US3612268A

US3612268A - Silverware orienting means

Info

Publication number: US3612268A
Application number: US28879A
Authority: US
Inventors: Aldrich L Jackson
Original assignee: Dynasort Corp
Current assignee: Dynasort Corp
Priority date: 1970-04-15
Filing date: 1970-04-15
Publication date: 1971-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-12

Abstract

Apparatus for receiving and orienting randomly arranged pieces of silverware, and for discharging the silverware to a storage means with all the handles of the silverware at one end. The silverware receiving and orienting structure is associated with a machine that separates forks, knives, teaspoons and soupspoons; and a movable, multicompartmented storage structure is associated with the apparatus, so that each type of silverware can be discharged in oriented fashion into a single compartment.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Aldrich L. Jackson Eustis, Fla.

Apr. 15, 1970 Oct. 12, 1971 Dynasort Corporation Continuation-impart of application Ser. No.

707,164, Feb. 21, 1968, now abandoned.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee SILVERWARE ORIENTING MEANS 36 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

U.S.C1 209/13, 193/43 B, 198/33 AD Int.Cl B07c5/06, B65g11/2O Field of Search 209/73, 74,

97; 193/43,43 B;221/156, 157; 198/33 AD [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,309,471 1/1943 Moore 193/43 B 2,377,154 5/1945 Hurley, Jr 193/43 B 3,389,790 6/1968 Braunheim et al 209/97 3,545,613 12/1970 Nystuen 198/33 AD Pn'mary ExaminerAllen N. Knowles Att0rneyHofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman 18L McCord ABSTRACT: Apparatus for receiving and orienting randomly arranged pieces of silverware, and for discharging the silverware to a storage means with all the handles of the silverware at one end. The silverware receiving and orienting structure is associated with a machine that separates forks, knives, teaspoons and soupspoons; and a movable, multicompartmented storage structure is associated with the apparatus, so that each type of silverware can be discharged in oriented fashion into a single compartment.

PATENTEnunnzlsn 3 612 25 SHEET HP 3 SILVIEIIWAIRE ORIENTING MEANS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 707,164, filed Feb. 21, 1968 now abancloned.

BACIIGROUND OF THE INVENTION Recently machines have been developed to automatically sort various types of silverware and deposit them in separate compartments. Such machines are illustrated in Kraeft US. Pat. No. 3,247,858, Stutz US. Pat. No. 3,301,397, and in my US. Pat. No. 3,395,795; but such machines do not provide for orienting the silverware with all the handles at one end so that a person may grasp one or more pieces by the handle without touching the food manipulating end portions of other pieces. Naslund et al. US. Pat. No. 3,389,791 discloses a machine which sorts silverware and also orients all the pieces of each type with the handles at one end; but the sorting and orienting devices function relatively slowly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The structure of the present invention obviates the problem noted above by providing a unique orienting structure that insures that the handles of the various types of silverware will all be leading as they are discharged into a storage structure. To this end, a steeply inclined receiving trough for randomly arranged silverware is shaped to position silverware for endwise movement generally centrally between its edges, and a delivery chute means associated with the trough has an upper portion providing an abutment and a lower portion providing a supporting surface. The arrangement is such that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its handle leading tumbles off the lower end of the trough onto the supporting surface to descend the latter handle first, while a piece traversing the trough with the food manipulating end portion leading slides axially off the trough until said end portion strikes the abutment area and then pivots downwardly about said end portion to descend the supporting surface handle first.

The orienting structure of the present invention also is particularly adapted for use with an assorting machine, such as that disclosed and claimed in my US. Pat. No. 3,395,795, wherein miscellaneous silverware is assorted so that all pieces of any one type are discharged together from the assorting machine; and to this end, the present invention includes a multicompartmented storage means that is preferably movable synchronously with the various discharge cycles of the assorting machine, so that each of the different types of silverware may be discharged into a single compartment.

When the orienting structure is to be used with a continuous silverware sorter such as that disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Ser. No. 44,399, filed June 8, 1970, the receiving troughs of the orienter may be the troughs into which the sorter directs the several different kinds of silverware; and in that event the storage means consists of a separate box to receive the pieces discharged by each delivery chute means, so that as each box becomes full it may be replaced by an empty box without regard for whether boxes for the other types of silverware are full.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary side elevational view of a first embodiment of the orienting means of the present invention, shown in association with the sorting machine of US. Pat. No. 3,395,795, with certain parts being broken away for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a view taken generally along line 22 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 3 is a view taken generally along line 3-3 of FIG. I;

FIG. 41 is a sectional view taken generally along line I-4l of FIG. 3, and illustrates in full lines a knife being oriented which has entered the device blade first and in broken lines a knife being oriented which has entered the device handle first;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, and illustrating spoons as they are oriented by the structure of the present invention;

FIG. b is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present orienter, illustrating a single cutting ware orienter and a single eating ware orienter;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 7-7 of FIG. s;

