EP0985457B1

EP0985457B1 - Sorting system for photographic orders

Info

Publication number: EP0985457B1
Application number: EP19990117954
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberto Signoretto
Original assignee: Systel International SpA
Current assignee: Systel International SpA
Priority date: 1998-09-15
Filing date: 1999-09-15
Publication date: 2006-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-15
Also published as: IT1306474B1; DE69929842T2; EP0985457A2; DE69929842D1; EP0985457A3; ITVE980037A1

Description

The present invention relates to a perfected system for sorting photo work orders.
A sorting line for work envelopes, especially for use in photographic laboratories, is known from EP-A- 0,424,789 upon which the preamble of claim 1 is based. The essential elements it comprises are a continuous horizontal conveyor provided with a plurality of cassettes having an openable bottom and a plurality of compartments which are arranged in a position underlying said continuous conveyor at several levels, and are provided with a communication channel which opens up at top with respect to the conveyor itself. In operation, when each tray containing a photo-carrying envelope reaches the area of the open end of the conveying channel relative to the compartment into which this envelope is to be inserted, an automatic command output by a control computer will cause the bottom of the cassette to open and, consequently, the work envelope to drop, through the respective conveying channel, into the target compartment in which a removable container (a pocket or box) is arranged for the withdrawal of all envelopes having a predetermined destination.
This sorting line which is known has proved particularly useful both for the manner in which the individual work envelopes are sorted and the arrangement of the various compartments at several levels, which allows utilisation of the space available in an optimum way.
However, packages differing from the conventional work envelopes have been proposed in most recent times and, in particular, packages which permit furnishing a more attractive and more agreeable presentation of conventional photographic material (boxes, cardboard boxes etc.) or packages used in conjunction with novel photographic material such as the one provided by the new APS standard (Advanced Photo System). In these cases, in fact, the packages present a shape and weight which could not be subjected to any suitable treatment in known sorting lines. In particular, such types of novel packages may be of a weight which may be varied from a few grams up to half a kilo, depending on the number of prints contained in them, and might be damaged if they are dropped from a certain height and, what is more, if a mess is made of them in the collecting container (pocket).
In an effort to mitigate this inconvenience it has been suggested already that the known vertical channels through which the packages are conveyed from the sorting lines to the removable collecting containers be replaced with slides which are capable of performing the double function of slowing down the descending run of the individual packages and of arranging the same for being stacked inside envelopes or boxes.
However, even this solution has proved limited since the slide:

must be inclined to an extent that enables the individual packages to be braked sufficiently in order to avoid damaging them while they are sliding downward, but simultaneously prevent them from being slowed down excessively as this could cause them to stop on their way down, and it is evident that because the individual packages may vary in weight a slide tailored to a certain optimum weight might prove to be inappropriate for differing weights, and
the slide does not always allow to obtain the stacking of packages in an optimum way and often requires the presence of an operator who will intervene whenever a package is not positioned well in the stack.

It is an object of the invention to provide a system of sorting photo work orders which will not damage the packages to be sorted while they are dropping down, regardless of their conformation and weight.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system which allows the correct stacking of succeeding packages without needing the operator to intervene.
These objects and others which will become apparent from the following description are achieved, according to the invention, by means of a perfected system for sorting photo work orders, comprising a plurality of removable containers disposed at different levels and associated each with a conveying channel which essentially extends vertically with the upper opening facing upwards, and a sorting line comprising a continuous conveyor onto which a plurality of cassettes containing the respective packages of individual photo work orders are placed, said cassettes being provided with bottoms openable following an command output by a control unit when the package contained in a cassette reaches the area of the conveying channel relative to the removable container for which said package is destined, characterised in that each conveying channel is provided at the bottom with a slide, the lower end of which opens into the removable container which corresponds to that conveying channel, and that said container is mounted on a supporting structure provided with a resilient means to be movable in relation to the weight of the container itself.
The present invention will be further disclosed in the following in one of its preferred practical embodiments which is depicted by way of example only and is not limited, with reference to the appended series of drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view, partly in a transparent way, of an sorting column which supports three removable package-holding containers at three different levels,
Figure 2 shows a side view of the column along line II - II of Figure 3,
Figure 3 shows a front section of the column along line III - III of Figure 2,
Figure 4 shows a perspective front partial view of the column with no containers,
Figure 5 shows the same view of the column as in Figure 1, but with the uppermost container and the respective supporting arms omitted, and
Figure 6 shows the same view of the column as in Figure 1, but with the lowermost container and the respective supporting arms only.

