Container collection apparatus with electromagnetic sensor and method
OwnerBruce H. DeWoolfsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus for collection of metallic containers and for dispensing tokens therefor, including an exterior housing having an access port therein, a rotating belt having a plurality of generally perpendicular shelves formed thereon, each shelf for receiving and supporting a container, a search coil for exposing the container to an electromagnetic field for identifying a specific predetermined metallic composition, a dispenser for selectively dispensing a token for a received container having the predetermined metallic composition, a crusher cooperating with the rotating belt for crushing the container, and a hopper for storing the crushed containers.
Claims14
Apparatus for collecting and storing empty aluminum containers and issuing payment for containers collected, comprising:
- preselection means for exposing a crushed or non-crushed container offered by a customer to an electromagnetic field for identifying whether said container is substantially aluminum without establishing direct electrical contact with said container, said preselection means including a container access area configured to accomodate both crushed and non-crushed containers for exposure to said field;
- means for accepting only a container identified by said preselection means as being substantially aluminum, independent of the configuration of said container;
- coin-dispensing means responsive to said preselection means for dispensing coins in return for containers having a substantially aluminum composition;
- means cooperating with said accepting means for crushing said containers;
- and
- means for storing crushed containers received from said crushing means.
A method of collecting and storing empty aluminum containers and issuing payment for containers collected, comprising the steps of:
- exposing a crushed or non-crushed container offered by a customer to an electromagnetic field for identifying whether said container is substantially aluminum;
- accepting only a container identified by exposure to said field as being substantially aluminum, independent of the configuration of said container;
- dispensing payment for containers accepted;
- crushing the accepted containers, and
- depositing the crushed containers in a receptacle for storage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.