WO2007135498A2

WO2007135498A2 - Apparatus for orienting articles

Info

Publication number: WO2007135498A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/001043
Authority: WO
Inventors: Massimo Franzaroli
Original assignee: Pulsar S.R.L.
Priority date: 2006-05-16
Filing date: 2007-04-20
Publication date: 2007-11-29
Also published as: IT1367578B1; ITBO20060367A1; WO2007135498A3

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for orienting articles, in particular articles in the form of single packaged rolls (11) or a plurality of packaged rolls aligned with each other, especially in the form of rolls of paper for bathroom use or for drying and cleaning in general. The apparatus comprises article (11) conveying and supporting means (12, 14) that have an upstream end (10a) for receiving the articles (11) from a machine that packages or wraps the articles in a respective film individually or in aligned groups, and a downstream end (10b) for transferring the articles (11) in particular to a bagging machine that places a plurality of articles (11), packaged in a respective film, in an overwrapping bag. The apparatus also comprises conveying and supporting t means (12, 14) which constitute means for turning the articles (11).

Description

Apparatus for orienting articles

Technical Field

This invention relates to an apparatus used to orient articles.

In particular, the articles are individual rolls or a plurality of rolls, preferably a first and a second roll, wrapped in suitable film and axially aligned with each other.

More specifically, the articles are rolls of paper for bathroom use or for drying and cleaning in general, and similar items for household use and the like.

Background Art United States patent 7014032 in the name of the same Applicant as this invention describes means for aligning randomly positioned rolls as they move along a conveyor line, where the position of the rolls as they are fed forward may be different from the correct conveying position with the longitudinal axis oriented along the feed direction. The device described in United States patent 7014032 comprises means for conveying the articles and separate means for turning the articles from an incorrect position where their axes are directed vertically or positioned horizontally and transversely to the feed direction to a correct position where their axes are oriented along the feed direction, said turning means acting only on single rolls in a plurality of rolls that are correctly oriented lengthways.

Another device for orienting rolls is known from United States patent 5358092, said device systematically turning rolls that are being fed forward with their axes positioned longitudinally according to the feed direction to a position where their axes are positioned vertically so that they can be wrapped by a wrapping machine located downstream. This device comprises means for conveying and supporting the rolls and complex, separate means that use an elastic belt to push down on the rolls in such a way as to turn them over, but with the risk of damaging them.

Furthermore, the prior art devices are not entirely reliable in turning the rolls, which means that additional devices or personnel are required to remove incorrectly turned rolls from the line. Despite these, the risk remains that incorrectly positioned rolls will escape control and reach the machine downstream, causing shutdowns, even for prolonged lengths of time, and considerable production losses. The industry, especially the tissue paper field, feels the need for a particularly reliable device for orienting articles, in particular rolls of paper or the like.

Furthermore, the industry, especially the tissue paper field, feels the need for a device for orienting articles, in particular rolls of paper or the like, that does not in any way damage the articles.

Moreover, the industry, especially the tissue paper field, feels the need for a device for orienting articles, in particular rolls of paper or the like, that allows the articles to be conveyed at high speed, thus increasing the productivity of the installation it is part of.

Also, the industry, especially the tissue paper field, feels the need for a device for orienting articles, in particular rolls of paper or the like, that has a simple structure and/or occupies a limited amount of space.

Disclosure of the Invention

According to one advantageous aspect, it has been provided an apparatus for orienting articles, said articles being individual rolls or a plurality of rolls packaged together, and, more specifically, rolls of paper for bathroom use or for drying and cleaning in general, and similar items for household use and the like; the apparatus comprises means for conveying and supporting said articles and is characterised in that the conveying and supporting means define means for turning the articles. In this way, the articles can be turned without the risk of damaging them.

According to another aspect, it has been provided an apparatus for orienting articles, said articles being individual rolls or a plurality of rolls packaged together, and, more specifically, rolls of paper for bathroom use or for drying and cleaning in general, and similar items for household use and the like; the apparatus comprises means for conveying and supporting said articles and is characterised in that it comprises revolving wheel means for rotating the articles.

In this way, it is possible to turn the articles easily while minimizing the space required by the means that turn the articles.