FIG. b is a sectional view taken generally along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an upper end elevational view of the receiving troughs on an enlarged scale, taken generally along the line 99 ofFIG. b; and

FIG. It is a fragmentary lower end elevational view on an enlarged scale of an eating ware orienter trough taken generally along the line TIL-III of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail, and referring 30 first to FIGS. I to 5, the orienting means of the first embodiment of the present invention are designated in their entirety by reference numeral 10, and the orienting means are illustrated in conjunction with a table silver assorting machine 11, which is similar to that illustrated in my US. Pat. No. 3,395,795. The disclosure of said patent is hereby incorporated by reference into the disclosure of this embodiment for details not specifically described herein. The table silver assorting machine Ill includes a base or support I2, with uprights I3 and I4 extending upwardly therefrom. A cradle assembly I5 is mounted between uprights I3 and I4 for oscillating movement between oppositely inclined positions, and the cradle assembly includes a plurality of divider plates 16 that extend upwardly from a flat base 17 to form separate table silver retaining compartments between the divider plates I6. The cradle assembly 15 includes outer sideplates I8 (FIG. 2) which cooperate with the outermost divider plates I6 to form compartments therebetween. The cradle assembly 15 is movable between a first inclined position, illustrated in FIG. I, for discharging table silver into the left-hand orienting means designated 10a, and to an oppositely inclined position for discharging table silver into right-hand orienting means designated I011. Storage means I9 is provided centrally of base 11 between the table silver orienting means Illa and ItIb for receiving the oriented table silver therefrom.

The structure of the silverware orienting means It will be best understood from FIGS. 3-5; and as illustrated therein,'the orienting means includes four side by side, generally identically shaped receiving troughs 20 which feed into a single silverware discharger, indicated generally at 21. Receiving troughs 20 are carried upon a support structure, including a pair of spaced upright side plates 23 that are welded or otherwise secured to the base 12 of assorting machine II. The discharger 21 slides assorted and oriented pieces of table silver into the storage means I9; and to this end, a downwardly and inwardly inclined supporting surface 22 extends between sidewalls 23, with the opposite sides of wall 22 converging toward one another, as can be best seenin FIGS. 2 and 3. Upper end portions 230 of walls 23 flank the inclined wall 22, and said portions 23a cooperate with surface 22 to define a converging delivery chute having a discharge opening 24 at its lower end. As can be best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper end of supporting surface 22 merges into a connecting surface that includes a curved portion 220 and a flat rear portion 22b which is generally perpendicular to the main length of the surface 22.

Each receiving trough 20 is adapted to receive assorted, yet randomly arranged, pieces of table silver from cradle assembly 15, and the troughs include upright sidewalls 25 having a steeply downwardly inclined, transversely curved guide surface 25a therebetween which has an inlet end 25b adjacent the cradle assembly IS. The distance between upright walls 25 is such as to allow only a single piece of silverware at a time to slide endwise down a trough 20, and the curvature of portion 25a corresponds essentially to the radius of a spoon bowl, so as to positively position a spoon centrally between the walls 25 of the trough 20, and generally position knives and forks centrally between said walls, As is evident from FIG. 2, the

walls

16 and 18 on the cradle assembly are essentially aligned with the upright wall portions 25 of the troughs 20, so that the pieces of silverware being discharged from the cradle compartments will slide into a corresponding trough.

An inclined wall provides an abutment area 26 that extends generally transversely with respect to walls 25 and guide surfaces 25a of the troughs 20, and abutment area 26 is seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 to be generally perpendicular to the rear portion 22b of the connecting surface, and thus in a plane generally parallel to that of the supporting surface 22. The troughs 20, the abutment areas 26, the supporting surfaces 22 and the connecting surfaces 22a-22b are so related as to insure that pieces of silverware which slide down the receiving troughs with either the food-manipulating end portion or the handle leading will descend the supporting surface 22 with the handle leading. In this operation the abutment area, the supporting surface and the connecting surface cooperate to provide delivery chute means.

As seen in FIGS. 3 to 5, the receiving troughs 20 have lower ends 28a which are spaced from the abutment area 26 by a distance which is slightly greater than the length of a piece of silverware to be oriented, and the lower ends 28a are directly above the supporting surface 22 and spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than the length of a piece of silverware to be oriented.

The guide surface 25a of each receiving trough 20 has integral extensions 25c providing a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending flanges which define a central longitudinal slot 27.

