Means in a reverse vending machine (RVM) for receiving, handling, sorting and storing returnable items or objects

Conveyor means for a facility for receiving returnable items, in particular containers such as bottles, cans and the like of plastic, glass or metal, comprising:

• a drum (220) adapted for coupling to a drum drive, said drum being rotary about a central longitudinal axis (221) and having in an axial direction an elongate and radially extending recess (222) adapted to receive a returnable item,
• an elongate element (223) provided in said recess (222), which element (223) is adapted to be movable in a piston like way in a radial direction relative to said drum between a retracted position and an advanced position,
• an element drive (230) adapted to provide a movement of said element between said retracted position in a secondary rotary position of said drum and in an advanced position in a first or third rotary position of said drum,
• an allocated input area (210) for receiving returnable items to be placed on an upper circumferential part of the drum when the drum is in said first rotary position, which input area is located above said drum, the element drive being adapted to position the element in the retracted position when the drum is positioned in the second rotary position with the recess in the drum facing upwards towards the input area, and
• a first output (224) provided in communication with the storage in-feed opening, proximal to an outer surface level (228) of said drum, and covering an angular interval for the drum rotation that includes the third rotary position, and
• wherein the conveyor means (200) is arranged such that a returnable item having been deposited in the input area and received in the recess when the drum is in the second rotary position with the recess facing upwards towards the input area and the element in the retracted position will be driven out of the recess and towards the first output and into the storage in-feed opening by the element when the drum by its rotation in a first direction of rotation is brought to the third rotary position as the element is moved to the advanced position.

Conveyor means (200) for a facility for receiving returnable items, particularly containers such as bottles, cans and the like of plastic, glass or metal, wherein it comprises:

• an allocated input area (210),
• an elongate housing (260) having a plunger (270) arranged movable in a piston-like way in an interior space (261) lengthwise in the housing between at least a first position and a second position, the housing being positioned under the input area and being provided with an input opening (262) for providing communication between the input area and the interior space, which housing at least at one end has an exit (263;
• 264) positioned proximal to the storage feed opening (140;
• 141;
• 142), and
• a plunger drive (280) for driving the plunger to and between the first and second positions,
• said conveyor means further adapted such that a returnable item which has been positioned in the input area will
• a) fall through the input opening and into the interior space when the plunger is positioned in the first position, and
• b) be forced out of the housing through said exit and towards the storage feed opening by the plunger when the is driven from the first position to the second position.