Patent ID: 6863173

Claim:
A reorientation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor having a support surface for an article to be reoriented, the conveyor being operable to displace the support surface in a conveying direction; an abutment member having an elongate abutment surface extending at an angle to the conveying direction adjacent the support surface, the article being conveyed, by displacement of the support surface, contacting the abutment surface, continued displacement of the support surface while the article is in contact with the support surface tending to turn the article as the article is conveyed while contacting the abutment surface; and an orienting gate assembly downstream of the abutment surface in the conveying direction, the gate assembly having a pair of gates displaceable between a first narrow or closed configuration in which the gates define a channel that narrows in the conveying direction to trap the article passing through the channel, and a second open configuration in which the channel is wider at least at a downstream end to release the trapped article.