CLOSABLE LID

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said reverse vending machine comprising a front, wherein said front comprises an in-feed, a first receiving area for receiving containers in bulk and a movable closing device for closing said in-feed. The present invention further relates to a method for singulating used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, comprising the steps of:
providing a reverse vending machine comprising an in-feed connected to a first receiving area and a movable closing device for closing said in-feed,
providing a singulation transporting device for transporting containers from said first receiving area,
sensing the presence of any containers in said first receiving area,
locking said closing device in a closed state,
transporting said containers from said first receiving area,
unlocking said closing device once the presence of said containers is no longer sensed.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said reverse vending machine comprising a front, wherein said front comprises an in-feed, a first receiving area for receiving containers in bulk, a movable closing device for closing said in-feed. The present invention also relates to a method for operating such a reverse vending machine..

Background

[0002] Devices for receiving, identifying and/or sorting objects, such as used beverage or food containers, may be used in reverse vending machines in e.g. super markets. Typically, these devices receive the containers one by one, and a user therefore has to feed the containers one by one to the device.

[0003] An example of a device adapted for receiving objects, such as used beverage or food containers in bulk, and forwarding them for individual processing is disclosed in WO 2014/122305 A1. The objects are received at a circular rotating surface which is substantially horizontal and descending towards the periphery of the surface. A conveyor belt is arranged in vicinity of the rotating surface such that objects leaving the surface will end up at the conveyor belt. The objects are thereby separated into individual objects and can be transported further for e.g. recording, counting, evaluating, sorting, storing or recycling.

[0004] Another example of a device for receiving objects, such as containers, in bulk and processing the objects individually is disclosed in EP0305355 A1. This document discloses a device where the objects are received at a circular surface and elevated upwardly by means of inclined ramp segments of the surface to a rotating rim where they are separated.

[0005] When returning redeemable containers using a reverse vending machine that is arranged to allow a user to feed the reverse vending machine containers in bulk, some time must be allocated for allowing the reverse vending machine to process the containers it has been fed. This means that a user often has to wait for quite some time if he/she wishes to return a large amount of redeemable containers, given that said containers are fed into the reverse vending machine in bulk.

[0006] Hence, there is a need for a reverse vending machine which shortens the amount of time a user has to wait after depositing containers into said reverse vending machine and before he/she can leave.

Summary of the Invention

[0007] An object of the present invention is therefore to alleviate the abovementioned problems and provide a reverse vending machine comprising a front, wherein said front comprises an in-feed, a first receiving area for receiving containers in bulk and a movable closing device for closing said in-feed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for singulating or single out used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects is provided.

[0008] The above and other objects which will be evident from the following description are achieved by a reverse vending machine according to a first aspect of the present invention and a method according to a third aspect of the invention.

[0009] The invention is defined by the appended independent claims, with embodiments being set forth in the appended dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said reverse vending machine comprising:

a first receiving area arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated;

a first singulation transporting device for individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area, and

a front comprising an infeed for guiding a bulk of containers towards said first receiving area,

wherein said front further comprises:

a movable closing device for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed; and

user protection means,

wherein said user protection means is an automatic locking device configured to lock said movable closing device in the closed state at the start of a container singulation session, and unlock said movable closing device at the end of said container singulation session,

and/or

wherein said user protection means is arranged to prevent a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said closing device is in an open state,

and/or

wherein said user protection means is arranged to halt the first singulation transporting device and discontinue the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said closing device to an open state.

[0011] The user protection means may embody one, two or all three of the three alternative embodiments described above.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said reverse vending machine comprising:

a first receiving area arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated;

a first singulation transporting device for individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area, and

a front comprising an infeed for guiding a bulk of containers towards said first receiving area,

wherein said front further comprises:

a movable closing device for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed; and

control means,

wherein said user control means is an automatic locking device configured to lock said movable closing device in the closed state at the start of a container singulation session, and unlock said movable closing device at the end of said container singulation session,

and/or

wherein said user control means is arranged to prevent a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said closing device is in an open state,

and/or

wherein said control means is arranged to halt the first singulation transporting device and discontinue the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said closing device to an open state.

[0013] According to this second aspect main purpose of the control means may e.g. be one or more of the following: reducing noise from the reverse vending machine, making sure that containers from different users are separated, or providing a user protection. What is stated below with respect to the user protection means, also applies when the control means are used for other purposes. The control means may besides user protection means also be referred to as noice reducing means and/or session separating means.

[0014] The process of separating containers from bulk for individual transporting, forwarding and/or processing may be referred to as singulation or that the containers are singled out; and these expressions are used interchangeably. The containers may be singled out one by one, in pairs, in triplets, in quadruplets, in quintuplets or in a combination of these; i.e. first two containers are singled out simultaneously, thereafter three containers are singled out one by one, whereafter three containers are singled out simultaneously. The number of containers that are singled out in each instance may depend e.g. on the size, shape and/or weight of the container; and the number of containers singled out at each instance may occur randomly seemingly without following any given pattern.

[0015] By bulk is meant that more than one container can be received by the device simultaneously, and preferably that the containers can be of various material, shapes and sizes such as tin cans, cylindrical, square or odd-shaped bottles, TetraPak containers etc. Furthermore, the food or beverage containers may be made of different materials, such as plastic, paper, metal or glass, or a combination thereof. The device may be adapted for being able to receive and process all or some of the different standard sizes of containers in different countries. It may e.g. be able to handle a mix of 33 cl and 50 cl tin cans, as well as 33 cl, 50 cl and 1.5 I PET bottles.

