Method for handling glassware articles

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF HANDLING IRREGULARLY SHAPED MOLDED ARTICLES WHICH ARE SHAPED AND ADAPTED TO STAND IN UPRIGHT POSITION ON A HORIZONTAL BOTTOM SUPPORT WITH THEIR AXES VERTICAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING BRINGING THE ARTICLES IN SUCCESSION IN PAIRS SPACED APART HORIZONTALLY AT FIXED DISTANCES AND AT REGULAR INTERVALS FOR SUPPORT ON A PAIR OF MOLD BOTTOM PLATES, THEIR MAJOR HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONS BEING ALIGNED AND DIRECTED FORWARDLY, TRANSFERRING THE PAIRS OF ARTICLES IN SUCCESSION FROM SAID BOTTOM PLATES TO A DELIVERY STATION HORIZONTALLY SPACED FORWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM PLATES, EACH ARTICLE BEING MOVED FROM THE BOTTOM PLATES TO THE DELIVERY STATION IN A PATH COMPRISING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPONENTS, THE TRANSFER OPERATION COMPRISING GRIPPING THE ARTICLE WHILE SUPPORTED ON THE BOTTOM PLATES, LIFTING THEM, MOVING THEM FORWARDLY AND LOWERING THEM AT THE DELIVERY STATION, MAINTAINING EACH OF THE ARTICLES WITH THEIR AXES VERTICAL THROUGHOUT THE TRANSFER, ROTATING THE ARTICLES ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THEIR VERTICAL AXES DURING THE TRANSFER TO THE DELIVERY STATION SO THAT THE MAJOR HORIZONTAL DIMENSION OF EACH IS IN PREDETERMINED POSITION OF ROTATION, SHIFTING THE PAIR OF ARTICLES HORIZONTALLY TOWARD EACH OTHER DURING SAID ROTATION THEREOF TO CLOSE THE SPACING THEREBETWEEN, RELEASING THE WARE AT SAID DELIVERY STATION TO A HORIZONTALLY TRAVELING CONVEYOR WHICH RECEIVES THE ARTICLES IN PLURAL ROWS, THE ARTICLES BEING ORIENTED BY SAID ROTATION SO THAT THEIR MAJOR HORIZONTAL DIMENSION EXTENDS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND AT AN ANGLE OF 45* WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID CONVEYOR, THE SPACING BETWEEN THE ARTICLES IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THEIR MAJOR DIMENSION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF THE ARTICLES, WHEREBY TIPPING OF ONE ARTICLE WILL AVOID FALLING AGAINST OTHER ARTICLES.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF HANDLING IRREGULARLY SHAPED MOLDED ARTICLES WHICH ARE SHAPED AND ADAPTED TO STAND IN UPRIGHT POSITION ON A HORIZONTAL BOTTOM SUPPORT WITH THEIR AXES VERTICAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING BRINGING THE ARTICLES IN SUCCESSION IN PAIRS SPACED APART HORIZONTALLY AT FIXED DISTANCES AND AT REGULAR INTERVALS FOR SUPPORT ON A PAIR OF MOLD BOTTOM PLATES, THEIR MAJOR HORIZONTAL DIMENSIONS BEING ALIGNED AND DIRECTED FORWARDLY, TRANSFERRING THE PAIRS OF ARTICLES IN SUCCESSION FROM SAID BOTTOM PLATES TO A DELIVERY STATION HORIZONTALLY SPACED FORWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM PLATES, EACH ARTICLE BEING MOVED FROM THE BOTTOM PLATES TO THE DELIVERY STATION IN A PATH COMPRISING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPONENTS, THE TRANSFER OPERATION COMPRISING GRIPPING THE ARTICLE WHILE SUPPORTED ON THE BOTTOM PLATES, LIFTING THEM, MOVING THEM FORWARDLY AND LOWERING THEM AT THE DELIVERY STATION, MAINTAINING EACH OF THE ARTICLES WITH THEIR AXES VERTICAL THROUGHOUT THE TRANSFER, ROTATING THE ARTICLES ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THEIR VERTICAL AXES DURING THE TRANSFER TO THE DELIVERY STATION SO THAT THE MAJOR HORIZONTAL DIMENSION OF EACH IS IN PREDETERMINED POSITION OF ROTATION, SHIFTING THE PAIR OF ARTICLES HORIZONTALLY TOWARD EACH OTHER DURING SAID ROTATION THEREOF TO CLOSE THE SPACING THEREBETWEEN, RELEASING THE WARE AT SAID DELIVERY STATION TO A HORIZONTALLY TRAVELING CONVEYOR WHICH RECEIVES THE ARTICLES IN PLURAL ROWS, THE ARTICLES BEING ORIENTED BY SAID ROTATION SO THAT THEIR MAJOR HORIZONTAL DIMENSION EXTENDS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND AT AN ANGLE OF 45* WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID CONVEYOR, THE SPACING BETWEEN THE ARTICLES IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THEIR MAJOR DIMENSION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF THE ARTICLES, WHEREBY TIPPING OF ONE ARTICLE WILL AVOID FALLING AGAINST OTHER ARTICLES.