US3687285A

US3687285A - Positive two channel can discharge

Info

Publication number: US3687285A
Application number: US100891A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clifford H Messervey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Closure Systems International Packaging Machinery Inc
Priority date: 1970-12-23
Filing date: 1970-12-23
Publication date: 1972-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 1989-08-29
Also published as: DE2160742A1; FR2119490A5; JPS5135016B1; GB1322099A

Abstract

Apparatus for sorting leaky from leak-proof cans which includes a hub mounted on a shaft for rotation; a pair of spaced starwheels, presenting a plurality of pockets for receiving cans from can testing apparatus, rigidly secured on each side of the hub and being rotatable therewith; a pair of stationary cam disks mounted on outside of each of the starwheels, each cam disk having an undercut; cam gear rotatably secured to the hub at each position between the pockets in alternating sequence; a cam roller secured to each of the cam gears by means of a bar, alternate cam rollers being arranged to travel on one cam disk while the others-on the other cam disk; a separate spring secured to the starwheels and to the bars to bias cam rollers against the cam track; a cam segment pivotally secured to each cam disk and being disposed in a recess adjacent the undercut; a piston affixed to the cam segment for elevating it above the cam disk; and a clamp-reject device disposed below each of the pockets between starwheels which ejects leaky cans at one point when cam roller travels over extended cam segment or ejects by gravity leak-proof cans at another point.

Description

United States Patent Messervey 1 Aug. 29, 1972 [54] POSITIVE TWO CHANNEL CAN DISCHARGE Clifford H. Messervey, 55 Williams St., East Randolph, NY. 14730 22 Filed: Dec.23, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 100,891

[72] Inventor:

Messervey ..73/45.2

Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher AtzorneyGeorge P. Maskas, Edward L. Mandell and George A. Kap

[5 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus for sorting leaky from leak-proof cans which includes a hub mounted on a shaft for rotation; a pair of spaced starwheels, presenting a plurality of pockets for receiving cans from can testing apparatus, rigidly secured on each side of the hub and being rotatable therewith; a pair of stationary cam disks mounted on outside of each of the starwheels, each cam disk having an undercut; cam gear rotatably secured to the hub at each position between the pockets in alternating sequence; a cam roller secured to each of the cam gears by means of a bar, alternate cam rollers being arranged to travel on one cam disk while the others-on the other cam disk; a separate spring secured to the starwheels and to the bars to bias cam rollers against the cam track; a cam segment pivotally secured to each cam disk and being disposed in a recess adjacent the undercut; a piston affixed to the cam segment for elevating it above the cam disk; and a clamp-reject device disposed below each of the pockets between starwheels which ejects leaky cans at one point when cam roller travels over extended cam segment or ejects by gravity leak-proof cans at 1 another point.

20 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAus 29 m2 SHEET 1 0F 5 Nv ow we .oww vwow INVENTOR CLIFFORD H. MESSERVEY PATENTEBAua 29 1912 SHEEI 2 OF 5 INVENTOR CLIFFORD awessenvzv PATENTED I972 3.687.285

sum u 0F 5 FIG.7

INVENTOR CLIFFORD H .MESSERVEY ""Huszsmn PATENTED SHEET 5 0F 5 3.687.285

FIG.9

INVENTOR F l G CLIFFORDHMESSERVEY POSITIVE TWO CHANNEL CAN DISCHARGE This invention pertains to a can sorter which is used in combination with a can tester. The can sorter described herein is an improvement on the can sorter disclosed in the Messervey et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,994.

conventionally, the sorting apparatus of the can tester has consisted of a starwheel having pivotal retaining figures thereon which receive the cans from the conveying means and carry them in an arcuate path of travel. During this path of travel, the good cans were allowed to drop by gravity from the starwheel and the leaky cans were carried up and wrenched or yanked from the starwheel by a stripping finger and then dropped by gravity into a separate chute. This prior art method of sorting cans has proven unsatisfactory in todays high speed operations because jamming at the point of removal of the leaky can frequently occured as greater production demands were made on the existing machinery.

The can sorter disclosed in the Messervey et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,994 has reached a limiting point where it cannot accommodate greater production demands.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to present a can sorting apparatus which is capable of separating leaky from leak-proof cans at a high speed of opera tion, including a rate of 1200 cans per minute.

