WO2020011874A1

WO2020011874A1 - Ware identification and transfer apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2020011874A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/068580
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew David NEWBOLD; Xenofon KALOGEROPOULOS
Original assignee: Elior Group
Priority date: 2018-07-10
Filing date: 2019-07-10
Publication date: 2020-01-16

Abstract

An apparatus for identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a conveyor for transporting wares through the warewasher; a ware identification stage for identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; and a ware transfer stage. The ware transfer stage comprises a ware handling apparatus for engaging with an identified ware on the conveyor, and for pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher. The apparatus also comprises a storage area for receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor, and for storing the received items.

Description

Ware identification and transfer apparatus

The present invention relates to a ware identification and transfer apparatus in a warewasher and has particular, although not exclusive, relevance for use as an apparatus for identifying wares to be transferred from a conveyor, and for transferring the identified wares.

In large kitchens such as those found in hotels or hospitals there is a need to rapidly clean very large quantities of dining ware. In these high-volume environments, it is prohibitively time consuming to wash the objects (wares) by hand, and so the process is typically automated using a warewasher system.

Warewasher systems process large numbers of wares, such as crockery or glassware, to clean the wares of debris such as food waste. Due to the variety in shape and size of the wares that enter a warewasher, such systems often comprise several separate washing areas, each optimised for washing a different type of ware. Therefore, the wares that enter the machine are often separated into different types, so that a particular type of ware can be routed to the corresponding washing area. For example, crockery may be separated from glassware and other objects, and transported to an area of the machine optimised for washing crockery. In low- capacity warewasher systems, objects may be manually separated by the user when placing the objects into the machine. High capacity warewasher systems on the other hand are highly complex machines able to process hundreds to thousands of objects per hour, and may separate the objects automatically.

When a washing stage is optimised for washing a specific type of ware, the washing stage may be unsuitable for washing other types of ware. For example, a washing stage optimised to wash items of cookware may be unsuitable for washing relatively fragile items such as glassware. To reduce the risk of breakages of wares and damage to the machinery, it is desirable that only wares of the specified type enter the specialised washing stage. However, the currently available separation systems can be prone to inserting unsuitable items into a specialised wash stage, particularly when a new or unusual item is inserted into the warewasher. For example, when the separation is performed based on the weight or size of the wares, an item of cookware may be inadvertently transferred into a stage designed to wash items of crockery by an automatic separation and routing apparatus. Moreover, an automated system that is particularly effective at avoiding attempts to transfer incorrect wares into a washing stage can be prone to inadvertently rejecting suitable wares, resulting in a need for additional manual handling to process such wares.

Moreover, in a busy kitchen, manual processing of rejected wares is undesirably time consuming meaning that, during busy periods, the processing of the rejected wares is postponed to a later time, thus requiring a relatively large amount of space to be reserved for circulating the wares around the system until they can be dealt with.

Moreover, the currently available separation systems often require large amounts of space in which to operate, which is a particularly undesirable characteristic when the warewasher is installed in a kitchen environment where the available space is limited.

The present invention seeks to provide apparatus for identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, and associated methods and programs, for addressing or at least partially ameliorating one or more of the above issues.

In a first aspect the invention provides apparatus for identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor for transporting wares through the warewasher; a ware identification stage for identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; a ware transfer stage comprising a ware handling apparatus for engaging with an identified ware on the conveyor, and for pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher; and a storage area for receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor, and for storing the received items.

The storage area may comprise a soak tank for soaking the received items in a liquid.

The apparatus may further comprise a waste transfer stage, prior to the storage area, for transferring waste from the surface of the conveyor to a waste receiving area.

The waste transfer stage may be prior to the ware transfer stage.

The conveyor may comprise a first conveyor part and a second conveyor part, wherein the first conveyor part is arranged to transport wares and waste towards the second conveyor part; wherein the waste transfer stage comprises a gap provided between an end of the first conveyor part and a corresponding portion of the second conveyor part; and the gap has a dimension that is configured to be larger than a corresponding dimension of at least some of the waste expected on the surface of the first conveyor part, but smaller than a dimension of wares to be conveyed by the conveyor whereby, in operation, the waste will pass through the gap whilst wares will pass over the gap onto the second conveyor part.

