Abstract: The present invention provides an LED chip testing device that measures characteristics of an LED chip. The LED chip testing device includes: a rotation member that supports the LED chip and rotates the LED chip to a testing position where the characteristics of the LED chip are tested; and a tester installed next to the rotation member and serving to measure the characteristics of the LED chip at the testing position.

Abstract: A motif-arraying apparatus for arraying motifs such as a hot fix or the like in mounting grooves formed in a mold plate. The motif-arraying apparatus includes a shaking member for loading motifs in the mounting grooves formed in the mold plate, wherein the shaking member includes a vertical board and a horizontal board coupled to an edge thereof, and a plurality of shaking knives coupled to the bottom surface of the vertical board at a predetermined interval. The apparatus not only enables motifs to be correctly arrayed in the mounting grooves formed in the mold plate in a quick and easy manner, but also enables a motif inserted in a wrong direction to be removed from the mounting groove and correctly arrayed, thereby improving productivity, minimizing defects, and reducing costs.

Abstract: A portable caddy, comprising: a base portion; a handle portion removably secured to an upper surface of the base portion, the handle portion having a pair of support members and an elongated member extending therebetween, the handle portion being configured to rotatably support a roll of paper towels above the upper surface of the base portion; a plurality of recessed areas disposed in the upper surface; and an opening in a side wall of the base portion, the opening providing access to a receiving area disposed between the upper surface and a bottom surface of the base portion, wherein the receiving area is configured to store a plurality of plates therein and wherein the opening allows removal of the plates from the receiving area and a rotatable base portion securable to a lower surface of the base portion, wherein the rotatable base portion allows the portable caddy to be rotated with respect to the rotatable base portion.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic tablet packing apparatus having sliding racks, wherein tablets received in a plurality of tablet cassettes are successively packed on a per dose basis based on a medical prescription. Each of the sliding racks includes a pair of left and right partition walls, a tablet discharge passage to guide the tablets discharged from the tablet cassettes being defined by facing inner surfaces of the left and right partition walls. Cassette pedestals are attached to outer surfaces of the left and right partition walls and in turn, the tablet cassettes are detachably arranged on the cassette pedestals. The left and right partition walls are able to be individually pulled out from a body of the apparatus. As the left or right partition wall is pulled out, the tablet discharge passage is revealed to the outside thus enabling easy cleaning thereof.

Abstract: A product dispensing system including a support structure, a product in rolling engagement with the support structure, the product having a first end and a second end spaced from the first end along a rolling axis, and a catch member positioned to engage the first end of the product and reorient the rolling axis as the product moves along the support structure.

Abstract: There is provided a medicine feeding device which can apply uniform tension to wrapping paper wound in a roll state to wrap a medicine. The medicine feeding device comprises a tablet case which stores a medicine, and the wrapping paper wound in the roll state, wraps a medicine discharged from the tablet case in wrapping paper 72, and comprises a tension application mechanism 113 which applies predetermined tension to the continuously pulled-out wrapping paper. This tension application mechanism is constituted to freely move up-and-down, and to apply tension to the pulled-out wrapping paper by its own weight.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for accurately and repeatably depositing edible particulates on edible products. A dual-drum rotary feed system accurately meters an amount of edible particle for each edible product with a first rotary drum while a second rotary drum deposits the edible particulates onto or within the edible product. The dual-drum rotary feeder can comprise replaceable drums wherein drums can be quickly removed and replaced for cleaning, sanitization and to adjust processing conditions such as, for example, changes in production rates and/or product size.

Abstract: A hinge feeder for feeding open hinges at a predetermined orientation to a receiver ready for use by an automatic door hinger. A dispenser is provided to hold a stack of closed hinges. The orientation of the top end and hinge joint of each hinge is sensed and the hinges sequentially dispensed at a uniform orientation, except for the pinhead location, to a rotator that rotates those hinges to bring their top ends to a desired side. The hinges are then opened by a leaf turner, fed to a stacker and the opened and oriented hinges then deposited in a stack by a stacker.