The invention also provides an advantageous method for orienting articles and an advantageous method for transferring articles, as described in the appended claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other technical characteristics of the apparatus according to the invention are clearly described in the claims below and its advantages are apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention provided merely by way of example without restricting the scope of the inventive concept, and in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to this invention; - Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the first preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to this invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic top view of the first preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to this invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a first working condition;

Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a first working condition;

Figure 6 is a schematic top view of the second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a first working condition;

Figure 7 is a schematic cross section of the second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a first working condition;

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a second working condition;

Figure 9 is a schematic side view of the second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a second working condition; Figure 10 is a schematic top view of the second preferred embodiment of a roll orienting apparatus according to the invention, in a second working condition;

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of an apparatus 10 for orienting articles, in particular articles having an axis of symmetry "L" and being in the form of single packaged rolls 11 or a plurality of packaged rolls aligned with each other. More specifically, the articles 11 are rolls of paper for bathroom use or for drying and cleaning in general, and similar items, such as rolls of paper for other uses, plastic film, aluminium foil, for household use and the like.

The apparatus comprises a mounting frame - not illustrated in the accompanying drawings and having floor supporting columns and feet - and article 11 conveying and supporting means 12, 14 that have an upstream end 10a for receiving the articles 11 from a machine that packages or wraps the articles in a respective film individually or in aligned groups, and a downstream end 10b for transferring the articles 11 in particular to a bagging machine that places a plurality of articles 11, packaged in a respective film, in an overwrapping bag.

In the drawings, the rolls 11 are not wrapped in any film. The rolls, however, might also be in a packaged condition, wrapped in a respective film.

Advantageously, the apparatus comprises means 12, 14 for conveying and supporting the articles 11 and which also constitute means for turning the articles 11.

In particular, as illustrated, the conveying means define means 14a for transferring the articles 11 in a condition in which the longitudinal axis L of the articles 11 is oriented along the direction in which they are advanced or fed forward by the conveying means 12.

The conveying means also define means 12, 14a for receiving the articles

11 in a condition in which the longitudinal axis of the articles 11 is positioned transversely to the direction in which they are advanced or fed forward by the conveying means 11.

Advantageously, the article conveying means extend side by side and comprise first means 12 and second means 14 for conveying the articles 11 and having respective upstream ends 12a, 14a and respective downstream ends 12b, 14b, the upstream ends 12a, 14a extending side by side and at the same height and defining an overall width in such a way as to form means for receiving the transversely oriented articles 11. In this way, the first and second conveying means

12 and 14 can simultaneously receive and support the respective article with the respective axis oriented transversely. Means are provided for positioning the articles on the first conveying means

12 with their axes L oriented along the direction in which they are fed forward by the conveying means.

In practice, the apparatus comprises means for passing the articles from the second conveying means to the first conveying means only. As it is more apparent in the description below, the means for passing the articles may be defined by the fact that the first and second conveying means run at different conveying speeds, or by the fact that the first and second conveying means are positioned at different heights, or, as in the embodiment described, by a combination of these two features.

Thus, the first conveying means 12 advance the articles 11 at a speed Vl greater than the speed V2 at which the second means 14 advance them, and more specifically, such that the ratio between the feed speed Vl of the first conveying means 12 and the feed speed V2 of the second conveying means 14 is preferably between 1.2 and 2.5, ideally 1.5.

Further, advantageously, the second conveying means 14 extend at a level higher than the first conveying means 12, thus also defining a guide wall for the articles 11 on the first conveying means 12.

As shown in particular in Figure 2, the height of the second conveying means 14 relative to the first conveying means 12 increases from the upstream end 10a of the conveying means.

As illustrated, the second conveying means 14 extend upwards in such a way that the height of the second conveying means 14 relative to the first conveying means 12 gradually increases in the direction of article 11 feed, thus defining means for gradually passing the articles to the first conveying means 12.

In particular, the maximum height difference "d" between the second conveying means 14 and the first conveying means 12 is preferably between 0.1 and 0.5 times the diameter of the article and, ideally, substantially 0.3 times the diameter of the article 11. For example, the maximum height difference might be

30 mm when the articles being conveyed are rolls of toilet paper.

As illustrated, the first conveying means 12 extend beyond the second conveying means 14. hi particular, the length of the first conveying means 12 is substantially 1.5 times the length of the second conveying means 14 or more.

As illustrated, the first and second conveying means take the form of respective conveyor belts 12, 14, in particular of the articulated chain-link type made of plastic and, as shown, extending in a straight line.

The first and second conveying means 12, 14 also comprise respective drive motors, only the electric motor - labelled 15 - of the second conveying means being shown in the drawings.