The dimension of the gap may be between 2 cm and 5 cm (e.g. 3 cm).

The handling apparatus may comprise a ware engaging element having a ware engaging surface, arranged for reciprocating motion between a retracted configuration for allowing items on the conveyor to remain on the conveyor and pass through the ware transfer stage, and an extended configuration for pushing an identified ware off the conveyor.

The ware engaging surface may have a generally flat shape.

The ware engaging surface may have a generally concave shape.

The ware identification stage may comprise a vision system for capturing an image of an area of the conveyor, for identifying a ware to be pushed off the conveyor in the ware transfer stage.

The wares transported by the conveyor may comprise at least one of dining plates, glassware, dining trays, service trays or cookware.

In a second aspect the invention provides a method of identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the method comprising: transporting wares through the warewasher using a conveyor; identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; engaging with an identified ware that is being transported by the conveyor, and pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher; and receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor in a storage area, and storing the received items.

In a third aspect the invention provides a computer implementable program product causing a programmable apparatus to perform the method of the second aspect.

In a fourth aspect the invention provides apparatus for identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor for transporting wares through the warewasher; a ware identification stage for identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; a ware transfer stage comprising a ware handling apparatus for engaging with an identified ware on the conveyor, and for pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher; and a waste transfer stage, prior to the ware transfer stage, for transferring waste from the surface of the conveyor to a waste receiving area.

The apparatus may further comprise a storage area for receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor, and for storing the received items.

The dimension of the gap may be between 2 cm and 5 cm (e.g. 3 cm).

The ware engaging surface may have a generally flat shape.

The ware engaging surface may have a generally concave shape.

The wares transported by the conveyor may comprise at least one of dining plates, glassware, dining trays, service trays or cookware. In a fifth aspect the invention provides a method of identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the method comprising: transporting wares through the warewasher using a conveyor; identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor in a ware transfer stage; transferring waste from the surface of a part of the conveyor that is prior to the ware transfer stage, to a waste receiving area; and engaging with an identified ware that is being transported by the conveyor, and pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher.

In a sixth aspect the invention provides a computer implementable program product causing a programmable apparatus to perform the method of the fifth aspect.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (which term includes the claims) and/or shown in the drawings may be incorporated in the invention independently (or in combination with) any other disclosed and/or illustrated features. In particular but without limitation the features of any of the claims dependent from a particular independent claim may be introduced into that independent claim in any combination or individually.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the attached figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary ware identification and transfer apparatus;

Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary ware handling apparatus; and

Figure 3 shows a simplified exemplary block diagram of the control unit of Figure 1.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows, for illustrative purposes, a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary ware identification and transfer apparatus 100.

In the example shown in Figure 1 , the ware identification and transfer apparatus 100 comprises a conveyor 10, a waste removal stage 20, a ware transfer stage 30 and a storage area 40.

The conveyor 10, in this example, comprises a first 1 1 , second 12 and third 13 conveyor part for transporting wares 4 in the directions indicated by arrows A, B and C, respectively. The waste removal stage 20 comprises a waste receiving area 21. The ware transfer stage 30, in this example, comprises a vision system 7, a control unit 5 and a ware handling apparatus 6. The storage area 40 comprises a soak tank 41.

The second conveyor part 12 is generally aligned with the first conveyor part 1 1 , such that a ware transported by the first conveyor part 11 in the direction indicated by arrow A is transferred to the second conveyor part 12. The end of the second conveyor part 12 that is proximal to the first conveyor part 11 is positioned a small distance (relative to a dimension of a ware that is being transported) away from the corresponding end of the first conveyor part 1 1 , to form an opening between the first

11 and second 12 conveyor parts. The distance between the corresponding ends of the first 1 1 and second 12 conveyor parts may be, for example, between 2 cm and 5 cm (e.g. 3 cm). However, it will be appreciated that the size of the opening may depend on the dimensions of the wares 4 being transported, for example to ensure that wares 4 do not fall through the opening between the first 11 and second 12 conveyor parts. The size of the opening may also depend on the radius of the conveyor belt drums (i.e. the radius of the bend of the conveyor belt at the end of the conveyor parts).

