Patent ID: 7524145

Claim:
A process for automatically eliminating a plug of laundry blocking a suction head of a pneumatic conveyor while loading the pneumatic conveyor with the laundry, wherein the pneumatic conveyor comprises an air flow generator for forming a suction air stream for forming a negative pressure in the suction head and wherein the suction head comprises a suction opening for allowing the suction air stream to pick up items of the laundry from a loading means, comprising: (a) if the items of laundry picked up by the suction head form a plug of laundry that cannot be taken in through the suction head thus closing the suction opening; (b) then automatically interrupting the suction air stream for a brief interval therefore releasing the plug of laundry from the suction head and allowing the laundry to fall and land on the loading means, wherein the act of interrupting the suction air stream, of falling and/or of landing separates or disentangles the plug of laundry into smaller batches of the laundry; (c) then using the suction air stream and the suction head for picking up a smaller number of the items of laundry from the loading means; and (d) if the plug of laundry is not separated or disentangled into smaller batches of the laundry in step (b), then repeating (a) through (c) until the plug of laundry is broken up pneumatically so as to eliminate the plug of laundry and to prevent blockage of the suction head.