Stick aligning and conveying method and apparatus

An apparatus for receiving a large number of randomly oriented elongated articles and for aligning and delivering said articles to a receiving location comprising the combination of:

• (a) an aligning tray for receiving said randomly oriented articles on the upper surface thereof, said surface having means defining a plurality of parallel elongated channels, each of said channels being open at one end and closed at the other end, said tray including a first portion wherein said means defining said channels comprises a convoluted surface forming, in cross section, channels having generally rounded bottom surfaces and generally rounded walls between said channels, and a second portion wherein said means defining said channels defines a plurality of spaced-apart channels each having generally rounded bottom surfaces lower than said rounded bottom surfaces formed by said convoluted surface and a plurality of separators between said spaced apart channels, with the number of channels in said second portion being smaller than the number of channels in said first portion;
• (b) means for supporting and repetitively reciprocating said tray in a direction having a component of movement in the longitudinal direction of said channels to cause said articles to enter said channels and move lengthwise toward and out of said open ends;
• (c) a plurality of hopper means for receiving articles from said tray, each of said hopper means including an upwardly opening compartment having side walls and a bottom wall, one of said side walls having means defining an exit opening through which articles can pass in a direction perpendicular to their lengths;
• said hopper means further including a plurality of chutes, equal in number to the number of channels in said second portion of the tray, said chutes being mounted for vibratory movement with said compartments and extending downwardly between said open ends of said channels in said second portion of the tray and said compartments, with the number of said compartments also being equal to the number of channels in said second portion of the tray;
• (d) means for supporting said hopper means adjacent to and below said open ends independently of said tray to receive aligned articles emerging from said open ends, said means for supporting including means for vertically vibrating said hopper means;
• and
• (e) belt conveyor means movable below said hopper means to receive said articles and to convey said articles in their aligned arrangement perpendicular to the direction of their lengths to said receiving location.