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US 4,531,061 AGranted
Electrically settable escort memory
OwnerJacob Rabinowinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention describes a code system using a plurality of liquid crystal and other optical codes particularly suited to sorting conveyors. The codes are preferably (but not necessarily) of the binary type and form a set of indicia to accompany each article to be sorted. The code can be set and reset remotely either by a beam of light or by other non-mechanical means. Recognition of a particular code is detected by an optical detector.
Claims14
In a sorting device,
- a series of article carrying devices for respectively receiving articles to be sorted,
- a multiplicity of destinations, each of which is represented by a coded signal,
- means for moving said devices past said destinations,
- each article carrying device having means associated therewith for releasing any article stored in the device at a selected destination, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of spaced surfaces, each of which surfaces is carried by and in a fixed and immovable relationship with respect to its complementary article carrying device,
- (b) control means associated with each said surface, and having an electrical input, which in response to a signal on its input changes a characteristic of its complementary surface,
- (c) stationary code imparting means for controlling the input signals to each and every control means associated with a given article carrying device to determine the characteristic of the surfaces associated with said given device, so that the characteristics of said surfaces constitute a coded signaling device,
- (d) said stationary code imparting means and said control means comprising means for changing said characteristics,
- (e) said stationary code imparting means and said control means being in spaced relation to each other and the stationary code imparting means communicating to said control means through the space between them and without physical contact, and
- (f) stationary signal responsive means, associated with each destination, responsive to the codes on the coded signaling devices of the article storage devices for releasing at a given destination any article in any article carrying device whose coded signaling device presents a coded signal representing that given destination.
7 more elements
The method of delivering an article to a selected destination, comprising:
- providing a plurality of destinations each represented by an identifying coded signal,
- displaying an identifying coded signal in association with the article for designating the desired destination of the article, comprising:
- (a) establishing control signals at a location remote from the article,
- (b) transmitting said control signals through the air and without physical contact and producing said identifying coded signal from said control signals,
- (c) continuing to display said identifying coded signal until new control signals are transmitted to produce a new identifying coded signal, and
- delivering said article to the destination represented by the identifying coded signal associated with said article.
3 more elements
An identifying system for identifying a particular device, comprising:
- code displaying means, associated with the device, having a plurality of surfaces,
- each of which surfaces is in a fixed and immovable relationship with its associated device,
- control means associated with each said surface, and having an electrical input, which in response to a signal on said input changes a characteristic of its complementary surface, and,
- stationary code imparting means for controlling the input signals to each and every control means associated with said device to determine the characteristic of the surfaces associated with said device, so that the characteristics of said surfaces constitute a coded signaling system producing coded readable signals,
- said stationary code imparting means and said control means being in spaced relation to each other and the stationary code imparting means communicating to said control means through the space between them and without physical contact.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.