. As best seen in FIG. 3, the slot 27 includes a first relatively narrow portion 28 adjacent the inlet end 25b of the trough, and the slot further includes a second relatively wide portion 29 adjacent the abutment area 26. The first portion 28 of the passage means is wide enough to allow the handle of a piece of silverware to pass therethrough, but is sufficiently narrow to prevent the enlarged food manipulating end of spoons, forks, and soupspoons (hereinafter sometimes called eating ware) from passing therethrough, so that when such silverware slides down the guide surface 25a with the food-manipulating end leading, the food-manipulating end of a piece of eating ware will move past the first portion 28 of the slot 27. The distance between the lower end 28a of the trough 20 and the junction between the curved and flat portions 22a and 22b of the connecting surface is less than the shortest piece of silverware, i.e., a teaspoon, so that when a teaspoon is sliding down the guide surface 250 (F IG. 5) with the bowl leading the bowl will override the connecting surface and engage the abutment area 26. The distance between the lower end 28a of the trough 20 and the abutment area 26 is greater than the length of the longest piece of silverware, Le, a knife (FIG. 4), so that when a knife is sliding down guide surface 25a with the blade end leading, sufficient clearance is provided to allow the knife to drop from the trough 20 into the discharger 21. Narrow slot portion 28 is broad enough to pass a knife blade therethrough, but when a knife is sliding down a guide surface 25a with the blade end leading, the weight of the knife handle is sufficient to retain the knife on the guide surface until the end of the blade strikes abutment area 26.

ln operation, when a piece of eating ware which has an enlarged end portion is sliding down guide surface 25a with the handle end leading, the handle, because of its weight, drops through narrow slot portion 28, while the enlarged end portion is held on flanges 25c until the piece reaches widened slot portion 29, whereupon the piece of silvenavare drops downwardly through the slot 27 onto supporting surface 22 of the silverware discharger with the handle end nearest the discharge opening 24. When pieces of eating ware travel down the guide surface 250 with the enlarged food-manipulating end leading, the food-manipulating end travels along guide surface 25a, flanges 25c and the connecting surface portions 22a and 22b until the food-manipulating end strikes upright wall 26. The piece then pivots downwardly about its leading end and the handle drops by gravity through slot portion 28 so as to lead as the piece slides down the supporting surface 22. The present invention preferably includes means for assisting the silverware in its travel down guide surface 25a, and to this end, a vibrator 30 is associated with the orienting means 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the vibrator 30 is mounted upon the under side of supporting surface 22 centrally thereof.

Storage means 19 includes an open-ended container having a base 31 with upright side and end

wall

32 and 33, respectively, extending upwardly therefrom. An upright central partition wall 34 which is parallel to the sidewalls 32 cooperates with three transversely extending divider walls 35 to create four side-by-side pairs of compartments for receiving silverware that is deposited from the orienting means 10a and 10b. Divider walls 35 are spaced from one another, and from end walls 33, by a distance sufficient to allow a hand to reach into the compartments to remove the silverware therein. Inclined silverware supporting walls 36 are preferably provided in each of the compartments of the storage means 19. The base 31 of support structure 19 is slidably mounted upon the base 12 of the assorting machines 11, and, a motor M is coupled to the support structure 19 by a suitable drive train indicated schematically by the dashed line 37 in FIG. 2, and motor M functions to move the silverware storage means 19 so that each of the pairs of compartments therein is positioned to receive sorted and oriented silverware from the opposite discharge spouts of orienting means 10a and 10b. The drive to motor M is preferably synchronized with that to the cradle assembly 15, so that each pair of compartments within the support structure 19 will receive only one type of silverware, i.e., knives, teaspoons, forks or soupspoons.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illus trated in FIGS. 6 to 9, there is shown orienting means, indicated generally at 110, which includes a first orienting unit, indicated generally at 111, for table knives and a second orienting unit, indicated generally at 112, for eating ware including various sorts of spoons and forks. Although only one unit 112 is illustrated, in an actual silverware sorting and orienting installation there would be a minimum of three such units to separately handle soupspoons, teaspoons and forks. ln addition, depending upon the number of different kinds of silverware being used by a restaurant, there might be an additional knife orienter for butter knives and additional eating ware orienting units for salad forks, cocktail forks, etc.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the assembly of a knife-orienting unit 111 and an eating ware orienting unit 112 includes

base sidewalls

113 and 113a, a center partition 1 14 and a rear wall 1 15 which are supported upon a base (not shown) which may be like the base 12 of the first embodiment. Transverse tie bars 1 16 connect the

sidewalls

113 and 113a, while in the cating ware unit 112 a cross pin 116a is provided to anchor the bottom of discharge chute means, as will be more fully described.

Referring now particularly to the knife orienter 111, a knife-receiving trough 117 includes

upright sidewalls

118 and 1 19 connected by an arcuate knife-guiding surface 120 which positions a knife tranversing the trough endwise generally midway between the sidewalls. The trough 117 has an upper end 121 and a lower end 122, and the sidewall 118 extends downwardly a sufficient distance to be removably connected to the base wall 113 by a stud 123 which engages an open notch 124 in the sidewall, and by an upwardly open notch 125 which hooks beneath a stud 126 on the sidewall.

In the particular structure illustrated, the knife-receiving trough 117 is formed integrally with an eating ware receiving trough, indicated generally at 130, and the

troughs

117 and 130 are connected by a bight portion 131 which surmounts the central wall 114 when the unit is assembled. This, however, is a structural detail which might well be omitted from a commercial product, as is the stud and notch mounting for the troughs.

