EP3829787A1

EP3829787A1 - Recovery system for spent containers

Info

Publication number: EP3829787A1
Application number: EP18749104.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Joacir PEREIRA DE CAMPOS; Taina CAMILO RODRIGUES CHELLA
Original assignee: Acft Bureau D'etudes
Current assignee: Acft Bureau D'etudes
Priority date: 2018-05-17
Filing date: 2018-05-17
Publication date: 2021-06-09
Also published as: WO2019220163A1

Abstract

Automated recovery system (2) configured to separate and recover recyclable components from a spent container (4) which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, the recovery system comprising container lid removal means (17) configured to remove and recover a lid portion (25) of the spent container, container bottom removal means (19) configured to remove and recover at least a portion of a bottom (33) of the spent container, and beverage particulate material evacuation means (18) configured to evacuate particulate material from within the spent container and recover the beverage particulate material, wherein the container lid removal means, container bottom removal means, and beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate together to provide a separate body portion of the spent container substantially free of any beverage particulate material, the automated recovery system further comprising body portion recovery means.

Description

RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR SPENT CONTAINERS

The present invention relates generally to the recovery of recyclable materials from waste or spent containers, i.e. containers that have been effectively used and would otherwise be thrown away, whereas they are comprised or, or contain, materials which are of value for recycling purposes, including any contents thereof which may be recyclable, or re-usable, for example, natural or organic substances.

Many systems for the recovery of used containers are known generally in the art. Such general recovery processes often involve prior cleaning and/or washing of the containers by the users of said containers either before recovery, i.e. prior to waste disposal, or else at the waste disposal plant, to remove any leftover contents of the spent container, in order for the materials comprising the container to be in a suitable state for recycling processing. The removed substances that were contained in the spent container by washing or cleaning are often just fed in to landfill refuse dumps, sewage treatment works, and occasionally, dried or turned into a slurry for further use.

One of modern society’s particular problems with recovery and recycling of certain spent containers relates to beverage containers, in particular containers that contain or are at least partly filled with, a beverage particulate-material, such as coffee, or tea, chocolate, or other such substances, for example, herbs, or other solid particulate supports, which contain flavorings or aromas. These containers are generally fairly small in size, adapted and configured to be used in personal or small-scale point-of-sale machines to produce beverages of various sorts. The machines generally use a single container per beverage produced, after which the container needs to be thrown away. A modern day classic example of such a container is the coffee capsule, used ubiquitously throughout the industrialized world in coffee beverage producing machines. These containers are often comprised of valuable, recyclable materials. Indeed, when considering coffee capsules alone, such capsules are made up of a variety of materials, including plastics, metals such as aluminum-based materials, and of course are filled with ground coffee particles. Similar constructions exist for teas, hot chocolate drinks, herbal drinks and the like. With the growth in demand for such instant beverages and increased consumption among the world’s population, a major problem has arisen in how to deal with the waste generated.

Often, such beverage containers or capsules are not considered to be packaging per se, under corresponding packaging or waste treatment legislation, with the consequence that the majority of waste or spent containers do not get recycled, or enter a recycling treatment process, even if they are made out of recyclable materials.

As a result, much of the impetus to find suitable recycling solutions has fallen on the

manufacturers, distributors, or purveyors of the beverage containers. These solutions are expensive, logistically complicated to set up and certainly far from ideal, as many of the recovery and recycling operations must be subcontracted out to specialized partners.

Additionally, current attempts to improve recyclability of the valuable materials in such spent containers has thus far been thwarted by the complexity inherent in the separation of the different materials used in the containers, but also because of particulate beverage material with which such containers are filled. In the case of the example of a coffee capsule, these capsules generally have an aluminum and/or plastic body and/or lid, other synthetic materials or plastics making up the top rim and/or bottom of the capsule, and of course are filled with organic material, in this case, ground coffee.

If one considers merely the case of spent aluminum-based coffee capsules, these containers are currently collected manually, if at all, and then need to be shipped to a crashing facility, and/or a thermolysis facility, which inevitably leads to the loss of used coffee grounds, and in a low-grade quality of recovered aluminum and/or plastic. Used coffee grounds are a valuable recyclable material in, and of, themselves, and there is therefore an incentive to find more efficient ways of dealing with the problem of spent beverage containers such as the coffee capsules described above. Current estimates of sales by the market leader of such capsules puts the total number of capsules for that company at more than 9 billion capsules for the year 2017 alone, and generating therefrom approximately 40,000 tons of waste, of which roughly 80% to 90% is made up of coffee grounds and 10% to 20% is aluminum. Further consideration of the importance of aluminum recycling from such spent containers can be understood when one realizes that 86% of the carbon footprint of aluminum occurs between mining and production. Aluminum requires up to 95% less energy to recycle than to produce primary metals, and it keeps its inherent properties no matter how many times it is recycled.

The market leader’s current strategy for recycling such coffee capsules has been to create its own recycling circuit and encourage the end consumers to manually place used capsules into a plastic bag, offered for free by the vendor, and deposit the bag at various distributor-authorized collection points, such as for example, in its own boutiques, or other relay points e.g.

hairdressers, florists, pet shops, and the like, or even at waste disposal centers and other drop-off points, and then using couriers to prick up the collected capsules, and deliver new, replacement capsules to the consumers home. The direct pick-up option is however only available to businesses that consume more than 500 capsules per month.

Additionally, said market leader also co-finances recycling plants to separate small pieces of aluminum, generally less than 7 cm in size, through the use of“Foucault” equipment, which magnetically separates out ferromagnetic or paramagnetic metals from non-ferromagnetic metal elements. This enables the consumer to direcdy throw the used or spent capsule into what is known as the recycling bin, along with other recyclable materials, and the capsules are then recovered and recycled at the corresponding municipal or private waste facility. The recovery process is further defined by the following: machinery deposits plastic bags containing used capsules into an industrial crusher; the capsules and plastic bags are crushed together the crushed material is sifted or filtered; the crushed material is dried with expensive heating equipment; coffee grains are separated from the plastic material and aluminum; then the aluminum is separated from the plastic bag material.

One major disadvantage with the above process is that the synthetic parts are not separated from the aluminum, which makes it difficult to reuse the recovered aluminum to produce new capsules. Additionally, the crushed aluminum is contaminated with coffee grounds which requires further cosdy post-processing, such as thermolysis.

Furthermore, the coffee grounds are at least partially lost in all of the above steps and additionally causes a high contamination rate of any of the aluminum pieces obtained during the crushing step. This makes it subsequently more difficult to use the biomass of the coffee grounds in any methanization process to produce biogas and fertilizers, as it is also inevitably

contaminated with aluminum and/or plastics material particles.

Furthermore, when the capsules are added to household recyclable waste bins, the fact that the coffee grounds contained therein are potentially wet and/or humid causes a whole host of contamination problems for the remaining recyclable waste with which the capsules come into contact. The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages, failings, difficulties and other problems associated with the art, and additionally fulfill a long felt need, by providing, as a first object, an automated recovery system configured to separate and recover recyclable components from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, said recovery system comprising: container lid removal means configured to remove and recover a lid portion of said spent container; container bottom removal means configured to remove and recover at least a portion of a bottom of said spent container; and beverage particulate material evacuation means configured to evacuate particulate material from within the spent container and recover said beverage particulate material; wherein said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means, and said beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate together to provide a separate body portion of said spent container substantially free of any beverage particulate material, and wherein said automated recovery system further comprises body portion recovery means.

It is to be understood from the above that the recovery system according to the invention is suitably embodied by a complete deconstruction system for spent or used containers containing beverage particulate material and immediate recovery of the deconstructed parts of said containers.