[0016] According to one example the diameter, or length, of the container that is transported by the device is at least 20 mm or at least 50 mm; and/or at most 150 mm, or at most 200 mm, or at most 350 mm. Additionally or alternatively, the height (i.e. the longest side) of the container that is transported by the device is at least 50 mm, or at least 75 mm; and/or at most 200 mm, or at most 380 mm, or at most 500 mm. Additionally or alternatively, the weight of the container that is transported by the device is at least 10 g; and/or at most 3 kg, or at most 5 kg. Additionally or alternatively, the volume of the container that is transported by the device is at least 10 ml, or at least 50 ml; and/or at most 3 liters, or at most 5 liters, or at most 8 liters.

[0017] Since the device is able to receive containers in bulk a user can feed a plurality of containers simultaneously to the first receiving area, and does not have to feed the containers one by one to the device. Thereby the recycling of containers may be easier and less time consuming, and hence more user friendly.

[0018] Moreover, since the containers can be received in bulk by the device, the problem that the user gets in contact with food and/or drink residues from the containers may be reduced.

[0019] Normally, each user of the machine provides a respective set of containers; and the series of event occurring in the machine, from that a respective set of containers is received at the first receiving area until the singulation or processing of these objects is determined to have been completed, is referred to as "a container singulation session". If a user provides so many objects that the first receiving area becomes full, this user may have to use more than one container singulation session to handle all containers. Additionally or alternatively, the singulation of containers may start while the infeed is still open and the user may wait till sufficiently many containers have been processed and thereafter provide more containers to the first receiving area. Once all the user's bottles have been fed into the machine, the user may close in-feed which is the automatically locked, and walk away from the machine while the singulation or processing continues. For this example, "a container singulation session" includes the series of events occurring in the machine from that the first of the user's containers is received at the first receiving area until the singulation or processing of the user's objects is determined to have been completed, i.e. normally some time after the movable closing device has been locked.

[0020] Said open state of said closing device is to be understood as being a state in which said container may be entered through said in-feed and provided, by means of e.g. free-falling, guiding means or transportation means, to said first receiving area. Said closed state of said closing device is to be understood as being a state in which said containers are prevented from being provided to said first receiving area, due to e.g. that the in-feed is blocked or closed, and/or because the passage from the in-feed to the first receiving area is blocked or closed. Furthermore, in said closed state, said closing device also prevents containers from being removed from said first receiving area through said in-feed.

[0021] The automatic locking device enables for a user of said reverse vending machine to feed said reverse vending machine with a number of containers in bulk, and then leave said reverse vending machine without having to worry about said containers being removed from said in-feed by someone unauthorized to do so or that containers belonging to different users are mixed during the same container singulation session; as the automatic locking device, at least after it has been activated, makes sure that the movable closing device is locked during each singulation session. For example, other users of said reverse vending machine are prevented from stealing containers from someone who deposited a large amount of containers in bulk into said in-feed and then left, as the closing device is arranged to prevent them from doing so.

[0022] Said closing device could for example be a door, a hatch, a lid or any other similar mean for closing an opening or passage. Said closing device could have a cross-sectional geometry that matches the cross-sectional geometry of said in-feed, or it could have a different cross-sectional geometry. According to one exemplary embodiment, said closing device covers the entire cross-sectional area of said in-feed. However, said closing device could also be arranged so that it only partly covers the infeed, but enough to prevent containers from passing through. According to one exemplary embodiment, said closing device is a plurality of parallel bars or rods arranged in a fence-like manner and/or as a grid.

[0023] According to one exemplary embodiment, said closing device has a convex shape. A convex shape is to be understood as meaning a shape that extends or curves, preferably outwards, from said in-feed so that the space defined by said in-feed and said closing device is sufficiently large so that said containers do not interfere with said closing device moving between an open state and a closed state.

[0024] By having the front comprise a closing device, noise levels from the reverse vending machine are reduced. This may improve the user experience and may for example allow a greater number of reverse vending machines to be placed together without exceeding regulated noise levels.

[0025] By providing the reverse vending machine with user protection means, the user of the reverse vending machine may be provided with a safer use of the reverse vending machine. For example, user protection means may be arranged to prevent a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said movable closing device is in an open state. Alternatively or additionally, said user protection means may be arranged to halt the first singulation transporting device and discontinue the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said movable closing device to an open state. Additionally or alternatively, the user protection means may be an automatic locking device configured to lock said movable closing device in the closed state at the start of a container singulation session, and unlock said movable closing device at the end of said container singulation session. Thus, means for improving the safety of the operating experience is provided, as the user protection means may be configured to lock the closing device while the containers are singulated, or halt the operation of the first singulation transporting device while the movable closing device is open. Thus, a user is protected from injury or harm caused by the moving components of the first singulation transporting device while the movable closing device is open.

[0026] According to one exemplary embodiment, said reverse vending machine comprises inspection means, said inspection means comprising e.g. a camera and/or a scanner, and a decision unit arranged for receiving a signal from the inspection means and based on this signal being arranged to determine if the container is to be sent to e.g. a sorting station, back to said first receiving area or to an out feed of the device.

[0027] The inspection means may capture an image or a photo of the whole or a part of a container. Additionally or alternatively the inspection means may be used to scan e.g. a bar code to obtain identification information about the container or the profile of the container.

[0028] Based on the information obtained by the inspection means, e.g. type, shape, size, color etc. of the container, the decision unit decides how the container should be handled. The container may e.g. be classified as invalid or potentially valid. Invalid containers are normally returned to the user, and potentially valid containers may be fed to further inspection areas. If there are no further inspection areas, the container may instead be classified as valid.

[0029] According to one exemplary embodiment, said sensing device comprises said inspection means.

