Automatic lumber sorter

Claim 1

A LUMBER HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING, A LUMBER PLATFORM, MEANS FOR MOVING LUMBER TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID PALTFORM, A PLURALITY OF GATES IN SAID PLATFORM, EACH SAID GATE HAVING AN OPEN AND A CLOSED POSITION, SAID LUMBER BEING CARRIED ACROSS EACH SAID GATE WHEN IN ITS CLOSED POSITION, AND DROPPING FROM SAID PLATFORM THROUGH A SAID GATE WHEN IN ITS OPEN POSITION, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL TRIP MEANS ABOVE SAID PLATFORM, EACH OF SAID TRIP MEANS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A RESPECTIVE GATE, SAID TRIP MEANS BEING SO PLACED RELATIVELY TO SAID PLATFORM FOR ENGAGEMENT BY LUMBER WHEN OF A CHOSEN DIMENSION TO OPEN SAID RESPECTIVE GATE, A BIN BELOW EACH SAID GATE, A PLATFORM IN SAID BIN FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING LUMBER ENTERING THE BIN AND INCLINED AT AN ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL GREATER THAN THE ANGLE OF REPOSE OF LUMBER ON SAID BIN PLATFORM AND OF LUMBER ON OTHER PIECES OF LUMBER IN SAID BIN, MEANS FOR LOWERING THE BIN PLATFORM, A LIMIT SWITCH IN SAID BIN FOR ENGAGEMENT BY LUMBER ON SAID BIN PLATFORM PROJECTING ABOVE A CHOSEN LEVEL IN SAID BIN, SAID SWITCH BEING CONNECTED TO SAID LOWERING MEANS TO LOWER SAID BIN PLATFORM TO MOVE SAID LUMBER OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SWITCH, MEANS FOR RELEASING LUMBER FROM SAID BIN, A LUMBER TRANSFER BELOW SAID BIN FOR RECEIVING LUMBER RELEASED FROM SAID BIN, AN INCLINED CONVEYOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED MEMBERS BEING ADVANCED AT THE SAME SPEED AS ONE ANOTHER, LUGS ON SAID MEMBERS FOR HOLDING A PIECE OF LUMBER TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE INCLINED CONVEYOR, SAID LUGS PROJECTING FROM SAID MEMBERS SUFFICIENTLY ONLY TO ENGAGE AND CARRY A SINGLE PIECE OF LUMBER, SAID TRANSFER BEING ARRANGED TO DISCHARGE LUMBER TRANSVERSELY INTO A WELL FOR GRIPPING BY SAID INCLINED CONVEYOR LUGS, WHEREBY LUMBER IS DISCHARGED ONE PIECE AT A TIME FROM SAID INCLINED CONVEYOR WITH ITS LENGTH TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF DISCHARGE.