Method and apparatus for orienting articles
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsRobert Paul Cassoni, Clifford Theodore Papsdorf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for sorting and/or orienting caps using an automated capping line can comprise providing a single cap to a cap-receiving cavity defined in a body of a puck. In various embodiments, the body can be vibrated to settle and/or orient the cap to a properly oriented position within the cap-receiving cavity. In at least one embodiment, the vibrating can include applying horizontal vibration and/or vertical vibration to the body. As a result, the properly oriented caps can be conveyed to a capping machine configured to apply each cap to a cap-receiving portion of a container.
Claims5
A method of sorting and orienting caps, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of caps on a surface of a tray, the surface comprising a plurality of cavities defined therein, wherein the number of the plurality of caps is at least equal to the number of the plurality of cavities;
- settling a group of the plurality of caps into at least a portion of the plurality of cavities;
- removing excess caps;
- vibrating the tray to cause at least a portion of the settled caps to orient uniformly;
- detecting one of proper orientation and improper orientation of the settled caps;
- rearranging the properly oriented caps to fully fill one row of cavities;
- and
- transferring the properly oriented caps in the one row of cavities to a capping machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.