The items present on the surface of the first conveyor part 11 may include wares 4, such as items of crockery or glassware, and waste 9. For example, the first conveyor part 11 may contain all of the items that are inserted into the warewasher. Alternatively, the items that are inserted into the warewasher system may be filtered such that the items present on the surface of the first conveyor part 1 1 may comprise only a fraction of the items inserted into the warewasher.

The waste 9 may include relatively small items of waste 9 that are small relative to the size of the opening between the first 11 and second 12 conveyor parts, and relatively large items of waste 9 that are large relative to the size of the opening between the first 11 and second 12 conveyor parts.

In operation, a ware 4 on the surface of the first conveyor part 11 is transported through the waste removal stage 20 and is transferred, across the opening between the first 11 and second 12 conveyor parts, to the surface of the second conveyor part

12 for subsequent transport to the ware transfer stage 30.

The relatively small items of waste 9 on the surface of the first conveyor part 11 are transported to the waste removal stage 20, pass through the opening between the first 1 1 and second 12 conveyor parts, and are received by the waste receiving area 21. The relatively large items of waste 9 on the surface of the first conveyor part 11 are transported through the waste removal stage 20 and are transferred, across the opening between the first 11 and second 12 conveyor parts, to the surface of the second conveyor part 12 for subsequent transport to the ware transfer stage 30.

As described in more detail later, the transfer of the relatively small items of waste 9 from the conveyor 10 to the waste receiving area 21 reduces the amount of waste 9 that is transferred to the storage area 40.

The wares 4 and relatively large items of waste 9 that are transferred from the first conveyor part 11 to the second conveyor part 12 are transported by the second conveyor part 12 in the direction indicated by arrow B, to the ware transfer stage 30.

The vision system 7 of the ware transfer stage 30, in this example, comprises a digital camera positioned over the conveyor 10 for capturing images of objects on the surface of a part of the conveyor 10 that is prior to the ware transfer stage 30.

The control unit 5 receives images from the vision system 7 and, based on the received images, identifies wares 4 to be transferred from the second conveyor part 12 to the third conveyor part 13, for subsequent transport into another area of the warewasher. The control unit 5 controls the ware handling apparatus 6 to transfer the identified wares 4 from the second conveyor part 12 to the third conveyor part 13.

Figure 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary ware handling apparatus 6. The ware handling apparatus 6, in this example, comprises a ware engaging part 61 and a linear actuator 62. The linear actuator 62 is coupled to the ware engaging part 61 by a rod 63. The ware handling apparatus 6 is arranged to move the ware engaging part 61 reciprocally, using the linear actuator 62, in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the direction of transport of the second conveyor part 12. The ware engaging part 61 is arranged to engage with an identified ware 4 that is on the surface of the second conveyor part 12, to push the ware 4 from the surface of the second conveyor part 12 onto the surface of the third conveyor part 13. The use of a reciprocating mechanism to push an identified ware onto another conveyor has the advantage of simplicity, over more complex robotic mechanisms (and the like) that lift identified wares, carry them to a desired destination and manipulate them into a suitable orientation for placing in a ware rack or the like.

Beneficially, the ware engaging surface of the ware engaging part 61 may be shaped to improve the reliability of the transfer of the wares 4 from the second conveyor part 12 to the third conveyor part 13. For example, the ware engaging part 61 may comprise a concave ware engaging surface, such that the transferred wares are directed towards the central axis of the third conveyor part 13. However, it will be appreciated that the ware engaging surface of the ware engaging part 61 may comprise any other suitable shape.

The third conveyor part 13 receives the transferred wares 4 from the second conveyor part 12, and transports the received wares 4 in the direction indicated by arrow C, to another area of the warewasher. For example, the third conveyor part 13 may transport the received wares 4 to a specialised washing stage (not shown in the figures) that is optimised to wash the received wares 4.

