Conveyor sorting

Claim 1

SORTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONVEYOR MOVABLE IN A FORWARD DIRECTION AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF BUCKETS THEREON, AN INPUT STATION FOR LOADING THE BUCKETS, A PLURALITY OF DISCHARGE LOCATIONS ALONG THE CONVEYOR, EACH BUCKET ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN ARTICLE AND TO DISCHARGE THE ARTICLE AT A SELECTED ONE OF THE DISCHARGE LOCATIONS, EACH BUCKET HAVING A MEMORY DEVICE FOR SELECTION OF THE DISCHARGE LOCATION, SAID MEMORY DEVICE INCLUDING A MAGNETIC BODY SHIFTABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE BUCKET ALONG THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYOR, SAID INPUT STATION INCLUDING A CONTROLLABLE MAGNETIC FIELD GENERATING MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE CONVEYOR AND IN SPACED RELATION TO THE PATH OF THE SHIFTABLE MAGNETIC BODY, SAID MAGNETIC FIELD GENERATING MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO SELECTIVELY HOLD THE MAGNETIC BODY AND TO CAUSE SAID BODY TO SHIFT REARWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE CONVEYOR MOVEMENT.