US 12,030,088 B2
Multiple stage sorting
Nalin Kumar, Fort Worth, TX (US); and Manuel Gerardo Garcia, Jr., Lexington, KY (US)
Assigned to Sortera Technologies, Inc., Markle, IN (US)
Filed by Sortera Alloys, Inc., Forth Worth, TX (US)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/673,694.
Application 16/852,514 is a division of application No. 16/358,374, filed on Mar. 19, 2019, granted, now 10,625,304, issued on Apr. 21, 2020.
Application 17/673,694 is a continuation of application No. 17/491,415, filed on Sep. 30, 2021, granted, now 11,278,937.
Application 17/491,415 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/380,928, filed on Jul. 20, 2021.
Application 17/380,928 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/227,245, filed on Apr. 9, 2021.
Application 17/227,245 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/939,011, filed on Jul. 26, 2020, granted, now 11,471,916.
Application 17/491,415 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/852,514, filed on Apr. 19, 2020, granted, now 11,260,426, issued on Mar. 1, 2022.
Application 16/939,011 is a continuation of application No. 16/375,675, filed on Apr. 4, 2019, granted, now 10,722,922, issued on Jul. 28, 2020.
Application 16/375,675 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/963,755, filed on Apr. 26, 2018, granted, now 10,710,119, issued on Jul. 14, 2020.
Application 16/358,374 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/963,755, filed on Apr. 26, 2018, granted, now 10,710,119, issued on Jul. 14, 2020.
Application 15/963,755 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/213,129, filed on Jul. 18, 2016, granted, now 10,207,296, issued on Feb. 19, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/490,219, filed on Apr. 26, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/193,332, filed on Jul. 16, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0168781 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. B07C 5/342 (2006.01); B07C 5/34 (2006.01); B07C 5/04 (2006.01)
CPC B07C 5/3422 (2013.01) [B07C 5/34 (2013.01); B07C 5/342 (2013.01); B07C 5/04 (2013.01); B07C 2501/0054 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for handling a first mixture of materials comprising a plurality of different classes of materials, the method comprising:
capturing, by an image sensor, visually observed characteristics of each of the first mixture of materials; and
classifying, with a data processing system comprising a machine learning system implementing a neural network configured with a previously generated set of neural network parameters, a first plurality of materials of the first mixture as belonging to a first class of materials based solely on the captured visually observed characteristics, wherein the previously generated set of neural network parameters are uniquely associated with the first class of materials, wherein the first plurality of materials of the first mixture classified as belonging to the first class of materials possess a chemical composition that is different from the materials within the first mixture not classified as belonging to the first class of materials.