Abstract: A method for preventing irregular packaging for automatic medicine packing machine having a last hopper that contains the tablet just before the tablet is packed, includes steps of sensing whether a tablet is received in the last hopper, sensing and deciding whether the tablet stands vertical inside the last hopper, vibrating a shutter if it is decided that the tablet stands vertical whereby the vertical standing tablet falls down, and checking non-standing of the tablet after completion of shutter vibration. The apparatus performing the method includes a shutter vibrating unit and a standing sensor that is installed on the last hopper and senses whether the tablet received in the last hopper stands vertical. The standing sensor includes a horizontal slot that is formed horizontally at a side of the last hopper at a position corresponding to a vertical height of a tablet and a photo sensor.

Abstract: A method and device for conveying articles on a continuously-operating machine for filling capsules with at least one pharmaceutical product, whereby each article is conveyed inside a respective seat on a transfer wheel, and is retained inside the seat by friction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for collating nails wherein round head nails are fed by gravity along an inclined rail to a periphery of a rotating indexing and feed wheel. The nails are deposited into circumferentially spaced grooves formed in the periphery of the feed wheel in a vertical orientation. The feed wheel is inclined at an angle of approximately 45° and upon 180° rotation of the feed wheel the nails assume a horizontal orientation. A conveyor has a plurality of spaced segments attached to a pair of moving belts. Each segment is formed with spaced notches for receiving the nails in a horizontal spaced relationship from the feed wheel and then transporting the horizontally spaced nails to a collator for forming into a continuous strip. Rotation of the feed wheel is synchronized with movement of the conveyor by a motor, a gear train and drive shafts extending between the feed wheel and conveyor.

Abstract: This invention structurally includes an adjustable guide rail system for laterally adjustably guiding and axially rotatably manipulating containers, such as cans, passed axially between the guide rail systems and with structure to simply and easily facilitate adjustment of the system to adjust to various series of different size cans. Also, this invention has a revolving cylinder assembly somewhat like the cylinder of a revolver pistol whereby rotation the pistol cylinder allows an identical bullet to pass there through into the gun barrel. However, this invention differs from this analogy and was invented to selectively pass a series of one size of cans through a revolvable structure to guide multiple series of different size cans there through by rotating a cylinder through which the cans passed to present a different passage for each respective series of different size cans.

Abstract: In a machine for filling capsules, a hopper containing the capsules is mounted to rotate about a respective first axis of rotation, so as to move about the first axis a number of feed channels, each of which receives the capsules successively from the hopper, and has a longitudinal second axis forming an angle of other than 90° with a reference plane perpendicular to the first axis.

Abstract: A disc dispensing apparatus operatively mounts to a disc passageway and includes a moveable guide hole member having a guide hole of an elongated shape and a guiding unit operatively mounted in the guide hole. A resilient unit biases the guiding unit against the movement of the discs and a moving unit is operatively attached to the moveable guide hole member for positioning the elongated guide hole at an angle to an axis of the disc passageway on one side of the disc passageway whereby a disc to be dispensed contacts the guiding unit and displaces the guiding unit along the elongated hole while receiving a counter force from the resilient unit to force the disc to be directed away from the guiding unit to one side of the disc passageway.

Abstract: Pairs of first and second rolls are supported for rotation in a roll frame located below a pan for receiving pharmaceutical products loaded as bulk material, each first roll having a plurality of axially successive non-cylindrical sections separated from respective non-cylindrical sections of a respective second roll by a gap, the first and second rolls of each pair being rotated in opposite directions so that surfaces of the rolls facing the gap move upwards. An isolating block having a matrix array of isolating channels is positioned below the rolls for receiving pharmaceutical products from respective gaps and for distributing these products to respective individual wells of a blister pack in a single machine cycle.