Another object of this invention is to develop a can sorting apparatus capable of separating leaky from leak-proof cans by a positive ejection of the leaky cans therefrom.

A further object of this invention is to implement the use of gears in the can sorting apparatus to eject cans from the pockets of the apparatus.

Another object is the provision of an ejection mechanism in the can sorting mechanism whereby the ejection lever is mounted on a shaft with such adjustable force that it slips under extreme pressure, such as would be caused by ajam.

These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and the following description of the apparatus.

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of a can sorting apparatus and a portion of a can tester;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 along plane Il-Il;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2 showing certain features of the apparatus in greater detail;

FIG. 4 is a view of the rotatable hub partly in section showing depressions therein where the gears reside;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the can sorting apparatus showing additional details of construction.

FIG. 6 depicts positive ejection of a leaky can from the can sorter, the ejection lever being in its uppermost position;

FIG. 7 shows a leak-proof can being positively held in a pocket of the can sorter by means of a clamp which has been rotated into the clamping position when an associated cam roller dropped into an undercut in the cam disk;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a clamp holder;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of ejection lever;

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of a portion of a hub showing depressions wherein the gears are disposed, the depressions being arranged in an alternate sequence-one on one side of the hub and the next one on the other side of the hub;

FIG. 11 shows a cam roller disposed on a cam segment which has been raised from its retracted position in response from a sensing device indicating the presence of a leaky can in the associated pocket;

FIG. 12 shows a cover plate which is affixed to maintain the gears against the hub; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of the sensing and actuation device.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, there is set forth a can tester 10 in which are provided various test chambers 12 containing cans 14. Such can testers are well known in the prior art, as disclosed by the Cameron U.S. Pat. No. 2,013,402. Upon completion of the test, cans 14 are removed from test chambers 12 and sorted as to their qualities, i.e., the leaky cans are rejected and the cans which are leakproof are sent along the production line for receiving the contents to be placed therein.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the cans upon removal from test chambers 12 are received in flared pockets 22 about the periphery of starwheel 24 which rotates together with starwheel shaft 26. Shaft 26 is in a horizontal plane. Above starwheel 24 is rail 28 which prevents the cans from flying out of pockets 22 over a portion of their travel on the starwheel. Still another pair of rails 30 skim rejected cans from the starwheel 24 whereas a pair of lower rails 31 skim the non-leaky cans.

In the description of the apparatus which follows, primed reference numerals will refer to elements which are to be found when the apparatus is viewed from the direction indicated by arrow X in FIG. 3. Not all elements designated by primed reference numerals are shown in the drawings.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, rotatable starwheel shaft 26 is joumaled on stationary frame 32. Rigidly mounted on starwheel shaft 26 and rotatable therewith is starwheel hub 34. Attached by stub shafts or bolts to the sides of the hub 34 are two

starwheel disks

36, 36 which are scalloped on their periphery and jointly form flared pockets 22 of the starwheel. Stationary spacers 40, 40' are disposed on the sides of hub 34 and are affixed to frame 32 by bolts 42, 42. Attached to the outside of

stationary spacers

40, 40 is a pair of stationary cam disks 44, 44' which are rigidly attached to the stationary spacers by suitable means, such as

bolts

46, 46. Cam disks 44, 44' have undercut portions 43, 43' which extend from point B to point D, as shown in FIG. 5.

Adjacent each flared packet 22, hub 34 has

depressions

48, 48, see FIG. 4, in which gearing is mounted for actuating the clamp-reject device provided below each of the pockets. Depressions 48, 48' are provided adjacent each of the flared pockets 22 in an alternating sequence, i.e., the first one on on one side of the hub while the second depression on the opposite side thereof, and so on.

Cam segments 50, 50' are pivotally secured to each of

cam disks

44, 44 at points 58, 58, as best shown in FIG. 5. Also mounted on each cam disk is a motor means, as for example a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a solenoid or the like. In the preferred embodiment, a pneumatic cylinder 52 is used which includes a piston 54 pivotally connected to the cam segement at pivot point 56. Since the cam segments are pivotally secured at points 58, 58 to cam disks 44, 44' they may be moved into the path of travel of roller followers 60, which ride on the cam tracks defined by peripheral surfaces of disks 44, 44' and the

cam segments

50, 50. Thus, when cylinder 52 is energized and piston 54 moves cam sigment 50 into the path of travel of the cam roller 60, it is seen that roller 60 will engage and be elevated by the extended segment, as illustrated in FIG. 1 1. An arcuate portion has been removed from spacer 41 along the cam disk line 49 to provide space for the pneumatic cylinder 52.