Referring now particularly to lFlG. 7, the knife orienter ll llll also includes delivery chute means, indicated generally at i127, which is secured between the sidewall M and the center partition lid. The delivery chute means includes an abutment area 128 which is substantially axially aligned with the guide surface 112'!) of the knife-receiving trough, and it also includes a knife-supporting area 129 which is substantially directly below the lower end ll22 of the trough M7 and forms a single, continuous inclined plane with the abutment area 128.

FM]. 7 illustrates in solid lines a knife lfl which has traversed the receiving trough llll7 with its blade leading, and illustrates in broken lines a knife K2 which has traversed the trough ill? with its handle leading. In this embodiment of the invention, as in the first embodiment, the heavier weight of the handle of the knife Kl causes it to slide axially from the trough 1117 until the tip of the blade strikes the abutment area Milt, at which point the knife pivots downwardly about its blade tip so as to descend the supporting surface llZSl of the discharge chute means handle first. Contrariwise, the heavy handle of the knife K2 which traverses the trough handle first overbalances the blade at the end ll22 of the trough so that knife tumbles onto the supporting surface 129 handle first and descends the supporting surface in that position.

Referring now particularly to the eating ware orienter M2, the silverware-receiving trough 13b is seen to have parallel sides 1132 and 1133 between which are silverware-guiding surfaces ll3d and 135 which are-disposed substantially at right angles to one another and joined by a short arcuate portion llZlti at the base of the V which is formed by the surfaces 134 and B5. The trough has a lower end 1137 and an upper end WW1, and a pair of integral extensions 138 and i139 of the guide surfaces lIMl and 135, respectively, define a long, narrow slot Mil which is seen in FIG. 6 to be broad enough that the handle of a piece of eating ware, such as a spoon, may fall through the slot Mill while the enlarged food manipulating end portion of the spoon has its side areas supported on the flanges 13% and 139. The flanges are seen in FIG. s to have diagonal

lower margins

138a and 113%.

The receiving trough wall 133 is provided with a stud 11411 which seats in a notch M2 in the base sidewall lllllla, while a notch M35 in the upper edge of the wall i253 hooks beneath a stud M4 in the base wall )1 llSla so that both the knife-receiving trough M7 and the eating ware receiving trough we are supported upon the base walls lllll i and H301 and upon the center partition llll t Comparing the V-shaped silverware guiding surfaces Mal-i135 with the broad, arcuate surface 25a of the first form of the invention, it has been found that the V-shape functions more positively for fork orientation when a fork traverses the trough with the tines leading. Extensive experimental use of the first form of the invention for fork orientation has shown that fork tines may snag in the edge of the widened portion 29 of the slot 27 and cause a fork to go down the delivery chute with the tines leading. With the V-trough of the second form the base of a fork rests either upon the surface 134! or the surface ll35, while the side of the fork rests upon the other of the two surfaces; so there is nothing to prevent a fork from sliding freely axially off the end of the trough as is necessary for proper orientation.

Furthermore, the V-trough causes the handle of a spoon or fork traversing the trough with the handle leading to enter the slot edgewise and swing the piece of silverware into the orientation illustrated in FIG. 8. This provides more rapid and positive entry of the handle of a piece of eating ware into the slot than is possible with the broad, shallow U-shaped guide surface Elia of the first embodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the eating ware orienter is provided with delivery chute means, indicated generally at M5, which includes an abutment area 1416, a supporting surface M7, and a connecting surface Mil having an arcuate portion ll llla and a generally planar portion 14%. Conveniently the delivery chute means MS has its upper portion secured to the rear wall 11115 and its lower end rolled to receive the cross pin line.

The abutment area 1146 is substantially axially aligned with the bottom llllt'i of the trough guiding surfaces 134-135, while the inclined supporting surface M7 is substantially directly beneath the lower end 137 of the trough.

in H6. 8 a spoon Si which has traversed the trough 1130 with its enlarged bowl leading is illustrated in full lines while a spoon S2 which has traversed the trough with its handle leading is illustrated in broken lines. The bowl of spoon S11 is supported by the guide surface extensions i138 and 139 so that the spoon slides axially off the trough and the leading end of the spoon bowl strikes the abutment area lldti, whereupon the spoon pivots downwardly about the leading end of its bowl and simultaneously slides a short distance down the abutment area Mb until it occupies the approximate position illustrated in MG. fl, at which point the weight of the handle overbalances it and the bowl leaves the connecting surface 143 as the spoon slides handle first down the supporting surface 147.

The spoon S2 traversing the trough handle first is initially supported as seen in Fit}. 9, and when the amount of the handle projecting over the slot Mil is sufficient to overbalance the bowl, the handle drops through the slot Mil while the bowl is supported by its marginal portions on the flanges i358 and 139 as seen in H6. d. The spoon traverses the flanges in that position until the bowl drops off the diagonally cut ends 1380 and 113% of the flanges, whereupon the spoon drops onto the sup porting surface M7 to descend that surface handle first.

