Article feeding apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES FROM A PLURALITY OF BATCH ARRANGEMENTS OF THE ARTICLES TO A DELIVERY LOCATION ONE AT A TIME INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RACKS EACH ADAPTED TO HOLD A BATCH OF SAID ARTICLES, CARRYING MEANS MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID RACKS, A TRACK DEFINING A PATH OF MOVEMENT FOR SAID ARTICLES HAVING ONE END ADJACENT THE CARRYING MEANS AND ITS OTHER END ADJACENT SAID DELIVERY LOCATION, LATCH MEANS FOR MAINTAINING ONE OF SAID RACKS IN REGISTRATION WITH SAID ONE END OF THE TRACK, CONVEYING MEANS FOR MOVING THE ARTICLES OFF SAID ONE RACK AND IN SINGLE FILE ALONG SAID TRACK, AN ESCAPEMENT MEANS ARRANGED TO PERMIT ARTICLES TO BE CONVEYED TO THE DELIVERY LOCATION ONE AT A TIME, DETECTING MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OF MORE OR LESS THAN A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ARTICLES LOCATED ON SAID TRACK AND ACTUATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID DETECTING MEANS FOR MOMENTARILY DEACTIVATING SAID LATCH MEANS AND PERMITTING SAID CARRYING MEANS TO REMOVE THE ONE OF SAID RACKS FROM REGISTRATION WITH THE ONE END OF THE TRACK AND MOVE ANOTHER OF SAID RACKS INTO REGISTRATION WITH SAID ONE END.