Patent ID: 8469177

Claim:
A positive displacement sorter, comprising: a plurality of interconnected parallel slats defining an endless web that travels in a longitudinal direction, an upper surface of said web defining an article-conveying surface; a plurality of pusher shoes, each of said shoes travelling along at least one of said slats in order to laterally divert articles on said conveying surface, each of said shoes having a diverting member extending below said conveying surface wherein said diverting member comprises a rotary bearing; a plurality of diverting rails below said conveying surface, each of said diverting rails capable of engaging said diverting member to cause the associated shoe to travel laterally to divert an article; a plurality of diverters, each for selectively diverting at least one of said diverting members from a non-diverting path extending longitudinally along said sorter to one of said diverting rails in a diverting state; at least one of said diverters comprising a gate having a diverting surface, said gate selectively rotatable between the diverting state and a non-diverting state about a generally horizontal axis, wherein said gate positions said diverting surface to engage said bearing in the diverting state; and an actuator moving said gate between the non-diverting state and the diverting state, said actuator comprising an electrically operated rotary actuator that is rotatable about another generally horizontal axis of rotation.