Forging machine

Claim 1

IN A FORGING MACHINE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED HAVING A FORGING HEAD RECIPROCAL ALONG A PLANE AND A PAIR OF WORKPIECE GRIPPING DIES ADJACENT SAID HEAD EACH PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF WORKPIECE GRIPPING RECESSES IN SPACED COPLANAR RELATION THEREON IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID PLANE AND A PAIR OF WORKPIECE GRIPPING FINGERS ACTUATABLE TO MOVE A WORKPIECE BETWEEN SAID DIES FOR SUCCESSIVELY DISPOSING THE SAME ADJACENT OPPOSED RECESSES AND SAID GRIPPING DIES BEING CLOSED IN PREDETERMINED TIMED RELATION TO THE RECIPROCATION OF SAID FORGING HEAD AS TO SECURELY HOLD SAID WORKPIECE IN SAID OPPOSED RECESSES WHILE WORK IS PERFORMED THEREON BY SAID HEAD; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF WORKPIECE DELIVERY AND FEEDING APPARATUS FOR PRESENTING A WORKPIECE TO SAID DIES, COMPRISING FRAME MEANS ADJACENT SAID FORGING HEAD, PLATE MEANS ON SAID FRAME MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE ENDS OF A WORKPIECE WHILE THE LATTER MOVES THEREON ALONG A PATH LATERALLY OF SAID PLANE, A PLURALITY OF BLOCK ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN SAID PATH, A FIRST PART ON EACH OF SAID BLOCK ELEMENTS FOR RECEIVING SAID WORKPIECE FROM SAID PLATE MEANS AS TO CONTINUE THE MOVEMENT OF SAID WORKPIECE ALONG SAID PATH, SHELF MEANS ON EACH OF SAID BLOCK ELEMENTS FOR RECEIVING SAID WORKPIECE FROM SAID FIRST PART BEING OPERABLE TO INTERRUPT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID WORKPIECE ALONG SAID PATH, CONVEYOR MEANS EXTENDING ALONG SAID PATH, EJECTOR MEANS AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS ALONG SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, SAID CONVEYOR MEANS BEING CONTINUOUSLY MOVABLE ALONG SAID PATH TO CARRY SAID EJECTOR MEANS PERIODICALLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH A WORKPIECE ON SAID SHELF MEANS EFFECTIVE TO DISLODGE THE LATTER FROM SAID SHELF MEANS AND DISCHARGE THE SAME ONTO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, SAID EJECTOR MEANS THENCE BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID DISCHARGED WORKPIECE FOR DIRECTING ITS CONVEYANCE ALONG SAID PATH BY SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, AND MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID WORKPIECE FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID WORKPIECE AS IT IS MOVED THROUGH SAID DIES.