Article gauging and sorting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR GAUGING A DIMENSION OF EACH OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES AND FOR SORTING THE ARTICLES INTO A NUMBER OF GRADES ACCORDING TO THE RESPECTIVE GAUGED DIMENSIONS OF THE ARTICLES, WHICH COMPRISES A GAUGING ELEMENT POSITIONED AT A GAUGING STATION AND MOVABLE INTERMITTENTLY INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH AN ARTICLE THEREAT, MOVABLE GUIDE MEANS FOR DIRECTING THE GAUGED ARTICLES INDIVIDUALLY FROM THE GAUGING ELEMENT TO A PLURALITY OF LOCATIONS, EACH LOCATION CORRESPONDING TO ONE GRADE OF THE ARTICLES, A FLUID CYLINDER HAVING A MOVABLE PISTON, SAID PISTON BEING CONNECTED OPERATIVELY TO THE GUIDE MEANS WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF THE PISTON CAUSES CORRESPONDING MOVEMENT OF THE GUIDE MEANS, MEANS TENDING TO MAINTAIN AN EQUILIBRIUM OF PRESSURES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PISTON SO AS TO TEND TO HOLD THE PISTON STATIONARY, A PLURALITY OF MEANS OPERABLE SELECTIVELY FOR TENDING TO UNBALANCE SAID EQUILIBRIUM OF PRESSURES SO AS TO TEND TO FORCE THE PISTON IN A DIRECTION OF THE LOWER OF THE UNBALANCED PRESSURES UNTIL THE EQUILIBRIUM OF PRESSURES IS RESTORED, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL SWITCHES, AN ELECTRICAL CONTROL CIRCUIT INTERCONNECTING SAID SWITCHES WITH INDIVIDUAL OF SAID UNBALANCING MEANS, AN ACTUATOR ROD ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT BY THE GAUGING ELEMENT AS THE LATTER MOVES INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ARTICLE TO BE GAUGED, AND A PLURALITY OF SWITCH-ACTUATING MEMBERS MOUNTED FIXEDLY ON THE ACTUATOR ROD FOR COOPERATION WITH CORRESPONDING ONES OF SAID SWITCHES, SAID SWITCHES AND SAID SWITCH-ACTUATING MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED SO THAT THE SWITCHES ARE ACTUATED IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE FOR OPERATING SELECTIVELY ONE OF SAID UNBALACING MEANS, THE NUMBER OF SWITCHES ACTUATED DURING THE GAUGING OF AN ARTICLE DEPENDING ON THE DIMENSION OF SAID ARTICLE GAUGED AND DETERMING THE SELECTION OF THE UNBALANCING MEANS TO BE OPERATED, SO THAT SAID GUIDE MEANS IS BEING MOVED BY SAID PISTON UPON OPERATION OF THE SELECTED UNBALANCING MEANS TO DIRECT THE GAUGED ARTICLES FROM THE GAUGING MEANS TO A LOCATION DESIGNATED FOR RECEIVING THE GRADE OF ARTICLES INCLUDING THE GAUGED DIMENSION.