Lateral guide means for guiding the sides of the articles, illustrated only schematically in Figure 3, may also be provided. These guide means may comprise first guide means gl and gl extending along the outer edge of the first conveying means 12 and second guide means g2 and g2 extending along the outer edge of the second conveying means 14. The lateral guide means are designed to keep the articles on the conveying means during the initial conveying stage. Also, as already stated, the second conveying means 14 define, with their respective inside wall 14c, which protrudes above the first conveying means 12, additional means for guiding the articles 11 into the lengthways position and acting in the middle section of the conveying means where they cooperate with guide means on the outer wall of the first conveying means 12 to keep the articles on the first conveying means 12.

Downstream of the second conveying means, additional guide means g2 extend from the inside wall of the first guide means, that is to say, on the extension of the side wall 14c of the second conveying means 14 in order to guide the articles 11 into the lengthways position along the feed direction, acting in conjunction with the guide means on the outer wall of the first conveying means 12.

According to the article orienting method implemented by the first embodiment of the invention, the articles are turned as they are fed forward, thus enabling high conveying speeds to be achieved.

In brief, according to the method, the conveying means receive the articles 11 with the respective longitudinal axes L, corresponding to the hollow core 11 ' around which the roll material is wound, positioned transversely to both the first and the second conveying means 12 and 14 moving side by side. Just after being received, the articles 11 are then made to turn slightly on account of the higher speed of the first conveying means 12, since the end of the article resting on the means 12 moves a little faster than the end of the article supported by the second conveying means 14.

As they advance, the articles continue turning and, on account of the increasing height difference between the second conveying means 14 and the first conveying means 12, the articles are tilted downwards slightly, putting their weight more on the means 12.

Thanks to the tilt of the articles 11, which increases gradually as they advance, the articles 11 are transferred to the first conveying means 12 with their axes L oriented along the feed direction, as shown clearly in Figure 3.

The side wall 14c facing the first conveying means 12 at the end of the second conveying means 14 guides the articles onto the first conveying means 12.

According to another aspect, it may be stated that the invention advantageously provides means for systematically turning the articles 11, that is to say, for turning all the articles, from a position where their axes L are horizontal and oriented transversely to the feed direction, to a position where their axes L are oriented along the feed direction, as indicated by the arrow "A" in the drawings. At the end of the conveying means 10, means 21 might be provided for engaging the rolls by striking a part of each roll in such a way as to start or facilitate the rotational movement which is then completed, as described above, on the conveying means, as shown in Figure 3. Figures 4 to 7 illustrate a second preferred embodiment 110 of the apparatus according to the invention for orienting articles, in particular articles having an axis of symmetry L oriented transversely and being in the form of single packaged rolls 11 or a plurality of packaged rolls aligned with each other. More specifically, the articles 11 are rolls of paper for bathroom use or for drying and cleaning in general, and similar items, such as rolls of paper for other uses, plastic film, aluminium foil, for household use and the like.

The apparatus 110 comprises a mounting frame - not illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings - and article 11 conveying and supporting means for receiving and supporting the articles 11 and which have an upstream end 110a for receiving the articles 11 in particular from a conveyor 108 upstream, and a downstream end HOb for transferring the articles 11 in particular to a conveyor 106 downstream.

As illustrated, the width of the conveying means at the upstream end 1 10a is substantially the same as the length of the rolls 11, while the width of the conveying means at the downstream end HOb is substantially the same as the diameter of the rolls.

In practice, that means the conveying means may be made to differ in width at the upstream end area 110a and downstream end area 110b to suit the specific arrangement of the rolls being fed forward, thereby avoiding the risk of the rolls being misaligned.

For this purpose, there are lateral guides g3 and g3 upstream which are suitably spaced from each other and lateral guides g4 and g4 downstream which are suitably spaced from each other or which, more specifically, may differ in spacing relative to the guides g3, g3. Advantageously, the second preferred embodiment of the apparatus comprises means for moving or arranging the article 11 in the desired position and which act on the article 11 while it is being advanced on the feed means 120, 122. Advantageously, the second preferred embodiment comprises revolving wheel means for rotating the articles. In particular, to move the article 11 from a position where its axis L is oriented transversely to the transport or feed direction A to a position where its axis L is oriented lengthways or along the transport or feed direction A, first and second revolving means are provided for engaging respective portions l la, 1 Ib of the articles 11, said means being embodied by respective revolving wheels 112,

114, preferably made of plastic and each having a rubber ring around it to soften the contact with the articles 11 and improve friction with the respective surfaces. As illustrated, each revolving wheel 112, 114 is mounted on a shaft 113,

115, driven by respective means 113a, 115a attached laterally to the means 111 that support the conveying means 120, 122, relative to which the shaft 1 13, 115 extends upwards with the respective axis of rotation 113, 115 oriented in a substantially vertical direction. As illustrated, the article is preferably in the form of a body having a cylindrical lateral surface l ie, an axis L and opposite end surfaces, labelled l la and l ib, transversal to the axis L. The revolving wheels 112, 114 are designed to engage a respective transversal surface lla, 1 Ib of the article.

