Article distribution system

Claim 1

AN ARTICLE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM COMPRISING A MAIN CONVEYOR BEARING A SERIES OF ARTICLES TO BE DISTRIBUTED, A PLURALITY OF BRANCH CONVEYORS SPACED ALONG THE PATH OF SAID MAIN CONVEYOR AND INTERSECTING THE SAME, A DIVERTER GATE AT EACH SUCH INTERSECTION, SAID GATE BEING MOVABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION CLEARING THE PATH OF SAID ARTICLES ON SAID MAIN CONVEYOR TO A SECOND POSITION FOR DIVERTING AN ARTICLE ON SAID MAIN CONVEYOR TO THE INTERSECTING BRANCH CONVEYOR, A NON-METALLIC SIGNAL CARD CARRIED BY EACH OF SAID ARTICLES, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING SAID CARD TO ITS ASSOCIATED ARTICLE, A PLURALITY OF METALLIC ELEMENTS SPATIALLY ARRANGED ON EACH OF SAID SIGNAL CARDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A DESTINATION-INDICATIVE CODED PATTERN, A PLURALITY OF METAL DETECTORS EACH RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESENCE OF AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR WITHOUT PHYSICAL CONTACT THEREWITH AND ADAPTED TO BE TRIGGERED BY PROXIMITY THERETO, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID METAL DETECTORS ADJACENT SAID INTERSECTION AND SPATIALLY ARRANGED RELATIVE THERETO IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LOCATION-INDICATIVE CODED PATTERN, GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID MAIN CONVEYOR AND ADJACENT SAID INTERSECTION FOR DIRECTING THE FLOW OF SAID ARTICLES IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID METAL DETECTORS, WHEREBY SAID METALLIC ELEMENTS ARE GUIDED IN PROXIMITY TO SAID METAL DETECTORS WITHOUT CONTACTING THE SAME, AND MEANS ENERGIZED BY SYNERGETIC ACTION OF SAID METAL DETECTORS ON COINCIDENCE OF SAID LOCATION-INDICATIVE PATTERN WITH SAID DESTINATION-INDICATIVE PATTERN ON A PASSING ARTICLE FOR ACTUATING SAID GATE TO SAID SECOND POSITION.