Swingable arcuate guide for selectively orienting articles

Claim 1

Apparatus for orienting articles comprising first conveyor means operable for supporting and conveying articles in a first direction, second conveyor means disposed at least partially in the path of said first conveyor means operable for supporting and conveying articles in a second direction generally perpendicular to said first direction, said second conveyor means arranged to receive articles transferred from said first conveyor means, and article orienting means disposed adjacent said first and second conveyor means including an elongate, arcuate guide member disposed in a plane generally parallel to and above a plane occupied by said second conveyor means with one end thereof pivotally mounted adjacent said second conveyor means, said arcuate guide member being swingable across a portion of said second conveyor means and operable for selective positioning between a first, article engaging position for permitting a transferred article to engage said arcuate guide member and travel in an arcuate path therealong until a side which initially faced downstream in said first direction is turned to face at least partially downstream in said second direction and a second, non-article-engaging position for permitting a transferred article to move in said second direction unturned relative to said first direction, said arcuate guide member also having a length dimensioned to permit an end opposite said pivotally mounted end to extend across at least a portion of the width of said second conveyor means to a location adjacent the end of said first conveyor means when said arcuate guide member is disposed in said first-article engaging position.