Apparatus for separating and feeding articles

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR CHANGING SERIES MOVEMENT OF ARTICLES TO SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES, A SERIES CONVEYOR FOR CONTINUOUSLY CARRYING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES SPACED IN SERIATIM, A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING TRANSVERSE CONVEYOR DISPOSED ADJACENT AND MOVING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID SERIES CONVEYOR, A PLURARITY OF AIR JETS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE UPPER PASS OF SAID SERIES CONVEYOR FOR DISPLACING ARTICLES FROM THE SERIES CONVEYOR ONTO THE TRANSVERSE CONVEYOR AS THEY MOVE ADJACENT THE TRANSVERSE CONVEYOR, A SOLENOID OPERATED VALVE FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO EACH AIR JET, AND MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVELY OPENING THE SOLENOID VALVES IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PASSAGE OF ARTICLES ON SAID SERIES CONVEYOR ADJACENT SAID TRANSVERSE CONVEYOR, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF LIGHT BEAMS AND LIGHT-SENSITIVE CELLS DISPOSED PARALLEL TO THE SERIES CONVEYOR, THE LIGHT BEAMS TRAVERSING THE PATHS OF THE ARTICLES ON THE SERIES CONVEYOR, AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONNECTING THE LIGHT-SENSITIVE CELLS AND THE SOLENOIDS WHEREBY INTERRUPTION OF A LIGHT BEAM TO A CELL ACTUATES A SOLENOID CAUSING A DISPLACEMENT OF AN ARTICLE FROM THE SERIES CONVEYOR.