Inspecting or sorting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING ALUMINIUM SLUGS OF DISCLIKE SHAPE AND HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE THEREIN, COMPRISING AN INCLINED RUNWAY DOWN WHICH THE SLUGS ARE ROLLED ONE BY ONE, A FIRST INSPECTION STATION FOR REMOVING SLUGS HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE STANDARD DIAMETER AND COMPRISING A ROTATABLE MEMBER ARRANGED WITH ITS AXIS OF ROTATION EXTENDING PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM THE RUNWAY A DISTANCE SUCH THAT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID MEMBER WILL ENGAGE THE UPPER EDGE OF SLUGS HAVING AN OVER-SIZE DIAMETER TO THROW THEM OFF THE RUNWAY A SECOND INSPECTION STATION DISPOSED DOWNSTREAM WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST STATION FOR REMOVING SLUGS HAVING LENTICULAR DEFECTS OR IN WHICH THE METAL IS NON-UNIFORM AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELONGATED COILS ARRANGED ABOVE AND BELOW THE RUNWAY SO AS TO BE EQUIDISTANT FROM THE ADJACENT EDGES OF STANDARD SLUGS AND IN WHICH VOLTAGES ARE INDUCED BY EDDY CURRENT SET UP BY A MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE ADJACENT PARTS OF THE SLUG PASSING THEREBY, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO NON-UNIFORMITY IN THE VOLTAGES INDUCED IN THE TWO COILS FOR REMOVING A DEFECTIVE SLUG PASSING THE COILS AT THAT INSTANT, AND A THIRD INSPECTION STATION DISPOSED DOWNSTREAM WITH RESPECT TO SAID SECOND STATION FOR REMOVING SLUGS HAVING NON-STANDARD APERTURES THEREIN AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF COILS ARRANGED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RUNWAY WITH THEIR CENTRES LYING ON AN AXIS WHICH IS INTERSECTED BY THE APERTURE IN THE SLUG AS IT PASSES THEREBY, MEANS FOR ENERGISING ONE COIL WITH ALTERNATING CURRENT, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A NON-STANDARD VOLTAGE INDUCED IN THE OTHER COIL AS A SLUG WITH A NON-STANDARD APERTURE CROSSES THE SAID AXIS FOR REMOVING THAT SLUG.