The first and second opposite revolving wheel means 112, 114 revolve at different speeds in such a way as to advance the articles in the feed direction, causing the articles to rotate horizontally, and are positioned on both sides of the conveying means at the free end of the respective shafts 113, 115 above the surface of the conveying means that support the articles.

The first and second revolving wheel means 112, 114 are normally positioned on each side of the article transit areas and extend to a position where they impinge on the respective transversal surface l la, l ib of the article 11.

Means are provided for adjusting the transversal distance between the first and second revolving wheel means 112, 114 so that the apparatus according to the invention can be adapted to different roll sizes. The adjustment means can be operated by respective knobs 113b, 115b which turn a corresponding pin connected to the frame 111 and move the frame that mounts the wheel drive means and the wheel itself sideways.

According to another aspect, it may be stated that the invention advantageously provides means for systematically turning the articles 11, that is to say, for turning all the articles, from a position where their axes L are horizontal and oriented transversely to the feed direction, to a position where their axes L are oriented along the feed direction, as indicated by the arrow "A" in the drawings.

As illustrated, the articles are turned in a horizontal plane parallel to the surface of the conveying means that supports the articles. As illustrated in Figures 8 to 10, the second preferred embodiment of the apparatus also comprises means for moving the article 11 from a position where its axis is vertical to a position where its axis is oriented lengthways, said means being embodied by wheel means 116, 118 designed to engage a corresponding portion of each article 11. More specifically, the revolving wheel means 116, 118 are designed to engage a respective transversal face 11a of the article 11.

In particular, for moving the article 11 from a position where its axis is vertical to a position where its axis is oriented lengthways, a first and a second wheel 116 and 118 are provided for engaging a corresponding portion 11a of each article 11 and whose respective axis of rotation 117 is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction.

As illustrated, the first and second revolving wheels 116, 118 are transversally spaced from each other and are mounted on a single revolving shaft 117, driven by a single motor 119.

The revolving wheel means 116, 118 revolve in such a way as to advance the articles in the feed direction and are positioned above the conveying means, substantially aligned with the top of the conveying means 120, 122 that support the articles.

As illustrated, the wheel means 116, 118 are spaced from the conveying and supporting surface at a position where they impinge on the corresponding lateral surface 11a of the article 11 and means are provided for adjusting the vertical distance of the revolving means 116, 118 relative to the supporting means so that the second embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention can be adapted to different roll sizes. The adjustment means can be operated by a knob 117a which turns a corresponding pin 117b connected to the frame 111 and moves the frame 117' that mounts the wheel drive means and the wheels 116, 118 themselves vertically. The second preferred embodiment preferably comprises means for conveying the articles 11 and being embodied by narrow longitudinal feed belts 120, 122 which engage the bottom of the article 11.

If the articles are not longitudinally spaced far enough apart to allow them to be rotated by the wheels, suitable means can be provided to space them from each other by a predetermined distance so that each article can be tipped over.

According to another aspect, it may be stated that the invention thus advantageously provides means for systematically turning the articles, that is to say, for turning all the articles, in a vertical plane from a position where their axes

L are oriented vertically and perpendicular to the conveying means, to a position where their axes L are oriented along the feed direction A.

It will be understood, however, that the second embodiment of the apparatus might also be used in a conveyor line where the rolls or articles are normally positioned with their axes oriented along the feed direction to align incorrectly positioned articles or rolls whose axes are oriented transversely or perpendicularly, in particular, vertically, relative to the feed direction.

It has been thus provided an advantageous method for orienting articles 11 whereby the articles are turned directly by the means 12, 14 that convey and support the articles themselves.

It is also provided an advantageous method for orienting articles 11 whereby the articles are turned by making corresponding parts of each article 11 advance at different speeds Vl, V2. It is also provided an advantageous method for transferring articles 11 whereby the articles are passed between respective conveying means 12, 14 by making corresponding parts of each article advance at different speeds Vl, V2.

