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US 4,545,062 AGranted
Empty can counter and limiter
AssigneeTrenco, Inc.
InventorDavid M. Pray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeTrenco, Inc.
InventorDavid M. Pray
Estimating the term…
The empty can counter and limiter includes a contoured plastic housing having an aperture for receiving the cans. This housing is adapted to fit on top of an open top type container and is contoured to direct one can at a time through a counting aperture. The electrical circuitry for the can counter includes a photosensor located to sense the passage of a can which interrupts a light beam. The output from the photosensor passes through a low pass filter which integrates the signal and provides it to a NAND gate. The output of the NAND gate drives the clock input of a divider flip flop which is connected to the clock input of an 8-bit counter. When a desired count is reached, the output of the counter activates an alarm which may be turned off by a reset switch. The reset switch will not operate to reset the counter until a predetermined count is registered.
An empty can counter and limiter to receive cans having a length and diameter which is designed for use with an open top receptacle and adapted to be removably mounted on said receptacle to extend across the open top thereof comprising a unitary housing structure having sidewall means for engaging said receptacle and contoured topwall means extending from the upper extremity of said sidewall means across an area defined by said sidewall means, said topwall means having a substantially central aperture formed therein at the lowermost extremity thereof which is spaced above the lowermost extremity of said sidewall means, said topwall means being contoured to extend annularly relative to said aperture and arcuately upwardly therefrom to cause a can placed on said topwall means to assume a lengthwise position and move by gravity through said aperture, sensing means mounted on said housing and being positioned within said housing adjacent to said aperture to sense the passage of a can through said aperture and to provide an electrical output signal in response thereto, and electrical counting and indicator circuit means mounted within said housing and operative in response to said electrical output signal to register a count, and reset circuit means operative to reset said electrical counting and indicator means only upon the registration thereby of a predetermined count.
An empty can counter and limiter for use with an open top receptacle and adapted to be removably mounted on said receptacle to extend across the open top thereof comprising a unitary housing structure having sidewall means for engaging said receptacle and a contoured topwall extending from the upper extremity of said sidewall means across an area defined by said sidewall means, said topwall having a substantially central aperture formed therein and being contoured to extend annularly relative to said aperture and arcuately upwardly therefrom, sensing means mounted on said housing and being positioned within said housing to sense the passage of a can through said aperture and to provide an electrical output signal in response thereto, and electrical counting and indicator circuit means mounted within said housing and operative in response to said electrical output signal to register a count, said electrical counting and indicator means including counter means responsive to each said electrical output signal to register a count and to provide an alarm actuating signal when said predetermined count is registered thereby, and reset circuit means including a reset switch operative to reset said counter means after said predetermined count has been registered, said reset circuit means operating upon actuation of said reset switch to reset said counter means only when said counter means has registered said predetermined count.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.