Patent ID: 6516938
Filing Date: 2003-02-11
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
An article feeding apparatus for aligning selected articles of known diameter in lanes extending in a direction, said apparatus comprising:a plurality of pairs of lane guides, each pair of lane guides defining between them a lane having one lane width; at least two respective lane guide inserts disposed within at least two of said lanes between respective guides defining respective lanes to operably define respective second narrower lane widths in a down stream portion of the lanes than said one lane width; wherein said feeding apparatus includes apparatus for at least one of metering and separating articles in said lane from articles upstream thereof at a station and wherein said lane guide inserts extend from a point upstream of said station to a point downstream thereof, with said articles being oriented single file in said station, said apparatus for one of metering and separating articles comprising a transfer guide movable at an angle to and across said lanes from one to another, in a downstream direction, and said lane guide inserts being longer in lanes first traversed by said transfer guide than lane guides being later traversed thereby.