Abstract:
A system and method for sorting recyclable materials is portable, modular, and easy to install and/or remove. Generally, a variety of sorting equipment is placed upon a portable platform that may be loaded or unloaded from a roll-off truck. When at the desired location, the portable platform may be removed and the sorting equipment set up for use. The sorting equipment may include an infeed conveyor, a sorting conveyor, and a variety of automatic sorting equipment such as an aluminum blower, a magnet separator, and an eddy-current separator. The platform may be simply placed on the floor or ground at the desired location or it may be elevated by a plurality of supports.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for sorting recyclable materials. More particularly, though not exclusively, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a sorting system for recyclable materials that is easily transportable to a variety of locations. 
     2. Problems in the Art 
     Currently, a wide variety of sorting equipment exists in the recycling industry. This equipment is used to separate all kinds of recyclable materials including glass, plastics, paper, metals, and even fibrous materials. Sorting equipment tends to be expensive and large, using a great deal of space. The great investments required in both equipment and real estate have led to development of dedicated material recovery facilities (MRFs) in which the equipment can be permanently installed. 
     Permanent installation also requires transporting recyclable materials to the MRF for sorting. MRFs usually have to rely on a steady flow of materials from outside sources. If a majority of the material comes from only a few locations, it may be more advantageous to bring the recycling equipment to the location itself. However, current recycling equipment is not readily portable and requires dedicated facilities for effective use. Using only the equipment needed for the desired job at the best location will save money, time and resources. There is therefore a need for recycling equipment which can be easily transported from one location to another. 
     Further, labor can be a substantial cost associated with recycling. Depending on the type and volume of recyclables to be sorted, economics may favor either manual or automatic sorting. It is therefore desirable to have a system for sorting recyclables that is easily configurable to manual and/or automatic sorting methods. 
     3. Features of the Invention 
     A general feature of the present invention is the provision of a portable sorting system and method for recyclable materials which overcomes the problems found in the prior art. 
     A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a portable sorting system and method for recyclable materials that offer a wide variety of recycling equipment. 
     A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a portable sorting system and method which is adaptable for the recycling task at hand. 
     Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a portable sorting system and method which is modular in design. 
     Yet another feature of the present invention is the provision of a portable sorting system and method which may be configured for manual and/or automatic sorting of recyclable material. 
     These, as well as other features and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent from the following specification and claims. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally comprises a system for sorting recyclable materials that is both portable and modular. In one embodiment, the sorting system of the present invention may include an infeed conveyor, a sorting conveyor, and a control panel all resting on a portable platform. A roll-off truck can be used to transport the portable platform to a desired location. The platform is typically no wider than an average road allows. Upon arrival at the desired location, the platform can be rolled off the truck and all of the equipment moved into operating position. This may require the use of a forklift or other lifting equipment, but can typically be accomplished in an hour. Preferably, the system for sorting recyclable materials of the present invention includes several conveyors, and additional items such as manual and/or automated sorting equipment, including blowers, magnets, or eddy-current units. In this manner, manual and automatic sorting can be accomplished in the same system. Further, the system of the present invention may include several platforms operating together. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable sorting system for sorting recyclable materials of the present invention shown on a truck for transport. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first set up embodiment of the portable sorting system for sorting recyclable materials of the present invention set up for use. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second set up embodiment of the portable sorting system for sorting recyclable materials of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third set up embodiment of the portable sorting system for sorting recyclable materials of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fourth set up embodiment of the portable sorting system for sorting recyclable materials of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be described as it applies to several embodiment. It is not intended that the present invention be limited to the described embodiments. It is intended that the invention cover all modifications and alternatives which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     As is shown in FIG. 1, the recycling system  10  of the present invention includes a wide variety of equipment which may be placed upon a platform  12  and transported to a desired location by a truck  14 . Many platforms  12  may be used and operatively connected to perform any desired recycling task. Preferably, the truck  14  is a roll-off truck having a tiltable bed  16  with a plurality of rollers  18  thereon. This allows the platform  12  to be easily loaded and unloaded. The platform  12  may be of any desired width or length, but is preferably less than eight feet, six inches wide to allow for transport on the interstate highway system. 
     The equipment typically carried on the platform  12  will usually include some type of infeed  20 , such as the auger conveyor  22  or the cleated incline conveyor  24 . A hopper  26  may also be included to allow a user to dump large amounts of recyclable materials onto the infeed  20 . A sort conveyor  30  is also on the platform  12 . Additionally, the platform  12  may include such items as a plurality of sorting chutes  32 , a blower machine  36  to sort aluminum products, a magnet separator  38  to sort ferrous materials, an eddy-current separator  40  to sort non-ferrous metals as well as a wide variety of arched  50  or straight  52  duct work. Any mechanical sorting units and all of the conveyors are wired to be centrally controlled at a control panel  48 . 