Abstract: An escapement system for orienting a plurality of fasteners includes a housing member including a first station and a second station, and a drum member operably coupled with the housing member and adapted to move a fastener from the first station to the second station. The escapement system also includes a first seating assembly adapted to abuttingly engage the fastener at the first station and seat the fastener against the datum surface, wherein a selected one of the housing member and the drum member includes the datum surface. The escapement system further includes a first probe assembly separate from the first seating assembly and including a first probe member adapted to abuttingly engage the fastener and a first proximity switch operably coupled with the first probe, wherein the first proximity switch is configured to indicate proper alignment on the fastener within the first station.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a feeder device. The feeder device receives components end-to-end in a random orientation in a vertical inlet chute and feeds each of the components one-at-time having a desired orientation to an outlet chute. The feeder device includes a rotatable disk having a central chamber therein adapted to receive each of the components, a sensing means for determining the orientation of the component, and includes a releasable gate. The disk and gate function independently, as required, between the inlet chute and the outlet chute, to sequentially release each component having the desired orientation; or to invert each component not having the desired orientation from end-to-end into the desired orientation and then to release the component, whereby each component is released one-at-a-time having a desired orientation for utilization.

Abstract: The machine includes groups of bushes (1) of dimensions suitable for the superposed and aligned containment of a base cover (14), of a tablet (52) and of a lid cover (14).

Abstract: An improved machine and method for properly orienting two or more sets of parts having different lengths. An escapement mechanism and a length adjusting rod are employed in conjunction with a reciprocating shuttle block. The shuttle block houses a single orientor shaft and parts receiving nest. A sensing mechanism, preferably employing photoelectric fibre optic sensors, is used to control the flow of parts into and away from the orientor.

Abstract: An automatic machine for dispensing an ice cream portion comprises, in combination, a dispenser (10) for dispensing cones (18) or the like in an inverted position, and a seat (20) arranged to receive the cone (18) in an upright position and to convey it to an ice cream delivery mouth (27). Between the cone dispenser (10) and the seat (20) there is provided a cone (18) overturning and feed device (12) arranged to receive a cone (18) in an inverted position, to overturn it into an upright position and to feed it automatically into the seat (20).

Abstract: A connector delivery system delivers an electrical connector component from a storage container to a processing station regardless of the relative orientation of the storage container to the processing station. The storage container contains a plurality of the connector components. A delivery conduit communicates between the storage container and the processing station. An air jet is located within the delivery conduit for effecting a pressure differential therewithin to create a vacuum to cause movement of the connector components in the delivery conduit in a downstream direction from the storage container to the processing station without the use of gravitational forces. A selector pawl upstream of the air jet feeds the connector components through the delivery conduit one component at a time in an incremental fashion. An orientation track between the selector pawl and the air jet is effective to deliver the connector components in a predetermined orientation.

Abstract: A button feeder for guiding and feeding a button element having an oriented pattern on its front face along a feed path and for insuring a desired orientation of the pattern. This button feeder provides a button pusher having a finger member projected from its frontal edge and urged resiliently downwardly from the pusher and the pusher provides a cam contactor projecting downwardly, the cam contactor riding on a cam surface, wherein the frontal edge of the pusher is guided and downwardly moved along the cam surface during transport and rotation of the button by the pusher along the feed path, and the finger member is lowered to engage a recess formed on the back face of the button head to arrest the rotation of the button element so as to orient and place a pattern on the button surface in a desired orientation.

Abstract: Device for the positionally correct feeding of test strips to an analysis unit. The test strips 10 include a base layer and at least one raised test field fixed to one side of the base layer. The test strips are contained disordered with respect to their longitudinal axis rotation position in a storage container. A separation and position correcting device 1 serves to feed the test strips 10 individually one after the other in a defined position to the analysis unit. Simplicity of construction and reliable operation are achieved due to the fact that the separation and position correcting device 1 includes a position correcting stage 30 with two rolls, between which a narrow gap 35 exists. The rolls rotate so that the surface 31a of the first roll 31 moves in the region of the gap 35 from top to bottom, while the surface 32a of the second roll 32 moves from bottom to top. The first roll 31 includes peripheral raised webs 37 which are in alignment with test field-free regions of the test strips 10.