Beneficially, the selective transfer only of wares 4 that are positively identified for transfer to the third conveyor part 13 reduces the risk that wares 4, or other objects such as large items of waste 9, that are unsuitable to be processed in a subsequent washing stage are transported by the third conveyor part 13 into the subsequent washing stage. Moreover, since there is a high level of confidence that the wares on the third conveyor part 13 are wares of a specific type, subsequent apparatus for positioning the wares in the warewasher (e.g. on their side in a warewasher rack) can be simplified.

The large items of waste 9, and the wares 4 that are not identified by the control unit as wares 4 to be transferred to the third conveyor part 13, are transported by the second conveyor part 12 to the storage area 40. In this example, the storage area 40 comprises a soak tank 41 for soaking the received wares in a liquid, thereby mitigating against hygiene issues associated with dirty wares being left standing for relatively long periods before being processed, and making subsequent cleaning processes easier. The liquid may comprise, for example, a mixture of water and cleaning agents. Beneficially, the liquid may be maintained at a particular temperature for further mitigating against hygiene issues.

The storage in the soak tank 41 of the items that were not identified as wares 4 to be transferred to the third conveyor part 13 allows the items to be processed at a later time, and prevents the items from being unnecessarily transported to another area of the warewasher. For example, when the apparatus is installed in a kitchen environment, an operator may process the items that have been transferred into the soak tank 41 at the end of a shift. As a result, the need for a human operator to regularly remove items from the conveyor 10 that are not transferred to the third conveyor part 13 is reduced.

The control unit will 5 now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 3 shows a simplified exemplary block diagram of the control unit 5 of Figure 1. The control unit 5 comprises a vision system interface 59, a ware handling apparatus interface 51 , a transceiver circuit 52, a controller 53 and memory 54.

Software stored in the memory 54 includes, among other things, an operating system 55, a communication control module 56, a ware identification module 57 and a ware handling apparatus control module 58. It will be appreciated that whilst, for ease of understanding, the controller 53 is described as operating under the control of a number of discrete software modules, the functionality attributed to these modules may be built into the overall operating system 55 or as separate code in such a way that the modules may not be discernible as discrete entities.

The transceiver circuit 52 is operable to transmit signals to, and to receive signals from, the vision system 7 via the vision system interface 59, and the ware handling apparatus 6 via the ware handling apparatus interface 51. The operation of the transceiver circuit 52 is controlled by a controller 53 in accordance with the software stored in the memory 54.

The communication control module 56 controls communication with the vision system 7 to receive image data from the vision system 7. The communication control module 56 also controls communication with the ware handling apparatus 6.

The ware identification module 57 identifies (and classifies) an object that is present in the image captured by the vision system 7. In other words, the ware identification module 57 determines that an item of potential interest is present in the image, and classifies the item, for example as an item of crockery or as an item of glassware. The ware identification module 57 determines if the identified object is a ware 4 for transfer from the surface of the second conveyor part 12 to the surface of the third conveyor part 13.

The ware handling apparatus control module 58 controls the ware handling apparatus 6 to transfer a ware 4 identified by the ware identification module 57 from the surface of the second conveyor part 12 to the surface of the third conveyor part 13. It will be appreciated that, since the items in the image captured by the vision system 7 may be located on a moving conveyor 10, the ware handling apparatus control module 58 also accounts for movement of the conveyor 12 when controlling the ware handling apparatus 6 to transfer the ware 4.

In summary, therefore, a ware identification and transfer apparatus 100 is described in which relatively small items of waste 9 present on the surface of a first conveyor part 11 are selectively transferred to a waste receiving area 21. Wares 4 and relatively large items of waste 9 are transferred from the first conveyor part 11 to the second conveyor part 12. The apparatus 100 comprises a ware transfer stage 30 comprising a vision system 7, a control unit 5 and a ware handling apparatus 6. The control unit 5 identifies wares 4 to be transferred to a third conveyor part 13, using images received from the vision system 7. The control unit 5 controls the ware handling apparatus 6 to transfer the identified wares to the third conveyor part 13. The waste 9 and wares 4 that are not identified by the control unit 5 to be transferred to the third conveyor part 13 pass through the ware transfer stage 30 and are transported by the second conveyor part 12 to a storage area 40.

