Patent ID: 7337596

Claim:
A manually operated apparatus for uniformly orienting a multiplicity of oblong capsule shells of circular cross section each having a cap fitted telescopically onto a smaller diameter body comprising: an upper alignment plate forming a capsule orienting tray and defining a matrix of uniformly aligned, oblong, horizontal capsule drop slots therethrough, wherein each of said capsule drop slots has a length and width sufficient to permit passage of said capsules therethrough while in a horizontal disposition, a capsule rectifying plate located directly beneath and parallel to said upper alignment plate and having horizontal capsule rectifying apertures defined therein corresponding to, parallel to, and shaped lengthwise as said capsule drop slots but with opposing ends wider than said capsule bodies and narrower than said capsule caps and midsections wider than said capsule caps, and the ratio of the length of said midsections to the entire length of said capsule rectifying apertures is between about 0.15 and about 0.20 to one, a funnel tray located beneath said capsule rectifying plate and including funnels located beneath said drop apertures and said rectifying apertures and having circular funnel discharge apertures large enough to provide clearance for passage of said capsules therethrough while in a vertical orientation, a capsule receiving tray having circular capsule receiving apertures defined therein and located directly beneath said funnel discharge apertures, and wherein a selected one of said upper alignment and capsule rectifying plates is mounted in laterally reciprocal fashion relative to the other of said plates, alternatively between a capsule discharge position in which said capsule rectifying apertures reside in vertical registration with said capsule drop slots, and a capsule orienting position in which said capsule rectifying apertures are at least partially laterally offset from said capsule drop slots.