Abstract: An apparatus for assembling a continuous chain of fastener stringers with bottom end stops and sliders comprises a slider holder means capable of rotating about an axis extending parallel to the direction of feed of the stringer chain and having symmetrical upper and lower portions each with an identical set of operative parts. The slider holder means is rotatable intermittently each for an angular distance of 180.degree. between a first position in which a slider is received into one of a pair of pockets formed at opposite ends of the slider holder and a second position in which another slider already in the other pocket is assembled with its pull tab disposed on the same side of the stringer chain on which a bottom end stop is assembled.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for attaching decorative articles to a fabric material having a face and a back surface comprising the steps of contacting a fixture having a pattern of bevelled depressions in a flat surface thereof with a plurality of decorative articles having heat sensitive adhesive backing on a substantially flat surface thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing disk-shaped objects, comprises a hopper for storing a multiplicity of disk-shaped objects, a rotatable member mounted on a bottom of the hopper and defining a plurality of perforations or cutouts arranged peripherally thereof for receiving the disk-shaped objects, a support member rotatable with the rotatable member for supporting parts of the disk-shaped objects logged in the perforations or cutouts, and a guide device provided on the bottom of the hopper for radially outwardly guiding the disk-shaped objects lodged in the perforations or cutouts and transported with rotation of the rotatable member. The support member is disposed at a radially intermediate position in an annular moving range of the perforations or cutouts defined in the rotatable member. The guide device includes a plurality of guide pins arranged radially of the rotatable member, and within the annular moving range of the perforations or cutouts and at opposite positions across the support member.

Abstract: A first rotatable conveyor section (16) is positioned axially between upper and lower fixed sections (14,18) of a gravity conveyor. Rotatable conveyor section (16) rotates about an axis extending perpendicular to the conveyor section. A gate (42,44) is provided at each end of the rotatable conveyor section (16). An identification device (84) is positioned upstream of the rotatable conveyor section (16). It identifies the end-to-end orientation of an article (10) which is travelling along the gravity conveyor (12). A computer controls the gates (42,44) and a mechanism (104) for rotating the rotatable conveyor section (16). When an article (10) having an improper end-to-end orientation is encountered, the rotatable conveyor section (16) is rotated 180.degree. for the purpose of reversing the article's orientation. A second rotatable conveyor section (120) is mounted for sideways rotation about an axis which extends longitudinally of the slide conveyor (12).

Abstract: An apparatus for handling empty two-piece capsules includes a vertically reciprocating feeder which extracts capsules from a hopper and forms randomly ordered linear arrays. A horizontal row of capsules are fed by the feeder to key-shaped slots in a block below the feeder. A blade reciprocally positioned adjacent the wider portion of the key-shaped slots moves into the slot at about the middle of the capsule to turn the capsules so as to be partly positioned within the narrower portion of the key-shaped slot. Each capsule is then ejected by projectable pins into a channel where the capsules are pneumatically accelerated into a pair of mated receiving rings which separate the two halves of the capsule.

Abstract: A parts orienting machine comprising a frame, a vertically actuated plunger reciprocating block mounted on the frame with a pair of side-by-side vertical passageways therein. One of the passageways is in periodic co-axial alignment with an inlet parts feeder chute for receiving disoriented piece parts on a one at a time basis. The other of the side-by-side vertical passageways being in periodic vertical alignment with a discharge chute for conveying oriented parts to the discharge chute. The reciprocating block has an axial passageway and an axially extending orientor shaft extends into the axial passageway. A vertically extending parts receiving nest is provided in the orientor shaft which nest is in periodic vertical alignment with the side-by-side vertical passageways. Mechanism is provided for reciprocating the reciprocating block back and forth in the axial passageway for alternatively aligning the nest with the inlet and outlet passageways.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling empty two-piece capsules includes a vertically reciprocating feeder which extracts capsules from a hopper and forms randomly ordered linear arrays. A horizontal row of capsules are fed by the feeder to key-shaped slots in a block below the feeder. A blade reciprocally positioned adjacent the wider portion of the key-shaped slots moves into the slot at about the middle of the capsule to turn the capsules so as to be partly positioned within the narrower portion of the key-shaped slot. Each capsule is then ejected by projectable pins into a channel where the capsules are pneumatically accelerated into a pair of mated receiving rings which separates the two halves of the capsule.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming nails into a nailing strip, in which nails are welded to wire strips, and having a nail feed, a nail indexing wheel indexing nails into predetermined nail spacings, a nail rotator to bring their heads in a predetermined orientation, a nail handling slide for receiving nails, a wire feed for feeding wire to one side of the nails, electrical welding contacts for pressing the wire against nail and passing a welding current to weld the wire to the nail, a moving device for moving the welding contacts towards and away from the nails, and a movement device for moving the nails along the nail slide.

