Swingable arcuate guide for selectively orienting articles

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.