[0030] According to one exemplary embodiment, said reverse vending machine further comprises a pre-storage body, wherein said pre-storage body is sectioned in a number of sections and arranged to transport any containers held in said sections to said first receiving area. The purpose of the pre-storage body is to allow different users to put their containers in different sections, so that the containers returned from one user is not mixed with the containers returned by another user. The transportation device empties one section at a time, and the bottles in each section is linked to the respective user so that the correct deposit can be returned. The pre-storage body may have any shape and may for example be cylindrical or rectangular. The sections may for example be separated from each other by means of walls extending from the center of the pre-storage body in a radial direction, or from one side wall to the other. The pre-storage body may for example be provided with 1 - 8 sections, or at least 1, or at least 2, or at least 3, or at least 4 sections. Additionally or alternatively, the pre-storage body may for example be provided with at most 8, or at most 6, or at most 4, or at most 3 sections. The sections may be distributed along the circumference of the pre-storage body. The pre-storage body may comprise a single section arranged to transport any containers held in said section to said first receiving area.

[0031] According to one example embodiment, said pre-storage body further comprises a bottom surface, said sections are moveable (e.g. rotatable or translatable) in relation to said bottom surface, and said bottom surface is arranged such that it covers all but one of said sections. Thus, all but one of said sections have a bottom and can hold containers received from a user of the reverse vending machine. The bottom surface may be arranged so that the section lacking a bottom is the section that is currently in a predetermined position e.g. over the first receiving area. Once a first user has emptied his/her containers into a section of the pre-storage body, said sections move so that the next user empties his/her containers into another section of the pre-storage body than the first user. Once the sections have been moved so that the section into which the first user emptied his/her containers lacks a bottom surface, the containers fall from said section into said first receiving area. The sections of the pre-storage body may be provided with sensors for sensing the presence of any containers held therein. Thereby, the reverse vending machine may be configured to prevent any movement of the sections that would cause containers held in one of its sections to fall into the first receiving area while there are still containers from a previous user held therein. Thus, the containers from two separate users are prevented from being mixed in the first receiving area. Alternatively or additionally, information from the control circuit and/or the singulation monitoring device may be used to signal that it is time to rotate the pre-storage body.

[0032] According to one exemplary embodiment, said pre-storage body comprises a bottom surface, which comprises a hatch or lid. Said sections may be moveable in relation to said bottom surface. The hatch or lid may be opened to allow containers held in one section of the pre-storage body to fall down into the first receiving area.

[0033] According to one example embodiment, the pre-storage body may comprise a bottom surface arranged at a slope, as seen from one section to the next, so that containers held in a first section are inclined to move towards the next section. Thus, the floor of the sections, i.e. the bottom surface of the pre-storage body, may e.g. be arranged as a sloping spiral or an inclined plane. The section which is located at the lowest position may be provided with an opening connecting it to the first receiving area or the first receiving area may be located in the section which is located at the lowest position. The pre-storage body may further comprise movable sectioning walls arranged so that they are moveable, in e.g. a vertical direction, between a first position in which they separate two sections and a second position in which said two sections are joined. Each one of said sections of said pre-storage body may be separated from its neighbors by means of said moveable sectioning walls. Said movable sectioning walls may be moved independently. Thus, it is possible to cause the containers emptied by a first user into a first section to move therefrom to a second, lower section. I.e., the containers held in the section placed in the lowest position may be transported to a first receiving area, after which the wall separating the lowest and second lowest section may be moved such that any containers held in the second lowest section are transported therefrom into the lowest section. This operation is then repeated between the second lowest section and the third lowest section, and so on until all sections have transported any containers held therein to a lower section. A second user may then empty his/her containers in the first, uppermost, section and the process is repeated.

[0034] The pre-storage body may further comprise a lid arranged to prevent access to all but one of said sections. The lid may be rigidly connected to the pre-storage body or it may be connected thereto by means of hinges and a locking device. If the lid is connected to the pre-storage body by means of hinges, an operator of the reverse vending machine may be allowed access to more than the currently accessible section if he/she opens the lid. This may be beneficial if the operator needs to perform maintenance on the reverse vending machine, as it provides more convenient access to the pre-storage body.

[0035] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said first singulation transporting device comprises a container singulator for transporting individual containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area, and said reverse vending machine comprises a second transporting device for transporting individual containers from said second receiving area to an inspection station, where the validity of said container is determined.

[0036] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said reverse vending machine further comprises a singulation monitoring device configured to issue a session completed signal at the end of a container singulation session; and said automatic locking device is configured to unlock said movable closing device upon receiving a session completed signal. Moreover, said singulation monitoring device is further configured to issue a start session signal at the beginning of a container singulation session; and wherein said automatic locking device is configured to lock said movable closing device upon receiving a start session signal.

[0037] A motion of said closing device and/or an activation of said locking mean said could for example be initiated the user through a user interface, such as a GUI or a button. Said user could for example, after said containers have been fed into said first receiving area, instruct said reverse vending machine to move said closing device from an open state to a closed state and/or said closing device from an unlocked state to a locked state.

[0038] Said locking device could for example be an electromechanical lock, an electromagnetic lock or any other type of automatically controllable lock. Said locking device could for example be provided on said closing device and be arranged to engage with said front of said reverse vending machine, and/or on said front and be arranged to engage with said closing device.

[0039] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said closing device comprises at least one hinge connecting said closing device to said front.

[0040] Said at least one hinge could for example be arranged so that said closing device can rotate about an axis that is parallel to a horizontal plane and/or the front of the machine. According to one exemplary embodiment, said at least one hinge is arranged so that said closing device can rotate about an axis that is parallel to a vertical plane.

[0041] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said closing device is slidingly attached to the front of the machine, and may e.g. be a sliding door. That the closing device is slidingly attached to the front of the machine is to be understood as meaning that said closing device is slidable along a sliding path or guides between an open state and a closed state. Said sliding path can be either linear or curved. Said sliding door can either be made from one piece or be sectional. According to one exemplary embodiment, said sliding door is made from one piece and is arranged to slide along a linear sliding path. According to one exemplary embodiment, said sliding door is a sectional sliding door arranged to slide along a curved path. According to one exemplary embodiment, said sliding door is an arc shaped sliding door having a radius R, wherein said sliding door is arranged to slide along an arc shaped path having a radius R. According to one exemplary embodiment, said sliding door is horizontally aligned and arranged to slide in a horizontal plane.