It is also provided an advantageous method for transferring articles 11 whereby the articles are passed between respective conveying means 12, 14 by positioning parts of each article 11 at different heights.

The invention described is susceptible of industrial application and may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all the details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for orienting articles, said articles being individual rolls (11) or a plurality of rolls packaged together, and, more specifically, being rolls of paper for bathroom or household use, for drying and cleaning in general, and the like; the apparatus comprising means (12, 14) for conveying and supporting said articles and being characterised in that the conveying and supporting means (12, 14) define means for turning the articles (11).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the conveying means define means (14a) for transferring the articles (11) in a condition in which the longitudinal axis (L) of the articles (11) is oriented along the conveying direction (A).

3. The apparatus according to either of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the conveying means define means (12, 14a) for receiving the articles (11) in a condition in which the longitudinal axis (L) of the articles (11) is positioned transversely to the direction (A) in which they are advanced by the conveying means (11).

4. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that the means for conveying the articles comprise first means (12) and second means (14) for conveying the articles (11).

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that the first conveying means (12) and the second conveying means (14) extend side by side.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the first and second conveying means have respective upstream ends (12a, 14a) positioned side by side.

7. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 6, characterised in that the first and second conveying means (12, 14) have respective upstream ends (12a, 14a) whose width defines means for receiving the transversely oriented articles (11).

8. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 7, characterised in that the first and second conveying means (12, 14) have respective upstream ends (12a, 14a) which are at the same height.

9. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 8, characterised in that it comprises means for positioning the articles on the first conveying means (12) with their axes (L) oriented along the direction (A) in which they are fed forward by the conveying means.

10. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 9, characterised in that the first conveying means (12) advance the articles (11) at a speed (Vl) greater than the speed (V2) at which the second means (14) advance them.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterised in that the ratio between the feed speed (Vl) of the first conveying means (12) and the feed speed (V2) of the second conveying means (14) is preferably between 1.2 and 2.5 and, ideally, is 1.5.

12. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 11, characterised in that the second conveying means (14) extend at a level higher than the first conveying means (12).

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterised in that the second conveying means (14) extend at a level higher than the first conveying means (12), thus defining a guide wall for the articles (11) on the first conveying means (12).

14. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 13, characterised in that the height of the second conveying means (14) relative to the first conveying means (12) gradually increases in the direction of article (11) feed, thus defining means for gradually passing the articles to the first conveying means (12).

15. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 14, characterised in that the maximum height difference between the second conveying means (14) and the first conveying means (12) is preferably between

0.1 and 0.5 times the diameter of the article and, ideally, substantially 0.3 times the diameter of the article.

16. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 15, characterised in that the height of the second conveying means (14) relative to the first conveying means (12) increases from the upstream end (10a) of the conveying means.

17. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 16, characterised in that the first conveying means (12) extend longitudinally beyond the second conveying means (14).

18. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 16, characterised in that the length of the first conveying means (12) is substantially 1.5 times the length of the second conveying means (14) or more.

19. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 18, characterised in that the conveying means (14) extend upwards.

20. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 19, characterised in that the first conveying means take the form of a respective conveyor belt (12).

21. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 4 to 20, characterised in that the second conveying means take the form of a respective conveyor belt (14).

22. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the conveying means (12, 14) extend in a straight line.

23. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the first and second conveying means (12, 14) have a respective drive motor (15).

24. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that it comprises lateral guide means for guiding the sides of the articles.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, characterised in that the guide means comprise first guide means extending along the outer edge of the first conveying means and second guide means extending along the outer edge of the second conveying means.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24 or 25, characterised in that the second conveying means (14) means define, with their respective inside wall (14c) intermediate means for guiding the articles.

27. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means for systematically positioning or systematically turning the articles from a position where their axes (L) are oriented transversely to the feed direction (A), to a position where their axes (L) are oriented along the feed direction (A).

28. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises revolving wheel means for rotating the articles.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27 or 28 or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that for moving the article (11) from a position with axis (L) transversal to a position with axis (L) longitudinal, first and second revolving means (112, 114) are provided for engaging respective portions of the articles and which take the form of respective revolving wheels.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterised in that the revolving wheels (112, 114) have respective axes of rotation (113, 115) oriented in a substantially vertical direction.

