Apparatus for separating and depositing nested containers

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING NESTABLE CONTAINERS OF A TYPE HAVING A MARGINAL RIM AND COMPRISING A STORAGE CHUTE HAVING A GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY OPENING OUTLET, CONTAINER SEPARATING MECHANISM DISPOSED BENEATH THE OUTLET OF SAID CHUTE AND PROVIDING A CENTRAL PASSAGE LEADING GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID OUTLET, AND EXTRACTOR MECHANISM RECIPROCABLY MOVABLE THROUGH SAID PASSAGE BETWEEN A PICK-UP POSITION WHEREIN IT GRIPPINGLY ENGAGES A CENTRAL REGION OF THE BOTTOM-MOST CONTAINER IN SAID CHUTE AND A RELEASE POSITION BELOW SAID SEPARATING MECHANISM WHEREIN IT FREES THE GRIPPED CONTAINER AFTER HAVING DRAWN THE SAME THROUGH THE SEPARATING MECHANISM, SAID SEPARATING MECHANISM COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER SETS OF FLEXIBLY RESILIENT FINGERS, WITH EACH SET BORDERING AND DEFINING A PORTION OF SAID PASSAGE THAT IS COMPLEMENTAL TO AND SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN A CONTAINER RIM CONFIGURATION, EACH SET OF FINGERS, WHEN IN NEUTRAL SUPPORT POSITION BEING ENGAGEABLE UNDERNEATH A CONTAINER RIM AND BEING RESILIENTLY YIELDABLE IN RESPONSE TO DOWNWARD CONTAINER MOVEMENT PRODUCED BY SAID EXTRACTOR MECHANISM TO UNDERGO GENERALLY VERTICAL SWINGING FOLLOWER MOVEMENT AND THEREAFTER TO RESTORE TO SUPPORT POSITION WHEREIN THE UPPER SET OF FINGERS SUPPORTS THE CONTAINERS REMAINING IN THE CHUTE AND THE LOWER SET OF FINGERS SUPPORTS ANY CONTAINER SLIPPING THROUGH THE UPPER SET BY VIRTUE OF HAVING BEEN NESTED WITHIN THE GRIPPED CONTAINER IN EFFECTIVELY MASKED RELATION TO THE FINGERS OF THE UPPER SET DURING MOVEMENT OF THE GRIPPED CONTAINER THERETHROUGH.