Patent ID: 8511478

Claim:
A rotatable dispersion apparatus for dispersing objects to a plurality of destinations according to indicia borne on said objects, the objects being dimensionally stable and having walls bearing indicia identifying the destination to which said objects are to be dispersed, the dispersion wheel comprising an annular platform supported by a base and having a vertical axis; a plurality of conduits coupled to the platform, each conduit having an input port adapted to receive said objects one at a time, said conduits leading from the dispersion apparatus to a predetermined destination where said objects receive processing; coaxial annular lower and upper plates disposed a spaced distance apart above the annular platform; a plurality of cups sandwiched between said lower and upper plates, each cup forming a conduit between a pair of lower and upper openings surrounded and defined by said lower and upper plates, each of said cups being adapted to receive one of said objects and to be rotatably aligned with one of said input ports; a plurality of gate means disposed between said cups and said input ports and adapted articulate between an open position to admit an object from one of said cups into one of said input ports and a closed position blocking said input port and retaining said object within said cup; and controller means for operating said dispersion wheel.