The transfer of the relatively small items of waste 9 from the conveyor 10 to the waste receiving area 21 in the waste removal stage 20 beneficially reduces the amount of waste 9 that is subsequently transferred to the storage area 40. Therefore, the frequency at which the items in the storage area 40 must be processed and removed, for example to prevent the sink tank 41 from overflowing, is reduced.

The selective transfer of only wares 4 that are positively identified for transfer to the third conveyor part 13 beneficially reduces the risk that wares 4, or other objects such as large items of waste 9, that are unsuitable to be processed in a subsequent washing stage are transported by the third conveyor part 13 into the subsequent washing stage.

The provision of the soak tank 41 to receive items that are not positively identified as wares 4 to be transferred to the third conveyor part 13 beneficially allows the items to be processed at a later time, and prevents the items for being unnecessarily transported to another area of the warewasher. For example, when the apparatus is installed in a kitchen environment, an operator may process the items that have been transferred into the soak tank 41 at the end of a shift. As a result, the need for a human operator to regularly remove items from the conveyor 10 that are not transferred to the third conveyor part 13 is reduced.

Modifications and alternatives An exemplary apparatus 100 for identifying wares 4 to be transferred from a conveyor part 12, and for transferring the identified wares, has been described above in detail. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, a number of modifications and alternatives can be applied in the above examples and variations whilst still benefiting from the inventions embodied therein.

For example, although in the above examples the storage area 40 has been described as comprising a soak tank 41 , the storage area 40 may comprise any other suitable means for storing the wares 4 received from the second conveyor part 12.

Although in the above examples the ware transfer stage 30 has been described as comprising a vision system 7, it will be appreciated that the ware transfer stage 30 may comprise any other suitable means for identifying wares to be transferred from the second conveyor part 12 to the third conveyor part 13.

Although in the above examples the ware transfer stage 30 has been described as transferring wares 4 from the second conveyor part 12 to the third conveyor part 13, it will be appreciated that the ware transfer stage may instead insert wares from the second conveyor part 12 directly into a washing stage, or any other suitable stage of a warewasher.

In the above examples, a particularly beneficial configuration of the ware handling apparatus 6 has been described in which the ware handling apparatus 6 comprises a ware engaging part 61 configured to move reciprocally in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of transport of the second conveyor part 12. However, it will be appreciated that the ware handling apparatus 6 may comprise any other suitable means for transferring wares from the second conveyor part 12. For example, the ware handling apparatus 6 may comprise a robotic arm for lifting wares 4 from the surface of the second conveyor part 12 and transferring the wares 4 to the surface of the third conveyor part 13.

In the above description, the control unit 5 is described for ease of understanding as having a number of discrete software modules. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality performed by part or all of the software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits for example using one or more dedicated integrated circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like. The use of software modules is, nevertheless, preferred as it facilitates the updating of the warewasher. It will be appreciated that the controller 53 referred to in the description of the control unit 5 may comprise any suitable controller such as, for example an analogue or digital controller. Each controller may comprise any suitable form of processing circuitry including (but not limited to), for example: one or more hardware implemented computer processors; microprocessors; central processing units (CPUs); arithmetic logic units (ALUs); input/output (IO) circuits; internal memories / caches (program and/or data); processing registers; communication buses (e.g. control, data and/or address buses); direct memory access (DMA) functions; hardware or software implemented counters, pointers and/or timers; and/or the like. Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