As described and referred to herein, the expression spent or used containers filled with, or containing, beverage particulate material is to be understood as meaning any form of beverage containing container, for example, a capsule, that is habitually adapted in size and dimensions for use in preparing a temperature controlled drink via an appropriate machine or dispensing device, such as an automated or semi-automated drinks dispenser, or a typical household or industrial appliance, such as for example those drinks dispensers that allow a user to choose a beverage for preparation, either by a front-facing user interface on the dispenser, or from a separate beverage container rack, and introduce said container into the beverage dispenser system, for example, as in the case of household devices, or those devices commonly found in hotels or restaurants with self-service drinks dispensers, or alternatively in the case of a complete drinks dispenser machine, have the container picked or distributed from an internal storage area reserved for said containers, and introduced into the beverage preparation system by mechanical means.

Subsequent withdrawal or ejection of the container from the beverage dispenser can occur either manually, automatically, or semi-automatically. In the present specification, referral will be made to the example of aluminum-based coffee capsules as the spent container being processed by the recovery system, although such a system according to the invention is also applicable, and envisaged to be suitable for, other types of beverage particulate material containing containers, with suitable adjustments or adaptation as appropriate.

According therefore to one object of the invention, the spent container is a capsule, and preferably a coffee capsule.

According to yet another object of the invention, the spent container is a capsule comprised of atleast one recyclable material selected from the group consisting of natural or synthetic cellulose materials, plastic materials, aluminum-based materials and combinations thereof, and preferably substantially comprises an aluminum-based material.

As mentioned in the introductory portion of the present specification, the beverage particulate material is generally a ground, chopped, comminuted or finely divided material of natural or , synthetic origin, forming solid particles, such as coffee, or tea, chocolate, or other such substances, for example, herbs, or additionally other solid particulate supports, which are generally at least partly insoluble in water at varying degrees of temperature, and which further contain flavorings or aromas, integrated therein, adsorbed or absorbed on such particulate supports. In preferred embodiments, the beverage particulate material is a divided natural or synthetic particulate beverage material, chosen from the group consisting of coffee, tea, chocolate, herbs, leaves, fruits, nuts, kernels, grains, cereals, natural or synthetic saccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, natural or synthetic fats or oils, and combinations thereof. In an even more preferred and advantageous embodiment, the beverage particulate material contained within the spent or used beverage container is coffee.

Additionally, when the expression“at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material” is used in reference to the spent or used container, it is to be understood that the container still contains at least some particulate material. The reason for this is that although in general, most of the container’s particulate contents remain in the container after preparation of the beverage, the applicant also envisages use cases where the container integrity has been compromised to an extent greater than is to be expected through normal usage of the beverage container, and that, as a result, some of the particulate material contents may have escaped from the container and be lost prior to recovery. Generally, the expression“at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material” thus refers to a percentage of remaining particulate beverage material comprised between about 1% and 99.9% of the initial unused particulate beverage material contained within the container, more preferably between about 2% to about 95% of the initial unused particulate beverage material contained within the container, and even more preferably between about 5% to about 90% of the initial unused particulate beverage material contained within the container.

As mentioned in the introductory portion of the present specification, the spent or used containers envisaged and intended for the recovery system of the invention generally have an aluminum and/or plastic body and/or lid, other synthetic materials or plastics making up the top rim and/or bottom of the container, and of course are filled with particulate beverage material, as further described above. If one takes the specific example of the majority of coffee capsules as an example of containers in use today in households, and envisaged as suitable for use in the recovery system of the invention, the capsule container generally comprises: a substantially or at least partly conical or frustoconical body made of aluminum and/or plastics material, having a closed bottom end and an open top end; an annular top ring located and seated on an open and substantially circular edge, or rim, of the top end of the body, and made of aluminum and/or plastics material, with a silicone sealing material disposed thereon; a synthetic material reinforcing insert located inside the body and at the bottom end of the body; a sealable lid closure or cover made of aluminum-based material and/or plastics material that is placed on, and seals with, the silicone seal of the annular top ring, and which enables sealing closure of the capsule container with the particulate beverage material enclosed inside the capsule container body.

The container lid removal means remove and recover a lid portion of said spent container, preferably the whole lid, including the silicone seal and annular top ring. Various mechanical, electromechanical, and pneumatic solutions exist for achieving this objective, and the preferred technical implementation makes use of a combination of such solutions.

In a similar manner, the container bottom removal means remove and recover at least a portion of a bottom of said spent container, preferably all of the bottom portion of the container including the reinforcing bottom insert. Here again, various mechanical, electromechanical, and pneumatic solutions exist for achieving this objective, and the preferred technical implementation makes use of a combination of such solutions.

Similarly, the beverage particulate material evacuation means evacuates particulate material from within the spent container and recovers the beverage particulate material. Once again, various mechanical, electromechanical, and pneumatic solutions exist for achieving this objective, and the preferred technical implementation makes use of a combination of such solutions. One might envisage, for example, flushing the particulate beverage matter from the container with a fluid under pressure such as water or compressed air. However, the applicants currently prefer the use of a vacuum suction, or pneumatic, extraction and recovery system as the most advantageous solution for the recovery system of the invention, as will be described hereinafter.

The container lid removal means, container bottom removal means, and beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate together to provide a separate body portion of the spent container which is substantially free of any beverage particulate material, with the recovery system further comprising body portion recovery means. The body portion recovery means transports the beverage particulate-free body portion to a recovery zone from which the body portion, which is the most valuable part of the container in the case of an aluminum-based coffee capsule for example, can be further transported or collected for recycling. As with the other means described above forming part of the recovery system, the body portion recovery means can implement various mechanical, electromechanical, and pneumatic solutions for achieving this objective, with the preferred technical implementation making use of a combination of such solutions.

One main advantage of the system according to the invention is the resulting high grade or high quality recovered container elements, and beverage particulate material, due to a complete and clean separation or deconstruction of the container elements and container contents. In particular, the system according to the invention produces the following recyclable components: aluminum / plastic body - which has 0% contamination from other waste - this is considered "A-grade" material, which can be used for the manufacture of new container capsules and / or products, thereby ensuring full recyclability and what is known as cradle-to-cradle sustainable recycling; aluminum / plastic lid or cover along with edge ring comprising silicone -“B-grade” material suitable and adapted for the manufacture of other further products in a usual recycling chain; aluminum / plastic bottom along with synthetic insert - "C-grade" material which can be used for the manufacture of other products in a usual recycling chain; beverage particulate material - which has 0% contamination from other waste - where such beverage particulate material is of organic or natural origin, this material is deemed "A- grade" material, and can be used in methanization processes to produce biogas, fertilizers and the like.

Another object of the invention is an automated recovery system as described above further comprising a spent container sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable objects, for example, for sorting acceptable aluminum-based containers from unacceptable plastics-based objects, or other unacceptable materials, before subsequent processing by the container lid removal means, container bottom removal means and beverage particulate material evacuation means. The spent container sorting system provides means for separating the acceptable spent containers, i.e. spent containers that can be suitably processed by the recovery system of the invention, and unacceptable objects, i.e. other containers which, for example, simply do not conform to the requirements of the recovery system. It is to be understood from the above that the sorting system is configured and provided with various sorting means as will be described hereinafter to enable sorting of the useful spent containers from any unacceptable objects, such as other recipients or containers that could otherwise cause a malfunction in the recovery system or else potentially cause problems for downstream recovery of the useful, acceptable containers. As most beverage containers are made of aluminum, or are aluminum-based, or else comprise a mixture or association of aluminum and various plastics materials, the sorting system separates these upon introduction into the sorting system and classifies them as acceptable. The acceptable spent containers can then be further sorted if necessary or as required into further subcategories of acceptable spent container. Any

