Mixture separating apparatus

Claim 1

SEPARATING APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PIECES FROM A MIXTURE COMPRISING ENDLESS CONVEYOR MEANS, A SEPARATING MECHANISM, SAID MIXER BEING SPREAD ON AND CONVEYED BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TO SAID SEPARATING MECHANISM, SAID SEPARATING MECHANISM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDERS EACH HAVING A SLOT LOCATED THEREIN, A PLURALITY OF FINGERS SPACED ACROSS THE WIDTH OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, EACH WITH A PORTION LYING IN THE PATH OF THE PIECES TO BE SEPARATED AS THEY ARE DISCHARGED FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND EACH BEING PIVOTED NEAR ONE OF ITS ENDS ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF THE CYLINDERS, TO PISTONS SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN EACH OF SAID CYLINDERS, ONE END OF EACH OF SAID FINGERS BEING DISPOSED THROUGH THE SLOT OF A RESPECTIVE CYLINDER AND BETWEEN SAID PISTONS, VALVE MEANS FOR CONDUCTING AIR TO AND FROM THE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID CYLINDERS TO PIVOT THE FREE END OF EACH OF SAID FINGERS TO AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE POSITIONS IN THE PATH OF SAID PIECES, A SOLENOID FOR ACTUATING SAID VALVE MEANS, AND SENSING MEANS FOR SCANNING AND DETECTING THE NATURE OF THE PIECES TO BE SEPARATED AND EMITTING AN ELECTRICAL PULSE TO SAID SOLENOID TO SELECTIVELY DEFLECT SAID PIECES ACCORDINGLY, WHEREBY A COMPLETE CYCLE OF OPERATION OF SAID FINGERS MAY BE EFFECTED BY AN ELECTRICAL PULSE FROM SAID SENSING MEANS.