Since no silverware sorting machine can be depended upon to sort various types of silverware with percent accuracy, it may sometimes happen that a knife enters the receiving trough 1130 for eating ware. In order that this may not block the orienter, the distance from the end 1137 of the trough M0 to the abutment area Me is greater than the length of a table knife, and the width of the slot lld'b is effectively greater than the width of any portion of a table knife so that a knife may go through the orienter 1112. it is apparent that a knife in the trough ran would have its flat surface resting either on the supporting surface HEM or 1135, and would have its edge and the narrow part of its handle contacting the other supporting surface of the trough. Thus, although the slot M0 as illustrated in MG. s appears to be narrower than the handle of the knife illustrated in Fifi. t5 the knife would drop through the slot edgewise and would be oriented in the orienter kill! as satisfactorily as it is in the orienter illll.

it has previously been indicated that the second form of orienter illustrated in lFl GS. s to 9 might be used in conjunction with a continuous silverware assorter of the type disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 44,399, filed June 8, 1970. in that event the troughs M7 and 13th, and the additional troughs identical with 1130 for other types of spoons and forks, are the integral outlet troughs of the continuous sorter, and the delivery chute means M27 or 1415, as the case may be, are separately mounted in the sorter frame in alignment with the troughs, rather than having the troughs and delivery chute means both mounted in side frame members as illustrated in the drawings of this application.

Likewise, as previously stated, where the second form of the orienter is used with the continuous sorter of my copending application it is desirable to use separate, individual silverware storage boxes for the several orienters, so that a full box of knives, for example, may be removed and replaced by an empty box without disturbing the boxes of spoons and forks which may be only partially full at that time.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

ll claim:

ll. Apparatus for orienting sorted but randomly arranged silverware having a handle and a food-manipulating end portion, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a steeply inclined receiving trough which has an upper end to receive silverware and a lower end from which said silverware slides, said trough being shaped to position silverware for endwise movement generally centrally between its edges;

delivery chute means below said trough, said delivery chute means having an upper portion providing an abutment area which is substantially axially aligned with the trough and spaced from the lower end of the trough by a distance which is slightly greater than the length of a piece of silverware to be oriented,

and said delivery chute means having an inclined supporting surface below the abutment area which is generally vertically below the lower end of the trough and spaced from said lower end by slightly more than the length of a piece of silverware to be oriented,

so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its handle leading tumbles from the end of said trough handle first onto said supporting surface to descend the latter handle first,

and so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its food manipulating end portion leading slides axially from the trough until said end portion strikes the abutment area and then pivots downwardly about said end portion to descend the supporting surface handle first;

and storage means to receive silverware from the supporting surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the trough includes a pair of longitudinal, laterally spaced supporting flanges which fonn extensions of its lower end and define a central, longitudinal slot, said flanges being adapted to support a piece of silverware having an enlarged food manipulating end portion by the side areas of said portion, and the width of the slot being such as to permit the handle of such a piece of silverware to drop between the flanges.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the width of the slot is greater than that of any part of a table knife.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the flanges are of uniform width from end to end.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the abutment area is inclined, and in which said area and the supporting surface form a single, continuous, uninterrupted inclined surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the abutment area and the supporting surface are in generally parallel planes with the plane of the abutment area farther from the lower end of the feed chute than is the plane of the supporting surface, and in which a connecting surface connects the abutment area to the upper end of the supporting surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the connecting surface includes a planar portion adjacent and generally perpendicular to the abutment area, and a convexly arcuate portion between said planar portion and the upper end of the supporting surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the trough is arcuate and on a radius of curvature similar to that of the bowl of a tablespoon.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the trough has two angularly related, generally planar guiding surfaces, so that it is V-shaped.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 in which the guiding surfaces are at an angle of about 90 to one another.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 which includes a pair of Iongitudinal, laterally spaced supporting flanges each of which forms an extension of the lower end of one of the guiding surfaces, said flanges defining a longitudinal slot the center line of which is aligned with the apex of the V.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the abutment area is concave with respect to the end of the feed chute and is farther from the lower end of the feed chute than is any part of the supporting surface, and in which a connecting surface connects the abutment area to the upper end of the supporting surface, said connecting surface including a generally horizontal portion adjacent the abutment area and a convexly arcuate portion between said horizontal portion and the upper end of the supporting surface.

