Machine for printing capsules and the like

Claim 1

A PRINTING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PLACING IDENTIFICATION INDICIA ON CAPSULES AND LIKE ARTICLES COMPRISING A SUPPLY HOPPER OPEN AT ITS BOTTOM FOR HOLDING SAID ARTICLES, AN OPEN ENDED CYLINDER MOUNTED BENEATH SAID HOPPER IN SPACED RELATION THERETO, A PISTON MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CYLINDER FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID HOPPER, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PISTON AT A RELATIVELY RAPID RATE AWAY FROM SAID HOPPER TO EFFECT TRANSFER OF ARTICLES FROM SAID HOPPER TO SAID CYLINDER, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PISTON UPWARDLY TOWARD SAID HOPPER AT A RELATIVELY SLOW RATE TO GRADUALLY FEED ARTICLES FROM SAID CYLINDER OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE APERTURE BETWEEN SAID HOPPER AND SAID CYLINDER, A CHUTE ADJACENT SAID APERTURE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ARTICLES FED THROUGH SAID APERTURE, A ROTARY PRINTING MECHANISM DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID CHUTE, ARTICLE POSITIONING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID CHUTE AND SAID PRINTING MECHANISM AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID ARTICLES FOR CONTROLLING THE FEED RATE AND PROPERLY POSITIONING SAID ARTICLES RELATIVE TO SAID PRINTING MECHANISM DURING THE PRINTING PROCESS, ARTICLE ACCELERATING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID CHUTE BETWEEN SAID FEED MEANS AND SAID PRINTING MECHANISM, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ACCELERATING MEANS IN THE FEED DIRECTION OF THE ARTICLES AND AT A SPEED AT LEAST ONE AND ONE-FOURTH TIMES THE FEED RATE OF SAID ARTICLES SO THAT SAID ARTICLES ARE PLACED IN ABUTTING END-TO-END RELATIONSHIP BEFORE ENGAGEMENT BY SAID ARTICLE POSITIONING MEANS.