Apparatus and systems for reorienting and transferring elongate

Abstract

Systems and methods reorient head-to-head aligned leading and following articles to from an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. The leading and following articles are initially captured at their respective head portions, and thereafter laterally shifted relative to one another. The laterally shifted leading and following articles may then be pivoted so that their respective tail portions swing towards one another to thereby form an array of alternating head-to-tail oriented articles. A moveable transfer tray may be brought into a position below the captured array of head-to-tail oriented articles so that upon their release, the array of a head-to-tail oriented articles falls by gravity and into the awaiting tray therebelow. The tray may then be retracted so as to carry the array of head-to-tail articles to a remote site, preferably above a transfer conveyor. A bottom wall of the transfer tray may then be retracted causing the array of head-to-tail oriented articles to again fall by gravity onto the transfer conveyor. The transfer conveyor may thus transport the array to another location, for example, a packaging station, where a secondary transfer assembly moves the array into an awaiting empty package. Most preferably, the articles are frozen dessert cones.