Patent ID: 8770413

Claim:
A method of making a genuine batch of pellet-shaped articles, each of the pellet-shaped articles in the genuine batch being free from defects of a predefined magnitude, the method comprising: providing a plurality of pellet-shaped articles to an inspection system configured for use with a conveyer apparatus having at least one row of product receiving pockets, each pocket being structured to convey a pellet-shaped article from the plurality of pellet-shaped articles along a predetermined path, the inspection system comprising: at least one camera unit configured to sense a predetermined characteristic of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles, a removal unit, downstream from the at least one camera unit, structured to remove at least a selected one of the plurality of pellet-shaped articles from at least a selected one of the pockets depending on whether the predetermined characteristic is sensed by the at least one camera unit, the removal unit including a rotatable ejection drum having a plurality of extended vacuum nozzles along its length that corresponds to the number of articles conveyable in each row, each vacuum nozzle being structured to selectively remove the article from a corresponding pocket by suction, and a controller in communication with the at least one camera unit and the removal unit, the controller providing a signal to the removal unit in accordance with the predetermined characteristic sensed by the at least one camera unit; separating acceptable pellet-shaped articles to be included in the genuine batch, from unacceptable pellet-shaped articles to be excluded from the genuine batch, in connection with the inspection system; and packaging together the separated acceptable pellet-shaped articles in making the genuine batch.