Abstract: Disclosed is device (10) for orienting and conveying a headed fastener (14), wherein the device is positioned beneath any suitable dispenser (12) whereby headed fasteners are removed from a supply container and successively dropped with random orientation onto the device. The device (10) is configured to receive the headed fasteners (14) within a selected groove (32, 132) so that the headed fastener will assume a predetermined orientation within the device. The oriented fastener is then conveyed from the point it is received in the groove to a conduit (55, 57) which directs the headed fastener into the feeder tube (16) of the fastening machine. The fasteners are rotated as they are conveyed along the device in order to create a gyroscopic effect in the fastener as a means of maintaining the relative orientation of the fastener as it moves through the groove toward the feeder tube.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for removing a set of linear objects such as helically coiled turbolaters (11) from a container (12) of objects, comprising a cover (17) including holes (37) from which air is drawn to cause some of the objects (11) to engage the underside of the cover (17) and an obturator plate for reducing the air flow through the holes (37) so that the objects (11) correctly engaged with the cover will detach from the cover (17). A feed mechanism is also provided to insert the helically coiled objects (11) into the tubes (13) of a radiator (14).

Abstract: A novel cassette storage and feeder mechanism for a tape winding machine, comprising (a) storage chute for storing a plurality of empty cassettes randomly disposed in one or the other of first and second predetermined orientations, (b) a gate for discharging cassettes one at a time from said storage chute, (c) cassette orienter for causing each discharged cassette disposed in said first orientation to be shifted to said second orientation, and (d) a feeder for carrying cassettes away from said cassette orienter and supplying them one at a time to a tape loading station on the tape winding machine with the uniform desired orientation.

Abstract: Capsule handling apparatus having a specially configured capsule carrier (50) which permits faster operation, ejection of misoriented capsules, and sizing of capsules having telescoping cap and body portions. A capsule is received in an elongated recess (50a) in a face of the carrier. A passage (50f), leading from an outside surface of the carrier into the recess, facilitates loading a capsule into the recess. In one form, the carrier recess has two compartments (50c, 50d). When a force (90) is imparted to a capsule tending to push the capsule through the passage, a properly oriented capsule hangs up on a wall (50e) between the compartments, while a misoriented capsule freely passes through the passage and is ejected. An oversized capsule having an end projecting from the passage is engaged by a guide (98) which pushes the projecting end of the capsule into the recess to size the capsule.

Abstract: An apparatus for aligning elongated articles includes a turntable having a center and a periphery, an input track leading to the turntable for conveying elongated articles thereto and having a discharge end above the turntable and a direction of conveyance; and a guide rail stationarily supported above the turntable. The guide rail has a generally spiral course for guiding the articles towards the periphery of the turntable and aligning the articles in a single file as the turntable rotates. The apparatus further has an outlet track leading away from the turntable and an arrangement for pushing the articles off the turntable onto the outlet track. The guide rail has a first guide rail part situated between the center of the turntable and the discharge end of the input track and extending perpendicularly to the direction of conveyance of the input track. The guide rail includes a second guide rail part extending from an end of the first guide rail part and having a generally spiral course.

