AU702170B2

AU702170B2 - Sorting table

Info

Publication number: AU702170B2
Application number: AU19989/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gregory Palmeri
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-04-30
Filing date: 1997-04-30
Publication date: 1999-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 2017-04-30
Also published as: AU1998997A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 7990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT a

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S. Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: GREGORY PALMERI ri i 'i w i 1: g GREGORY PALMERI CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

SORTING TABLE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

2 The present invention is directed towards a device which may be used to assist a person to sort and select one or more articles from a number of other articles stored in a container, and after the selection has been made to place any unselected articles into another or the same container.

It is often necessary to select one or more articles from a number of other articles stored in a container.

For example, a person may wish to select an article such as a nut or bolt of a particular size or type from a container in which numerous nuts and bolts of different types and sizes are stored. If the desired article is located towarIs the top of the container, a person may simply remove it by hand. However, if the article is i located near the bottom of the container it is usually I *necessary to tip all the articles onto a flat surface so as to be able to pick out the desired article. A i disadvantage of this method is that after the selection is made, the articles must be returned to the container by hand. This is generally tedious and time consuming.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for assisting a person to select one or more articles from a number of articles stored in a container and for placing unselected articles into the 25 same or a different container.

"According to a broad form of the invention there is provided a device for assisting a person to select one or more articles from a plurality of articles, the device oo* having an opening, a member mounted for pivotable movement between a substantially horizontal position in which the opening is closed and an open position, the member having a sorting surface upon which when the member is in the closed position, articles may be placed on the surface and at least one article can be selected and when the member is pivoted to the open position the whole of the sorting 9 surface moves such that any or all articles thereon can pass through the opening and into a container located beneath the opening.

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2a The device of the present invention may be used a9 4 9 9 99 9 0995 .99.9, 9 .1 14 :,xFlu i i 3 to sort and select any type of article. Examples of i articles which may be sorted are nuts, bolts or other mechanical parts, sewing items such as buttons or stationary. The size of the device may of course be varied to suit the types of articles with which it is intended to be used.

Preferably the device is mounted on legs such that the surface upon which the articles are to be placed is at a convenient height for a person to use. Typically the device is about table height. Thus, when the device is not being used for sorting it may also be used as a table or work surface. Optionally, the legs may have wheels such that the device is mobile and may be moved around a workshop floor to a desired location. Alternatively, if 00 15 the device does not have legs it may be adapted so as to able to be used when placed on a table top or similar to a o surface.

The member of the device is movable so as to open Oo.. and close the opening. The member may open and close the oo:4 20 opening by any suitable means. Preferably, the member is hingedly mounted to a frame so that the member may pivot between open and closed positions. It is not necessary for .the whole of the member to be able to move so as to open sos and close the opening. For example, a trap door may be 25 provided through which articles may pass through to the opening.

In the embodiment in which the member pivots between open and closed positions, the device includes means for maintaining and returning the member in and to the closed position. The member may be retained in the closed position by any suitable means. Typically, the frame has one or more projections upon which the lower surface of the member may abit or which engage corresponding recesses in the member. Alternatively, 35 projections may be provided on the member which may locate in corresponding recesses in the frame. The projections 4 may be movable between extended and withdrawn positions.

Preferably the projections are biased towards the withdrawn 4 position. When the projections are withdrawn, the member is then able to pivot towards the open position.

When the member has pivoted to the open position, the member may be returned to the closed position by any suitable means. For example, the member may be attached to a handle or lever which can be operated by the user so as to return the member to the closed position.

In another embodiment, the member may be biased towards the closed position by biasing means such as a spring or elasticised member. The member may be pivoted against the bias towards the open position by a user.

After use, the biasing means returns the member to the closed position.

In another form of the invention, the member may 15 be adapted to slide horizontally between open and closed o. positions. Typically a handle or lever will be provided to ;4 allow an operator to slide the member between positions.

The device of the present invention may also include two or more members. Preferably, the device has 20 two members which have edges which abut in the closed position and these edges pivot away from each other towards the open position.

When the member is in the closed position, articles from a container may be placed on the surface. A 25 person can then sort through the articles on the surface and select one or more articles as desired. After the selection is made, the same or a different container is placed beneath the opening. When the member is moved to the open position, the articles pass through the opening and are received by the container. Preferably the device is provided with means such as a funnel placed around the opening for guiding the articles into the container.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following figures in which: Figur 1 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred device of the present invention and Figure 2 illustrates a detail of part of the device

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Figure 1 illustrates a preferred device 11 of the present invention. The device 11 has a rectangular upper portion 12 which is supported by four legs 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. The upper portion has a surface 18 and four walls 19, 21, 22 depending therefrom. The walls define a lip 23 about surface 18. The surface 18 comprises two trays 24, Each tray 24, 25 is hingedly connected to a pair of legs, 13, 14 and 15, 16. An opening surrounded by a funnel 26 is located at the bottom of the device 11.

