Patent ID: 7246701

Claim:
A machine for orienting, straightening and aligning plastic vessels or bottles, comprising: a hopper for randomly loading the vessels or bottles, said hopper having a rotating cylindrical wall ( 1 ) carrying on its external face a plurality of cradles ( 5 ) with below-placed discharging channels ( 8 ); a carousel ( 7 ) with a plurality of separators ( 9 ) defining vertical channels or openings ( 10 ) that receive the vessels or bottles from said discharging channels; and a mechanical speed gear ( 50 ) for changing a ratio of a number of revolutions of said carousel with respect to a number of revolutions of said cylindrical wall, wherein said mechanical speed gear comprises, two idle toothed wheels ( 21 ) and ( 22 ) on a first motored shaft ( 12 ) that rotates said cylindrical wall, a grooved wheel ( 23 ) that is between said two toothed wheels and that is keyed-in onto said first shaft, said grooved wheel being movable between said two toothed wheels in an axial direction of said first shaft, stakes ( 31 ) on respective faces of said grooved wheel that are insertable into corresponding seats ( 32 ) in said toothed wheels to drive said toothed wheels, said toothed wheels being connected through chains ( 40 ) and ( 41 ) respectively to further toothed wheels ( 38 ) and ( 39 ) that are keyed-in onto a second shaft ( 35 ) that rotates said carousel, and a pneumatic cylinder ( 30 ) that operates on a fork ( 26 ) carrying two rollers ( 24 ) that engage a groove ( 23 a ) of said grooved wheel.