Apparatus for feeding articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND ORIENTING INITIALLY, RANDOMLY DISPOSED ARTICLES TO POSITION THE ARTICLES IN A PREDETERMINED ORIENTATION, EACH ARTICLE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SURFACES OF DIFFERENT LIGHT REFLECTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS, SAID FIRST SURFACE ADDITIONALLY HAVING A MARKING THEREON, WHICH COMPRISES: MEANS FOR RECEIVING SUCH ARTICLES AND ADVANCING THE SAME ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH OF TRAVEL LIGHT SENSING MEANS INCLUDING A LIGHT SOURCE AND A PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE POSITIONED ADJACENT TO SAID PATH FOR INSPECTING A SURFACE OF EACH OF THE ARTICLES EXPOSED THERETO AND FOR SENSING THE LIGHT REFLECTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EXPOSED SURFACE; SAID ARTICLE-RECEIVING AND ADVANCING MEANS INCLUDING A TRACK AND VIBRATORY MEANS COACTING WITH SAID TRACK FOR IMPARTING LINEAR MOVEMNET TO THE ARTICLES TO ADVANCE THE SAME ALONG THE TRACK, SAID TRACK HAVING AN INCLINED SIDEWALL WITH AN OPENING THEREIN AND AN ADJOINING BASE PORTION PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SIDEWALL ARRANGED SO THAT ARTICLES ADVANCE ALONG THE TRACK WITH ONE OF THE SURFACES OF EACH ARTICLE CONTACTING THE INCLINED SIDEWALL AND AN EDGE OF THE ARTICLE SUPPORTED ON THE BASE PORTION, SAID BASE PORTION ALONG AT LEAST A SECTION THEREOF HAVING A WIDTH SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT ONLY A SINGLE ARTICLE SO AS TO PRECLUDE AN ARTICLE FROM TRAVELING WITH ONE OF THE SURFACES THEREOF SUPERIMPOSED ON THE SURFACE OF ANOTHER ARTICLE, SAID SIDEWALL OPENING BEING LARGER THAN THE SURFACE AREA OF A SINGLE ARTICLE AND BEING POSITIONED IN THE SIDEWALL AT A HEIGHT ABOVE THE BASE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE EDGE LENGTH OF THE ARTICLES SO THAT ANY ARTICLE RIDING ON TOP OF ANOTHER ARTICLE FALLS THROUGH THE OPENING, WHEREBY THE ADVANCING