US PATENT SUBCLASS 198 / 382
.~ By conveying randomly faced items and turning items to uniform facing

Current as of: June, 1999
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198 /   HD   CONVEYORS: POWER-DRIVEN

373  DF  CONVEYOR FOR CHANGING ATTITUDE OF ITEM RELATIVE TO CONVEYED DIRECTION {12}
382.~ By conveying randomly faced items and turning items to uniform facing {5}
383  DF  .~.~> Including significantly shaped portion of conveyor cooperating with significantly shaped item to face item {7}
394  DF  .~.~> By conveying an item that has a position characteristic and rotating the item until it is positioned
395  DF  .~.~> With control means actuated in response to sensing of improperly faced item
396  DF  .~.~> Including separating item from scrambled supply hopper {1}
398  DF  .~.~> By distinguishing between alternatively faced items and conveying uniformly faced items {2}

DEFINITION

Classification: 198/382

(under subclass 373) Apparatus wherein the initial attitude of any article is unpredictable and wherein as the article is conveyed on or by a conveyor its attitude relative to its path of conveyance is caused to be predictable.

(1) Note. Included in this and indented subclasses are devices wherein articles are supplied in a hopper or on a conveyor in a haphazard array, or faced in a direction relative to the conveyor in a manner which cannot be predicted to occur. If, by change, a particular article is properly faced on the conveyor, no change in its attitude will occur. However, if an article is improperly faced, either its attitude or its facing will be corrected, or it will be returned to supply for reconveyance and proper refacing; in either event, the attitude must be changed or corrected to be moved through the conveyor.

(2) Note. In this and indented subclasses, the meaning of the word "uniform" will vary with the intent of the disclosure. For example, if in one disclosure the article at its source is in a haphazard (i.e., random) array, and at its destination the article is in an attitude which is acceptable as disclosed (e.g., one of two attitudes, either of which is acceptable), then the occurrence of that attitude is predictable and, therefore, is "uniform" in accordance with the disclosed intent. However, if in another disclosure the article at its source is in one of the two attitudes, the occurrence of which attitude is not predictable (i.e., random), and at its destination the article must be faced in only one particular attitude to be acceptable as disclosed, then only the proper attitude is predictable and, therefore, is "uniform" in accordance with the other disclosed intent.