13. Apparatus for orienting sorted but randomly arranged silverware having a handle and an enlarged food-manipulating end portion, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a steeply inclined receiving trough which has an upper end to receive randomly arranged silverware and a lower end from which said silverware slides, said receiving trough being shaped to position silverware for endwise movement generally centrally between its edges;

a pair of longitudinal, laterally spaced supporting flanges which form extensions of the lower end of the trough and define a central, longitudinal slot, said flanges being adapted to support a piece of silverware by the side areas of its enlarged end portion, and the width of the slot being such as to permit the handle of a piece of silverware to drop between the flanges;

delivery chute means below said feed chute, said delivery chute means having an upper portion providing an abutment area which is substantially axially aligned with the trough and spaced from the lower end of the trough by more than the length of the silverware to be oriented,

and said delivery chute means having an inclined supporting surface below the abutment area which is generally vertically below the lower end of the trough,

and a connecting surface between the abutment area and the supporting surface, said connecting surface including a generally planar area and a convexly arcuate area connecting the planar area to the supporting surface,

so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with the enlarged end portion leading moves off the chute generally axially until said enlarged end portion strikes the abutment area whereupon its handle drops through the slot and it pivots about its enlarged end portion so that it descends the supporting surface handle first,

and so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its handle leading has its handle fall through the slot and slides along the slot with its enlarged end portion supported on the flanges until it drops off the flanges and descends the supporting surface handle first;

and a storage container to receive silverware from the supporting surface.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the slot is wider than any part of a table knife, and the distance from the lower end of the trough to the abutment area and to the nearest part of the supporting surface is greater than the length of a table knife, so that a table knife which erroneously enters the trough may pass through the apparatus and be oriented.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the abutment area and the supporting surface are in generally parallel planes with the plane of the abutment area farther from the lower end of the feed chute than is the plane of the supporting surface, and in which a connecting surface connects the abutment area to the upper end of the supporting surface.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the connecting surface includes a planar portion adjacent and generally perpendicular to the abutment area, and a convexly arcuate portion between said planar portion and the upper end of the supporting surface.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the trough is arcuate and on a radius of curvature similar to that of the bowl of a tablespoon.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the trough has two angularly related, generally planar guiding surfaces, so that it is V-shaped and in which each of the supporting flanges forms an extension of the lower end of one of said surfaces.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the abutment area is concave with respect to the end of the feed chute and is farther from the lower end of the feed chute than is any part of the supporting surface, and in which a connecting surface connects the abutment area to the upper end of the supporting surface, said connecting surface including a generally horizon tal portion adjacent the abutment area and a convexly arcuate portion between said horizontal portion and the upper end of the supporting surface.

20. Apparatus for orienting randomly arranged table knives which have a handle and a blade, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a steeply inclined receiving trough which has an upper end to receive table knives and a lower end from which said table knives slide, said trough being shaped to position table knives for endwise movement generally centrally between the trough edges;

delivery chute means below said trough, said delivery chute means having an upper portion providing an abutment area which is substantially axially aligned with the trough and spaced from the lower end of the trough by slightly more than the length of a knife,

and said delivery chute means having an inclined supporting surface below the abutment area which is generally vertically below the lower end of the trough and spaced from said lower end by slightly more than the length of a knife,

so that a knife traversing the trough with its handle leading tumbles from the end of said trough handle first onto the supporting surface to descend said supporting surface handle first;

and so that a knife traversing the trough with its blade lead ing slides axially from the trough until its blade tip strikes said abutment area and then pivots downwardly about its blade tip to descend the supporting surface handle first;

and storage means to receive knives from the supporting surface.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 in which the abutment area is inclined, and in which said area and the supporting surface form a single, continuous, uninterrupted inclined surface.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 in which the abutment area and the supporting surface are in generally parallel planes with the plane of the abutment area farther from the lower end of the feed chute than is the plane of the supporting surface, and in which a connecting surface connects the abutment area to the upper end of the supporting surface.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 in which the connecting surface includes a planar portion adjacent and generally perpendicular to the abutment area, and a convexly arcuate portion between said planar portion and the upper end of the supporting surface.

24. Silverware-orienting apparatus comprising, in combination: a support; silverware storage means on said support; delivery chute means including a supporting surface for discharging silverware into said storage means; an inclined silverware-receiving trough adapted to receive pieces of silverware which have been presorted but which are randomly arranged, said receiving trough having an inlet end and an abutment end; and silverware-orienting means associated with said receiving means for feeding said pieces of silverware into said delivery chute means with all their handle ends occupying a predetermined position relative to the storage means, said orienting means including elongated slot means of predetermined width having a first end adjacent the inlet end and a second end adjacent the abutment end, said slot means affording communication between the receiving trough and the supporting surface, and an abutment area spaced from said abutment end, the distance from the first end of said slot means to said abutment area and the width of said slot means being so related to the dimensions of a piece of silverware that differences between the handle end and the food-manipulating end of a piece of silverware cause it to go through said slot means into the discharging means with its handle end occupying said predetermined position.

25. The combination of claim 24 in which said silverware storage means includes a plurality of compartments, and wherein said storage means is movable between a plurality of positions for locating each compartment in a position for receiving silverware from said discharging means.

26. The combination of claim 24 in which two spaced orienting means are provided on said support, with said storage means being located on said support between said orienting means for receiving silverware from each of said orienting means.

