Capsule handling machine

Claim 1

IN A CAPSULE HANDLING AND ORIENTING MACHINE FOR CAPSULES EACH HAVING AN END PORTION OF RELATIVELY SMALL DIAMETER AND AN END PORTION OF LARGER DIAMETER, A REPEATING CAPUSLE FEEDER HAVING A RECIPROCATING CAPSULE RETAINING DEVICE CONSTRUCTED FOR ALTERNATELY HOLDING AND RELEASING EACH CAPASULE, SAID RETAINING DEVICE HAVING A PAIR OF SHAPED ELEMENTS MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER TO RETAIN AND RELEASE SAID CAPSULES, SAID SHAPED ELEMENTS TOGETHER FORMING A CAVITY HAVING A HORIZONTAL BORE PROVIDED AT ONE END WITH A RESTRICTED SECTION HAVING A DIAMETER LESS THAN SAID LARGER CAPSULE DIAMETER BUT AS LARGE AS SAID RELATIVELY SMALL CAPSULE DIAMETER, AND SAID BORE HAVING AT ITS OTHER END A DIAMETER AS LARGE AS SAID LARGER CAPSULE DIAMETER, MEANS FOR FEEDING CAPSULES ENDWISE INTO SAID BORE SUCH THAT CAPSULES FED WITH THE SMALL DIAMETER END FIRST MAY PENETRATE FULLY INTO THE BORE BUT CAPSULES INVERSELY ARRANGED ARE STOPPED BY SAID RESTRICTED BORE SECTION, AND A TRIPPING MEANS IN DEFINITE SPACED RELATION TO SAID SHAPE ELEMENTS FOR RE-ORIENTING SAID CAPSULES IN ONE OF SAID POSITIONS BUT NOT THE OTHER, WHEN SAID SHAPED ELEMENTS ARE MOVED TO RELEASE SAID CAPSULES, SAID TRIPPING MEANS COMPRISING AN OBSTRUCTION PLACED IN THE PATH OF FALL OF SAID CAPSULES WHICH HAVE BEEN FED IN ONE OF SAID POSITIONS, BUT MOVED FROM THE PATH OF FALL OF SAID CAPSULES WHICH HAVE BEEN FED IN THE OTHER OF SAID POSITIONS.