[0042] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention said closing device comprises at least one hinge connecting said closing device to said front and/or said closing device is slidably arranged at or inside said front.

[0043] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said reverse vending machine further comprises an actuating device arranged to move said movable closing device between an open state and a closed state. According to one exemplary embodiment said actuating device is an electric motor.

[0044] According to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said reverse vending machine comprises a housing wherein said singulation transporting device is arranged; and said front forms a part of said housing. In other words, said housing comprises said front. Instead of having a housing, the reverse vending machine may have a more open configuration. When the reverse vending machine has this more open configuration, it is advantageous to place the front in an opening in a wall as described above.

[0045] What is described above in relation to the devices for singulation, may also be applied to the methods for singulating used beverage or food containers presented below.

[0046] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a reverse vending machine, said method comprises the steps of:

• providing a reverse vending machine having a first receiving area arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated; an in-feed; a first singulation transporting device for individual transporting of containers from a first receiving area to a second receiving area; a movable closing device for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed;
• receiving a bulk of used beverage or food containers through said infeed;
• receiving and keeping said bulk of used beverage or food containers at said first receiving area;
• individual transporting of containers from said first receiving area to a second receiving area,
• protecting the user of the reverse vending machine,

wherein said step of protecting the user comprises the steps of:

• providing an automatic locking device,
• providing an activation signal to said automatic locking device when said moveable closing device is to be locked, which activation signal is issued based on one or two or all of the following: the amount of objects received at said first receiving area, the rate at which containers or objects are received at said first receiving area, the position of the movable closing device,
• providing a deactivation signal to said automatic locking device when said moveable closing device is to be unlocked, which activation signal is issued based on one or both of the following:

  the amount of objects or containers present in said first receiving area, and the container transportation rate from said first receiving area to said second receiving area,
  or

• preventing a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said moveable closing device is in an open state,
  or
• halting the first singulation transporting device and discontinuing the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said movable closing device to an open state.

[0047] According to one exemplary embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, a control unit is provided. The method of the third aspect of the present invention may be controlled by said control unit. According to one example the control unit prevents the start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said moveable closing device is in an open state, and/or halts the first singulation transporting device and discontinuing the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said movable closing device to an open state. This may be achieved by appropriate communication or signaling between the control unit and the respective devices.

[0048] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Brief description of the drawings

[0049] The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein said closing device is in an open state,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to another exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein said closing device is in an open state, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein said closing device is in a closed state,

Figures 4 and 5 are a perspective views of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein said closing device is in a closed state and an open state, respectively,

Figures 6 and 7 are a perspective views of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein said closing device is in a closed state and an open state, respectively,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein said closing device is in an intermediate state,

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine comprising a closing device according to one exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, as seen from the back.

Figure 10a and 10b are a perspective views of a reverse vending machine for reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects.

Figure 11 illustrates one exemplifying sequence of steps that may be used for controlling the in-feed of the reverse vending machine in accordance with the invention.

Figure 12 illustrates one example of how signal may be directed in a reverse vending machine according to the invention.

Detailed description of the drawings

[0050] In the present detailed description, embodiments of a method for singulating used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects and a reverse vending machine according to the present invention are mainly discussed with reference to drawings showing a reverse vending machine with components and portions being relevant in relation to various embodiments of the invention. It should be noted that this by no means limits the scope of the invention, which is also applicable in other circumstances for instance with other types or variants of reverse vending machines than the embodiments shown in the appended drawings. Further, that specific features are mentioned in connection to an embodiment of the invention does not mean that those components cannot be used to an advantage together with other embodiments of the invention.

[0051] The invention will now by way of example be described in more detail by means of embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] In this document, used beverage or food containers may also be referred to as objects. However, the bulk of objects presented to the first receiving area may contain foreign items, i.e. items other than used beverage or food containers,

[0053] With reference to Figure 10a and 10b one detailed example is given of how a reverse vending machine capable of singulating used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects may be configured. The reverse vending machine 1" of Fig. 10a and 10b comprises:

a first receiving area 2" arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated;

a first singulation transporting device 4" comprising a container singulator or elevating member 5" for transporting individual containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area 3",

a second transporting device 14" for transporting individual containers from said second receiving area to an inspection station 19", where the validity of said container is determined,

[0054] The bulk of food and/or beverage containers received by the device 1" may be assorted and of different shapes and sizes. For example, the containers may be cans, odd-shaped, cylindrical or square bottles, TetraPak containers etc.

[0055] The used beverage or food containers typically have an elongated shape, they can for example be substantially cylindrical.

[0056] Furthermore, the food or beverage containers may be made of different materials, such as plastic, paper, metal or glass, or a combination thereof.

[0057] The smallest container the device 1" is able to receive and process may have half the height of the largest container being possible to receive and process by the device.

[0058] The device 1" may be adapted for being able to receive and process the different standard sizes of containers in different countries.

[0059] Figure 10a shows a housing 1' which the reverse vending machine 1" may comprise. If the reverse vending machine 1" comprises the housing 1', a closed configuration may be achieved, in which access to the moveable parts of the machine is restricted by the housing 1'. The front 1 may be built-in in an opening in a wall (not shown), such that the front is accessible from one side of the wall and the rest of the reverse vending machine are accessible from the other side of said wall. Thus, the portion of the reverse vending machine 1" accessible by a user is the part covered by said front, while the operators and personnel responsible for the reverse vending machine 1" may access it from behind said wall. Thus, instead of having a housing, the reverse vending machine may have a more open configuration. When the reverse vending machine has this more open configuration, it is advantageous to place the front in an opening in a wall as described above.