As can be seen from the Figures, one of the inventive system's applications is in a sorting line for photo work orders, e.g. of the type described in the European Patent No. 0,424,789, comprising a main arm and, possibly, more arms derived from it which are provided on top of a continuous conveyor which has mobile trays, the bottom of which can be opened for dropping the individual packages into conveying channels that route them to the various pockets or containers which are removable.
For reasons of representative clarity, only three mobile trays 2 are illustrated on the continuous conveyor in the drawings, said trays are advanced according to the direction indicated by the arrow 4 of Figure 1 and are able to open their bottoms when a command is output by a control computer when they reach the area adjacent to the upper opening of the conveying channels 6 from which the individual packages are routed into removable pockets 8.
In the example shown in the Figures, the system comprises a plurality of columns, "column" meaning the vertical structure which is illustrated in each drawing figure and supports three pockets 8 at different levels.
The vertical post of each column is subdivided by suitable walls into three conveying channels 6, each of them being defined by a substantially vertical wall 10 (on the right when viewing Figure 3) and by a wall 12, the upper portion of which is vertical whereas its lower portion is gradually curved towards the other so as to form a type of arched guide.
In the area adjacent to the lower end of each conveying channel, i.e. adjacent to the lower edge of its curved wall 12, a fixed slide 14 is provided, the inclination of which has been determined in a way to ensure the guided descent of the packages, which should be in the slide, towards its lowermost end.
As the column shown in the Figures is, in reality, a portion of the sorting line, the right-hand (left-hand) wall, in reality, constitutes the left-hand (right-hand) wall of the adjacent column and needs to be interpreted in such a sense.
The three conveying channels 6, even if they extend from the same height, present different lengths and, accordingly, the slides 14 are mounted at different heights. In view of the small distance which exists between the upper slide 14 to the upper opening of the respective conveying channel 6, this latter is, in reality, virtually free from any curved wall.
In the area adjacent to each slide 14, on the vertical structure of each column, there are articulated pairs of supporting arms 16 for supporting the removable pockets 8. These supporting arms 16 are articulated at the upper end of the respective slide 14 and are held resiliently at the other end, which is lifted to a large extent by springs 18, the dimensions of which are such that when the respective pocket 8 is empty the lower end of the respective slide 14 partially enters the inside of the pocket itself between the two larger vertical walls and is in a predetermined spacing from the bottom, which spacing is illustrated in the drawings as being substantially equal to half the height of the pocket itself.
As can be seen especially in Figure 3, both the walls 10, 12 of each conveying channel 6 are engaged at different levels by a plurality of inclined appendices 20 which project from the inside of the channel itself and are intercalated with those projecting from the opposed wall in a way to create a type of labyrinth passageway for the packages sliding down along the channel itself.
The operation of the system according to the invention is as follows: in an operable condition, the individual trays 2, each containing a package to be inserted in the respective pocket 8, pass in conformity with a sorting program, which is controlled by a computer and provides for the sorting line, above the upper opening of the individual conveying channels 6. When a tray 2 has precisely reached the area of the conveying channel 6 that corresponds to the target pocket 8, an automatic command will conventionally cause the bottom of that tray to open and, consequently, the package to drop into that channel 6.
While the package descends gradually along the channel 6 it hits against the inclined appendices 20 which project from the right-hand wall 10, on the one hand, and from the left-hand wall, on the other and, therefore, is forced to take a labyrinth course, the two results being that its descent is slowed down and, at the same time, it is stabilised in its position.
The packages, while continuing their descent, hit against the curved portion of wall 12 of channel 6 and, from this portion, are carried away progressively so as to get disposed in a horizontal configuration before being put down on slide 14. Hence, the package descends, because of the slide's inclination, until it reaches the removable pocket 8 while maintaining the position it has taken. In the embodiment illustrated, what was just stated does not apply to the upper slide because the limited space existing between the upper opening of the conveying channel 6 and the slide does not require any slow-down of the package which is dropping, and the conformation of the slide is large enough to cause the package to assume its horizontal disposition.
Once the package has reached the target pocket 8 its proper weight will cause the two springs 18, which maintain the pocket itself lifted, to recede correspondingly, and the pocket will lower slightly, thus preparing to receive the succeeding package in an essentially identical manner.
The final result of the procedure is that the surface on which the new package needs to be supported is always at a virtually constant distance from the lower edge of slide 14, and this circumstance, together with the curved conformation of one wall of the conveying channel 6, ensures ideal conditions for the correct stacking of the packages which succeed one another inside each pocket 8.
When the pocket 8 is completely filled and, hence, when it is in its lowest position, it will be removed for being substituted by another and for being routed to its destination.
What clearly results from the foregoing is that the system of the invention proves to be particularly advantageous and, especially:

ensures an essentially constant height of drop of each package into the respective pocket, which is such as to prevent the package itself from being damaged,
is virtually usable with any type of package irrespective of its shape and, in particular, of its weight,
ensures that the packages are stacked correctly and regularly inside each pocket, and
makes it unnecessary for the operator to be present.

The present invention has been illustrated and described in one of its preferred embodiments, but it is understood that it is susceptible to practical variations in its execution without, however, departing from the scope of protection of the present patent for an industrial invention.

Claims

System for sorting photo work orders, comprising a plurality of removable containers (8) disposed at different levels and associated each with a conveying channel (6) which essentially extends vertically with the upper opening facing upwards, and a sorting line comprising a continuous conveyor onto which a plurality of cassettes (2) containing the respective packages of individual photo work orders are placed, said cassettes being provided with bottoms openable following a command output by a control unit when the package contained in a cassette reaches the area of the conveying channel (6) relative to the removable container (8) for which said package is destined, characterised in that each conveying channel (6) is provided at the bottom with a slide (14), the lower end of which opens into the removable container (8) which corresponds to that conveying channel, and that said container is mounted on a supporting structure provided with a resilient means (18) to be movable in relation to the weight of the container itself.
System as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that at least one conveying channel (6) includes an essentially vertical wall (10) and another wall (12), the upper portion of which is vertical and the lower portion of which is curved upwards so as to form an arched guide.
System as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a pair of supporting arms (16) are provided at the lower end of the conveying channels for supporting the removable containers (8).
System as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said supporting arms (16) are articulated at the upper end of the respective slide and are maintained resiliently with the other end lifted by springs (18) to a large extent.
System as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that said springs (18) are dimensioned in such a way that when the container (8) is in an empty configuration, the lower end of the respective slide (14) partially enters the inside of the container itself at a predetermined distance from the bottom.
System as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that both the walls (10,12) of each conveying channel (6) are engaged at different levels by a plurality of inclined appendices (20) projecting from the inside of the channel itself, which are intercalated with those projecting from the opposed wall.