Each roller 60, 60' is attached to a cam gear 62, 62' mounted on shaft 68 in an accentric position by a bar 64, 64' at the opposite end of which is a biasing means forcing said bar upwardly by coil spring 66, 66. Rollers 60, 60' are pressed downwardly against the cam surfaces of cam disks 44, 44' by means of biasing coil springs 66, 66'. Upward or downward movement of

rollers

60 or 60 causes gears 62 or 62, together with shafts 68, to rotate.

Shafts 68 are disposed within transverse openings 70 in the hub, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Gears 62, 62 are in mesh with pinion gears 72, 72 which rotate, together with shafts 74, in the opposite direction as gears 62, 62'. Plates 75, are secured against gear pairs 62, 72 and 62, 72 to retain them against hub 34 in operative engagement with each other.

Hub 34 has a peripheral U-shaped groove 73 through which shafts 74 pass. Shafts 74 are spaced circumferentially around the starwheel 24. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 8 and 9, disposed on shafts 74 are reject levers 76 which have dual split ring portions 78 (see FIG. 9) with an opening 80 for receiving shaft 74. Provision is made for tightening or loosening lever 76 on shaft 74 by means of bolts passing through openings 82 so that when a can is jammed in flared pocket 22, the lever 76 is affixed on shaft 74 with such force as to permit lever 76 to rotate on the shaft 74 and thus prevent serious damage to the apparatus. Also mounted within the peripheral grooves 73 and about shafts 74 are clamp holders 84 which fit loosely over shafts 74. Clamps 85 are secured at the top of clamp holder 84. Reject levers 76 and clamp holders 84 are arranged on shafts 74 in the manner shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Since the reject levers are rigidly mounted on the shafts, they rotate as the shafts are rotated to expel leaky cans onto reject rails 30 and return to their original position wherein their shoulders 75 come into abutting relationship with abutments 81 on clamp holders 84. Passing through each clamp holder 84 and elliptical opening 86 is a stub shaft 88 which passes between the opposing starwheel disks 36, 36', and hub 34. Bolts 38 secure starwheel disks to the hub. A spring 90 is disposed partly within elliptical opening 86 and partly within opening 87 to urge the clamp holder 84 into a biased position, shown in FIG. 6. Plate 89, secured to each clamp holder 84 by means of bolt 91, covers opening 87 to retain the spring in a flexed condition in openings 86, 87 against the stub shaft 88.

Turning to the schematic illustration of the sensing and actuation device in FIG. 13, which serves to actuate the cylinder to thereby eject a leaky can, there is shown a test chamber 12 into which cans are placed for testing under the influence of a gas media and any leakage which seeps through the walls of the can will escape through conduit to a sensing means. The sensing means may be one of a variety of well-known transducers or the like or any other apparatus which converts pneumatic quantities into electric signals. In the preferred embodiment, the sensing means 146 is a conventional bellows microswitch arrangement which operates on the principle that as the bellows are expanded, a microswitch is actuated and a signal is transmitted from the sensing means, The signal is received by amplifier 147 and amplified for use by a solenoid 148 including piston 149. When a leak is detected and the microswitch is actuated by the expansion of the bellows 146, the solenoid is actuated and piston 149 engages a pin 152 on memory wheel 150. The wheel 150 contains a plurality of such pins 152 and is mounted on axle 151 for rotation in timed relationship with the rotation of can tester wheel 10. Therefore, a pin 152 is always aligned with piston 149 when one of the cans undergoes its test in the test chamber and in the event that a leaky can is sensed, piston 149 depresses the pin aligned with it to record the leak. During the rotation of wheel 150, the leaky can is removed from the test chamber 12 and placed in the starwheel 24 where it is conveyed until such time as the pocket in which the leaky can is retained is in alignment with the piston 52, FIG. 5. At that point, the pin 152, previously depressed by piston 149, engages microswitch 153, as shown in a schematic illustration of FIG. 13. The engaged microswitch closes a circuit which energizes solenoid 154 and induces movement of piston 155, the latter being pivotally connected to crank arm 157. The crank arm 157 is mounted for rotation at point 156 and is connected to valve 143 to open and close same to allow gas to pass therethrough. Gas is supplied to valve 143 from a source (not shown) by conduit 144, and conduit 142 conveys the gas, when valve 143 is open, to cylinder 52. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, piston 54 in cylinder 52 is actuated and cam segment 50 swings against a roller 60 to cause clockwise rotation of gear 62 and counter-clockwise rotation of pinion gear 72 in turn, which pinion gear 72 causes rotation of shaft 74 and elevation of lever 76 which ejects leaky can 14 onto reject rail 30. In the event that no leak is encountered during the test in chamber 12, obviously no electric signal is conveyed to the amplifier 147 and piston 149 is never induced to remove. in such instance, pins 152 will not be depressed to actuate microswitch 153.

