Patent ID: 8100268

Claim:
A chute for use in sorting or inspection apparatus to receive product from a feed station and deliver it in free flight to a sorting or inspection station, which chute has an upper end and a lower end, and comprises a first section with a smooth surface at the chute upper end, the first section having a lower edge; and a second section formed with channels on a surface extending toward the lower end of the chute, and wherein the first and second sections are in sequence with the lower edge of the first section directly over the channels of the second section and the first section is disposed over a portion of the second section such that the channels in the second section extend toward the chute upper end beneath the first section, such that substantially all of the product on the chute flows freely laterally and downwardly on the smooth surface of the first section and directly from the smooth surface of the first section onto the surface channels of the second section.