Wall 22 has a tray release mechanism 27 located thereon. The release mechanism is illustrated in detail in Figure 2. The mechanism 27 has a housing 28. A shaft 29 protrudes from the housing. A knob 30 is attached to the 15 protruding end 31 of the shaft 29. A plate 32 is located within the housing and attached to the other end 33 of the shaft 29. The plate has two projections 34, 35 extending therefrom. The projections 34, 35 extend through wall 22.

The projections 34, 35 have ramped lower faces (not illustrated). A coil spring 36 surrounds the end 33 of the shaft attached to plate 32. The spring biases the projections 34, 35 towards the illustrated position in which they extend through wall 22. Edges 37, 38 of trays 24, 25 rest on projections 34, 35. Alternatively, the 25 projections may locate in recesses provide in the edges 37, 38 of the trays. In use, a person may grasp and pull knob away from wall 22. This pulls plate 32 against the bias of spring 34 and withdraws projections 34, 35 through wall 22. When this occurs, the projections no longer support the trays 24, 25. The edges 37, 38 of the trays pivot away from each other under gravity. When the person ceases pulling on knob 30, the projections are returned to their original positions. The trays 24, 25 remain in the released position.

Located beneath the release mechanism 27 on wall 22, is a handle 40. The handle 40 has two arms 41, 42 which protrude through stots 43, 44 in wall 22. The arms 41, 42 extend substantially all the way through the device Ki H1

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6 towards opposing wall 21. When the trays have been released and pivot downwardly as described above, the trays pivot until they meet and rest on arms 41, 42. Thus when the trays are in this released position they define a V shaped opening. Any articles which are located on the trays will fall though this opening. The trays are returned to the closed position by grasping handle 40 and raising it so that arms 41, 42 slide along slots 43, 44.

In this way the trays are pivoted upwards. Edges 37, 38 of the trays slide up and over the ramped lower surfaces of projections 34, 35. When handle 40 is released, the trays remain in the closed position.

The device may be used to assist a person in sorting or separating one or more articles from a number of i is. articles in a container in the following manner. The *contents of a container containing articles to be sorted s.

are tipped onto the upper surface of the device with the0 trays in the closed position. The articles are distributed over the surface. This enables the person to locate one or 20 more desired articles which may then be removed from the e C surface. When a selection has been made the articles may e.r be returned to the same or a different container. The .o4, o B container in which the remaining articles are to be stored is placed beneath funnel 26. The trays are then released 25 by pulling knob 30. The articles which remain on the trays e fall through the V shaped opening defined by the open trays. The articles are guided into the container by funnel 26. The trays are then returned to the closed position by operation of handle 40 as described above.

It can be seen the device of the present invention may be used to assist a person is sorting and selecting desired articles from a number of articles stored in a container and for retuning the remaining articles to or placing the articles in another container.

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Claims

1. A device for assisting a person to select one or more articles from a plurality of articles, the device having an opening, a member mounted for pivotable movement between a substantially horizontal position in which the i opening is closed and an open position, the member having a sorting surface upon which when the member is in the closed position, articles may be placed on the surface and at least one article can be selected and when the member is pivoted to the open position the whole of the sorting surface moves such that any or all articles thereon can pass through the opening and into a container located beneath the opening.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, which includes one 1 or more projections movable between extended and withdrawn positions and when the projections are in the extended position, the projections can maintain the member in the closed position and when the projections are withdrawn the member is allowed to pivot towards the open position. 20

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 in which the device ro r includes a frame, the one or more projections are located on the frame and when the member is in the closed position, an edge of the member rests on at least one of the or each projections. 25

4. The device as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the one or more projections are biased towards the extended position.

5. The device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 which comprises two rectangular shaped members which have edges which abut in the closed position and which edges pivot away from each other towards the open position.

6. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding Sclaims which further comprises a lever for moving the member or members from the open to the closed position.

7. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which a lip surrounds the surface.

8. A device for assisting a person to select one or more articles from a plurality of articles and placing P9 8 unselected articles in a container, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures. DATED this 10th day of August 1998 GREGORY PALMERI By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN &CO. see.@ -N ABSTRACT A device (11) for assisting a person to select one or more articles from a plurality of articles and for placing any unselected articles in a container; the device having a pair of members (24, 25) and an opening (26) beneath the members, wherein the members can pivot away from each other so as to open and close the opening, and when the opening is closed, a plurality of articles can be placed on the members and one or more articles can be selected therefrom and when the opening is opened by the members, any articles on the surface can pass through the opening and into a container located beneath the opening. 400* 04060 o0.4 040 9I I I