Device for orienting capsules in a beverage producing machine

1. A device for orienting capsules, comprising:

a container for receiving randomly oriented capsules, said container having a bottom wall with at least two apertures;

a rotor arranged in said container above said bottom wall and rotating around a rotor axis, said rotor having at least one capsule receiving pocket rotating therewith and moving along the bottom wall, the receiving pocket having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, said capsules entering said capsule receiving pocket through said inlet opening and exiting said capsule receiving pocket through said outlet opening;

a capsule collector arranged under the two apertures for receiving capsules discharged from the capsule receiving pocket through either one or the other of the two apertures;

wherein said at least one capsule receiving pocket and said two apertures are shaped and arranged such that the capsules randomly contained in said container fall from the capsule receiving pocket selectively through either one or the other of the two apertures and exit therethrough, depending on their orientation in the capsule receiving pocket, selective passage through one or the other of the two apertures resulting in all the capsules entering the capsule collector with the same orientation;

wherein one of said at least two apertures is tapered in a radially inward oriented direction with respect to said rotor axis, and another of said at least two apertures is tapered in a radially outward oriented direction with respect to said rotor axis; and

wherein said at least two apertures are configured to allow the capsules to pass across said apertures in only one of two possible horizontal orientations which the capsules can take up in said at least one pocket, so that all capsules exiting said apertures will have the same orientation.

2. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one capsule receiving pocket has a cross-sectional shape such that capsules can enter the capsule receiving pocket only with a longitudinal capsule axis pre-oriented, with respect to the rotor axis.

3. Device according to claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shape of said capsule receiving pocket is such that the capsules can enter said capsule receiving pocket only with a longitudinal capsule axis oriented approximately orthogonal to the rotor axis.

4. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said two apertures are configured to allow the capsules to pass across said apertures in only one of two possible orientations which the capsules can take up in said at least one pocket, so that all capsules exiting said apertures will have the same orientation.

5. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said capsule receiving pocket is provided with rim retention members for retaining a rim of a capsule received in said capsule receiving pocket in either one or the other of two alternative positions.

6. Device according to claim 5 , wherein a first rim retention member arranged nearer to the rotor axis and a second rim retention member is arranged more distant from the rotor axis.

7. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two apertures are arranged in two approximately diametrically opposite positions around said rotor axis.

8. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said two apertures are shaped and positioned so that a capsule positioned in the capsule receiving pocket with the rim facing the rotor axis will be released in a first one of said two apertures, and a capsule positioned in the capsule receiving pocket with the rim facing away from the rotor axis will be released in a second one of said two apertures.

9. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said two apertures are arranged at different distances from the rotor axis.

10. Device according to claim 9 , wherein said two apertures have different dimensions.

11. Device according to claim 10 , wherein a first one of said two apertures is entirely located in the bottom wall of said container, and a second one of said two apertures extends along a side wall of said container.

12. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said two apertures have a shape corresponding to a longitudinal section of the capsules.

13. Device according to claim 12 , wherein said two apertures are located at the same distance from the rotor axis.

14. Device according to claim 12 , wherein each aperture has a first edge and a second edge, different from one another, and wherein said two apertures have the same orientation with respect to the rotor axis.

15. Device according to claim 1 , wherein said capsule collector comprises two capsule unloading ducts, each one being provided with a respective duct inlet located under a respective one of said two apertures, said capsule unloading ducts being arranged such that oriented capsules are released under the influence of gravity from said at least one capsule receiving pocket through either one or the other of said two apertures in the corresponding capsule unloading duct.

16. Device according to claim 15 , wherein said capsule collector comprises at least one curved duct along which each capsule released from said container rotates so that said capsule exits the capsule collector rotated by 90° with respect to the position taken by the capsule in said capsule receiving pocket.

17. Device according to claim 16 , wherein the capsule unloading ducts are arranged to unload the capsules in a capsule collecting channel.

18. A beverage producing machine comprising a beverage-preparing unit and a capsule orienting device according to claim 1 .

19. Device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotor has a conical upper surface.