Deposit container system
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023855267
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-08-18
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-22
AI Technical Summary
Current deposit return systems face inefficiencies due to manual sorting, mixing of different types of packaging, and lack of automated separation, leading to incorrect sorting and potential re-inclusion of processed materials, which hampers effective recycling and deposit return processes.
A deposit container system featuring an inlet hopper, ordering drum, 360-degree barcode reading and visual detection tunnel, and separate grinders for plastic, aluminum, glass, and other materials, with a compressed air system to direct materials to their respective grinders, ensuring accurate sorting and processing within a standard shipping container designed for outdoor operation and energy self-sufficiency.
Enables efficient, automated separation and processing of recyclable packaging by type, preventing re-inclusion and optimizing storage efficiency, while ensuring accurate deposit return to users through barcode recognition and visual detection, thereby enhancing the recycling process.
Smart Images

Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] DEPOSIT CONTAINER SYSTEM
[0002] Technical Field
[0003] The invention relates to a system that enables the packages collected with the mandatory deposit return system to be recognized by barcode reader and visual detection, and the system that will return the deposit fee to the user who brings the packages by separating them according to the type of material (plastic, aluminum, glass and other) and collecting them in a container.
[0004] State of the Art
[0005] Today, a deposit system is used where beverage packaging is manually collected into containers placed in different areas and then manually sorted. One of the main problems in these systems is that the volume coverage in the area where the relevant packaging is collected cannot be controlled and products of different types are mixed together, and it becomes very difficult to separate them. At the same time, the system in the state of the art, basically offers a separation based on manpower and visual perception power and this separation may cause incorrect separation. Since there is no process of passing the collected products directly through a shredder in the state of the art, it may also bring undesirable situations such as being included in the system again and being used repeatedly and even being deposited again. It is clear that the relevant system should be improved for the effective use of the system.
[0006] The summary of the application numbered 2022 / 004461 , which has been found as a result of technical search; "The invention relates to a smart deposit return machine for recycling packaging waste, the invention especially relates to a smart deposit return machine comprising a chassis, front cover group and front logo forming the external structure of the machine, and a main mechanism for identifying and separating the wastes forming the internal structure of the machine, a shredding system in which the wastes are shredded into small pieces, an electrical panel, a computer case and at least one bucket in which the shredded wastes are collected."
[0007] The application numbered 2022 / 004461 describes a traded return vending machine that has been in use worldwide for more than 10 years. The main differences of the container system subject to the application from the 2022 / 004461 vending system are as follows:
[0008] While the products included in the deposit system in the vending machine must be thrown into the vending machine one by one and at certain time intervals, in the container system, all the deposit products to be returned at the same time are thrown into the inlet hopper. The ordering drum, which is not available in the vending system and is available in the container system, sorts the products and includes them in the system with the appropriate speed. Another difference is that vending machines have small storage areas due to their structure and are not designed for all working environments. In the container system, since the entire deposit return system is designed in a standard shipping container, it has large grinding and storage areas, can operate outdoors and can generate the energy required for their operation through solar panels.
[0009] As can be seen, the system is related to the deposit return machine, and also does not mention a structure that can provide a solution to the disadvantages mentioned above.
[0010] As a result, due to the above-mentioned disadvantages and the inadequacy of the existing solutions on the subject, it is necessary to make a development in the relevant technical field.
[0011] Object of the Invention
[0012] The invention aims to provide a structure having different technical features which brings a new opening in this field, different from the structures used in the present art.
[0013] The primary object of the invention is to provide a system that enables the beverage packages collected with the deposit return system to be recognized by barcode reader and visual detection, and to separate the packages according to the type of material (plastic, aluminum, glass and other) and to return the deposit amount to the user who brings the packages.
[0014] An object of the invention is to provide a system for preventing the repeated collection of the deposit fee and for reducing the volume of recyclable packaging collected for storage efficiency and separated according to the type of material by passing it through shredders and deforming it in such a way as to prevent its re-inclusion in the system.
[0015] In order to fulfil the above-mentioned objects, the invention relates to a deposit container system for collecting recyclable packaging in a container, comprising: container where all elements of the system are positioned, inlet hopper for the entry of the packaging into the container, ordering drum for ordering the mixed products fallen into it, identification tunnel that can read 360-degree barcodes and recognize products with visual detection, compressed air system for distributing the defined products to the grinders for grinding, plastic grinder for grinding plastic products, aluminum grinder for grinding aluminum products, glass grinder for grinding glass products, other grinder for grinding other products
[0016] The structural and characteristic features and all advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood by means of the figures given below and the detailed description written by making references to these figures, and therefore, the evaluation should be also made by taking these figures and detailed description into consideration.