Claims

1. Apparatus for identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor for transporting wares through the warewasher; a ware identification stage for identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; a ware transfer stage comprising a ware handling apparatus for engaging with an identified ware on the conveyor, and for pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher; and a storage area for receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor, and for storing the received items.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the storage area comprises a soak tank for soaking the received items in a liquid.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a waste transfer stage, prior to the storage area, for transferring waste from the surface of the conveyor to a waste receiving area.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the waste transfer stage is prior to the ware transfer stage.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: the conveyor comprises a first conveyor part and a second conveyor part, wherein the first conveyor part is arranged to transport wares and waste towards the second conveyor part; wherein the waste transfer stage comprises a gap provided between an end of the first conveyor part and a corresponding portion of the second conveyor part; and the gap has a dimension that is configured to be larger than a corresponding dimension of at least some of the waste expected on the surface of the first conveyor part, but smaller than a dimension of wares to be conveyed by the conveyor whereby, in operation, the waste will pass through the gap whilst wares will pass over the gap onto the second conveyor part.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the dimension of the gap is between 2 cm and 5 cm (e.g. 3 cm).

7. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the handling apparatus comprises a ware engaging element having a ware engaging surface, arranged for reciprocating motion between a retracted configuration for allowing items on the conveyor to remain on the conveyor and pass through the ware transfer stage, and an extended configuration for pushing an identified ware off the conveyor.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ware engaging surface has a generally flat shape.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ware engaging surface has a generally concave shape.

10. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the ware identification stage comprises a vision system for capturing an image of an area of the conveyor, for identifying a ware to be pushed off the conveyor in the ware transfer stage.

1 1. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the wares transported by the conveyor comprise at least one of dining plates, glassware, dining trays, service trays or cookware.

12. A method of identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the method comprising: transporting wares through the warewasher using a conveyor; identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; engaging with an identified ware that is being transported by the conveyor, and pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher; and receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor in a storage area, and storing the received items.

13. A computer implementable program product causing a programmable apparatus to perform the method of claim 12.

14. Apparatus for identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor for transporting wares through the warewasher; a ware identification stage for identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor; a ware transfer stage comprising a ware handling apparatus for engaging with an identified ware on the conveyor, and for pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher; and a waste transfer stage, prior to the ware transfer stage, for transferring waste from the surface of the conveyor to a waste receiving area.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a storage area for receiving items from the first conveyor that pass through the ware transfer stage without being pushed off the conveyor, and for storing the received items.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the storage area comprises a soak tank for soaking the received items in a liquid.

17. The apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 16, wherein: the conveyor comprises a first conveyor part and a second conveyor part, wherein the first conveyor part is arranged to transport wares and waste towards the second conveyor part; wherein the waste transfer stage comprises a gap provided between an end of the first conveyor part and a corresponding portion of the second conveyor part; and the gap has a dimension that is configured to be larger than a corresponding dimension of at least some of the waste expected on the surface of the first conveyor part, but smaller than a dimension of wares to be conveyed by the conveyor whereby, in operation, the waste will pass through the gap whilst wares will pass over the gap onto the second conveyor part.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the dimension of the gap is between 2 cm and 5 cm (e.g. 3 cm).

19. The apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 18, wherein the handling apparatus comprises a ware engaging element having a ware engaging surface, arranged for reciprocating motion between a retracted configuration for allowing items on the conveyor to remain on the conveyor and pass through the ware transfer stage, and an extended configuration for pushing an identified ware off the conveyor.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the ware engaging surface has a generally flat shape.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the ware engaging surface has a generally concave shape.

22. The apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 21 , wherein the ware identification stage comprises a vision system for capturing an image of an area of the conveyor, for identifying a ware to be pushed off the conveyor in the ware transfer stage.

23. The apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 22, wherein the wares transported by the conveyor comprise at least one of dining plates, glassware, dining trays, service trays or cookware.

24. A method of identifying and transferring wares in a warewasher, the method comprising: transporting wares through the warewasher using a conveyor; identifying a ware to be transferred from the conveyor in a ware transfer stage; transferring waste from the surface of a part of the conveyor that is prior to the ware transfer stage, to a waste receiving area; and engaging with an identified ware that is being transported by the conveyor, and pushing the identified ware off the conveyor for subsequent transport to another area of the warewasher.

25. A computer implementable program product causing a programmable apparatus to perform the method of claim 24.