[0060] The device 1" may be located in e.g. a local store, a residential area or a car park, for receiving and processing used beverage and/or food containers from consumers, or in an industrial building for sorting and processing of used beverage or food containers.

[0061] The device 1" may also be placed in e.g. cargo container, e.g. at a festival area, for receiving used beverage and/or food containers.

[0062] Moreover, the device 1" may be used to upgrade an existing reverse vending machine, and be placed in a cabinet of such a reverse vending machine. Optionally, some of the existing hardware and/or software are used also after the upgrade. Hence, the size of the device may be adapted to the standard size of already existing reverse vending machines.

[0063] The device 1" in Fig. 10a has a first receiving area 2 into which the containers are collected after entering the device through the in-feed.

[0064] The device 1" comprises a rotatable singulation transporting device 4" provided with an elevating member 5" for transporting containers from the first receiving area 2" to a second receiving area 3". The elevating member 5" moves along and is locked to a circumferential path around a first axis x upon activation of the singulation transporting device 4", which first axis x is inclined at an angle of 0 to 45° relative the horizontal plane.

[0065] Upon activation, here rotation, of the singulation transporting device 4", the elevating member 5" randomly brings the containers, one by one, from the first receiving area 2" to the second receiving area 3".

[0066] The container is elevated by the elevating member 5" from the first receiving area 2" by a scooping, pushing or nudging action.

[0067] When the container is at a predetermined vertical position, the so-called drop-off point, it leaves the elevating member 5" of the singulation transporting device 4" and falls by means of gravity, alternatively slides off by a sliding motion, to the second receiving area 3".

[0068] Hence, the transport of the containers from the first receiving area 2" to the second receiving area 3" takes place mainly in the vertical plane.

[0069] The container may then be forwarded to an inspection area 19" provided with inspection means 7" for identification of the container.

[0070] Based on the result of the identification, the container may be forwarded for further inspection, counting, recording, evaluating, sorting, storing, recycling, be returned to the user, or be returned to the first receiving area 2".

[0071] Alternatively, the transporting device may be a conveyor belt to which the elevating member 5" is fixedly attached (not shown).

[0072] As a further alternative the singulation transporting device 4" may be a wheel with a hub to which a number of spokes, each of which is provided with elevating members at its outer periphery (not shown).

[0073] The elevating member 5" and/or the container supporting surface of the elevating member may for example be rectangular, elliptical, flat, cup-shaped, formed as a paddle or shovel etc., or be a combination of these such as flat and rectangular. It may be solid or have small openings.

[0074] The singulation transporting device 4" may be activated by a motor. Additionally or alternatively, the singulation transporting device 4" may be activated by a driving wheel (not shown) arranged such that it is in contact with the singulation transporting device 4". Upon activation of such driving wheel, by e.g. a motor, the singulation transporting device may be activated. The motor may be controlled by a control unit.

[0075] The singulation transporting device 4" may further comprise a retaining means 6". The purpose of the retaining means 6" is to retain the containers in the singulation transporting device 4" when bringing the containers from the first receiving area 2" to the second receiving area 3".

[0076] As discussed above the containers received in bulk are collected in the first receiving area 2" after entering the device 1". The containers are then kept in the first receiving area 2" until they are randomly brought from the first receiving area 2" to the second receiving area 3" by the elevating member 5".

[0077] The size and shape of the first receiving area 2" may be adapted for receiving containers of different sizes and shapes in bulk.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 1, the first receiving area 2" may be formed as a receptacle. As an example the first receiving area may be bowl-shaped.

[0079] The second receiving area 3" may be arranged adjacent to the singulation transporting device 4" and at a higher vertical level with respect to the first receiving area 2".

[0080] The second receiving area 3" may be positioned substantially horizontally in the center of the transporting device, but may also be arranged at a lower or higher position.

[0081] In Fig. 1, the second receiving area 3" is a plate which is tilted outwards with respect to the singulation transporting device 4". The tilt of the plate may enable the forwarding towards the container inspection area.

[0082] The second receiving area 3" may have an elongated shape in the horizontal direction.

[0083] Depending on the extension of the second receiving area 3" in the horizontal direction, it may have recesses at one or both ends adapted such that the elevating member 5" arranged on the singulation transporting device 4" can pass upon activation of the singulation transporting device 4".

[0084] The second receiving area 3", being a plate, may be made of a material of low surface friction such as stainless steel, aluminum or a suitable plastic material.

[0085] Adjacent, or slightly below, the second receiving area 3" there may be a third receiving area 14", such as a conveyor belt for facilitating transport of the containers towards the container inspection area, see Fig. 1.

[0086] The conveyor belt of the third receiving area may be a V conveyor or a flat conveyor.

[0087] As an alternative the second receiving area 3" and the third receiving area 14" may be one and the same. Such arrangement may comprise solely of a conveyor belt onto which the containers fall and are transported to the container inspection area 19".

[0088] As a further alternative if the second receiving area 3" and the third receiving area 14" are the same, the arrangement may comprise solely of a plate made of a material with low surface friction, such as metal or a suitable plastic material, which is tilted towards the inspection area 19" such that the containers received at the combined second and third receiving area slides towards the inspection area 19".

[0089] The device 1" may further comprise an inspection area 19" provided with inspection means 7" through which the containers are transported in order to identify the container. Based on the information obtained by the inspection means 7", the container may be either accepted or rejected. There are several different options how an accepted or rejected container can be handled.

[0090] According to one example, if being accepted the container may be forwarded to a box (not shown), for example a box for containers to be recycled. As an alternative there may be several different boxes to which an accepted container may be forwarded, depending on e.g. the type and/or size of the container.

[0091] If being rejected, the container may be transported back to the first receiving area 2", back to the user, or directly to a trash collector.

