Inclined conveyor

Details Inclined conveyor Inclined conveyor

1999-04-29

2001-09-11

Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)

Conveyors: power-driven

Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items

By longitudinally respacing successive articles in stream

C198S462100, C198S462300, C271S195000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06286655

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to paper handling. Select embodiments of the invention are particularly well-suited for use in the waste paper recycling industry.
Environmental campaigns and recycling in many offices have generated a supply of recyclable waste paper. However, waste paper sorting is still currently performed almost entirely by manual sorting. This is time consuming and expensive. Thus, heretofore it has generally been more economical to use raw paper material than sort and process recyclable waste paper.
Numerous automated waste separation techniques are known. However these systems are designed for recovery of non-ferrous metals, aerospace alloys, municipal waste, mixed recyclables and plastic containers. Paper sorting presents unique problems not overcome by prior art separation techniques.
The unique problems encountered when attempting to sort waste paper is due to the relatively light weight and flexible nature of pieces of paper. These characteristics make it difficult to supply paper to a sorting sensor. Even when waste paper has been supplied to a sensor, it has not been supplied at a sufficient feed rate, e. g. pieces per hour (PPH), to be cost effective. Prior art sensors operate on the basis of an eddy current created by the waste stream as it passes through the sensor, diffusion of light transmission through the waste e. g. transparent glass, and the like. These techniques are inapplicable to sorting waste paper because the paper has no metallic components and the paper is opaque to light. Thus, not only must an effective paper sorting sensor be designed, an effective paper handling system must be designed to supply waste paper in sufficient feed rates to the effective paper sorting sensor. Prior art paper handling techniques have been unsatisfactory in overcoming these obstacles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to paper handling and sorting methods and devices.
A paper handling system includes first and second inclined conveyors. The first inclined conveyor operates at a first speed and has an output end. The second inclined conveyor operates at a second speed and is operably positioned to receive paper output from the first inclined conveyor. The second speed is greater than the first speed. The inclined conveyors are preferably inclined at an angle in the range from 15° to 35°. By transporting the paper up the inclined conveyors, upper layers of paper are allowed to slide down over lower layers of paper thereby creating a thinner stream of paper.
Accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide means and methods for achieving a cost effective recycled machine grade paper fraction from a paper waste stream.
Another object of the present invention is to provide means for achieving automated sortation on a cost effective basis.
Another object of the present invention is to provide means for achieving improved consistency and repeatability in the quality of recycled waste paper.
Another object is to reduce labor requirements for sorting waste paper.
Another object of the present invention is to provide means and methods to accelerate and spread paper to operably thin layers to achieve an effective sort.
A further object of the present invention is to perform the sort at high speeds.
An object of the present invention is to incorporate automated sortation into a paper handling system to achieve consistent grades of premium paper from waste paper.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review of the following disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


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