least one of the bottles comprising the interlocked bottle cluster. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification