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A housing has an input hopper for receiving municipal trash items, particularly aluminum cans, which drop onto a conveyor and are carried to a crusher. The crushed items drop onto a second conveyor which carries the items past a magnetic separator station which recognizes and separates out any ferro

A housing has an input hopper for receiving municipal trash items, particularly aluminum cans, which drop onto a conveyor and are carried to a crusher. The crushed items drop onto a second conveyor which carries the items past a magnetic separator station which recognizes and separates out any ferrous materials. The remaining material, including aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic cartons, paper and other items, are carried to an identification station which recognizes the aluminum items and signals a pusher mechanism to push the aluminum items off the conveyor. The pushed-off aluminum items drop into one of the pockets of a rotatable collector-and-wiper device. After a pre-selected number of items have been recognized and pushed off the conveyor, or if a time period of preselected length passes during which no additional items are received at the input hopper, a signal is generated which causes the collector-and-wiper device to be indexed, thereby to push the collector items onto the platform of a weighing scale. A signal is generated which is sent to a coin-payout mechanism to make payment for the weight of the aluminum items deposited on the scale.

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Apparatus for identifying aluminum items, particularly aluminum cans, in municipal trash and for making payment automatically in coins on the basis of automatically measured weight, said apparatus comprising a housing having therein a plurality of components including: a. a hopper for receiving tras

Apparatus for identifying aluminum items, particularly aluminum cans, in municipal trash and for making payment automatically in coins on the basis of automatically measured weight, said apparatus comprising a housing having therein a plurality of components including: a. a hopper for receiving trash items, including aluminum cans, said hopper being accessible from the exterior of said housing; b. an upwardly disposed driven first conveyor operatively associated with said hopper for receiving trash items deposited in said hopper; c. a pair of opposing driven crusher wheels located below the discharge end of said conveyor for crushing items discharged from the end of said conveyor; d. a driven second conveyor horizontally disposed below said crusher wheels for receiving the crushed items; e. a driven rotating magnetic wheel above said second conveyor, said wheel having magnetic components of sufficient strength to lift ferrous items from said second conveyor and to carry said ferrous items on the surface of said magnetic wheel; f. scraper means on the upper surface of said magnetic wheel for discharging ferrous items therefrom; g. a bin for receiving said ferrous items discharged from said magnetic wheel; h. means establishing an alternating electromagnetic field in the path of said second conveyor whereby items travelling on said conveyor pass through said field; i. identification means for identifying aluminum items passing through said electromagnetic field and for generating an electric signal in response thereto; j. a reciprocable ram mounted at one side of said second conveyor adapted for rapid movement across said second conveyor; k. control means responsive to said generated electric signal for causing said ram to extend across said second conveyor to push an identified aluminum item off the side of said second conveyor; l. a platform weighing scale positioned at the side of said horizontal conveyor having a platform for receiving aluminum items pushed off said second conveyor by said ram; m. a horizontally disposed segmented wheel having a plurality of open sectors defined by radial spokes, a first of said sectors positioned just above said scale platform, said aluminum items pushed from said second conveyor falling through said sector onto said scale platform; n. means responsive to an interval of preselected duration following the arrival of an aluminum item on said scale platform for generating electric signals to trigger a readout of the total weight on said platform and to index said segmented wheel through one sector, the trailing radial spoke of said first sector pushing said weighed aluminum items off of said scale platform, and a second sector moving into place above said scale platform; o. means responsive to said readout of total weight on said scale platform for dispensing coins into a payout hopper accessible to the exterior of said housing; p. an upper storage bin; q. a third driven conveyor for receiving the weighed aluminum items pushed from said scale platform, said third conveyor carrying said aluminum items vertically upwardly at the rear of said housing and then horizontally forwardly whereby the aluminum items carried on said third conveyor are discharged downwardly into said upper storage bin; r. a movable sectionalized floor in said upper storage bin; s. a movable rear wall in said upper storage bin secured to said movable floor; t. a discharge door at the forward end of said upper storage bin; u. manual control means for opening said discharge door; v. manual control means for moving said movable floor forwardly to move said rear wall forwardly, thereby to push the aluminum items in said upper storage bin out through said open discharge door.