27. The combination of claim 24 wherein said orienting means includes a plurality of receiving troughs located in sideby-side relationship with respect to one another, with said discharging means including a single supporting surface receiving silverware from all of said troughs.

28. The combination of claim 24 including means on said support for sorting various types of silverware, said sorting means being adapted to discharge the sorted silverware into said orienting means.

29. The combination of claim 24 which is adapted to receive silverware of four common types, and in which the relationship between the slot means and the abutment area, and the dimensions of both, cause silverware of each of said four types to enter the discharge means with the handle ends occupying said predetermined position.

30. Silverwareorienting apparatus comprising, in combination: an inclined silverware-receiving trough having an elevated inlet end through which it receives presorted but randomly arranged pieces of silverware, and a lower end; a silverware discharger underlying the receiving trough, said discharger having an inclined supporting surface with an upper end beneath the lower end of the trough and a discharge end beneath the inlet end of the trough, a rear connecting surface portion substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface and substantially coplanar with the bottom of the trough, and an arcuate connecting surface portion connecting the rear portion to the upper end of the supporting surface; an abutment area substantially perpendicular to said rear connecting surface portion and spaced from said arcuate surface portion, said abutment area blocking the lower end of the trough; and a slot in the bottom of the trough which has a narrow portion near the inlet end which can pass a silverware handle but not an enlarged food-manipulating end of silverware, and a wide portion near the abutment area which can pass an enlarged food-manipulating end of silverware, "the length of said slot to the abutment area being slightly greater than the length of a knife and the length of said slot to the arcuate connecting surface portion'being slightly less than the length of a teaspoon.

31. The combination of claim 30 in which a plurality of receiving troughs are positioned side by side, and a single discharger underlies all said troughs, said discharger having a concave supporting surface which converges downwardly to a discharge end that is generally the same width as a receiving trough.

32. Silverware-orienting apparatus comprising: a silverware receiver having an inlet adapted to admit randomly arranged silverware, said silverware receiver including a guide surface extending downwardly from said inlet toward an abutment area; slot means in said guide surface between said inlet and said abutment area, said slot means including adjacent said inlet a first portion wide enough to allow a silverware handle to pass therethrough but narrow enough to prevent silverware having an enlarged food-manipulating end from passing therethrough, the end of the first portion of said slot means closest to said inlet being spaced from said abutment area by a distance greater than the silverware length, said slot means including a second portion having a length and width sufficient to allow the silverware food manipulating end to pass therethrough, the end of the second portion of said slot means closest to said abutment area being spaced from the end of the first portion of said slot means closest to said inlet by a distance less than the silverware length; and a silverware discharger communicating with said slot means, whereby silverware passing down the guide surface of said receiver with the handle leading will pass handle first through the first portion of said slot means into said discharger, and whereby silverware passing down the guide surface of said receiver with the food-manipulating end leading will engage said abutment area whereupon the handle of the silverware will pass into said discharger through the first portion of said slot means while the food-manipulating end follows through the second portion of said slot means.

33. Silverware orienting apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein the guide surface of said silverware receiver is trough shaped.

34. Silverware orienting apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein said abutment area is defined by a wall extending generally upwardly from said guide surface.

35. Silverware orienting apparatus as set forth in claim 32 wherein means is provided for vibrating at least said silverware receiver.

36. Silverware-orienting apparatus as set forth in claim 32 in I which the silverware discharger includes an inclined supporting surface which receives silverware from the slot means, a connecting surface having an inclined rear portion which adjoins the abutment area and is substantially perpendicular to the abutment area and to the supporting surface, and an arcuate portion which is spaced from the abutment area and connects said supporting surface with said rear portion, the distance to the arcuate portion from the end of the slot means closest to the inlet being slightly less than the length of a teaspoon, and the distance from said end of the slot means to the abutment area being slightly greater than the length of a knife.

Claims

1. Apparatus for orienting sorted but randomly arranged silverware having a handle and a food-manipulating end portion, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a steeply inclined receiving trough which has an upper end to receive silverware and a lower end from which said silverware slides, said trough being shaped to position silverware for endwise movement generally centrally between its edges; delivery chute means below said trough, said delivery chute means having an upper portion providing an abutment area which is substantially axially aligned with the trough and spaced from the lower end of the trough by a distance which is slightly greater than the length of a piece of silverware to be oriented, and said delivery chute means having an inclined supporting surface below the abutment area which is generally vertically below the lower end of the trough and spaced from said lower end by slightly more than the length of a piece of silverware to be oriented, so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its handle leading tumbles from the end of said trough handle first onto said supporting surface to descend the latter handle first, and so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its food manipulating end portion leading slides axially from the trough until said end portion strikes the abutment area and then pivots downwardly about said end portion to descend the supporting surface handle first; and storage means to receive silverware from the supporting surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the trough includes a pair Of longitudinal, laterally spaced supporting flanges which form extensions of its lower end and define a central, longitudinal slot, said flanges being adapted to support a piece of silverware having an enlarged food manipulating end portion by the side areas of said portion, and the width of the slot being such as to permit the handle of such a piece of silverware to drop between the flanges.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 in which the guiding surfaces are at an angle of about 90* to one another.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 which includes a pair of longitudinal, laterally spaced supporting flanges each of which forms an extension of the lower end of one of the guiding surfaces, said flanges defining a longitudinal slot the center line of which is aligned with the apex of the V.

