Pipe feeding apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WORKPIECE FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF A PLURALITY OF WORK POSITIONS, AND FOR ROTATING SAID WORKPIECE WHEN IN ONE OF SAID WORK POSITIONS, IN COMBINATION, A SUPPORT; A PLURALITY OF FIRST ROLLER MEANS HAVING PARALLEL AXES OF ROTATION AND MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR CARRYING RESPECTIVE ELONGATED WORKPIECES AND FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING THE SAME ABOUT RESPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID WORKPIECES, SAID AXES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND TO SAID AXES OF ROTATION AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN A TRANSVERSE DIRECTION; A MOVABLE FRAME MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXES IN A COMPOSITE MOVEMENT HAVING A COMPONENT PARALLEL TO A PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID AXES AND ANOTHER COMPONENT TRANSVERSE TO SAID PLANE; A PLURALITY OF SECOND ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND HAVING AXES OF ROTATION TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXES, SAID SECOND ROLLER MEANS MOVING DURING SAID TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT OF SAID FRAME TOWARD AND AWAY FROM RESPECTIVE POSITIONS ALIGNED IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID RESPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL AXES WITH RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID FIRST ROLLER MEANS AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN A TRANSVERSE DIRECTION, EACH OF SAID SECOND ROLLER MEANS BEING ROTATABLE FOR AFFECTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF WORKPIECES CARRIED BY SAID SECOND ROLLER MEANS; AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING ROTATION OF TWO TRANSVERSELY ADJACENT ONES OF SAID SECOND ROLLER MEANS IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO ACTUATE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS OF RESPECTIVE WORKPIECES CARRIED BY SAID TWO ROLLER MEANS.