Before operation of the apparatus is described, it is again pointed out that spacers 40, 40',

cam disks

44, 44 and all the parts secured thereto are mounted on frame 32 and are therefore, stationary. The starwheel hub 34, the starwheel disks 36, 36' and the structure attached thereto, are rotated around the discharge shaft 26. The structure which rotates with the hub and the starwheel disks includes cam gears 62, 62', pinion gears 72, 72 and the clamp assembly which includes levers 76, and clamp holders 84 mounted on shafts 74, together with clamps 85 secured to the clamp holders 84. In the operation of this apparatus, the can is transferred to starwheel 24 from can tester 10 in the conventional manner and held in place by upper rail 28 until it reaches point B, shown in FIG. 5. At point B, if the can is to be rejected, air cylinder 52, in response to the actuation from the sensing device shown in FIG. 13, will force the reject cam segment 50 out compelling the cam roller 60 to move upwardly thereby causing cam gear 62 to rotate in clockwise direction. Being in mesh with carn gear 62, pinion gear 72 rotates therewith carrying with it lever 76 in counter-clockwise direction to expell can onto reject rails 30. Clamp holder 84 also rotates with pinion gear 72 on shaft 74 due to the action of spring 90 to the extent permitted by elliptical opening 86. Because of the ratio between gears 62 and 72, a small rise of roller 60 on cam segment 50 will cause pinion gear 72 to rotate sufficiently for lever 76 to eject the can from the flared pockets. The relationship between lever 76 and clamp holder 84 in the uppermost reject position is illustrated in FIG. 6.

When a leak-proof can is discharged from the can tester, and deposited in pocket 22, rotation of starwheel 24 will bring cam roller 60 to point B where the cam roller drops down into the undercut 43 in the cam disk 44 causing cam gear 62 to rotate in the opposite or counter-clockwise direction. Counterclockwise rotation of cam gear 62 will transmit clockwise rotation of 'pinion gear 72 resulting in a downward motion of lever 76. This movement of lever 76 will effect contact with abutment 81 of clamp holder 84 at point C, as shown in FIG. 7. As the lever arm is further moved downwardly, it will force clamp holder 84 to move clockwise due to the bias of spring 90, with the result that clamp 85 will come to rest against the leak-proof can, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Upon rotation of the starwheel 24, the can is moved past the reject position and is brought to point D whereat the undercut 43 ends. At this point, cam roller 60 is elevated when it encounters the regular contour of cam disk 44 to cause rotation of gears 62 and 72 resulting in movement of the clamp 85 away from the can. Further rotation of the starwheel will permit the can to roll by gravity onto rails 31.

Apparatus described above enjoys a number of distinct advantages over the prior art devices. Whereas in the past, it was possible to operate at a speed of 600 cans per minute, the apparatus described herein can operate at up to 1200 cans per minute. This is ex plained by the fact that in the old apparatus, the ejection mechanisms were disposed on the same side of the apparatus. This meant that all of the cam rollers had to be actuated with a single air cylinder. At speeds in excess of 600 cans per minute, it is not possible electrically to fire the cylinder for one ejection and return it to its original position without interfering with the cam roller of preceeding or following station. By placing half of the ejection mechanisms on one side and and the other half on the other side, and using two cylinders and two cam segments, the space between cam rollers was doubled thus allowing more time for the cam segment to return to its normal retracted position.

With the new apparatus, the can is mechanically lifted completely out of the cavity whereas in the past, the can had to be thrown out because it was not possible to get enough travel or stroke on the ejection lever.

