Patent ID: 8418836

Claim:
An adjustable star wheel for conveying three dimensional articles around an arcuate path, said articles having a shape, wherein the star wheel is rotatable around a central axis, and wherein the star wheel comprises: rotatable elements comprising at least a first rotatable element and a second rotatable element disposed in a stacked arrangement around said central axis, wherein said rotatable elements are configured to at least partially rotate in the same or opposite directions around the central axis, each rotatable element having a center, a periphery, and at least one control surface for assisting in controlling a three dimensional article, said control surface being located near the periphery of the rotatable element, wherein the rotatable elements are free of grippers for gripping the articles, and the control surfaces on the rotatable elements may be arranged to form at least one pocket for the three dimensional articles, said pocket having a width and a depth, wherein: the first rotatable element comprises a first control surface that comprises at least a portion that is generally disposed at an angle with a radial line extending from the central axis of the first rotatable element, and said first control surface is positioned to be disposed adjacent the upstream side of a three dimensional article when it is in a pocket, the second rotatable element comprises a second control surface that comprises at least a portion that is generally disposed at an angle with a radial line extending from the central axis of the second rotatable element, and said second control surface is positioned to be disposed adjacent the downstream side of a three dimensional article when it is in a pocket, wherein the angle of the control surface on at least one rotatable element other than the first rotatable element is different from the angle of the first control surface of the first rotatable element to form the depth of at least a portion of the pocket, and wherein the boundaries of the pocket are configured by at least partially rotating at least some of said rotatable elements to adjust the location of the control surfaces of the different rotatable elements to form the pocket for the three dimensional article being conveyed, and then fixing the position of the rotatable elements before rotating the star wheel.