[0017] Figures to Help Understanding the Invention
[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the interior of the inventive container.
[0019] Figure 2 is a front view of the interior of the container subject to the invention.
[0020] The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and details not necessary for understanding the present invention may be omitted. Furthermore, elements which are at least substantially identical or have at least substantially identical functions are indicated by the same number.
[0021] Description of Part References
[0022] 1 . Container
[0023] 1.1 Solar panel
[0024] 2. Inlet hopper
[0025] 3. Conveyor line
[0026] 4. Ordering drum
[0027] 5 Sorting line
[0028] 6. Identification tunnel
[0029] 7 Grinder
[0030] 7.1 Plastic grinder
[0031] 7.2 Aluminium grinder
[0032] 7.3 Glass grinder
[0033] 7.4 Other grinder
[0034] 8 Computer and payment mechanism
[0035] Detailed Description of the Invention
[0036] In this detailed description, the preferred embodiments of the invention are described solely for the purpose of a better understanding of the subject matter and without any limiting effect.
[0037] The invention relates to a system that enables the recyclable packaging collected together with the mandatory deposit return system to be recognized with a barcode reader and visual detection, and to be separated according to the type of material (plastic, aluminum, glass and other) and to be collected in a container by the system that will return the deposit to the user who brings the packaging.
[0038] All elements of the inventive system are contained in a container (1 ) body. Solar panels (1.1 ) can be positioned on the container (1 ). Beverage etc. packages (plastic and glass bottles, aluminum cans etc.) collected within the deposit system are poured into the inlet hopper (2) in a mixed manner. The packages entering from the inlet hopper (2) are conveyed / elevated to the ordering drum (4) by the conveyor line (3). In an alternative embodiment of the system according to the invention, the incoming packages can also fall directly into the sorting drum (4) without the conveyor line (3).
[0039] The products, which are poured into the sorting drum (4) in mixed form, are sorted by means of a system such as vibration, etc. with the centrifugal force and taken to the sorting line (5).
[0040] The V-shaped sorting line (5) separates the packages at an appropriate speed and with sufficient space between them and passes them through the identification tunnel (6), which can read 360- degree barcodes and recognize products by visual detection. In an alternative configuration of the system subject to the invention, it can pass directly to the identification tunnel (6) without going through the sorting line (5).
[0041] The identified products are passed through the compressed air system located at the inlets of the grinder (7) and enter the relevant grinder (7) by reacting to the compressed air according to their weight. With the information received from the barcode reader, a signal is sent to the compressed air blowers at the right time, so that when the relevant product reaches the right point, it is thrown into the grinder chamber with compressed air.
[0042] Plastic products are ground in the plastic grinder (7.1 ), aluminum products in the aluminum grinder (7.2), glass products in the glass grinder (7.3), other products in the other grinder (7.4) by means of a gear mechanism and preferably stored in metal hoppers.
[0043] As the products pass through the identification tunnel (6), they are also counted and checked for suitability for the recycling system, and the deposit price of the counted and verified product is paid to the user who brought it by means of a computer and payment mechanism (8).
Claims
CLAIMS A deposit container system that enables the collection of recyclable packaging in the container, characterized by comprising: container (1 ) where all elements of the system are positioned, inlet hopper (2) for the entry of the packaging into the container, ordering drum (4) for ordering the mixed products fallen into the ordering drum (4), identification tunnel (6) that can read 360-degree barcodes and recognize products by visual detection, compressed air system for distributing the defined products to the grinders (7) for grinding, plastic grinder (7.1 ) for grinding plastic products, aluminum grinder (7.2) for grinding aluminum products, glass grinder (7.3) for grinding glass products, other grinder (7.4) for grinding other products. The deposit container system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising the conveyor line (3) for conveying / elevating the packages entering from the inlet hopper (2) to the ordering drum (4). The deposit container system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising the ordering drum (4) which sorts by vibration and centrifugal force. The deposit container system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising the sorting line (5) which separates the packages at an appropriate speed and with sufficient space between them. The deposit container system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising a computer and a payment mechanism (8) which counts the products as they pass through the identification tunnel (6) and checks their suitability for the recycling system, and which pays the deposit price of the counted and verified product to the user who brought.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Machine for processing recyclable materials
US20190017863A1
Apparatus for counting and sorting multiple objects
WO2012034562A1