Apparatus for inserting a succession of articles in oriented relationship into article-receiving seats in a carrier

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INSERTING A SUCCESSION OF ARTICLES IN ORIENTED RELATIONSHIP INTO ARITLCE-RECEIVING SEATS IN A CARRIER, WHICH COMPRISES: A HORIXONTALLY MOVABLE SHELF FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING SUCCESSIVE ARTICLES ONE AT A TIME, EACH ARTICLE IN TURN BEING RECEIVED ON AN UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SHELF IN A PROPERLY ORIENTED POSITION RELATIVE TO AN ASSOCIATED ARTICLE-RECEIVING SEAT; A PAIR OF OPPOSED GRIPPING JAWS MOUNTED ABOVE SAID SHELF FOR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVELY TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, SAID JAWS HAVING OPPOSED PARALLEL GRIPPING SURFACES INITIALLY SPACED APART SUFFICIENTLY TO PERMIT RECEPTION OF EACH SUCCESSIVE ARTICLE ON SAID SHELF BETWEEN SAID JAWS; MEANS FOR EFFECTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE SAID JAWS TOWARD EACH OTHER TO GRIP THE ARTICLE IN THE PROPERLY ORIENTED POSITION, YIELDABLY BETWEEN THE OPPOSED PARALLEL GRIPPING SURFACES OF SAID JAWS; MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID SHELF WITH ONE OF SAID JAWS DURING SUCH RELATIVE MOVEMENT, SO THAT THE ARTICLE REMAINS ON SAID SHELF AND IS GRIPPED BETWEEN SAID JAWS IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT ABOVE THE ASSOCIATED ARTICLERECEIVING SEAT; MEANS FOR RETRACTING SAID SHELF FROM BENEATH THE GRIPPED ARTICLE AFTER THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN PROPERLY POSITIONED BY SAID JAWS, SO THAT THE ARTICLE IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED BY SAID SHELF AND IS HELD SOLELY BY SAID JAWS A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE THE ASSOCIATED ARTICLE-RECEIVING SEAT IN THE PROPERLY ORIENTED POSITION RELATIVE THERETO; MEANS FOR PUSHING THE GRIPPED ARTICLE DOWNWARD FROM BETWEEN SAID JAWS, WHICH YIELD SO THAT THE ARTICLE IS INSERTED BY SAID PUSHING MEANS INTO THE RECEIVING SEAT, THE OPPOSED PARALLEL GRIPPING SURFACES OF SAID JAWS MAINTAINING THE ORIENTED POSITION OF THE ARTICLE UNTIL THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN RECEIVED IN THE SEAT TO A DEPTH SUCH THAT MISORIENTATION DOES NOT THEREAFTER OCCUR; AND MEANS FOR RETURNING SAID SHELF AND SAID JAWS TO THEIR INITIAL POSITIONS AFTER EACH SUCCESSIVE ARTICLE HAS BEEN INSERTED INTO THE ASSOCIATED SEAT IN THE CARRIER IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT INSERTING OPERATION.