[0092] The inspection means 7" may be a camera or a scanner, such as a bar code reader.

[0093] As an example, the inspection means 7" may be an OneRing system which comprises a camera for identifying a large part of the container. The camera of the OneRing system may be able to handle 80 to 220 objects per minute.

[0094] There may be further number and types of inspection means, e.g. cameras, scanners etc., arranged in series or in parallel in order to obtain different information of the containers such that the containers can be sorted based on this information.

[0095] The inspection area 19" may further be provided with a decision unit arranged for receiving a signal from the inspection means 7" and based on this signal being arranged to send a container to a sorting station, back to the first receiving area 2" or to an outfeed of the device 1".

[0096] A container may be rejected if the inspection means 7" is not able to identify the container. If being rejected, the container may be sent back to the first receiving area 2" in order to provide for another read of the container. This may be done by a conveyor belt (not shown) positioned on a lowering mechanism and being arranged after the inspection area 19" with respect to the transport direction A of a container in the second receiving area 3" and/or third receiving area 14". Such a conveyor may be folded down and thereby forwarding the container back to the first receiving area 2".

[0097] As an alternative, a rejected container may be returned back, via an outfeed to the user, such that the user can determine whether he or she should insert the container in the device once again, throw away or keep the container. This may be done by a conveyor belt.

[0098] The first receiving area 2" may be mounted onto brackets which may be mounted onto or in connection with a trash collector, see Fig. 1. Such a trash collector may hence be situated below the first receiving area 2". The trash collector may have any shape, e.g. rectangular shape.

[0099] The trash collector may be releasable connected to the device such that it can be released and the trash collector can be emptied.

[0100] The first receiving area may further be provided with a lowering mechanism in connection with the brackets, a so-called drop-down chute.

[0101] Hence, the first receiving area 2" may be emptied by means of lowering the drop-down chute such that the containers in the first receiving area 2" fall into the trash collector. This may be useful when many containers have been returned to the first receiving area 2".

[0102] For example, the first receiving area 2" may be emptied after a certain time of activation of the singulation transporting device 4", or after a certain number of containers have been rejected and thus returned back to the first receiving area 2".

[0103] The containers ending up in the trash collector may be taken care of and sorted manually or just being regarded as garbage.

[0104] As seen in Fig. 10a and Fig. 10b, the conveyor belt 15" and conveyor belt 16" may be arranged through the center of the frame 9" of the singulation transporting device 4" in the horizontal plane.

[0105] Hence, the first conveyor belt 15" may be arranged such that a container forwarded to the first conveyor belt may be transported back to the first receiving area 2". This may be useful if e.g. the inspection means 7" do not get a proper reading of the container and, hence, is not able to identify the container.

[0106] Hence, the second conveyor 16" belt may be arranged such that a container being forwarded to the second conveyor belt may be transported back through the singulation transporting device 4" to the user of the device 1".

[0107] Figures 1 and 3 are perspective views of a front for a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said reverse vending machine comprising:

a first receiving area 2" arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated;

a first singulation transporting device 4" comprising a container singulator, which also may be referred to as elevating member 5", for transporting individual containers from the first receiving area 2" to a second receiving area 3",

a second transporting device 14" for transporting individual containers from said second receiving area to an inspection station 7", where the validity of said container is determined, and

a front 1 comprising an in-feed 100 for guiding a bulk of containers towards said first receiving area,

wherein said front further comprises:

a movable closing device 101 for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed,

automatic locking device configured to lock said movable closing device in the closed state at the start of a container singulation session, and unlock said movable closing device at the end of said container singulation session.

[0108] In Figure 1 the movable closing device is arranged in said open state, and in Figure 3 the movable closing device is arranged in said closed state. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2 the movable closing device is arranged up stream of the in-feed, and is moved between the open and closed state by a translating non-rotational movement following the outside surface of the front. The direction of motion of the movable closing device is controlled by guides 102 attached to the front of the reverse vending machine; to which guides said movable closing device is attached.

[0109] The size of the opening of the in-feed may be adapted to allow containers of different sizes and shapes to enter into the device 1" and to fulfill the requirements of the safety standard NS-EN 349:1992+A1:2008.

[0110] Moreover, the distance between the opening and the singulation transporting device 4 may be adapted to fulfill the requirement of the standard, ISO 13857:2008, Safety of machines.

[0111] According to a further safety standard, ISO 13857:2008 of machines, the opening should comprise different safety arrangement for preventing injuries. For example, it can comprise a light curtain with a light beam which functions such that, when the device 1" is running, the device is immediately shut down when the light beam is broken.

[0112] The infeed may comprise a tray which may be slightly tilted with respect to the horizontal plane in order to facilitate the containers to be forwarded to the first receiving area 2".

[0113] The infeed may be made of a plastic material, metal and/or wood.

[0114] The infeed 100 may further comprise rims on both sides in order to retain the containers being forwarded towards the first receiving area 2" and to prevent the containers from falling off the infeed upon being forwarded to the first receiving area 2".

[0115] The tray may be provided with slits in order to handle loose objects, e.g. pieces of paper such as labels from containers, into which the loose objects can fall.

[0116] Loose objects may fall onto a steep surface located below the infeed and be guided directly or via a funnel to a trash collector.

[0117] The trash collector may, but need not, be the same as the trash collector or containers discussed above.

[0118] The infeed may further comprise a conveyor belt in order to further facilitate transport of the containers from the tray towards the first receiving area 2". The conveyer belt may be arranged between the tray and the first receiving area of the device 1" and hence being adapted to the size of the infeed and the opening of the device.

[0119] Such a conveyor belt may comprise rims on both sides in the longitudinal direction in order to prevent the objects from falling off from the conveyor and to retain the containers towards the first receiving area 2".

[0120] The conveyor belt may be positioned substantially horizontal with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0121] Alternatively the infeed may comprise solely a tray or solely a conveyor belt.

