Rotary feed apparatus

Claim 1

A ROTARY FEED APPARATUS HAVING A SLOTTED TABLE PLATE AND A DRIVEN CONTINUOUS LOOP CONVEYOR HAVING A CONVEYOR FLIGHT PARALLELLY UNDERLYING THE SLOT OF SAID TABLE PLATE, SAID SLOT PROVIDING A DISCHARGE OPENING THROUGH THE PLATE, A ROTATABLE CYLINDRICAL DRUM OVERLYING THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF THE SLOT AND HAVING ITS ROTATIVE AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID TABLE SLOT AND CONVEYOR, THE SAID DRUM HAVING ELONGATED POCKETS ALTERNATING WITH RELATIVELY PARALLEL RIBS AXIALLY TRANSVERSELY AT ITS OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL FACE FOR LOOSELY HOLDING ELONGATED ARTICLES, SAID POCKETS BEING INTERSECTED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY BY A STRIPPING GROOVE, A STRIPPING FINGER HAVING AN END PORTION LYING IN SAID STRIPPING GROOVE ADJACENTLY OVERLYING THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF THE SLOT WHEREBY THE STRIPPED ARTICLES MAY FALL FROM THE POCKETS INTO SAID SLOT AND ONTO THE UNDERLYING CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DRUM INCLUDING A TRAIN OF DRIVEN SPROCKET GEARS, SAID TRAIN OF GEARS INCLUDING RATIO GEARS ADAPTED FOR TIMING THE ROTATION OF THE DRUM RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYING FLIGHT OF THE CONVEYOR WHICH UNDERLIES SAID SLOT, THE SAID TABLE PLATE HAVING AN ANCILLARY SECOND OPENING THERETHROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND ADJACENTLY SPACED FROM SAID DISCHARGE TABLE SLOT, SAID SECOND OPENING BEING LATERALLY OFFSET FROM OVERLYING RELATION RELATIVE TO THE CONVEYOR.