The use of gears to actuate the clamp reject lever accomplishes two things;

1, it requires very little movement of the cam roller to move the reject lever up to 80, and

2, it permits the cam roller to run on a smaller circle so that if the discharge gets out of time because of a jam, it would not collide with the test chamber on the main carrying wheel. Furthermore, since the gears travel through a limited arc, they can be rotated for triple wear.

There is only one adjustment to be made on this apparatus. As was already pointed out, the reject lever will slip under extreme pressure such as would be caused by a jam. In a normal can tester operation, there are occasions when the deformed can will enter a tester and cause a jam, usually in the discharge. By the time the jam detecting devices stop the tester, there are several cans jammed into the discharge knocking everything out of adjustment. With the old apparatus, the time required to readjust was as long as 4 hours whereas with apparatus described herein, the adjustment can be made in 15 minutes.

I claim 1. Apparatus for sorting cans of first quality from cans of second quality comprising conveying means for continuously moving cans from a can tester; ejection means mounted on said apparatus for expelling from said conveyor means cans of first quality at a first station and cans of second quality at a second station; clamping means associated with said ejection means for positively retaining cans of second quality in said apparatus when said cans of second quality move past said first station; at least two first means for actuating said clamping means into a clamped position whereby the cans of second quality are retained in the apparatus as they are being moved past said first station and an unclamped position once said first station is passed; and at least two second means, responsive to signals from a sensing device which functions in conjunction with said can tester to determine position of cans of first quality on said can tester, for actuating said ejection means to positively expel cans of first quality from said conveying means at said first station, at least one of said first and at least one of said second actuating means being disposed on the opposite side of said conveying means.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveying means includes a plurality of pockets wherein cans from said can tester are disposed; and a pair of stationary cam tracks disposed on both sides of said conveying means.

3. Apparatus of claim 2 wherein said ejection means includes a lever yieldably mounted on a first shaft, said lever in its inactive position being disposed below said pockets; said clamping means being freely mounted on said first shaft.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 wherein said clamping means and said ejection means are each provided with cooperating abutments which serve to maintain the angle between said clamping means and said ejection means such that a can could be clamped therebetween and to limit relative rotation of said clamping means and said ejection means on said first shaft.

5. Apparatus of claim 4 wherein said clamping means includes an elliptical opening; a bolt passing through said opening and being secured to said conveying means; and a biasing means in association with said bolt urging said clamping means away from said lever into a position whereby abutments on said clamping means and said lever are engaged.

6. Apparatus of claim wherein said clamping and ejection means include a first gear mounted on said first shaft; and a second gear mounted on a second shaft and being in mesh with said first gear, said first gear being operatively associated with said first actuation means and said second actuation means and said first and second shafts being rotatably supported by said conveying means.

7. Apparatus of claim 6 wherein a cam roller is rigidly affixed to said second gear and arranged to travel on one said cam tracks; and yieldable means for yieldably biasing said cam roller against one of said cam tracks.

8. Apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first gear is a pinion gear and is smaller in diameter than said second gear to provide a desired gear ratio whereby a small rotation of said second gear will impart a large rotation of said first gear.

9. Apparatus of claim 8 wherein alternate rollers are arranged to travel on one cam track and remainder of the rollers on the other cam track.

10. Apparatus of claim 9 wherein alternate pairs of said first actuation means and said second actuation means are disposed on same side of said conveying means.

11. Apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first actuation means is an undercut in said cam track while said second actuation means includes a cam segment pivotally secured to said cam track and means for elevating and retracting said cam segment above and below or flush with the upper surface of said cam track.

12. Apparatus of claim 11 wherein said cam tracks include one recess in each of their exterior sides, said cam segments residing within said recesses in their inactive positions, said recesses and undercuts on each side being arranged so that said cam segments disposed in said recesses are positioned directly below said undercuts, the upper surface of said cam segments being substantialiy flush with the upper surface of said undercuts.

13. Apparatus of claim 12 including a rotatable discharge shaft for mounting said conveying means, said conveying means being circular and including a pair of spaced starwheel disks.

14. Apparatus of claim 13 including a first station for discharging said first quality cans and a second station for discharging said second quality cans, said first and second stations include rails which project between said starwhee] disks to receive cans ejected from said conveying means.

15. Apparatus of claim 14 wherein said conveying means includes a hub mounted for rotation on said discharge shaft, the pair of starwheel disks being rigidly affixed to said hub for rotation therewith, said starwheel disks being arranged so as to form said pockets.

