A CUTLERY SORTING MACHINE

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for sorting substant­ ially rod-shaped articles or items (3 - 6) of magnetic material in accordance with the respective lengths of the items, preferably items of cutlery such as knives, forks, and spoons. The machine includes a transporting arrangement (1) which comprises magnetic collecting elements (2) which attract magnetically the ends of respective items and carry the items past a plurality of underlying magnetic delivery elements (11 - 14) with the items hanging vert­ ically from the collecting elements (2). When seen in the direction of movement of the collecting elements (2) the delivery rods (11 - 14) are spaced at a progressive­ ly diminishing distance from the movement path of the collecting rods (2), this distance being adapted so that the lower ends of the longest items (3) come into cont­ act with the first delivery elements (11) and are drawn loose from a respective collecting element (2) thereby, this procedure being repeated at each classifying stat­ ion in turn until the shortest item (6) comes into cont­ act with the last, commensurately spaced delivery ele­ ment (14) and its drawn loose thereby.

Description: The present invention relates to a machine for sorting rod-shaped items or articles made of a magnetic or mag­ netizable material into a given number of length-depend­ ent categories or classifications, preferably items of cutlery such as knives, forks and spoons of mutually different lengths. Attempts have been made in the art to construct for this purpose machines which incorporate a conveyor path on which the articles are advanced to an apertured plate in which the apertures increase in length stepwise in the direction of travel of the articles, these increase in aperture length corresponding to the particular classif­ ications or categories into which the articles are to be sorted. Thus, the shortest articles fall through the first classifying aperture in the plate and the longest articles through the last aperture, whereas the articles of intermediate length fall through apertures located between the first and the last aperture, in dependence on length. Despite the simplicity of such classifying machines, however, they have been found unreliable in practice and do not have a satisfactory throughput cap­ acity. Consequently there has long been a need for quick--­ working, reliable sorting or classifying machines, par­ ticularly for sorting cutlery washed in a dish-washing machine, such sorting procedures being carried out man­ ually despite the drawbacks associated therewith with regard to hygiene and working environmental problems. The objective of the present invention is to provide a machine which satisfies this need. This objective is achieved with a machine constructed in accordance with the invention and having characteristic features set forth in the following claims. The invention is based on the realization that the nec­ essary handling of the various items or articles while simultaneously measuring the lengths thereof is best effected with the items hanging vertically, with the upper ends thereof held magnetically by a horizontally moving magnetic collecting element. The lower ends of respective items will thus move in respective paths at mutually different levels which correspond to a plural­ ity of sorting categories or classifications, and it is therefore a simple matter to determine the category to which each individual item belongs. It may appear a relatively simple matter to deliver the items selectiv­ ely to respective stations with the aid of conventional means, such as individual level sensors and means for temporarily demagnitizing the collecting elements. Such arrangements, however, are unreliable when used in pre­ sent day environmental conditions, such as conditions of high humidity, moisture and steam, and on occasions when the items to be classified are packed very closely to­ gether. An essential advantage afforeded by the invent­ ion is obtained by the particular arrangement of the magnetic delivery elements, which retrieve the correct item with absolute reliability at the appropriate del­ ivery station, irrespective of the closeness of respect­ ive items hanging from the collecting elements. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates an exemplifying emtodiment of a cutlery sorting or classifying machine according to the invention, and in which Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the machine; Figures 2 - 5 are respective sectional views taken on the lines II - II to V - V in Figure 1; Figures 6 and 7 are respective cross-sectional views of a collecting element and a delivery element during transfer of an item to a collecting container in a del­ ivery station; and Figure 8 is a part view similar to Figure 1, illustrat­ ing schematically a modified machine incorporating an internally located delivery station. The machine illuatrated in Figure 1 comprises an endless conveyor path or belt 1 which is provided with perman­ ently magnetized collecting elements