Abstract: A positioning and alignment loader for a gear cutting machine adapted to receive cold formed toothed blanks, preferably of conical gear form, having differently conformed front and rear surfaces requiring positioning of the blank with a selected side up. The blanks are advanced along a chute and the position of the blank in the chute is sensed and if the blank is reversed, it is rotated 180.degree. before further advance. Thereafter the properly positioned blank with its proper selected side up is advanced horizontally and its teeth are located in proper angular position by engagement with a toothed orientor rack located at one side of the path of advance. The properly positioned blank with its teeth in substantially precise angular location is now engaged by a pick-up device which transfers the blank into a gear finishing machine in proper stock dividing position so that the machine may remove small, substantially equal amounts of stock from opposite sides of the teeth.

Abstract: The invention relates to a capsule orienting device particularly for capsule-filling machines. The capsule orienting device comprises a bush delimiting inside thereof a calibrated path for the capsules to be loaded with product. The path communicates with a longitudinal slit in the bush. The bush also has an upper and a lower cross slot intersecting the path and the slit, and is designed to slidably and sequentially engage, in use, with a first abutting member and a second abutting member so as to cause a capsule in the path to rotate upwards or downwards depending on the arrangement of the capsule in the path, thereby orienting the capsule.

Abstract: Capsule orienting apparatus in which misoriented asymmetric capsules inadvertently passed by a rectifying unit are segregated from properly oriented capsules. Capsules (12) are delivered by a rectifying drum (14) to capsule carrying pockets (38) in a segregating drum (36) which have recessed portions (38a) sized to loosely receive properly oriented capsules and tightly receive misoriented capsules. As the loosely held, properly oriented capsules pass a discharge point, they are released. The tightly held, misoriented capsules remain in the segregating drum (36) past the discharge point and are ejected from the segregating drum downstream from the discharge point.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for automatically loading a cylindrical workpiece into a machining system so that the workpiece is presented to the system in a prespecified orientation, the cylindrical surface of the workpiece containing a number of perforations, indentations or like apertures. The apparatus includes a feeding system for placing the workpiece in an initial position upon an upwardly inclined guideway, and further includes a pin, mounted in an advancement system, for alternatively contacting the cylindrical surface of the workpiece and engaging one of the apertures to urge the workpiece up through the guideway. The pin applies a frist frictional force to the workpiece when it is in contact with the cylindrical surface of the workpiece, and structure included in the guideway applies a second frictional force to the workpiece which interacts with the first frictional force to rotate the workpiece until the pin engages one of the apertures.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed which transports and rectifies objects, such as pharmaceutical capsules, and prints appropriate indicia on the objects. The apparatus comprises a two-drum system, the first drum being used to shift objects from a radial to a longitudinal position, and then to reorient some of the capsules so that, when the capsules are delivered to a second drum, the cam drum, all capsules are pointing in the same direction. The system takes advantage of gravity for rectification. Spin printing means are provided to print indicia on the rectified objects, as the objects travel along the periphery of the cam drum. A process for operating the apparatus is disclosed.

Abstract: A plurality of integrated circuit lead clips having a circular top opening and four resilient planar tines are positioned in a holding fixture in a rectangular matrix array. A carrier strip including a plurality of equally spaced, transversely extending projections each having a generally rectangular cross-section is positioned above a row of clips positioned in the fixture. The strip is vibrated and then lowered to pass one projection into the top opening of each clip and through the four resilient planar tines. Vibrations of the projections at the same time the tips of the projections touch the clips causes the clip to rotate in the fixture so that the planar ends of the tines orient with respect to the four flat sides of each projection. The projections are pushed through the clips so that they are held to the projections by the resiliency of the tines.

