Fin stock feeding apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ELONGATED METAL FIN STRIPS TO THE ASSEMBLY NEST OF AN HYDRAULIC PRESS, EACH FIN STRIP BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF SPACED NOTCHES HAVING RESTRICTED ENTRANCE OPENINGS IN ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FEED TABLE PRESENTING A SERIES OF CLOSELY SPACED NARROW UPWARDLY FACING PARALLEL ELONGATED GUIDE CHANNELS LEADING TO THE ASSEMBLY NEST, A PAIR OF PARALLEL, HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SUSPENSION RODS OVERLYING SAID TABLE AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE CHANNELS, SAID SUSPENSION RODS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SLIDABLY THEREON THE FIN STRIPS WITH THE RODS EXTENDING LOOSELY THROUGH THE NOTCHES IN THE LATTER, EACH OF SAID SUSPENSION RODS HAVING A LONG TRANSVERSE DIMENSION IN ONE DIRECTION GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF THE ENTRANCE OPENINGS OF THE NOTCHES IN THE FIN STRIPS AND A SHORT TRANSVERSE DIMENSION IN ANOTHER DIRECTION LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID ENTRANCE OPENINGS, SAID SUSPENSION RODS BEING CAPABLE OF LIMITED ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE AXES BETWEEN STRIP-SUPPORTING POSITIONS WHEREIN THE LONG DIMENSIONS THEREOF EXTEND HORIZONTALLY AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS OF RELEASE WHEREIN THE SHORT DIMENSIONS THEREOF EXTEND HORIZONTALLY, MEANS ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID FEED TABLE FOR SUPPORTING A STACK OF FIN STRIPS WITH THE LEADING STRIP IN THE STACK DISPOSED IN A VERTICAL PLANE AND WITH THE NOTCHES THEREIN IN REGISTRY WITH THE ADJACENT ENDS OF THE SUSPENSIONS RODS, PICKER MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY WITHDRAWING THE LEADING STRIP IN SAID STACK AND THREADING