16. Apparatus of claim 15 including alternately spaced depressions on sides of said hub for positioning said first and second gears and cover plates for maintaining said gears against said hub and in operative engagement, said first quality cans being leaky and said second quality cans being leak-proof.

17. Apparatus for sorting cans of first quality from cans of second quality comprising conveying means foe continuously moving cans from a can tester; sensing device which functions in conunction wjth said can tester to deterrmne position 0 cans of irst quality; ejection means mounted on said apparatus for expelling from said conveyor means cans of first quality at a first station and cans of second quality at a second station; clamping means associated with said ejection means for positively retaining cans of second quality in said apparatus when said cans of second quality move past said first station; a first means for actuating said clamping means into a clamped position whereby the cans of second quality are retained in the apparatus as they are being moved past said first station and an unclarnped position once said first station is passed; a second means, responsive to signals from said sensing device, for actuating said ejection means to expel cans of first quality from said conveying means at said first station; said clamping and ejection means include a first gear and a second gear in mesh with said first gear, said first gear being operatively engaged with said clamping and ejection means for positively expelling cans.

18. Apparatus of claim 17 including pockets in said conveying means for accommodating the cans, a cam track on the side of said conveying means, said first actuation means is an undercut in said cam track, said second actuation means is a cam segment pivotally secured to said cam track and positioned directly below said undercut, means for elevating and retracting said cam segment above and below or flush with the upper surface of said cam track, a cam roller rigidly affixed to said second gear and arranged to travel on said cam track, and means for yieldably biasing said cam roller against said cam track.

19. Apparatus of claim 18 wherein said first gear is a pinion gear and is smaller in diameter than said second gear to provide a desired gear ratio whereby a small rotation of said second gear will impart a large rotation of said first gear.

20. Apparatus of claim 19 including a first shaft mounted on said conveying means, said ejection means including a lever yieldably mounted on said first shaft with said lever being disposed below said pockets in its inactive position, said clamping means being freely mounted on said first shaft.

Claims

1. Apparatus for sorting cans of first quality from cans of second quality comprising conveying means for continuously moving cans from a can tester; ejection means mounted on said apparatus for expelling from said conveyor means cans of first quality at a first station and cans of second quality at a second station; clamping means associated with said ejection means for positively retaining cans of second quality in said apparatus when said cans of second quality move past said first station; at least two first means for actuating said clamping means into a clamped position whereby the cans of second quality are retained in the apparatus as they are being moved past said first station and an unclamped position once said first station is passed; and at least two second means, responsive to signals from a sensing device which functions in conjunction with said can tester to determine position of cans of first quality on said can tester, for actuating said ejection means to positively expel cans of first quality from said conveying means at said first station, at least one of said first and at least one of said second actuating means being disposed on the opposite side of said conveying means.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 wherein said clamping and ejection means include a first gear mounted on said first shaft; and a second gear mounted on a second shaft and being in mesh with said first gear, said first gear being operatively associated with said first actuation means and said second actuation means and said first and second shafts being rotatably supported by said conveying means.

12. Apparatus of claim 11 wherein said cam tracks include one recess in each of their exterior sides, said cam segments residing within said recesses in their inactive positions, said recesses and undercuts on each side being arranged so that said cam segments disposed in said recesses are positioned directly below said undercuts, the upper surface of said cam segments being substantially flush with the upper surface of said undercuts.

14. Apparatus of claim 13 including a first station for discharging said first quality cans and a second station for discharging said second quality cans, said first and second stations include rails which project between said starwheel disks to receive cans ejected from said conveying means.

17. Apparatus for sorting cans of first quality from cans of second quality comprising conveying means foe continuously moving cans from a can tester; sensing device which functions in conjunction with said can tester to determine position of cans of first quality; ejection means mounted on said apparatus for expelling from said conveyor means cans of first quality at a first station and cans of second quality at a second station; clamping means associated with said ejection means for positively retaining cans of second quality in said apparatus when said cans of second quality move past said first station; a first means for actuating said clamping means into a clamped position whereby the cans of second quality are retained in the apparatus as they are being moved past said first station and an unclamped position once said first station is passed; a second means, responsive to signals from said sensing device, for actuating said ejection means to expel cans of first quality from said conveying means at said first station; said clamping and ejection means include a first gear and a second gear in mesh with said first gear, said first gear being operatively engaged with said clamping and ejection means for positively expelling cans.