13. Apparatus for orienting sorted but randomly arranged silverware having a handle and an enlarged food-manipulating end portion, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a steeply inclined receiving trough which has an upper end to receive randomly arranged silverware and a lower end from which said silverware slides, said receiving trough being shaped to position silverware for endwise movement generally centrally between its edges; a pair of longitudinal, laterally spaced supporting flanges which form extensions of the lower end of the trough and define a central, longitudinal slot, said flanges being adapted to support a piece of silverware by the side areas of its enlarged end portion, and the width of the slot being such as to permit the handle of a piece of silverware to drop between the flanges; delivery chute means below said feed chute, said delivery chute means having an upper portion providing an abutment area which is substantially axially aligned with the trough and spaced from the lower end of the trough by more than the length of the silverware to be oriented, and said delivery chute means having an inclined supporting surface below the abutment area which is generally vertically below the lower end of the trough, and a connecting surface between the abutment area and the supporting surface, said connecting surface including a generally planar area and a convexly arcuate area connecting the planar area to thE supporting surface, so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with the enlarged end portion leading moves off the chute generally axially until said enlarged end portion strikes the abutment area whereupon its handle drops through the slot and it pivots about its enlarged end portion so that it descends the supporting surface handle first, and so that a piece of silverware traversing the trough with its handle leading has its handle fall through the slot and slides along the slot with its enlarged end portion supported on the flanges until it drops off the flanges and descends the supporting surface handle first; and a storage container to receive silverware from the supporting surface.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the abutment area is concave with respect to the end of the feed chute and is farther from the lower end of the feed chute than is any part of the supporting surface, and in which a connecting surface connects the abutment area to the upper end of the supporting surface, said connecting surface including a generally horizontal portion adjacent the abutment area and a convexly arcuate portion between said horizontal portion and the upper end of the supporting surface.

20. Apparatus for orienting randomly arranged table knives which have a handle and a blade, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a steeply inclined receiving trough which has an upper end to receive table knives and a lower end from which said table knives slide, said trough being shaped to position table knives for endwise movement generally centrally between the trough edges; delivery chute means below said trough, said delivery chute means having an upper portion providing an abutment area which is substantially axially aligned with the trough and spaced from the lower end of the trough by slightly more than the length of a knife, and said delivery chute means having an inclined supporting surface below the abutment area which is generally vertically below the lower end of the trough and spaced from said lower end by slightly more than the length of a knife, so that a knife traversing the trough with its handle leading tumbles from the end of said trough handle first onto the supporting surface to descend said supporting surface handle first; and so that a knife traversing the trough with its blade leading slides axially from the trough until its blade tip strikes said abutment area and then pivots downwardly about its blade tip to descend the supporting surface handle first; and storage means to receive knives from the supporting surface.

27. The combination of claim 24 wherein said orienting means includes a plurality of receiving troughs located in side-by-side relationship with respect to one another, with said discharging means including a single supporting surface receiving silverware from all of said troughs.

30. Silverware-orienting apparatus comprising, in combination: an inclined silverware-receiving trough having an elevated inlet end through which it receives presorted but randomly arranged pieces of silverware, and a lower end; a silverware discharger underlying the receiving trough, said discharger having an inclined supporting surface with an upper end beneath the lower end of the trough and a discharge end beneath the inlet end of the trough, a rear connecting surface portion substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface and substantially coplanar with the bottom of the trough, and an arcuate connectinG surface portion connecting the rear portion to the upper end of the supporting surface; an abutment area substantially perpendicular to said rear connecting surface portion and spaced from said arcuate surface portion, said abutment area blocking the lower end of the trough; and a slot in the bottom of the trough which has a narrow portion near the inlet end which can pass a silverware handle but not an enlarged food-manipulating end of silverware, and a wide portion near the abutment area which can pass an enlarged food-manipulating end of silverware, the length of said slot to the abutment area being slightly greater than the length of a knife and the length of said slot to the arcuate connecting surface portion being slightly less than the length of a teaspoon.

36. Silverware-orienting apparatus as set forth in claim 32 in which the silverware discharger includes an inclined supporting surface which receives silverware from the slot means, a connecting surface having an inclined rear portion which adjoins the abutment area and is substantially perpendicular to the abutment area and to the supporting surface, and an arcuate portion which is spaced from the abutment area and connects said supporting surface with said rear portion, the distance to the arcuate portion from the end of the slot means closest to the inlet being slightly less than the length of a teaspoon, and the distance from said end of the slot means to the abutment area being slightly greater than the length of a knife.