unacceptable objects are excluded from further processing by the sorting system and set aside. In one advantageous embodiment, such a sorting system can furthermore be configured as an independent, standalone device, for example, and used to simply sort and collect spent containers, and store them temporarily for further collection and downstream processing in the recovery system, for example an industrial scale recovery system that might be operated by a private waste treatment company or corresponding municipal installation. In one preferred embodiment, however, the spent container sorting system is coupled to the recovery system of the invention, and is integrated into the overall recovery system as a pre-recovery processing step. According to another object of the invention therefore, the spent container sorting system is configured to reject unacceptable objects from acceptable spent containers, for example acceptable aluminum-based containers from unacceptable plastics-based objects, or other unacceptable material, and forward said acceptable spent containers, or a further selected subset thereof, onto one of said container lid removal means or said container bottom removal means. This can be as simple as an actuated fbpper, finger or gate, for example, that moves a container out of an“acceptable container” trajectory and into an“unacceptable object or unacceptable container” trajectory. For example, the sorting system usefully communicates with at least one or more container shape recognition units configured to recognize at least one or more properties chosen from a two-dimensional shape, a three-dimensional shape, an identification tag, a color, or a weight of a container introduced into the sorting system. Such container shape recognition units can be, for example, a series of cameras, or other scanning devices, such as a barcode scanner or X-ray scanner, where the containers are provided with a barcode, or a color register or identification mark, where the containers are provided with such a marking. Alternatively, and/or additionally, the sorting system can be configured to determine acceptable containers from unacceptable objects via a weighing system, as used for example, in vending machines that accept coins as payment, and used to determine whether the correct amount of coinage has been introduced. Such a weighing system is usefully implemented in the sorting system with the aim, for example, of calculating the overall weight of introduced containers, and calculating therefrom the total number of containers deposited by a user, which can then subsequently be used to calculate any rewards due to that user if a rewards scheme is implemented, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. Such a weighing system can usefully be combined with an X-ray scanner, similar to those in use at security gates in airport terminals or at other secure entry facilities, which enables precise identification for example of the shape, and/or manufacturer, and/or model of container passing through the sorting system. The sorting is furthermore provided with one or more sub-chambers, into which the various containers and any other introduced or deposited objects are sorted. Any rejected objects or containers are diverted to a “reject” sub-chamber, which can optionally be provided with an opening to the outside allowing the user to recover said rejected objects or containers and dispose of them separately.

Preferably however, the sorting system comprises at least one vibrating pan, onto which the containers which have passed through the sorting system fall. The at least one vibrating pan is preferably substantially conical in shape, with an upper, open end, and a bottom, closed end. The containers fall into the closed, bottom end of the at least one vibrating pan, and the frequency of vibration is chosen to move the containers from the bottom of the pan upwards and along an increasingly outward spiral path that is configured within the inner volume of the pan through the use of separator walls. Additionally, the frequency of vibration is selected to not only cause the containers to move along the spiral path, but is also chosen such that the containers substantially right themselves. By this, it is meant that the jumble of containers introduced into the pan when they fall into the bottom of the pan, finish up, after following the spiral path upwards, substantially all aligned and upright, with the respective bottoms of the containers substantially aligned within the spiral path, and the respective tops of the containers also substantially aligned within the spiral path. It is also to be understood that a similar system can be implemented in which the containers are aligned with their bottoms facing up and their respective tops facing down.

In order to ensure that any containers that may not be correctly aligned enter the recovery system, the spent container sorting system, according to yet another object of the invention, further comprises a spent container alignment means connected to, and downstream of, said sorting system. The alignment means connects the sorting system to the recovery system, and ensures that the spent containers are in suitable alignment with the various elements of the recovery system so that the recovery process is carried out in an optimal fashion.

In a further object of the invention, the spent container alignment means feeds spent containers from the sorting system into the automated recovery system in at least one substantially linear alignment, or a plurality of substantially linear respective alignments, of said spent containers. From the foregoing it is to be understood that the spent container alignment means are configured to feed spent containers from the sorting system into the recovery system, whereby the spent containers are essentially in linear alignment with each other. Additionally, one or more substantially parallel linear lines of spent containers can be formed by the alignment means, each line either being provided with a corresponding upstream vibrating pan, or alternatively, the parallel lines leading off from an exit point of a single vibrating pan. This increases the number of containers that can be processed by the recovery system, especially if, for example, each alignment of containers is aligned with a corresponding recovery system. Such a configuration is particularly useful in an industrial scale configuration of the recovery system according to the invention, in which several parallel processing lines for recovery would be implemented. Such alignment means can be identical or similar to those used in known processing systems for other containers, for example, glass jars, bottles, other shaped recipients, wherein at least a part of the container is held in a fixed position relative to the other containers entering the processing chain. As an example, one might use a suitably designed conveyor system which is sized and dimensioned to convey the containers in aligned formation along a processing trajectory. The alignment means are connected to the vibrating pan at the upper end thereof and at the end of the spiral pathway, such that the containers move from the top of the vibrating pan already in substantial and correct alignment as described into the conveyor system. Preferably, the alignment means are configured and dimensioned to hold at least a part of the body of the container, near the top end of the container. At a downstream end of such a conveyor system, a release mechanism is preferably provided that releases the container into positioning means located below these conveyor means. Each container thus falls into a predetermined location in the positioning means, ready for processing by the recovery system.

As mentioned above, and according to another object of the invention, the automated recovery system further comprises container positioning means configured to maintain a relative position of said spent container in relation to the recovery system comprising the container lid removal means, container bottom removal means and beverage particulate material evacuation means.

The container positioning means can form part of, or be separate from, the alignment means of the sorting system. The positioning means are configured and dimensioned to keep the container in a predetermined relative position to each of the stations of the recovery system. For example, the alignment means can configured to simply present the containers in a substantially linear alignment, and the positioning means, separate from the alignment means, can be configured to hold at least a part of the body of the container, near the top end of the container, leaving the bottom and top ends substantially free to be handled by the recovery system.

A suitable positioning means can, for example, be a reciprocating perforated plate, or alternatively an endless conveyor belt, or some other functionally equivalent mechanism. In the case of a reciprocating plate, said plate is dimensioned to be long enough to hold a series of aligned containers and be progressively, or stepwise, movable along a processing path such that each container is subjected to a stepwise treatment by the recover system. The perforated plate can be moved backwards and forwards in a reciprocating movement, and the suitably sized perforations hold the containers in substantially linear alignment at a predetermined height along the body of the container, preferably near the top thereof. Preferably however, the positioning means is an endless conveyor plate or belt mounted on motorized drive wheels, wherein the plate or belt comprises suitably arranged and aligned perforations made through the plate or belt, into which the containers are inserted or dropped from the alignment conveyor and held and maintained in position under the top rim or edge of the container by an upper surface of the positioning conveyor plate or belt.

According to another object of the invention, the container lid removal means of the automated recovery system comprises a first cutting assembly. According to a further object of the invention, the first lid removal cutting assembly is configured to cut through at least one wall of said spent container to release said lid from said spent container. The cutting assembly comprises one or more incisive, cutting edges, for example, a pair of caliper mounted opposing facing cutting blade surfaces or a scissor-like arrangement, in which the blades are located around the container and near the top of the container, such that when activated the opposing blade surfaces move toward each other, cutting through the container body and separating the lid and top edge or rim from said container body. Preferably in such an arrangement, the blades are located beneath the upper surface of the conveyor belt of the positioning means and are mounted to be movable orthogonally relative to a direction of travel of the conveyor belt. When the container reaches the lid removal station, due to movement of the conveyor belt forming part of the positioning system, the cutting assembly is activated below the conveyor belt to sever the lid and rim edge from the body, with the latter remaining held in the positioning system.

