Fastener sorting device and processing thereof

A process for sorting fasteners that have a shaft with a head attached thereto from fasteners that have only a shaft, the process comprising:

• providing a plurality of rollers rotatably attached to a frame, aligned generally parallel to each other, and oriented at an angle relative to horizontal, the plurality of rollers rotated by a drive belt, the drive belt positioned over at least two adjacent rollers causing the adjacent rollers to rotate in the same direction, the plurality of rollers having a predetermined gap between adjacent rollers, the predetermined gap dimensioned for the shaft of the fastener to fit therethrough and to prevent the head of the fastener to fit therethrough, the plurality of rollers also having an elevated end and an exit end;
• providing an opening proximate to the exit end of the plurality of rollers, the opening dimensioned for the shaft and the head of a fastener to fit therethrough;
• providing a mixture of fasteners having a shaft and a head, and fasteners that have only a shaft;
• placing the mixture of fasteners onto the plurality of rollers proximate the elevated end;
• rotating the plurality of rollers, the rotating the plurality of rollers moving the mixture of fasteners along the rollers towards the exit end, rotating the at least two adjacent rollers in the same direction, rotating at least a third adjacent roller in an opposite direction of the at least two adjacent rollers;
• the fasteners having only a shaft falling through the gap between the plurality of rollers before reaching the exit end and the fasteners having a shaft and a head falling through the opening proximate the exit end.

A process for sorting unused rivets that have a shaft with a head attached thereto from used rivets that have only a shaft, the process comprising:

• collecting a plurality of unused rivets and a plurality of used rivets into a mixture of unused and used rivets;
• pouring the mixture of unused and used rivets into a hopper, the hopper supplying the unused and used rivets to a rivet sorting machine, the rivet sorting machine having:
• a plurality of rollers rotatably attached to a frame, aligned generally parallel to each other, and oriented at an angle relative to horizontal, the plurality of rollers having a gap between adjacent rollers, the gap dimensioned for the shaft of the fastener to fit therethrough and to prevent the head of the fastener to fit therethrough, the plurality of rollers also having an elevated end and an exit end;
• an opening proximate to the exit end of the plurality of rollers, the opening dimensioned for the shaft and the head of a rivet to fit therethrough;
• rotating the plurality of rollers, the plurality of rollers rotated by a drive belt, the drive belt positioned over at least two adjacent rollers causing the adjacent rollers to rotate in the same direction, the drive belt positioned under an adjacent third roller causing the third roller to rotate in the opposite direction of the at least two adjacent rollers, the rotation of the plurality of rollers resulting in the used rivets falling through the gap between each of the plurality of rollers and the unused rivets moving towards the exit end and falling through the opening;
• collecting the used rivets in a first bin and collecting the unused rivets in a second bin.