Patent ID: 7754990
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: G01N,G07F,Y02W,Y10S

Abstract:
1. Conveyor means for a facility for receiving returnable items, in particular containers such as bottles, cans and the like of plastic, glass or metal, the conveyor means comprising: a drum ( a movable elongate element ( an element drive ( an allocated input area ( a first output ( wherein the element drive is adapted to position the elongate element in the retracted position when the drum is positioned in the second rotational position with the mouth opening of the radially extending recess facing upwards and towards the allocated input area, and the conveyor means ( 200 ) is adapted a) to establish an open fall path extending from the allocated input area ( 210 ) to a bottom of the radially extending recess ( 222 ), said bottom of the radially extending recess being provided by the movable elongate element ( 223 ) in the retracted position when the drum is in the second rotational position with the mouth opening of the radially extending recess facing upwards and towards the allocated input area so as to allow a returnable item having been deposited in the allocated input area to fall freely into and be received in the radially extending recess, and b) to rotate the drum, upon establishment of the open fall path, from the second rotational position to the first rotational position while moving the elongated element to the advanced position to forceably drive a returnable item received in the radially extending recess out of the radially extending recess through the mouth opening and to the first output.