IPC 6 English version B07C !A-B07C 9/00

B07C-B07C00900

– PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING (separation in general B 01 D; wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B 03; using liquids B 03 B, B 03 D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B 03 C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B 04; sorting peculiar to particular materials or articles and provided for in other classes, see the relevant classes)

B 07 C

POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A 43 D 33/06, B 23 Q 7/12)

Note

This subclass covers sorting of materials or articles by hand or by devices actuated, manually or automatically, as a result of inspection or of detection or measurement of some feature of the material or articles.

Postal sorting; Similar sorting of documents, e.g. cheques (tube mail systems B 65 G 51/04; sorting information records, e.g. punched cards, G 06 F 7/10)

Measures preceding sorting according to destination

Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating

. .

Forming a stream from a bulk; Regulating the stream, e.g. spacing the articles

. .

Orientating; Aligning

Sorting according to size or flexibility

. .

Separating letters from parcels

. .

Sorting according to length or width

. .

Sorting according to thickness or stiffness

Orientating articles other than in a stream

Sorting according to orientation, e.g. according to position of stamp

Sorting according to destination

Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution

. .

Drum-type sorting machines

. .

Linear sorting machines in which articles are removed from a stream at selected points

. .

using arrangements of conveyers

Apparatus characterised by the means used for detection of the destination (methods or arrangements for reading and recognising printed or written characters or geometric figures G 06 K 9/00)

. .

using electric or electronic detecting means (B 07 C 3/14 takes precedence)

. .

using light-responsive detecting means

. .

using magnetic detecting means

Devices or arrangements for indicating destination, e.g. by code marks

Arrangements for facilitating the visual reading of addresses, e.g. display arrangements

Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches (sorting by hand only B 07 C 7/00; separating solids from solids by sieving, screening, or sifting or by using gas currents or other separating by dry methods applicable to bulk material B 07 B) [3]

Measures preceding sorting, e.g. arranging articles in a stream, orientating

Sorting according to size

. .

measured mechanically

. . .

by calipering using relatively moving article-engaging means, e.g. clamps [2]

. .

measured electrically or electronically (B 07 C 5/10 takes precedence)

. .

measured by light-responsive means

. .

characterised by the application to particular articles, not otherwise provided for (sorting eggs A 01 K 43/00)

. . .

Sorting timber or logs

Sorting according to weight (sorting eggs A 01 K 43/00; weighing apparatus per se G 01 G)

. .

using a single stationary weighing mechanism

. . .

for separating articles of less than a predetermined weight from those of more than that weight

. .

using a plurality of stationary weighing mechanisms

. .

using moving weighing mechanisms, e.g. moving along a circular path

. . .

wherein the counterbalancing effect of the weighing mechanisms is varied during such movement

. .

using electrical control means

. .

with associated counting means

. .

with associated check-weighing means

Sorting according to other particular properties

342

. .

according to optical properties, e.g. colour

344

. .

according to electric or electromagnetic properties

346

. .

according to radioactive properties

Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution

. .

Collecting or arranging articles in groups

Sorting by hand only

Compartmented furniture, e.g. pigeon-holes (storage racks B 65 G)

Apparatus or accessories for hand picking

Sorting, with or without orientating, not otherwise provided for