Installation for sorting workpieces according to operations to be performed thereon

Claim 1

AN INSTALLATION FOR SORTING FIBROUS WORKPIECES ON WHICH SEVERAL SUCCESSIVE OPERATIONS ARE TO BE PERFORMED BY AN OPERATOR ON A MACHINE HAVING A FEED SIDE AND A DELIVERY SIDE, SAID INSTALLATION COMPRISING SEVERAL CONTAINERS FOR RECEIVING WORKED-ON WORKPIECES DISPOSED ON THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE MACHINE WITHIN THE REACH OF AN OPERATOR OPERATING THE MACHINE, SEVERAL DOWNWARDLY SLANTED CHUTES EACH PLACEABLE TO LEAD FROM THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE MACHINE TO ONE OF SAID RECEIVING CONTAINERS FOR FEEDING WORKED-ON WORKPIECES INTO THE RESPECTIVE CONTAINER BY GRAVITY FEED, GUIDE MEMBERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID CHUTES, SELECTIVELY MOVABLE INTO POSITIONS CLEARING A SELECTED ONE OF SAID CHUTES AND BLOCKING THE OTHERS, A COLLECTING RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING WORKPIECES DISPOSED ON THE FEED SIDE OF THE MACHINE WITHIN THE REACH OF THE OPERATOR OF THE MACHINE, A FURTHER DOWNWARDLY SLANTED CHUTE LEADING FROM THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE MACHINE TO SAID RECEPTACLE, AND A GUIDE MEMBER IN SAID LAST-MENTIONED CHUTE MOVABLE BETWEEN A POSITION CLEARING SAID CHUTE AND BLOCKING ALL OTHER CHUTES AND A POSITION BLOCKING SAID CHUTE AND CLEARING THE OTHER CHUTES FOR CONTROL THEREOF BY THE FIRST-MENTIONED GUIDE MEMBERS, SAID CHUTES LEADING TO SAID RECEIVING CONTAINERS BEING JOINED AT THEIR ENDS ADJACENT THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE MACHINE AND HAVING AT SAID END A DROP OPENING LOCATED ABOVE THE CHUTE LEADING TO SAID COLLECTING RECEPTACLE, SAID LAST MENTIONED GUIDE MEMBER BEING HINGEDLY FITTED IN SAID OPENING FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID GUIDE MEMBER RESPECTIVELY INTO A POSITION CLOSING SAID OPENING, THEREBY CLEARING SAID JOINED ENDS OF THE CHUTES FOR THE PASSAGE OF WORKPIECES AND BLOCKING SAID CHUTE LEADING TO THE RECEPTACLE AND A POSITION OPENING SAID LATTER CHUTE AND BLOCKING SAID OTHER CHUTES.