Patent attributes
Apparatus for controlling orientation of non-round containers at an outfeed station of a container inspection machine having a rotary conveyor with pockets in which the containers are individually disposed includes a flipper arm disposed adjacent to the conveyor and a spring biasing the flipper arm toward the conveyor. The flipper arm has a cam surface disposed to be engaged by a container carried by the conveyor as the container approaches the outfield station of the conveyor to cam the flipper arm outwardly with respect to the conveyor and against the force of the spring. The flipper arm has an edge adjacent to the cam surface for engaging and rotating the container as the container moves out of engagement with the cam surface and the flipper arm moves inwardly under force of the spring. The flipper arm preferably is mounted to pivot around an axis, and the spring preferably biases the flipper arm around the axis toward the conveyor. The cam surface preferably is concave, and the edge of the flipper arm preferably is at an edge of the cam surface remote from the pivot axis of the flipper arm. The flipper arm preferably also includes an abutment surface extending from the edge of the flipper arm to stabilize the container at the orientation to which the flipper arm rotates the container.
