Article alignment device

An article alignment and weighing device, comprising:

• means for inputting elongate articles to be grouped together in a receptacle;
• means that can be selectively opened for accumulating articles therein;
• means for determining which combination of the articles weigh a predetermined amount or are within a margin of error of the predetermined amount;
• a chute to discharge the articles of the determined combination into the receptacle, the chute having an inlet portion and an outlet portion, the articles of the determined combination passing through the inlet portion and traveling along a travel direction of the chute to pass through the outlet portion, the chute including a concave base extending from the inlet portion downwardly to the outlet portion and having a substantially constant lateral dimension along its length, and side walls extending from the base, an angle of inclination of the side walls to the base decreasing from the inlet portion to the outlet portion so as to cause articles having an elongate dimension greater than the lateral dimension of the base to align themselves in the travel direction of the chute;
• and
• means for moving the articles from the determining means to the chute.

An apparatus comprising:

• a combinational weigher including
• weighing units, each weighing unit weighing articles contained therein, and
• a selector selecting a combination of the weighing units less than the total number of weighing units which together contain weighed articles that satisfy a predetermined weight condition, the weighing units of the selected combination being controlled to dispense the weighed articles contained therein while the remaining weighing units hold weighed articles contained by said remaining weighing units;
• and
• a chute having an inlet portion and an outlet portion, the dispensed articles passing through the inlet portion and traveling along a travel direction of the chute to pass through the outlet portion, the chute including a concave base extending from the inlet portion downwardly to the outlet portion and having a substantially constant lateral dimension along its length, and side walls extending from the base, an angle of inclination of the side walls to the base decreasing from the inlet portion to the outlet portion so as to cause dispensed articles having an elongate dimension greater than the lateral dimension of the base to align themselves in the travel direction of the chute.