Abstract: Capsule turning apparatus and method for use in a spin printing procedure in which a printing roll moves at a greater speed than the capsule, thus causing the capsule to rotate about its own axis while it is being printed. Many capsules, randomly arranged in a hopper, are picked up in a rotary conveyor which arranges them first in vertical arrangement relative to the path of movement of the conveyor, randomly with respect to whether the cap portions are at the top or bottom, and an air jet shifts all of the capsules in a sidewise direction, with the caps and body portions at random.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring, in a substantially uniform manner, a plurality of shaped objects, such as tablets, from a hopper adapted to contain a plurality of the tablets to a conveyor system for subsequent processing comprising a transfer drum in rotary arrangement relative to the hopper, adapted to receive the tablets within a plurality of peripherally spaced cavities having a substantially radially aligned pocket and a communicating, substantially longitudinally aligned pocket, a guide for re-orienting the tablets from the substantially radial orientation in which the tablets are received by the cavities, to a substantially longitudinal direction, and carriers operatively associated with the conveyor system to receive the substantially longitudinally oriented tablets in a substantially longitudinal orientation. Also the method.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a device for orientating workpieces, more especially brush bodies, of the type that is formed by a feeding box for workpieces; a transport device which conveys the workpieces one by one opposite to a detecting device and an orienter which place all detected workpieces in the same position, in order to finally feed them into a magazine or processing machine. The detecting and orientating devices are formed by a support which is located opposite to a transport device consisting of a drum and fixed to the side wall of the device, to which support, radially movable in relation to the aforesaid transport drum, is fixed a bridge which, on one side of the transport drum and in the path of the workpieces. A stop is provided on the other side of the transport drum, and coaxially with a first stop.

Abstract: An apparatus for charging tall, narrow receptacles with small, plate-like items of like size and shape. The apparatus has at least one counting and charging unit having a plurality of axially aligned counting wheels having a plurality of pockets along their periphery for receiving individual items and a funnel arranged underneath the counting wheels for receiving items discharged by the counting wheels and for directing them into a receptacle arranged below the funnel. There are further provided a plurality of orienting channels arranged between the funnel and each counting wheel. Each orienting channel is arranged to receive items from the associated counting wheel and to orient the items such that upon discharge of each item from the orienting channels into the funnel, the main plane of each item is parallel to the main plane of the receptacle situated underneath the funnel.

Abstract: In a turning and orienting apparatus of the type adapted to transport capsules in a plurality of pockets or the like, which pockets are formed in a continuously moveable transport conveyor, and wherein said apparatus is further adapted to rectify the capsules, which have body portions and cap portions of greater transverse dimensions than the body portions, and wherein a vacuum is provided to shift the capsules into the desired rectified position, a capsule positioning guide is provided to retain each capsule in its pocket immediately prior to its being subjected to the vacuum. The capsule positioning guide then releases the capsule as it is subjected to the vacuum. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the capsule positioning guide is pivotally mounted adjacent the capsule transport conveyor so that it can be easily moved out of its operative condition adjacent the transport conveyor for easy cleaning thereof.

Abstract: An automatic dispenser for cylindrical containers is disclosed in which containers are disposed one-by-one from a vertical presentment position. The dispenser comprises a storage compartment which stores the containers substantially horizontally in a side-by-side relationship, and a dispenser portion which is located at one end of the storage compartment. The storage compartment has a downward and sideway slant so that the containers are gravitationally urged to roll towards the dispenser portion. The degree of slant of the surface upon which the containers move is such as to provide sufficient torque when the container engages a swivel means to cause it to swivel and drop from the stored horizontal to vertical presentment positions.

Abstract: Apparatus for continuously orienting bottles comprising a stationary randomly oriented bottle-holding receptacle in communication with and cooperating with a rotatable round feeding element having a plurality of equispaced holes therein, said holes in essentially axial alignment with a rotatable round bank of cooperating vertical tubes into which bottles are fed and from which bottles are delivered to an orienting-plate which orients all the bottles fed thereinto in a neck-up position and means for removing such oriented bottles from the apparatus.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus incorporates a generally rectangular framework for assembling a set of parallel rods defining adjacent grooves. The apparatus receives and stores a supply of nails in a container. The nails emerge from a storage container and drop onto a sorting device. The nails fall into grooves sized to receive the point but not the head. The head thus hangs, and the nail slides to the end of the groove. The apparatus simultaneously and consecutively drop nails, always in the same position.