Orienting apparatus for cap-shaped members

Claim 1

An air conveyor for conveying and orienting cap-shaped members having an end flange which extends from opposite sides of said members in substantially coplanar relationship, said air conveyor comprising: a. a plenum chamber and a horizontally extending perforated deck plate for issuing air jets from said plenum to convey said capshaped members longitudinally in a given direction along a first path on said plate, 1. said air conveyor including at least one section wherein said cap-shaped members are randomly oriented with some of said cap-shaped members having their flanges in a first upper position and others of said cap-shaped members having their flanges in a second downward position, b. first side guide means for limiting lateral movement of said cap-shaped members as they move longitudinally in said given direction, c. and separator means defining a second horizontally extending path engageable with said flanges of all of said cap-shaped members having said first of said two positions for separating these cap-shaped members to flow along said second path and those members having their flanges in the second of said two positions moving along said first path, d. second air jet means to move said cap-shaped members along said second path on said separator means, e. said second path having a terminal portion in converging relation with the first path, f. and means for inverting said caps flowing through said terminal portion and for delivering the caps to the first path.