     After determining what material is to be sorted and the right equipment for the job, the sorting system  10  of the present invention may be set up and installed. The sorting platform  12  is preferably rolled off of the truck  14 . The platform  12  is placed at or near a desired location and the equipment contained thereon is preferably moved by forklift and set up for use. This involves minimal assembly, such as rotating parts into proper position, plugging various equipment in and bolting various parts together. Typically, it will only take one hour to set up each platform  12  and the equipment contained thereon. 
     FIGS. 2-5 show different set ups for system  10  to sort a wide variety of materials. In one embodiment, the system  10  shown in FIG. 2 is set up to sort aluminum, tin and glass from residue or waste products. Initially, all of the recyclable materials will be placed in the hopper  26 . From there, the materials are carried up the auger conveyor  22  and placed on either another infeed  20  or the sorting conveyor  30 . The sorting conveyor  30  preferably includes a changeable transition hopper to allow it to receive material from either end or the side. The sorting conveyor  30  may have a variable speed, customized length, and a stainless steel section for overhead magnet use. 
     On the sorting conveyor  30 , a worker standing on the platform  12  may separate out glass products into the bins  34  labeled for glass. A plurality of glass bins  34 A, B, C, may be included to separate glass into desired groups, such as green glass, colored glass, and clear glass. As the materials travel further down the sorting conveyor  30 , an aluminum blower  36  may push separated aluminum products up the arched duct work  50  and into the bin  34 D for aluminum. The duct work may be of any configuration. Preferably, the aluminum blower includes a 7.5 hp motor for longer transfer distances. Alternatively separated materials can be transferred to the bin  34 A-E by a cleated conveyor. Additionally, the magnet separator  38  can pull out any ferrous materials such as tin which can then travel down additional duct work into the bin  34 E for tin products. Remaining residue or waste materials simply fall off of the sorting conveyor for disposal. Of course, the system  10  of the present invention could also be used for negative sorting operations. 
     Alternatively, the system  10  may be set up in the arrangement as shown in FIG.  3 . In FIG. 3, stairs  42 , handrails  44 , and supports  46  are all transported on the platform  12  and installed on location. Here again, recyclable materials may be supplied via the direct feed ramp  54  to the cleated incline conveyor  24 . From there, the materials are placed on the sorting conveyor  30 . Here again, a worker may hand separate out glass or plastic into the appropriate bin  34 A, B, C, F. A magnet separator  38  may also be included to sort out ferrous materials for deposit into bin  34 E. The magnet separator  38  automatically separates ferrous materials from other materials. The magnet separator  38  preferably uses a self-cleaning permanent magnet and can be rotated or adjusted for discharge off either end of the sort conveyor  30 . Here, residue materials may also be sorted into their own bin  34 G. The platform  12  as shown in FIG. 3 is elevated by a plurality of supports or legs  46 . Using the supports  46  allows for easy collection of residue and recyclable materials into larger bins  34 D-G. 
     As is shown in FIG. 4, the same system can also include an eddy-current separator  40 . The eddy-current separator  40  separates aluminum from other materials. Any of the conveyor&#39;s magnet separators, eddy-current units or other powered equipment can either be stand-alone units or controlled by the control panel  48 . The control panel  48  preferably connects to each component via twist-lock connectors. From the control panel  48 , a user can operate a one button logical start up sequence and all add-on modules. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, the system  10  of the present invention can also be arranged for sorting fibrous materials manually. Fibrous materials can be brought up the direct feed ramp  54 , placed in the hopper  26  and raised to the sorting conveyor  30  by the cleated incline conveyor  24 . On the sorting conveyor  30 , workers can separate the fibrous materials into any desired grouping by placing the selected fibrous materials down specific sorting chutes or holes  32  where it will fall into the bins  34 H, I. Waste materials can also be collected in another separate bin  34 J. 
     Thus, all the recycling equipment is transported on the platform  12  and an operator selects which equipment to set up and use at each recycling site. The loaded platform  12  can be easily loaded to and from the tiltable bed  16  of the roll-off truck  14 . The equipment is movable between a transport position on the platform  12  and a use position, which may be on or off the platform  12 . 
     From the above, it should be clear that the system  10  of the present invention may be easily modified for the sorting task at hand. Further, because a wide variety of equipment may be placed upon the platform  12 , the sorting system  10  of the present invention is easily modified to do the task at hand. 
     The general description of the present invention as well as the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been set forth above. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will recognize and be able to practice additional variations in the methods described which fall within the teachings of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications and additions are deemed to be within the scope of the invention which is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto.