Article selector and method

Claim 1

An article selecting and collecting apparatus, comprising: a frame of laterally-aligned pairs of vertical stanchions and vertically-spaced horizontal supports, the stanchions and supports interconnected to define a plurality of vertically spaced ramps, the aligned pairs of horizontal supports in each ramp vertically offset with respect to each other; a plurality of article-holding channels disposed on the supports of each ramp, whereby the channels slope from a loading side to a removal side, each channel including side walls, a bottom for supporting articles in the channel, and a stop that extends upwardly from the bottom at the removal side for restricting articles from sliding out of the channel; a continuous conveyor disposed horizontally adjacent each ramp; a rail extending longitudinally adjacent each ramp and spaced apart from the respective conveyor; an articulated picker slidingly attached to each rail; a spiral chute attached at one end of the frame and including openings in a side wall for communication with the conveyors, the spiral chute connecting to a collector at a lower end of the spiral chute; and means for operating a selected picker to slide longitudinally on the respective rail to a selected portion of the ramp to retrieve an article from one of the channels and place the article on the respective conveyor, whereby selected articles, being placed on the respective conveyor by the picker and carried to the chute, travel to the collector for the gathering with other selected articles.