According to another object of the invention, the container lid removal means further comprises a first suction assembly. In still yet a further object of the invention, the first lid removal suction assembly is configured to aspirate the cut lid released by the cutting assembly and transport said released lid into a first recovery zone. When the positioning conveyor belt has moved the container into position for lid removal at the lid removal station, a suction head, positioned above the lid of the container is moved down onto the lid and keeps the lid in position whilst the cutting assembly is activated. The suction head is connected to a pneumatic, or vacuum system, in which vacuum pressure is used to hold the lid momentarily during operation of the cutting assembly. The suction head can be actuated via one or more pistons, in response to correct positioning of the container in an appropriate position to receive the suction head. The vacuum or pneumatic system is connected to a compressor and pump to provide vacuum pressure to the suction assembly. The vacuum pressure is conveniently applied via an aspiration pipe or conduit system located between and connected to said suction head and a first recovery zone. Once the cutting operation has completed and the lid severed, the suction assembly is activated to aspirate the removed lid portion of the container away from the remainder of the container to the first recovery zone. The first recovery zone can be provided by a suitably substantially closed container, for example a removable container that can be removed from the recovery system and exchanged when full for an empty recovery container, and which is connected at a recovery extremity of the vacuum aspiration pipe or conduit system.

According to yet another object of the invention, the container bottom removal means of the automated recovery system comprises a second cutting assembly distinct from said first cutting assembly. Similarly and according to yet a further object of the invention, the second cutting assembly is configured to cut through at least one wall of said spent container to release at least a portion of the bottom of the spent container. This second cutting assembly can be an arrangement that is similar or identical to the first cutting assembly, and is activated when the container is moved to the bottom removal station of the recovery system. Alternatively, and preferably, the second cutting assembly is inserted into the body of the container from above when the container is positioned in a suitable position for this to occur, and the cutting assembly is implemented via piston actuated cutting head, which descends from above the container and is inserted into to the body of the container. The cutting head is suitably configured to provide a penetrating cutting edge at a lower extremity of the cutting head, such that when the cutting head reaches the bottom of the container, the cutting edge penetrates into the bottom and passes out the other side thereof, removing a disc-shaped portion of the body corresponding to the bottom and the reinforcing insert.

Again, in a similar manner to the lid removal station and according to yet another object of the invention, the container bottom removal means further comprises a second suction assembly, distinct from said first suction assembly. The second suction assembly can be arranged in a similar manner to the first suction assembly, with the difference that the second suction assembly can optionally not provide a suction head to hold the bottom of the container during the cutting operation, but can simply provide for an aspiration or vacuum conduit extremity to be located in the vicinity of and/or substantially underneath, the container bottom, such that when the bottom is cut off, it is automatically aspirated or sucked up by the vacuum conduit extremity into the conduit.

According to a still further object of the invention, the second suction assembly is configured to aspirate the container bottom released by said second cutting assembly and transport said released container bottom into a second recovery zone, distinct from said first recovery zone.

The second recovery zone, which is preferably an arrangement similar to the first recovery zone, is connected at a remote extremity of the aspiration conduit of the second suction assembly, with the result that the bottom is recovered into recovery zone which is different to and separate from the lid removal recovery zone. The recovery system of the invention also provides for removal of particulate beverage material from the spent container. The particulate beverage material can be removed after removal and recovery of either the lid and/or the bottom, but preferably occurs after removal and recovery of the lid. According to yet another object of the invention, the beverage particulate material evacuation means comprise a third suction assembly configured to aspirate said beverage particulate matter from within the body of said spent container and transport said aspirated beverage particulate matter to a third recovery zone. The third suction assembly can for example, comprise a suction tip inserted into the container after lid removal and once the opened container has been moved into the particulate removal station.

According to still yet another object of the invention, the body portion recovery means further comprises a fourth suction assembly configured to aspirate any optionally remaining beverage particulate material from an inside wall of said body portion and transport said aspirated beverage particulate material to said third recovery zone before aspiration by said fourth suction assembly of said separate body portion and transport thereof to said fourth recovery zone. Such a fourth suction assembly is particularly useful in the event that the body portion contains any remaining beverage particulate matter that was not removed in the main beverage particulate removal step, and additionally ensures that the recovered body material is essentially 100% free of any beverage particulate contamination.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the first, second, third and fourth recovery zones are separate and distinct from one another.

Additionally, and according to yet a still further object of the invention, the automated recovery system further comprises container advancement means configured to advance a spent container to each of said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means.

According to yet another object of the invention, the container advancement means is further configured to advance a substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container to said fourth suction assembly.

According to still yet a further object of the invention, the spent container alignment means is further configured to present said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container in substantial linear alignment relative to a correspondingly substantial linear alignment of said fourth suction assembly along with said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means. The fourth suction assembly is generally implemented in a similar manner to the first, second and third suction assemblies, however, the fourth suction assembly is additionally provided with a supplemental beverage particulate extraction means, which is usefully implemented for example by a rotating brush head mounted on a piston actuated mount, or alternatively a vacuum bushing. In both alternatives, the aspirated material is connected to the third suction assembly and conduits. The rotating brush head or vacuum bushing is inserted into, and positioned adjacent an inner wall of the container body, when said body has been positioned in the appropriate position by the positioning means, and is activated to remove any beverage particles that might have remained stuck to said inner wall of the container body after the particulate material evacuation step. In the case of a rotating brush head, said head is configured to sweep any remaining particles from the inner wall and up into the aspiration conduits of the third suction assembly. In the case of a vacuum bushing, this is connected directly to the vacuum system of the third suction assembly, and is placed adjacent said inner wall. The vacuum applied via suitably provided openings in the bushing aspirates any particulate material remaining_^on the inner wall of the container, said particulate material being directed into the third suction assembly and thereafter into the third recovery zone.

It will be understood from the above description of various objects and embodiments of the recovery system that said recovery system, and optionally the recovery zones, can usefully be contained within an operational recovery unit, in which all of the various recovery steps and components are contained. This recovery unit can be implemented and adapted in size and dimension to function in say, a small standalone unit that can be placed on say, a container vendor's premises at the point of sale, or alternatively can be included a larger industrial facility as a functional part thereof.

According to a further object of the invention, the container lid removal means, container bottom removal means and beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate in the following sequence: removal of the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; removal of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

According to another object of the invention, the container lid removal means, container bottom removal means and beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate in the following sequence: removal of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; removal of the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

According to yet another object of the invention, the container lid removal means, container bottom removal means and beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate in the following sequence: simultaneous removal of both the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone, and respectively of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

According to yet another object, the invention provides a method for automated separation and recovery of recyclable components from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, said method comprising: introduction of a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material into a recovery system operable to effect the following: removal of a container lid of said spent container and recovery thereof; evacuation of beverage particulate material evacuation means within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material; removal of a container bottom and recovery of at least a portion thereof; and the method further comprising operation in sequence of said removal and evacuation steps to provide a separate body portion of said spent container substantially free of any beverage particulate material; and recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion.

According to yet a still further object, the invention provides a method for automated separation and recovery of recyclable components from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, wherein the operating sequence is as follows: removal of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; removal of the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

According to yet another object, the invention provides a method for automated separation and recovery of recyclable components from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, wherein the operating sequence is as follows: simultaneous removal of both the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone, and respectively of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

According to still yet another object, the invention provides an automated recovery device for recovering recyclable materials from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material comprising an automated recovery system as described above, wherein said device further comprises: a container entry inlet configured to permit depositing of beverage particulate material filled containers; at least one or more container shape recognition units configured to recognize at least one or more properties chosen from a two-dimensional shape, a three-dimensional shape, an identification tag, a color, or a weight of a container deposited into the device via the container entry inlet; the at least one or more container shape recognition units being configured to

communicate the at least one or more properties of the container to the sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable containers or objects; one or more control units for controlling and configuring the various components of the recovery system, sorting system and the at least one or more shape recognition units.

The container entry inlet described above can be configured in a similar manner to any other deposit machine inlet, and preferably is configured to allow bulk deposit of spent containers, rather than individual introduction of said containers, although this alternative possibility remains nonetheless a viable option.

The one or more container shape recognition units are usefully implemented via, for example, an arrangement of cameras, sensors, weighing machines and the like, and combinations thereof, which determine at least a property of the container by which said container can be sorted.

Similarly, mechanical or electromechanical, or pneumatic means can be provided within the standalone sorting device to handle and transport said containers into an acceptable container or an unacceptable container temporary storage container.

