Satake Usa, Inc.

Dale Adolph Svatek

Patric Carey Pike

Calvin G Gray

Simon John Hills

Mark James Yunker

Simon John Hill

A product flow control apparatus for use in sorting of products, and particularly relatively small products. The apparatus includes a reservoir of products to be sorted, a flow-rate control passage at which a flow restrictor limits the flow rate of products passing to a slide before imaging by a product viewer and sorting by ejector. A flow valve operates to provide products to a flow-rate control passage at a flow rate at which the product viewer and the ejector can operate.

Product flow control apparatus for sorting

An apparatus, and method of use, for reducing the operable width of the inclined slide of a gravity fed sorting machine includes an upper section for reducing the flow rate into the slide and for directing the reduced flow to the operable portion of the slide and a lower section for delimiting the operable portion of the slide. The upper section includes a body proximate the gravity fed sorting machine and which is connected to a product flow rate adjustment assembly and a partition so the product flow into the slide may be controlled and the flow of materials directed to the operable portion of the lower section, which includes a slide width control guide to limit the operable width of the inclined slide.

Adjustable slide width reducer for gravity slide sorter

The present invention pertains to a slide for a gravity-fed sorting machine. An optimum gravity slide configuration comprises one or more channels, with or without dividing ribs, and a product guide. The product guide has support tabs integral to or otherwise extending from its perimeter. Those tabs allow the product guide to be supported along it perimeter by brackets while retaining certain degrees of freedom regarding its ability to move. Specifically, the tabs rest in notches in the underlying support brackets that allow the product guide to be lifted up, thus permitting a potential obstruction to pass. Additionally, the brackets themselves are adjustably mounted to the sides of the slide. That allows the product guide's height above the channel bottom or dividing ribs to be varied to provide a clearance to best accommodate the particular product being sorted.

Slide for sorting machine

A multiple channel gravity-fed slide for a sorting machine is disclosed wherein the heights of the divider ribs between channels are at least high enough to define the channels and keep normally sized products flowing within the respective channels. At least some of the dividers or ribs have a tall height for supporting a product guide or keeper to provide some singulation and order to the products in the respective channels while allowing oversized and misshapen items to overlap into adjacent channels, thereby minimizing jamming of one or more channels.

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Needville, TX, United States of America

Dale Adolph Svatek