Orienting feed mechanism

Claim 1

Apparatus for advancing a sequence of similarly oriented articles such as square weld nuts having at a first side a plane surface, edge surfaces perpendicular to the first side, and having opposite the first side a second side generally parallel to the first side and having a centrally located projection of circular cross-section spaced inwardly from the edge surfaces and extending outwardly beyond the remainder of the second side, said apparatus being insensitive to thickness of the articles and comprising a trackway having a first elongated horizontally extending, laterally inclined, upwardly facing support surface along which a series of articles are advanced and engageable with a side surface of the article irrespective of whether the first or second side of the article is adjacent the first support surface, a second horizontally extending, laterally inclined, upwardly facing support surface generally perpendicular to said first support surface and extending in a direction parallel to the direction in which said first support surface extends and positioned to engage an edge of the article, said first and second support surfaces defining a generally V-shaped upwardly open channel for engaging a side and edge of articles of the described configuration advanced thereover, said second support surface terminating short of an end of said first support surface, a delivery chute spaced from the termination of said second support surface to provide a gap in the channel providing for rejection of articles unless properly oriented as they advance into said gap, a horizontally extending ledge parallel to said second support surface and having a third laterally inclined, upwardly facing support surface extending outwardly slightly beyond said second surface and spaced upwardly from said first surface by an amount determined by the spacing of the nut projection inwardly from the edges thereof to engage a side of the centrally located projection of an article advanced along said support surfaces if the article has its second side adjacent thereto as it traverses said gap, and means for advancing random oriented articles to said gap, and for advancing properly oriented articles supported by said third support surface across said gap to said delivery chute.