Article sensing apparatus

Claim 1

AN ARTICLE SENSING APPARATUS FOR SENSING THE ORIENTATION OF AN ARTICLE AS IT IS MOVED ALONG THE PATH OF AN ARTICLE HANDLING DEVICE, SAID ARTICLE CAPABLE OF BEARING INDICIA IN A PREDETERMINED LOCATION THEREON, SAID ARTICLE SENSING APPARATUS COMPRISING: ARTICLE ADVANCING MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID PATH FOR ADVANCING SAID ARTICLE THROUGH SAID ARTICLE HANDLING DEVICE; SELECTIVELY OPERABLE DRIVE MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ARTICLE ADVANCING MEANS TO SELECTIVELY OPERATE SAID ARTICLE ADVANCING MEANS; FIRST SENSING MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID PATH AND ALIGNED WITH A FIRST PREDETERMINED PORTION OF SAID ARTICLE; SECOND SENSING MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID PATH AND ALIGNED WITH A SECOND PREDETERMINED PORTION OF SAID ARTICLE, SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS DISPLACED FROM SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS ALONG SAID PATH OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF THE ARTICLE MOVEMENT; LOGIC MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SENSING MEANS; SAID LOGIC MEANS PRODUCING A FIRST SIGNAL AFTER A FIRST PREDETERMINED TIME WHEN SAID ARTICLE IS SENSED FIRST BY SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS AND THEN BY SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS INDICATING THAT THE ARTICLE HAS THE DESIRED ORIENTAFIG-01 TION AND A SECOND SIGNAL AFTER A SECOND PREDETERMINED TIME WHEN SAID ARTICLE IS SENSED FIRST BY SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS AND THEN BY SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS INDICATING THAT SAID ARTICLE HAS AN UNDESIRED ORIENTATION; AND CONTROL MEANS COUPLED TO SAID LOGIC MEANS AND SAID SELECTIVELY OPERABLE DRIVE MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID SECOND SIGNAL TO STOP THE OPERATION OF SAID DRIVE MEANS AND PREVENT THE FURTHER ADVANCING OF SAID ARTICLE.