Such an automated recovery system will generally comprise one or more control units for controlling and configuring the various components of the recovery system, sorting system and the at least one or more shape recognition units, and to ensure that each of the operational units functions as intended in the desired sequence. This operational sequence can naturally be programmed into a programmable memory or executable software and executed by appropriate processing and/or calculation means provided by the one or more control units.

Naturally, and according to another object of the invention, the automated recovery device as described above lends itself to implementation as a self-contained standalone device. According to still yet another object of the invention the automated recovery device further comprises a user operated interface configured to permit user interaction with, and information feedback from, the recovery device. Such a user operated interface can be supplied, for example, via a touch screen or suitably button activated system that guides the user, informs the user of how many total containers have been deposited and how many acceptable containers have been retained from said deposit, and any corresponding benefits acquired from said deposit.

Accordingly, yet another object of the invention is an automated recovery device that further comprises an integrated reward scheme configured to communicate with said user operated interface for attributing rewards to a user upon the depositing of an acceptable spent container. One of the biggest advantages of such a reward scheme is that it provides a means for inciting a user to return repeatedly to the standalone machine to deposit spent containers and receive a reward in return, whether financial or by some other system of loyalty inducement, for example, a points system in which the user is allowed to exchange the points accrued against future purchases of new beverage containers, or even other goods or services.

According to a yet further object of the invention, there is provided a standalone automated spent container sorting device comprising a sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable containers.

According to yet a further embodiment, the standalone automated spent container sorting device further comprises: a container entry inlet configured to permit depositing of beverage particulate material filled containers; at least one or more container shape recognition units configured to recognize at least one or more properties chosen from a two-dimensional shape, a three-dimensional shape, an identification tag, a color, or a weight of a container deposited into the device via the container entry inlet; the at least one or more container shape recognition units being configured to

communicate the at least one or more properties of the container to the sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable containers; one or more control units for controlling and configuring the various components of the standalone sorting device and the at least one or more shape recognition units.

/ The major difference between such a standalone sorting device and a standalone recovery device is that the recovery takes places separately from the sorting. In such a system, the user is encouraged to return spent containers to a collecting point, for example, the container vendor's premises or even a municipal or other private collection point. The containers that are duly sorted are stored temporarily until a larger scale or other regular collection of containers is effected to remove the acceptable containers from said standalone sorting device and take them to a recovery facility to be subjected to the recovery treatment of the invention.

According to a still further object of the invention, the standalone automated spent container sorting device further comprises a user operated interface configured to permit user interaction with, and information feedback from, the recovery device. Such a user operated interface can be similar or identical to the user operated interface of the standalone automated recovery device.

According to a still further object of the invention, the standalone automated spent container sorting device further comprises an integrated reward scheme configured to communicate with said user operated interface for attributing rewards to a user upon the depositing of an acceptable spent container. As mentioned above, absent any direct immediate recovery of the constituent components of the spent container, one of the biggest advantages of such a reward scheme is that it provides a means for inciting a user to return repeatedly to the standalone machine to deposit spent containers and receive a reward, whether financial or by some other system of loyalty inducement, for example, a points system allowing the points to be exchanged against the future purchase of new beverage containers, or even other goods or services. This means that such a standalone sorting device can also be used to promote the ultimate recovery of spent capsules, even if the user only sees the container being accepted by the standalone sorting machine.

Downstream processing of the collected spent containers can thus be carried out subsequently, for example in a separate industrial scale recovery system, whilst the user or contributor is nonetheless rewarded.

Further details, along with other objects of the invention will become apparent through the detailed description and examples given below, accompanied by the figures as follows.

Brief Description of the Figures

The figures are briefly described as follows and are provided for illustrative purposes of various embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 is a schematic side view cut-away representation of a standalone machine comprising the recovery system according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation viewed from the front of the standalone machine of Figure 1, with a partly cut-away middle to lower section showing details of the recovery system according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic side view representation of an industrial-scale recovery system according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a top-side view representation of the industrial-scale recovery system according to the invention as illustrated in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a schematic side view representation of a part of a recovery unit embodiment which forms part of the recovery system according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a schematic side view representation of a functional step of the recovery unit in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a schematic side view representation of another functional step of the recovery unit in Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a schematic side view representation of yet another functional step of the recovery unit in Figure 5;

Figure 9 is a schematic side view representation of still another functional step of the recovery unit in Figure 5;

Figures 10A and 10B are schematic side and front cut-away views of a standalone sorting system, that can either be used separately from, or in conjunction with the recovery system of the invention.

Detailed Description of Examples

Figure 1 illustrates a first implementation of the recovery system of the invention, and is a schematic representation of a cut-away side view of an automated recovery device (1) according to the invention, integrating an automated recovery system indicated by the general reference (2). One of the main advantages of a standalone automated recovery device is that the containers, for example, spent coffee capsules, can be treated in a small room, or other premises, such as a utility room or space, for example at a local grocery store, which results in a reduced carbon footprint and reduced costs associated with recovery of the recyclable materials making up the containers, and any recyclable or re-usable natural or organic contents thereof, which in turn is of general benefit to the environment.

The standalone automated recovery device (1) is similar in size and dimensions to a dispensing or vending machine. A user of the standalone recovery device has deposited a number of spent containers (4), in this example, spent coffee capsules from a domestic or small-scale beverage preparation device, into the automated recovery device (1) via an entry inlet (5). The deposited spent containers (4) are held temporarily in a temporary storage chamber (6), which is divided into three main sub-chambers (6A, 6B, 6C). A first sub-chamber (6A) generally located in an upper area of the temporary storage chamber (6) is the chamber which receives the containers deposited by the user. One or more sensors (11), such as cameras, scanners, weighing devices, metal detectors, and the like, and combinations thereof, are located within the first sub-chamber (6A), and are configured, or are operable, to determine one or more properties of the container, for example, a color, a barcode, a capsule shape, and the like. The sensors are connected to at least one processing unit that communicates with and controls, via an appropriate signal processing system, one or more automatic gates, or other moveable obstacles, to allow acceptable containers to pass into a second sub-chamber (6B), for example, by falling from the bottom of said first sub-chamber (6A) into said second sub-chamber (6B) under the effects of gravity, for temporary storage of the acceptable containers. The sensors and corresponding processing unit are also configured to remove any unacceptable containers via a corresponding mechanism, such as one or more further automatic gates, or other moveable obstacles, or simply via gravity, so that the unwanted and unacceptable containers fall into a third sub-chamber (6C) for temporary storage of unacceptable container.

The at least one processing unit is configured generally to operate the standalone device and control various sensors, detectors, motors, and other moving parts within the standalone device, including any human-machine interaction with said standalone device, and most notably implement and control any reward scheme that compensates the user for participating in the return system for spent containers. In particular, the reward scheme can compensate the user, for example, by the number of acceptable containers deposited and sorted, preferably even before they are passed onto the recovery system so that the user receives an immediate notification of any award directly after depositing the spent containers. The third sub-chamber (6C) can be connected to a gravitational fall chute which connects to a storage chamber (12) located at the base of the standalone device. Alternatively, and as illustrated in Figure 1, the third sub-chamber (6C) is connected to a suction assembly or pneumatic vacuum assembly to the storage chamber (12) and the unwanted or rejected containers are sucked up or aspirated from the third sub-chamber (6C) and transported via a suitable vacuum or aspiration conduit (3) into the unacceptable container storage chamber (12).

At the bottom of the second sub-chamber (6B), a narrowed portion of the chamber or neck (7) is provided with an outlet orifice through which acceptable containers (4) can pass in a regulated manner, for example, by an electronically or electro-mechanically activated gate as and when needed or determined by the processing unit. The operation of the gate feeds spent containers (4) due to the action of gravity into a spiral-walled, substantially funnel-shaped vibrating pan (8).

