Linear feeder

An apparatus for producing an oriented single file of articles from a supply of articles comprising:

• a conveyor having a plurality of pockets for receiving articles, said conveyor having an edge;
• a support surface disposed adjacent to and spaced apart from said conveyor to define an orientation drop zone;
• a sensor for determining whether an article is aligned in said pockets in a first direction;
• and
• a fluid jet, selectably actuable in response to said sensor, for moving articles onto said support surface and for passing articles further along said conveyor depending upon the direction in which the article is aligned;
• whereby articles fall by gravity into said drop zone with the same orientation.

An apparatus for producing an oriented single file from a bulk supply of articles comprising:

• an article hopper;
• a conveyor having a plurality of spaced-apart vanes forming pockets therebetween for receiving articles from said hopper, said conveyor having an edge, portions of said vanes transversely extending beyond said edge;
• a first guide disposed over said conveyor for creating a single file of articles in said pockets;
• an orientation deadplate disposed adjacent said conveyor, said orientation deadplate including a portion spaced apart from said edge of said conveyor to form a drop zone;
• means for determining the direction in which an article is aligned in said pocket;
• means, selectably controllable by said direction determining means, for moving articles aligned in a first direction in said pockets onto said orientation dead plate portion;
• and
• a second guide disposed over said conveyor for shifting articles aligned in a second direction in said pockets toward said conveyor edge;
• whereby articles fall by gravity from said orientation deadplate portion and from said conveyor edge into said drop zone with the same orientation regardless of their alignment in said pocket.

A method of producing an oriented single file of articles from a bulk supply comprising the steps of:

• introducing articles from the bulk supply into pockets of a conveyor;
• determining whether articles lying within the pockets are aligned in a first direction;
• moving the article to a support surface adjacent an edge of the conveyor if the article is lying in the first direction;
• shifting the article toward the edge of the conveyor if it is not lying in the first direction;
• and
• arranging articles into the same orientation by advancing articles downstream along the support surface and the conveyor edge causing them to fall by gravity into a drop zone between the surface and the edge.