31. The apparatus according to claim 29 or 30, characterised in that each revolving wheel (112, 114) is designed to engage a respective transversal surface (l la, l ib) of the article.

32. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 29 to 31, characterised in that the first and second revolving wheel means (112, 114) revolve at different speeds in such a way as to advance the articles in the feed direction.

33. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 29 to 32, characterised in that the first and second revolving wheel means (112, 114) are positioned on both sides of the conveying means above the surface of the conveying means that support the articles.

34. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 29 to 33, characterised in that the first and second revolving wheel means (112, 114) are positioned on each side of the article transit areas and extend to a position where they impinge on the respective transversal surface (Ha, 1 Ib) of the article (11).

35. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 29 to 34, characterised in that it comprises means for adjusting the transversal distance between the first and second revolving wheel means (112, 114).

36. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the preamble to claim 1, characterised in that for moving the article (11) from a position with axis (L) vertical to a position with axis (L) longitudinal, revolving wheel means (116, 118) are provided for engaging a respective portion of the articles (11).

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, characterised in that the revolving wheel means (116, 118) are designed to engage a respective transversal face (1 Ia) of the article (11).

38. The apparatus according to claim 36 or 37, characterised in that for moving the article (11) from a position with axis (L) vertical to a position with axis (L) longitudinal, a first and a second wheel (116, 118) are provided for engaging a respective portion (1 Ia) of the articles (11).

39. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 36 to 38, characterised in that the respective axes of rotation (117) of the revolving wheel means (116, 118) are oriented in a substantially horizontal direction.

40. The apparatus according to claim 38 or 39, characterised in that the first and second revolving wheels (116, 118) are mounted on a single revolving shaft (117).

41. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 36 to 40, characterised in that the revolving wheel means (116, 118) engage the articles in such a way as to cause them to rotate as they advance in the feed direction (A).

42. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 36 to 41, characterised in that the revolving wheel means (116, 118) are positioned above the conveying means, substantially aligned with the top of the conveying means (120, 122) that support the articles.

43. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 36 to 42, characterised in that the revolving wheel means (116, 118) are spaced from the conveying surface at a position where they impinge on the corresponding lateral surface (1 Ia) of the article (11).

44. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 36 to 43, characterised in that it comprises means (117a, 117b) for adjusting the vertical, or perpendicular, distance of the revolving means (116, 118) relative to the conveying means (120, 122).

45. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 38 to 44, characterised in that the first and second revolving wheels (116, 118) are driven by a single motor (119).

46. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims from 36 to 45, characterised in that it comprises article (11) conveying means in the form of respective longitudinal feed belts (120, 122) which engage the bottom of the article (11).

47. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that it comprises means (21) for engaging the articles (11) by striking a part of each article (11) in such a way as to facilitate its rotational movement.

48. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims or according to the pprreeaammbbllee t too ccllaaiimm 11,, cchnaarraacctteerπisseedα i inn t mhaatt i itt ccoommpprriisseess mmeeaannss f toorr ppaasssing the aarrttiicclleess ffrroomm sseeccoonndd ccoonnvveeyyiinngg mmeeaannss ( (1144)) ttoo fifirrsstt ccoonnvveevyiinnge mmeeaannss C (l122))..

49. The apparatus according to claims 36 to 48 or according to the preamble to claim 36, characterised in that it comprises means for systematically positioning or systematically turning the articles from a position where their axes (L) are oriented vertically to a position where their axes (L) are oriented along the feed direction (A).

50. A method for orienting articles, said articles being individual rolls (11) or a plurality of rolls packaged together, and, more specifically, being rolls of paper for bathroom or household use, for drying and cleaning in general, and the like; the method being characterised in that it comprises the step of turning the articles using the means (12, 14) that convey and support the articles.

51. The method according to claim 50, characterised in that the articles are turned by causing respective parts of each article to advance at different speeds (Vl, V2).

52. A method for transferring articles, said articles being individual rolls (11) or a plurality of rolls packaged together, and, more specifically, being rolls of paper for bathroom or household use, for drying and cleaning in general, and the like; the method being characterised in that the articles are passed between respective conveying means (12, 14) by causing respective parts of each article to advance at different speeds (Vl, V2).

53. A method for transferring articles, said articles being individual rolls (11) or a plurality of rolls packaged together, and, more specifically, being rolls of paper for bathroom or household use, for drying and cleaning in general, and the like; the method being characterised in that the articles are passed between respective conveying means (12, 14) by positioning parts of each article at different heights.