The vibrating pan (8) is vibrated via a suitable reciprocator and motor arrangement (9), the vibrations causing the coffee capsule containers to right themselves as they travel along an upward spiral pathway from the bottom of the pan toward to the top of the pan, and guided by the spiral walls located inside on an inner wall of the pan (8). When the capsule containers (4) reach the top of the pan and the corresponding exit thereof, they are fed into an upstream end of an alignment feeder arm (10), and travel towards the downstream end of the feeder arm in a substantially linear aligned arrangement, in this case, in single capsule alignment, i.e. a single row of individually aligned capsules. An alternative mechanism can be provided in which the containers are presented to the recovery system in substantial linear alignment as described above, but upside down, i.e. with the bottom of the container facing upwards, instead of downwards as illustrated in the figures.

The acceptable capsule containers are fed onto an endless conveyor belt (13) at the downstream end of the feeder arm (10), the conveyor belt (13) being driven by corresponding drive wheels (14), and a series of container holder perforations (16) are located in the conveyor belt, substantially in linear alignment along a length of said conveyor belt (13). Each container holder perforation (16) is dimensioned and configured to house a single container, in the example given an acceptable coffee capsule, which is fed into each perforation (16). As the conveyor belt (13) is moved along from left to right in the illustration, a single capsule falls into each container holder perforation (16) by gravity from the alignment feeder arm (10). The conveyor belt (13) is moved at a speed that enables each capsule holder perforation (16) in the conveyor belt (13) to be positioned in the correct position at each drop of a capsule (4) from the alignment feeder arm (10) such that the container is correctly seated and held within said container holder perforation (16).

The recovery system (2) is located above the conveyor belt (13). The recovery system (2) as exemplified in Figure 1 comprises four operational stations (17, 18, 19, 20) corresponding to four different positions in which the spent capsule is positioned by corresponding movement of the conveyor belt (13).

The first of these stations in the recovery unit is the lid removal station (17). The lid removal station (17) comprises a suction assembly (21) with a movable suction head (22) that can be lowered towards, and moved upwards away from, a correspondingly positioned capsule lid (25) located beneath it. The lid removal station (17) also comprises a cutting assembly (not shown), for example located beneath the conveyor belt and movable towards and away from the body of the capsule as required with which cutting of the lid from the body is achieved, whilst still maintaining said body within the capsule holder perforation, or alternatively located coaxially within or around movable suction head and configured to cut around the body of the container below the top edged after the suction head is moved into suction position in sucking contact with the lid (25). The suction assembly (21) comprises at least one vacuum conduit (23) connected to the suction head (21) at one end and a storage container (24) for storing the aspirated lids (25) at the other end. After removal of the capsule lid (25), the remainder of the capsule is moved to the second recovery station position by corresponding movement of the conveyor belt (13) to advance and position the container in the appropriate next position.

The second of the operational stations in the recovery unit is the beverage particulate removal station (18). This station comprises a second suction assembly (26), distinct from the suction assembly of the lid removal station (17), with a movable suction head (50) that can be lowered towards, and moved upwards away from, a correspondingly positioned and opened container located beneath it. The movable suction head further comprises a retractable aspiration tip (27) that can be lowered towards, and into the inner volume of the now opened capsule container (4), and conversely moved out of and upwardly away from the capsule container (4). When the aspiration tip (27) is lowered into the capsule inner volume, it is inserted into the beverage particulate material (28), which in this example are used coffee grinds. The tip is designed and configured, for example equipped with bladed or sharpened surfaces, so as to be able to penetrate the beverage particulate material and disrupt said material in the eventuality that the particulate material has become matted, moldy, agglomerated, or otherwise bound together, for example due to water content in the particulate material. The second suction assembly is then activated and a vacuum created to aspirate particulate material from the body of the capsule container. The aspirated beverage particulate material is drawn up via the vacuum in a corresponding second conduit (29) which connects the aspiration tip (27) at one end to a storage container (30) where the beverage particulate material (28) is stored. After aspiration of the beverage particulate material (28), the remainder of the container (4) is moved to the third recovery station position by corresponding movement of the conveyor belt (13) to advance and position the container in the next appropriate position.

The third of the operational stations in the recovery unit is the bottom removal station (19). This station also comprises a suction assembly (31), separate from the previous two preceding suction assemblies (21, 26). The suction assembly (31) of the bottom removal station (19) comprises a movable suction head (51) that can be lowered towards, and moved upwards away from, a correspondingly positioned container located beneath it. The third suction assembly further comprises a movable cutting assembly (41) that can be lowered towards, inserted into the bottom of the body of the capsule container to cut away or punch away the bottom of the container along with the reinforcement insert, and then subsequently moved upwards and away from the remaining capsule body. The third suction assembly (31) further comprises at least one vacuum conduit (32) located under, or in close proximity to where the removed bottom (33) is likely to fall under the effects of gravity, and has a substantially open end at this location, so that the vacuum pressure is exerted on the falling body and aspirated into the corresponding conduit (32). At the other end of the third suction assembly conduit (32), a storage container (34) is disposed for storing the aspirated bottoms (33). The remainder of the container body is then advanced to the fourth recovery station position by corresponding movement of the conveyor belt (13) to advance and position the container body in the next appropriate position.

The fourth operational station in the recovery unit is the body removal station, and

advantageously, as illustrated in Figure 1, the inner cleaning station of the remainder of the container body (4). In this station, a fourth suction assembly (35) is provided. The fourth suction assembly (35) is preferably distinct from and separate to the other three preceding suction assemblies, however the fourth suction assembly can also be identical with or share vacuum conduits and storage container with, the third suction assembly. The fourth suction assembly (35) comprises a movable head (52) that can be lowered towards, and moved upwards away from, a correspondingly positioned and opened container located beneath. The fourth suction assembly further comprises a retractable vacuum bushing (36), located at a lower end of, or housed within, the movable head (52), and which can be lowered towards, inserted into the remaining body (37) of the capsule container, and then subsequently moved upwards and away from the remaining capsule body (37). When the vacuum bushing (36) is introduced into the inside of the remaining container body (37), it aspirates any remaining beverage particulate material that might have stuck to an inner wall of the container body. In this way, the inner wall of the container body (37) is completely free of any beverage particulate material. In an alternative embodiment, the vacuum bushing can be replaced by a suitably configured rotating brush that sweeps any beverage particles remaining on the inner wall of the container into the vacuum conduit. The vacuum bushing (36) connects to an end of a corresponding vacuum conduit, and the other end of the vacuum conduit is connected to a storage container. These containers and conduits can be the same as those used for the third suction assembly, ensuring that all beverage particulate material is stored in the same container, or alternatively they can be stored in a separate container and be aspirated by a separate vacuum conduit. Once the inner wall of the container body (37) has been cleaned in the manner described above, it can be recovered, either by a further suction assembly, or preferably by gravity via advancement of the conveyor belt (13) causing the endless conveyor to reach a second drive wheel and be rotated around said drive wheel such that the conveyor belt (13) is inverted and begins its return journey back to the first operational station. As the conveyor belt assumes the inverted position, the remainder of the container body (37) can fall out naturally under the effects of gravity from the container holder and into a

correspondingly positioned storage container (38) for said container bodies (37).

All of the suction assemblies are served by a compressor and pump (39) that ensures adequate vacuum supply to all of the suction assemblies. Optional filters can be installed in the various suction assemblies to prevent ingress into the pump and compressor of any beverage particulate material, dust, and other small particles, and the like. The various movable heads of the suction assemblies can for example be pneumatically activated, or otherwise driven by suitable motorized drive means, for example using pistons or telescopic retractable arms, and the like.

The various moving parts of the standalone device in general, and the recovery system in particular, are controlled both in terms of movement and sequence of movement by a suitably programmed processing unit, for example, the same at least one processing unit that manages the signal processing and sorting within the sorting system.

