Beverage bottle sorters

Claim 1

A BOTTLE SORTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONVEYOR FOR MOVING CIRCULAR BOTTLES IN UPRIGHT POSITION, A PAIR OF GUIDE RAILS DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR, SAID GUIDE RAILS FORMING A GUIDE WAY FOR SINGLE FILE MOVEMENT OF BOTTLES THEREBETWEEN, AND TERMINATING IMMEDIATELY BEYOND A BOTTLE DIAMETER SENSING REGION, MOVABLE CAM MEANS DISPOSED ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR AT GUIDE RAIL HEIGHT ON ONE SIDE OF SAID SENSING REGION, AND BEING MOVED BY THE PASSAGE OF THE BODY PORTION OF BOTTLES EXCEEDING A PREDETERMINED DIAMETER AT THE HEIGHT OF SAID CAM MEANS, A CENTER GUIDE RAIL DISPOSED ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR BEYOND SAID SENSING REGION, HAVING THE END NEAREST SAID SENSING REGION DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY ON A CENTER LINE BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF GUIDE RAILS; A GATE OF A RADIAL LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE CIRCULAR BOTTLES TO BE SORTED PIVOTED AT THE SAID END OF SAID CENTER GUIDE RAIL AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE ENDS OF SAID PAIR OF GUIDE RAILS, AND HAVING ITS FREE END SWING THROUGH AN ARC BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID PAIR OF RAILS, MEANS FOR BIASING SAID GATE TO A POSITION WITH ITS FREE END ADJACENT THE END OF ONE OF SAID PAIR OF RAILS, MEANS FOR SWINGING THE FREE END OF SAID GATE TO A POSITION ADJACENT THE END OF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF RAILS IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID CAM MEANS, AND GUIDE RAILS DISPOSED ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID CENTER RAIL IN SPACED RELATION TO PROVIDE TWO PATHS FOR BOTTLES TO MOVE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CENTER RAIL, SAID LAST NAMED GUIDE RAILS HAVING CURVED POCKET FORMING PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FREE END OF SAID GATE, THE POCKETS