Overhead conveyor belt for sorting clothing items loaded randomly on the same

Claim 1

An overhead conveyor belt for sorting items loaded randomly on the same consisting of: - a slanted feed track (2) - which allows the items hooked on the same to slide towards a conveyor belt with openings (1) - which terminates at its bottom end with a conveyor unit (2a), positioned very close to the conveyor belt (1) and at the same height where, on said belt (1), there are a series of openings for hooking the item to sort; - a first operating station positioned along the track (2), in which a block (3) supports and guides a pair of adjacent rods (3a) and (3b) which slide vertically and independently by means of respective actuators, which stop the items hooked to the track (2) from moving forward, thereby allowing them to slide down one at a time; the rod (2b) has a flute mouth tip positioned so that its slanted cross-section is turned upwards with respect to the track (2); - a second operating station positioned along the above slanted track (2), but after the block (3), having a pneumatic guillotine (4) which stops the single items from the above station from sliding downwards, an optical reader for reading the identification code of the item which has been stopped by the above guillotine (4) and a sensor for detecting the presence of an item abutting against the guillotine (4) in order to prevent the entry of a second item into the station before the first has been released; - a conveyor belt with windows (1) sliding in a closed circuit, along a metal supporting and guide structure having a series of identical openings (5) spaced at regular intervals used for attaching the hooks of the items to be sorted; the bottom side (5b) of these openings (5) being slanted downwards and backward with respect to the moving direction of the belt (5); - a series of extracting units (6) installed along the belt (1) at the stations where the items to be sorted are unloaded; each of these units (6) consists of an oscillating horizontal blade placed immediately close the external wall of the belt (1) and at a height immediately below the bottom edge of each opening (5); in order to allow unloading of the item hooked into an opening (5) on the belt (1), each of these units (6) can overturn so as to determine, with its top profile, a slanted ascending plane which allows the extraction of the hook from the relevant opening (5), the same being then carried to the mouth of a descending track (7) which takes it to another destination.