As can be appreciated from the above description, the recovery system enables a complete and clean deconstruction of a spent beverage particulate containing container, and furthermore allows each of the respectively deconstructed elements to enter subsequent corresponding recycling treatment and handling without substantially any cross-contamination. Turning now to Figure 2, like elements are identified with like reference numbers. Only the principal differences or additions in relation to Figure 1 will be described herein. Figure 2 is a partially cut-away front panel view of the automated standalone recovery device of Figure 1. In the cut away part of the figure, one can see the vibrating pan (8), the feeder alignment arm (10), a capsule being dropped from the feeder arm into a corresponding container holder perforation (16) on the conveyor belt (13), and the second sub-chamber (6B) of the temporary storage chamber (6) for capsules that have been recently introduced into the recovery device and sorted into said sub-chamber (6B). Additionally, in an upper part of the figure, the container entry inlet (5) is indicated, above which is a user interface (53), such as a touch-screen interface with which the user depositing containers can interact with the recovery device. The user interface (53) will generally have a graphical display containing instructions for use, and providing useful information to the user, such as the number of containers deposited and accepted, and any rewards or information relating to any reward scheme that has been implemented with the recovery device in order to incite users to use the system, such as, for example, a financial rewards scheme. The front of the device can additionally comprise a variety of physical interaction means assisting or facilitating the user in the use of the machine, such as a card slot for reading a magnetic stripe card or a pin and chip reader, or a barcode scanner or other optical scanner for processing an information support provided by the user. This information, the user interface and various other facilitating functions for using the machine are usefully provided by the at least one processing means, for example, a suitable software program loaded into memory and executed by the processing unit to control the user interface and the functioning of the standalone device.

Figures 3 and 4 show an alternative embodiment of the recovery system of the invention, in which the recovery system is integrated into an industrial scale recovery plant facility (40), such as might be implemented in a municipal or private waste treatment plant. In these figures the spent containers are deposited from a collecting truck (61) into a drainage hopper (42), provided for example with drainage means, such as a drainage grid located at the bottom of said drainage hopper, and allowing any excess water in the spent containers to drain away. The containers are then fed from the drainage hopper (42) via an elevator (43), for example an endless screw auger elevator, or a conveyor elevator, into a funnel shaped storage chamber (44), similar to the temporary storage chamber (6) of Figures 1 and 2, and having a generally funnel shaped body, and at the bottom of said body, a neck (45), and an outlet orifice through which spent containers can pass in a regulated manner, for example, by an electronically or electro-mechanically activated gate. The operation of the gate feeds spent containers due to the action of gravity onto one or more conveyor belts (46, 47), and from the conveyor belts into corresponding spiral- walled, substantially funnel-shaped vibrating pans (48, 49). The vibrating pans (48, 49) function substantially in the same way as the vibrating pan of the standalone device in Figures 1 and 2. The vibrating pans (48, 49) feed into respective corresponding feeder alignment arms (54, 55) that align the containers in substantially parallel handling lines (56, 57), each handling line being either equipped with a respective recovery unit, or alternatively, each line entering in parallel a single recovery unit (58) in which multiple rows of the operational stations are arranged in parallel. The recovery unit (58) functions substantially in the same manner as described for the standalone device of Figures 1 and 2 and has separate recovery tanks (59, 60) for the recovered constituent parts and contents of the container.

Figure 5 shows a schematic magnified side view representation of the recovery unit and the conveyor belt positioning system. Like elements as described in Figures 1 and 2 are identified with the same reference numerals. Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 illustrate the sequence of operations that are carried out at each operational station, with each figure representing the relative positions and actions effected. Figure 6 represents the lid removal station (17), Figure 7 represents the beverage particulate removal station (18), Figure 8 represents the bottom removal station, and Figure 9 represents the inner wall particulate cleaning of the remaining container body, the detail of the various sequences having already been described in detail with regard to Figure 1.

Figures 10A and 10B represent schematic front and side cut-away views of a standalone sorting device (62) that can appropriately be stored, and operate from, for example, a large or medium- sized supermarket, hypermarket, grocery store, shopping mall, and the like, or from within a small room of, for example, a small grocery store, or gas station, and the like, or even a beverage container vendor. The standalone sorting system is designed and configured to sort spent beverage containers into respective temporary storage bins, but also sort out any unwanted or unacceptable waste items that might be introduced accidentally into the sorting system by the user. The standalone sorting system also comprises relevant means for implementing a reward scheme for the user or depositor who brings along spent containers to be deposited in the standalone sorting system. The temporary storage containers are emptied from time to time and taken to be processed by the recovery system of the invention, for example an industrial recovery system as described and exemplified above in relation to Figures 3 and 4. The standalone sorting device (62) comprises a casing or housing (63) which encompasses and encloses the various operating and moving parts contained therein to protect a user (64) of the device. The user (64) deposits one or more spent containers into the standalone sorting device, via an entry inlet (65). The spent containers, for example, used coffee capsules, are held on an input tray (66). The input tray (66) can advantageously be provided as a mesh or grid so that any small particles or unwanted waste can fall through the spaces in the grid or mesh to an unwanted or unacceptable waste basket or container (67) located below the input tray (66). The contents of the input tray

(66) are analyzed, for example using a variety of sensors, such as an X-ray scanner (68), and/or a weighing scale, and/or shape recognition cameras, in order to determine the weights and shapes of, and identify, the spent containers deposited on the input tray (66). From this first

determination, the depositor is informed preliminarily via a user interface on the front of the machine, about any possible reward that might be forthcoming from the deposit made of spent containers, i.e. the likely reward due. If any unacceptable waste material is detected by the variety of sensors, then this is removed from the input tray. One way of doing this is to provide the input tray as a mesh or grid and cause the input tray to vibrate, thereby causing any unacceptable objects to fall through appropriately sized apertures in the grid to a waste basket

(67) located below the input tray (66). In the event that any unwanted or unacceptable waste material or other foreign body is detected as still being present after suitable vibration of the input tray (66), the user interface alerts the user and instructs the user to remove the unacceptable material or foreign body. If the user does not comply with this instruction within an allotted timeframe, the whole contents of the input tray are deposited directly into the waste basket (67). Alternatively, the unwanted waste or unacceptable material can also be removed by suitable mechanical means, such as one or more sweeping arms, automated pickup arms, or blowing a pressurized air flow over or through the input tray (66) to remove the unwanted waste material, or a combination of these different mechanisms. The input tray thereafter contains a priori only sortable spent containers, and a signal is sent to the user interface via appropriate data processing means to inform the depositor of the final reward that it will receive. The reward system, user interface, data processing units and any system control units are advantageously identical or substantially similar to those included in the standalone recovery system as described above in regard to Figure 1.

The input tray (66) is then moved upwards, for example, via an elevator mechanism (not shown), and inclined once it reaches a predetermined height to cause the remaining contents of the input tray (66) to spill out onto a sorting conveyor (69). The conveyor (69) is configured to move the spent containers, at a configurable speed, substantially along the length of the standalone sorting device from front to back, with sorting stations located along its length, that further identify and sort the spent containers into sub-categories of spent containers. The speed of the conveyor is configured to permit correct detection and removal at each sorting station. For example, referring back to a specific implementation involving spent coffee capsules, at a first sorting station, aluminum capsules can be identified and removed, for example via a combination of an appropriately positioned conveyor sensor (70) and a suitable aluminum capsule removal device. When the scanner detects an aluminum coffee capsule, the aluminum capsule removal device, for example a Foucault device, or alternatively a sweeping arm or advantageously a blower, conveniently located adjacent to the conveyor is activated and the aluminum coffee capsule removed from the conveyor (69) to fall onto a sloping surface (71) away from a centrally raised fulcrum point (72) and into a first collecting tube (73) that communicates with a first temporary storage container (74). In this way, the aluminum capsules are removed from the stream of capsules on the conveyor (69) and dropped into the first temporary storage container (74).

At a second sorting station, capsules that comprise both aluminum and plastics material are detected by a second sensor (75) and then sorted by removal from the conveyor (69), for example via a corresponding sweeping arm or a blower, onto an opposing sloping surface (76) located on the other side of the fulcrum (72), so that these capsules fall into a second collecting tube (77) that communicates with a second temporary storage container (78).