[0122] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine illustrating an alternative embodiment in the open state. This embodiment is equal to the one shown in Figure 1 and 3, except that the movable closing device is attached to the front by means of hinges, to that the movable closing device may be rotated between an open and closed state. In the closed state the position of the movable closing device is equal to the one illustrated in Figure 3.

[0123] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine illustrating an alternative embodiment in the open state. This embodiment is equal to the one shown in Figure 1 and 3, except that the movable closing device is moved between the open and closed state by a translating non-rotational movement, which movement follows a direction transverse or orthogonal to the front surface of the machine as illustrated by the double arrows. Figure 4 shows this movable closing device in the closed state.

[0124] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine illustrating an alternative embodiment in the open state. This embodiment is equal to the one shown in Figure 1 and 3, except that the movable closing device is moved between the open and closed state by a translating non-rotational movement, which movement follows a direction transverse or to the front surface of the machine as illustrated by the double arrows. The direction of motion crosses the front surface of the machine at an angle between 5° and 80°, or between 10° and 60°. Figure 6 shows this movable closing device in the closed state.

[0125] In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 1-7 the movable closing device is arranged up stream of the infeed.

[0126] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a front of a reverse vending machine illustrating an alternative embodiment in an intermediate state, i.e. in a state between the open state and the closed state. This embodiment is equal to the one shown in Figure 1 and 3, except that the movable closing device is flat and arranged within the infeed of the device; i.e. it is arranged downstream of the opening of the infeed and up-stream of the end of the in-feed. The movable closing device is moved between the open and closed state by a translating non-rotational movement, which movement may follow a direction parallel to the front surface of the machine as illustrated by the double arrows. When the movable closing device is arranged in the closed state, it fully covers the passage formed by the infeed.

[0127] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the front illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, as seen from the back of the front. Here an optional funnel is provided, for guiding the containers towards the first receiving area. Moreover, an optional back of the infeed 100' is shown.

[0128] Figure 11 illustrates one exemplifying sequence of steps that may be used for controlling the in-feed of the reverse vending machine in accordance with the invention. First a bulk of objects are received through the in-feed of the reverse vending machine, 1001. Thereafter the singulation process is started, 1010, or the movable closing device is closed and locked, 1020. That the singulation process is started before the closing of the movable closing device enables for the user to enter so many containers that a predetermined fill-level of the machine is reached and no more containers can or should be inserted (e.g. because the machine signals that to the user), await that some of the containers provided to the machine are processed so that the fill-level of the machine decreases, whereafter the user may add more containers into the machine. When the user has provided all his/her containers into the machine, 1011, the movable closing device is closed (manually or automatically), 1020, and automatically locked, 1021, so that the user may leave the machine while the machine continues to process the containers. Once the singulation process has been completed, 1012, the moveable closing device is unlocked.

[0129] Alternatively, the movable closing device is closed and optionally locked, 1020 and 1021, before, or at the same time as, the singulation process starts,1010, this has the advantage that the user is protected from injuries caused by moving parts inside the machine, which parts are active at the singulation process; it also has the advantage of reducing noise caused by the singulation process during the whole singulation process.

[0130] According to one exemplifying embodiment, the in-feed is open in the idle state, i.e. when the machine is waiting for a new user. Alternatively, the in-feed is closed in the idle state.

[0131] According to one method of operating a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a reverse vending machine having a first receiving area arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated; an in-feed; a first singulation transporting device for individual transporting of containers from a first receiving area to a second receiving area; a movable closing device for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed;
• receiving a bulk of used beverage or food containers through said infeed;
• receiving and keeping said bulk of used beverage or food containers at said a first receiving area;
• individual transporting of containers from said first receiving area to a second receiving area,
• protecting the user of the reverse vending machine,

wherein said step of protecting the user comprises the steps of:

• providing an automatic locking device,
• providing an activation signal to said automatic locking device when said moveable closing device is to be locked, which activation signal is issued based on one or two or all of the following: the amount of objects received at said first receiving area, the rate at which containers or objects are received at said first receiving area, the position of the movable closing device,
• providing a deactivation signal to said automatic locking device when said moveable closing device is to be unlocked, which activation signal is issued based on one or both of the following:

  the amount of objects or containers present in said first receiving area, and the container transportation rate from said first receiving area to said second receiving area,

or comprises the step of:

• preventing a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said moveable closing device is in an open state,

or comprises the step of:

• halting the first singulation transporting device and discontinuing the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said movable closing device to an open state.

[0132] Said step of receiving and keeping said bulk of used beverage or food containers at said first receiving area may further comprises the step of continuously single out individual containers from the bulk of containers in the first receiving area, and transporting said individual container from the first receiving area to a second receiving area which second receiving area is arranged at a higher vertical level, optionally by use of the singulation device described in relation to Figures 10a and 10b.

[0133] Figure 12 illustrates one example of how a signal may be directed in a reverse vending machine according to the invention. Here, a singulation monitoring device 2605, which may inform a control circuitry 2501 about e.g. the fill level of the machine or the first receiving area, the amount of objects received at said first receiving area, the rate at which containers or objects are received at said first receiving area, the position of the movable closing device, the amount of objects or containers present in said first receiving area and/or the container transportation rate from said first receiving area to said second receiving area. Based on this information the control circuitry 2501 may issue a closing signal which is sent to said moveable closing device 2101, whereupon the movable closing device is closed automatically, i.e. non-manually. Additionally or alternatively, the control circuitry may issue an opening signal which is sent to said moveable closing device, whereupon the movable closing device is opened automatically, i.e. non-manually. Additionally or alternatively, based on this information the control circuitry may issue an activation signal which is sent to said automatic locking device 103, whereupon the automatic locking device 103 locks said movable closing device in the closed state. Additionally or alternatively, the control circuitry may issue a deactivation signal which is sent to said automatic locking device 103, whereupon the automatic locking device 103 unlocks said movable closing device. Additionally or alternatively, the control circuitry may issue a signal to the first singulation transporting device when the movable closing device is open. Thereby, the first transporting device may be prevented from starting the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to the second receiving area. Additionally or alternatively, during operation of the reverse vending machine, the control circuitry may issue a signal to the first singulation transporting device if the movable closing device is opened. Thereby, the first singulation transporting device may be halted and the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to the second receiving area may be discontinued.