in the form of rods 2. The rods, or cylinders 2, are arranged to move clockwise along a rectangular path in mutually spaced relationship, with the spacing between adjacent rods being slightly greater than the length of the longest item, the knives 3, to be sorted in accordance with length. Remaining items of cutlery in a decreasing ord­ er of length may include serving spoons 4, forks 5, and tea spoons 6. The devices used to drive and control the rods 2 along the endless path 1 are of a conventional kind and need not therefore be described and illustrated here. Incorporated in the upwardly moving part of the endless path or belt 1 is a collecting station A, while delivery stations B, C, D and E for receiving knives 3, serving spoons 4, forks 5, and teaspoons 6 are located along the upper horizontal part of the endless belt. The various items of cutlery are delivered to the mach­ ine on an inclined plate 7 provided with ridges 7' which guide the items of cutlery, orientated with their long­ itudinal axes in the direction of movement, until stop­ ped with one end against a thin plastic bar 8. The bar 8 is located so that the magnetic rods 2, which function as collectors, slide along the outer surface of the bar. Since both ends of each item of cutlery are magnetic, it is unimportant which end of said item rests against the bar 8. All items of cutlery that rest with one end thereof against the bar 8 as a magnetic rod 2 passes by are attracted magnetically by the rod, so as to be lift­ ed by one end and hang vertically from the collecting rod as it moves away from the bar. Naturally, the bar 8 will slightly impair the attractive force of the magnetic rods 2 on the ends of respective items of cutlery during the actual moment of lifting said item. This can be overcome, however, by providing the bar with narrow upwardly extending fingers which permit direct contact between a magnetic rod 2 and the ends of respective items of cutlery at the precise mom­ ent of lifting said items, therewith to afford a camming action. Each of the delivery stations B - E has arranged therein respective magnetic delivery elements 11 - 14 which have the form of magnetic rods of the same length as the mag­ netic rods 2 and which are spaced from the under surfac­ es of the rods 2 when said rods are located immediately above the rods 11 - 14, this spacing being equal to or some millimeters shorter than the length of the items of cutlery 3 - 6 in the aforesaid classifying order, i.e. the distance between the mutually opposed rods 2 and 11 - 14 decreases from a distance commensurate with the length of knives 3 to a distance commensurate with the spoons 6. Collecting containers 15 are placed beneath the delivery elements 11 - 14 and to one side thereof as seen in the upstream direction of the path or belt 1. The contain­ ers 15 may alternatively be replaced with transverse conveyors or sloping chutes, or equivalent devices. The magnetic attraction force exerted by the magnetic rods 11 - 14 is greater than that exerted by the magnet­ ic rods 2, so that when the depending end of an item of cutlery carried by a rod 2 contacts an underlying rod 11 - 14, depending upon the length of said item, this item of cutlery becomes positively attached to the mag­ netic rod 11 - 14 and is consequently wrenched from the rod 2 of weaker magnetism as said rod moves to the right in Figure 1 along said path 1. As a result hereof the aforesaid item of cutlery will swing clockwise with a momentum sufficient to break the grip of the relevant magnetic rod 11 - 14. In order to render it impossible for an item of cutlery to remain attached to a partic­ ular magnetic rod 11 - 14, means may be provided for momentarily demagnetizing the rods, either electrically or mechanically, during each delivery sequence or dur­ ing given delivery sequences. A simpler but equally effective solution to this problem is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. In this embodiment each magnetic del­ ivery rod 11 - 14 is provided on its underside, and to the right as seen in the drawing, with a surround 16 of non-magnetic material. The under part of the surround 16 prevents upwardly bouncing cutlery items from becom­ ing attached to an adjacent magnetic rod while the right-hand edge of the surround serves as an effective dislodging element which forces the attracted end of said cutlery item away from the actual magnetic rods 11 - 14, as illustrated in Figure 7. The manner in which the machine operates will be seen from Figures 2 - 5. As illustrated in Figure 2, in delivery station B the magnetic collecting rod 2 has depending therefrom a number of items of cutlery, which may comprise all of the aforesaid four different categ­ ories. Only the knives 3 have a length sufficient to be attracted by the underlying delivery rod 11 and drawn free from the collecting rod 2 and dropped into the ass­ ociated container 15. The collecting rods 2 move further to the delivery stat­ ion C, Figure 3, where only serving spoons, of suffic­ ient length to be magnetically attracted and drawn loose from the