At a third sorting station, capsules that are made entirely of plastics material are detected by a third sensor (not shown), and then sorted by removal from the conveyor (69), for example via a corresponding sweeping arm or a blower, onto a further sloping surface (not shown), so that these capsules fall into a third collecting tube (79) that communicates with a third temporary storage container (80).

Finally, at a fourth sorting station, any previously unidentified capsules, or capsules that have generated a recognition error are detected by a fourth sensor (81), and then sorted by removal from the conveyor (69), for example via a corresponding sweeping arm or a blower, onto a further sloping surface (not shown), so that these capsules fall into a fourth collecting tube (82) that communicates with a third fourth storage container (83). In this way, all of the capsules are sorted from the conveyor (69) into respective temporary storage containers (74, 78, 80, 83).

Claims

1) Automated recovery system configured to separate and recover recyclable components from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, said recovery system comprising: container lid removal means configured to remove and recover a lid portion of said spent container; container bottom removal means configured to remove and recover at least a portion of a bottom of said spent container; and beverage particulate material evacuation means configured to evacuate particulate material from within the spent container and recover said beverage particulate material; wherein said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means, and said beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate together to provide a separate body portion of said spent container substantially free of any beverage particulate material, and wherein said automated recovery system further comprises body portion recovery means.

2) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, further comprising a spent container sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable objects before subsequent processing by said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means.

3) Automated recovery system according to claim 2, wherein said spent container sorting system is configured to reject unacceptable objects from acceptable spent containers and forward said acceptable spent containers onto one of said container lid removal means or said container bottom removal means. 4) Automated recovery system according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein said spent container sorting system further comprises a spent container alignment means connected to, and downstream of, said sorting system.

5) Automated recovery system according to claim 4, wherein said spent container alignment means feeds spent containers from the sorting system into the automated recovery system in at least one substantially linear alignment, or a plurality of substantially linear respective alignments, of said spent containers.

6) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said container lid removal means comprises a first cutting assembly.

7) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said first lid removal cutting assembly is configured to cut through at least one wall of said spent container to release said lid from said spent container.

8) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said container lid removal means further comprises a first suction assembly.

9) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said first lid removal suction assembly is configured to aspirate the cut lid released by the cutting assembly and transport said released lid into a first recovery zone.

10) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said container bottom removal means comprises a second cutting assembly distinct from said first cutting assembly.

11) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said second cutting assembly is configured to cut through at least one wall of said spent container to release at least a portion of the bottom of the spent container.

12) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said container bottom removal means further comprises a second suction assembly, distinct from said first suction assembly.

13) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said second suction assembly is configured to aspirate the container bottom released by said second cutting assembly and transport said released container bottom into a second recovery zone, distinct from said first recovery zone.

14) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said beverage particulate material evacuation means comprises a third suction assembly configured to aspirate said beverage particulate matter from within the body of said spent container and transport said aspirated beverage particulate matter to a third recovery zone.

15) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said body portion recovery means further comprises a fourth suction assembly configured to aspirate any optionally remaining beverage particulate material from an inside wall of said body portion and transport said aspirated beverage particulate material to said third recovery zone before said aspiration by said fourth suction assembly of said separate body portion and transport thereof to said fourth recovery zone.

16) Automated recovery system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first, second, third and fourth recovery zones are separate and distinct from one another.

17) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, further comprising container positioning means configured to maintain a relative position of said spent container in relation to said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means.

18) Automated recovery system according to claim 17, further comprising container advancement means configured to advance a spent container to each of said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means.

19) Automated recovery system according to claim 18, wherein said container advancement means is further configured to advance a substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container to said fourth suction assembly.

20) Automated recovery system according to claim 4, wherein said spent container alignment means is configured to present said spent containers in substantial linear alignment relative to a correspondingly substantial linear alignment of said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means.

21) Automated recovery system according to claim 4 or claim 20, wherein said spent container alignment means is further configured to present said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container in substantial linear alignment relative to a correspondingly substantial linear alignment of said fourth suction assembly along with said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means.

22) Automated recoveiy system according to claim 1, wherein said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate in the following sequence: removal of the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; removal of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

23) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate in the following sequence: removal of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; removal of the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

24) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said container lid removal means, said container bottom removal means and said beverage particulate material evacuation means are configured to operate in the following sequence: simultaneous removal of both the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone, and respectively of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

25) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said spent container is a capsule. 26) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said spent container is a capsule comprised of at least one recyclable material selected from the group consisting of natural or synthetic cellulose materials, plastic materials, aluminum-based materials and combinations thereof. 27) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said beverage particulate material is a divided natural or synthetic particulate beverage material, chosen from the group consisting of coffee, tea, chocolate, herbs, leaves, fruits, nuts, kernels, grains, cereals, natural or synthetic saccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, natural or synthetic fats or oils, and combinations thereof. 28) Automated recovery system according to claim 1, wherein said beverage particulate material is coffee.

29) Method for automated separation and recovery of recyclable components from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material, said method comprising: introduction of a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material into a recovery system operable to effect the following: removal of a container lid of said spent container and recovery thereof; evacuation of beverage particulate material evacuation means within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material; removal of a container bottom and recovery of at least a portion thereof; and the method further comprising operation in sequence of said removal and evacuation steps to provide a separate body portion of said spent container substantially free of any beverage particulate material; and recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion. 30) Method according to claim 29, wherein said operating sequence is as follows: removal of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; removal of the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

31) Method according to claim 29, wherein said operating sequence is as follows: simultaneous removal of both the spent container lid and recovery thereof into said first recovery zone, and respectively of at least a portion of the container bottom and recovery thereof into said second recovery zone; evacuation of particulate material from within the spent container and recovery of said beverage particulate material into said third recovery zone; recovery of said substantially beverage particulate-free body portion of said spent container into said fourth recovery zone.

32) Automated recovery device for recovering recyclable materials from a spent container which is at least partly filled with a beverage particulate material comprising an automated recovery system according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein said device further comprises: a container entry inlet configured to permit depositing of beverage particulate material filled containers; at least one or more container shape recognition units configured to recognize at least one or more properties chosen from a two-dimensional shape, a three-dimensional shape, an identification tag, a color, or a weight of a container deposited into the device via the container entry inlet; the at least one or more container shape recognition units being configured to

33) Automated recovery device according to claim 32, wherein said device is a self-contained standalone device. 34) Automated recovery device according to claim 32, wherein said device further comprises a user operated interface configured to permit user interaction with, and information feedback from, the recovery device.

35) Automated recovery device according to claim 34, wherein said device further comprises an integrated reward scheme configured to communicate with said user operated interface for attributing rewards to a user upon the depositing of an acceptable spent container.

36) Standalone automated spent container sorting device comprising a sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable containers or objects. 37) Standalone automated spent container sorting device comprising a sorting system according to claim 36, further comprising: a container entry inlet configured to permit depositing of beverage particulate material filled containers; at least one or more container shape recognition units configured to recognize at least one or more properties chosen from a two-dimensional shape, a three-dimensional shape, an identification tag, a color, or a weight of a container deposited into the device via the container entry inlet; the at least one or more container shape recognition units being configured to

communicate the at least one or more properties of the container to the sorting system configured to sort and separate acceptable spent containers from unacceptable containers or objects; one or more control units for controlling and configuring the various components of the standalone sorting device and the at least one or more shape recognition units.

38) Standalone automated spent container sorting device comprising a sorting system according to claim 36 or claim 37, further comprising a user operated interface configured to permit user interaction with, and information feedback from, the recovery device.

39) Standalone automated spent container sorting device comprising a sorting system according to claim 38, further comprising an integrated reward scheme configured to

communicate with said user operated interface for attributing rewards to a user upon the depositing of an acceptable spent container.