Patent ID: 7258222

Claim:
Article positioning machine, said articles being stable in a vertical position, both head up and head down, comprising in combination: a conveyor; a pre-orientating device having a rotary structure mounted and driven so as to rotate with respect to a shaft, and a plurality of cavities joined to said rotary structure, each cavity being sized to accept an article only in a vertical position, either head up or head down; height regulating means to adapt the cavities to different height articles; diversion means for diverting articles from the cavities to said conveyor in said vertical position, randomly head un or head down, as said rotary structure rotates, the articles being placed at regular intervals on the conveyor; detection means for detecting those articles that are in at least one of said positions, head up or head down, on the conveyor; and ejection means for selectively ejecting from the conveyor the articles that are in an undesired one of said positions, head up or head down, on the basis of said detection.