[0134] The invention has been described with reference to some detailed examples, however the skilled person realizes that a number of modifications of the embodiments described herein are possible without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims. For example, the reverse vending machine of the present invention may have an alternative configuration and may e.g. comprise alternative means for singulating used beverage or food containers, such as those disclosed in US2012118700 or EP2014/052546. When using the reverse vending machine of the present invention with the singulation transporting device of EP2014/052546, the inlet may guide the containers towards the middle portion of the rotating surface, i.e. towards a first receiving area, where the containers are then singulated by means of the device disclosed in EP2014/052546.

Claims

1. A reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said reverse vending machine comprising:

a first receiving area arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated;

a first singulation transporting device for individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area, and

a front comprising an infeed for guiding a bulk of containers towards said first receiving area,

wherein said front further comprises:

a movable closing device for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed; and

user protection means,

wherein said user protection means is an automatic locking device configured to lock said movable closing device in the closed state at the start of a container singulation session, and unlock said movable closing device at the end of said container singulation session,

or

wherein said user protection means is arranged to prevent a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said movable closing device is in an open state,

or

wherein said user protection means is arranged to halt the first singulation transporting device and discontinue the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said movable closing device to an open state.

2. A reverse vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a singulation monitoring device configured to issue a session completed signal at the end of a singulation session; and wherein

said automatic locking device is configured to unlock said movable closing device upon receiving a session completed signal and
wherein said singulation monitoring device is further configured to issue a start session signal at the beginning of a singulation session; and wherein said automatic locking device is configured to lock said movable closing device upon receiving a start session signal.

3. A reverse vending machine according to claim 2, wherein said singulation monitoring device issues said session completed signal based on at least one of: the amount of objects present in said first receiving area, the amount of containers present in said first receiving area, and the container transportation rate from said first receiving area to said second receiving area, that a disrupt signal is issued.

4. A reverse vending machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said singulation monitoring device issues said start session signal based on at least one of: the amount of containers received at said first receiving area, the fill level at said first receiving area, the rate at which containers or objects are received at said first receiving area, an activation signal issued by the user, that the movable closing device is moved from the open to the closed state.

5. A reverse vending machine according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an actuating device, arranged to move said movable closing device between said open state and said closed state optionally in response to receipt of said start session signal, and arranged to move said movable closing device between said closed state and said open state optionally in response to receipt of said session completed signal.

6. A reverse vending machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said closing device comprises at least one hinge connecting said closing device to said front and/or wherein said closing device is slidably arranged at said front.

7. A reverse vending machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said closing device, when arranged in said closed state, is arranged up-stream of said infeed and covering the same.

8. A reverse vending machine according to any one of claims 1-6,
wherein said infeed is arranged to guide said bulk of containers towards said first receiving area along a first path, and wherein said closing device, when arranged in said closed state, is arranged down-stream of said infeed and cuts off the said first path to said first receiving area.

9. A reverse vending machine according to any one of claims 1-6,
wherein said infeed is arranged to guide said bulk of containers towards said first receiving area along a first path, and wherein said closing device, when arranged in said closed state, is arranged within said infeed and cuts off said first path to said first receiving area.

10. A reverse vending machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first singulation transporting device is arranged to single out the containers one by one, in pairs, in triplets, in quadruplets, in quintuplets or in a combination of these.

11. A method of operating a reverse vending machine for singulation of used beverage or food containers received in bulk into individual objects, said method comprising the steps of:

- providing a reverse vending machine having a first receiving area arranged for simultaneously receiving and keeping a plurality of containers which are to be singulated; an in-feed; a first singulation transporting device for individual transporting of containers from a first receiving area to a second receiving area; a movable closing device for closing said in-feed, which closing device is movable between an open state wherein said in-feed is open, and a closed state wherein said in-feed is closed;

- receiving a bulk of used beverage or food containers through said infeed;

- receiving and keeping said bulk of used beverage or food containers at said first receiving area;

- individual transporting of containers from said first receiving area to a second receiving area,

- protecting the user of the reverse vending machine,

wherein said step of protecting the user comprises the steps of:

- providing an automatic locking device,

- providing an activation signal to said automatic locking device when said moveable closing device is to be locked, which activation signal is issued based on one or two or all of the following: the amount of objects received at said first receiving area, the rate at which containers or objects are received at said first receiving area, the position of the movable closing device,

- providing a deactivation signal to said automatic locking device when said moveable closing device is to be unlocked, which activation signal is issued based on one or both of the following:

the amount of objects or containers present in said first receiving area, and the container transportation rate from said first receiving area to said second receiving area,

or comprises the step of:

- preventing a start of the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area while said moveable closing device is in an open state,

or comprises the step of:

- halting the first singulation transporting device and discontinuing the individual transporting of containers from the first receiving area to a second receiving area in response to a movement of said movable closing device to an open state.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said step of receiving and keeping said bulk of used beverage or food containers at said a first receiving area further comprises the step of continuously single out individual containers from the bulk of containers in the first receiving area, and transporting said individual container from the first receiving area to a second receiving area which second receiving area is arranged at a higher vertical level.

13. A method according to any one of claims 11-12, wherein the containers which are transported from said first receiving area to said second receiving area, are singled out one by one, in pairs, in triplets or a combination of the same.

Drawing