magnetic rod 2 by the underlying delivery rod or element 12 , are thrown into the appropriate container 15. In the delivery station D, Figure 4, only the forks have a length sufficient to be attracted and pulled loose by the delivery rod or element 13 and thrown into the app­ ropriate container 15. Finally, only the tea spoons 6 remain when the collecting rod 2 arrives at delivery station E, Figure 5, these spoons being pulled loose by the underlying rod or ele­ ment 14 and delivered to the appropriate container 15. It will be appreciated that the delivery stations B - E can be readily extended to include sorting stations for other items of cutlery, such as dessert spoons, butter knives, etc. The only necessity in this regard is that there is a difference in length between the items of each category to be sorted. This length difference can be as small as from two to three millimeters, since the delivery rods or elements 11 - 14 collecting the items from the rods 2 can be positioned and regulated with a high degree of accuracy in relation to the movement path of the collecting rods 2. The magnetic collecting rods 2 can be driven at high speed, so as to achieve a high sorting capacity. The sorting capacity can be increased still further by means of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8. In this embodiment the various items of cutlery are fed to the collecting station A from a location within the end­ less conveyor path 1 instead of from a location external of said path, the cutlery in this embodiment being ad­ vanced on an inclined endless conveyor belt 20. The magnetic collecting rods of this embodiment can be plac­ ed much closer together, optionally separated by inter­ mediate non-magnetic spacer rods 21, since in this em­ bodiment the items of cutlery need not pass between the magnetic rods 2. The upwardly rising part of the con­ veyor path 1, however, must slope rearwardly to some extent, as shown in Figure 8, so that individual items of cutlery can be lifted by a magnetic collecting rod 2 to a vertical position without coming into contact with an underlying rod 2. Consequently in this embodiment the respective items of cutlery will be displaced rear­ wardly during the initial stage of this lifting move­ ment, although to no disadvantage. It will be understood that the invention is not restric­ ted to machine constructions for sorting items of cut­ lery and that the principles of the invention can be used in conjunction with other sorting machines and app­ aratus, such as machines for sorting machine components, fittings, etc. made of a magnetic or magnetizable mater­ ial.

Claims: 1. A machine for sorting substantially rod-shaped artic­ les or items (3 - 6) of magnetic material into a given category or class dependent on length, preferably items of cutlery of mutually different lengths, such as knives, forks and spoons, characterized by a) an arrangement (7; 20) for aligning the items (3 - 6) in a given direction in a collecting station (A); b) a transport arrangement (1) comprising magnetic coll­ ecting elements (2) intended for magnetically attract­ ing one end of respective items and transporting the items along a transport path with said items hanging vertically from the underside of said collecting ele­ ments; and c) by a plurality of delivery stations (B, C, D, E) arr­ anged along said transport path, the number of said del­ ivery stations corresponding to the number of sorting categories and said delivery stations incorporating mag­ netic delivery elements (11, 12, 13, 14) located at pro­ gressively shorter distances from the path travelled by the under surfaces of the opposing collecting elements, this distance between the movement path of said collect­ ing elements (2) and the opposing delivery elements be­ ing equal to or somewhat shorter than the length stipul­ ation of respective categories, and in which the magnet­ ic force exerted by respective delivery elements (11 - ­ 14) is sufficient to draw loose from an overhead coll­ ecting element an item coming into contact with said delivery element (11 - 14). 2. A machine according to Claim 1, characterized in that each delivery element (11 - 14) includes a part (16) which is not magnetic and against which respective items are intended to engage when drawn loose from a collect­ ing element (2) and execute a swinging movement about their respective ends attracted to said delivery ele­ ments (11 - 14), such that said non-magnetic part (16) acts as a dislodging surface for loosening the attracted ends of the items (3 - 6) from respective delivery ele­ ments (11 - 14). 3. A machine according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the collecting elements (2) are movable along an endless path (1) which surrounds the delivery stations (B - E); and in that the arrangement (20) for aligning the items (3 - 6) is located inwardly of an upwardly ex­ tending part of the endless transport path (1).

Inventors: SWALLERT, SVEN
Applicants: SWALLERT, SVEN
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B07C5
IPC codes: B07C99, B07C5, B07B13