Transport apparatus

A transport apparatus for transporting a preform for blow molding, comprising:

• a transporter having transport jigs, each of the transport jigs for holding one preform of a plurality of preforms in an inverted state with a neck of each of the preforms facing downward, and which transporter continuously transports the preforms at a transport speed along a transport line in a horizontal direction along with the transport jigs while rotating the transport jigs and allowing each of the preforms to rotate about its own vertical axis with rotation of the transport jigs;
• and
• an engaging device comprising an engager provided so as to be movable along the transport line in conformity with the transport speed of each of the preforms by the transporter, and the engager provided so as to engage a convexity or a concavity provided in an outer periphery of each of the preforms with the preforms moving to stop the rotation of each of the preforms about the axis thereof, thereby setting an orientation of each of the preforms to a predetermined orientations,
• wherein the engaging device has a plurality of engagers,
• each of the engagers has a support member which is provided horizontally swingably and has at a leading end part a protrusion protruding toward the transport line, and
• the protrusion is formed by a roller member which is provided horizontally rotatably on the support member.