Vibrating sorter for soiled tableware

Claim 1

A construction for handling silverware comprising a bed, means operatively associated with the bed for vibrating the bed to move silverware deposited at one end of the bed over the surface of the bed to the other end of the bed, a plurality of ridges situated in spaced apart relationship across said bed, a plurality of depressions formed between said ridges, said ridges and depressions extending longitudinally over the bed from said one end to said other end of the bed, said bed being divided into a silverware aligning portion at said one end and a silverware discharge portion at said other end, the surface of the bed in said aligning portion comprising a supporting surface to prevent passage of any silverware through the bed in said aligning portion, means for positioning said silverware within said depressions in said aligning portion of the bed whereby all the silverware is moved in said depressions and is aligned longitudinally relative to the bed, slots defined at the bottom of said depressions in said discharge portion of the bed, said slots being dimensioned to permit the passage through the bed of the handles of the silverware but not the working ends of the silverware whereby the handles of the silverware fall through the slots prior to the working ends, and wherein the vibration of the bed causes movement of the working ends to turn them sideways to prevent any suspension thereof by the bed whereby the working ends will also pass through the slots, and means positioned beneath said bed for receiving the silverware and for delivering the silverware to holding means.