Methods of ejecting chips
AssigneeShuffle Master, Inc.
InventorsErnst Blaha, Peter Krenn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Chip sorting devices and methods of ejecting chips from chip wells are disclosed. In some embodiments, chip sorting devices may include at least one chip ejection unit including at least one finger member selectively movable between a first position outside of at least one channel of a chip conveying unit and a second position within the at least one channel. In additional embodiments, a chip sorting device may include a separating wheel comprising a plurality of chip wells, each chip well configured to hold a plurality of chips. In yet additional embodiments, methods of ejecting a chip from a chip well may include urging a selected chip out of the chip well with the at least one finger member and at least one wall segment of a trailing segmented wall of the chip well.
Claims15
A method of ejecting a chip from a chip well, the method comprising:
- carrying a selected chip along a path in a chip well of a chip conveying unit;
- selectively positioning a first finger member of a plurality of finger members of at least one ejection unit into the path of the selected chip;
- selectively and separately from the first finger member positioning a second finger member of the plurality of finger members of the at least one ejection unit into the path of the selected chip;
- moving the selected chip relative to the first finger member and the second finger member to cause the selected chip to contact the first finger member and the second finger member;
- and
- urging the selected chip out of the chip well with the first finger member and the second finger member and at least one wall segment of a trailing segmented wall of the chip well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.