Aerosol valve inserting machine

Claim 1

A MACHINE TO PLACE VALVES IN AEROSOL CANS PREPARATORY TO AFFIXING SAID VALVES TO SAID CANS, SAID VALVES COMPRISING A FERROUS METAL CAP AND A PENDENT NON-FERROUS DIP TUBE, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING: MEANS FOR FEEDING ALINED VALVES SUCCESSIVELY TO A SELECTOR STATION, ESCAPEMENT MEANS AT THE SELECTOR STATION ADAPTED TO REMOVE SUCCESSIVELY ONE VALVE AT A TIME FROM SAID FEED MEANS, MEANS TO ACTIVATE SAID ESCAPEMENT MEANS IN A DESIRED TIME SEQUENCE, FIRST CONVEYOR BELT MEANS TO ADVANCE OPEN AEROSOL CANS THROUGH THE SELECTOR STATION TO A VALVE-INSERTING STATION, A CONTINUOUS INDEXING UNIT AT THE VALVE-INSERTING STATION, SAID UNIT COMPRISING A VERTICAL SHAFT ROTATABLE ON A FIXED AXIS, A CIRCULAR TABLE CARRIED BY THE SHAFT AT THE LEVEL OF THE CONVEYOR BELT AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE CANS FROM THE BELT, A STAR WHEEL CARRIED BY THE SHAFT HAVING CURVED RAYS ADAPTED TO PARTIALLY ENCIRCLE THE CANS ON SAID CIRCULAR TABLE, AN INSERTING-ARM PLATE CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT AT THE LEVEL OF THE TOPS OF THE CANS ON SAID CIRCULAR TABLE, AND A FIXED BEARING RING SURROUNDING THE TOP OF SAID SHAFT, THE UNDER SIDE OF SAID BEARING RING CONSTITUTING A FIXED CAM HAVING A SINGLE DEEP DEPRESSION, RADIALLY DIRECTED INSERTER ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE INSERTER ARM PLATE FOR OSCILLATING IN A VERTICAL PLANE, THE INBOARD ENDS OF SAID ARMS BEARING AGAINST SAID CAM, TENSION SPRINGS ADAPTED TO DEPRESS THE OUTBOARD END OF EACH ARM WHEN THE INBOARD END MATES WITH THE DEPRESSION OF THE FIXED CAM, A MAGNET AT THE END OF EACH INSERTER ARM ADAPTED TO SEIZE AND HOLD A VALVE CAP REMOVED FROM THE VALVE FEED BY THE ESCAPEMENT MEANS WHEN THE OUTBOARD END OF THE ARM IS IN A RAISED POSITION, POWER MEANS ADAPTED TO ACTIVATE SAID ESCAPEMENT MEANS AND ROTATE SAID INDEXING UNIT AT INTERRELATED RATES TO EFFECT THE RELEASE OF A VALVE FROM THE FEEDING MEANS AS A CAN IS BROUGHT TO THE INSERTER STATION, THE DEPRESSION IN THE FIXED CAM BEING SO LOCATED AS TO PERMIT THE SUDDEN DROP OF THE OUTBOARD END OF AN INSERTER ARM WITH RETAINED VALVE OVER THE OPEN NECK OF A CAN, WHEREBY THE VALVE IS RELEASED AND POSITIONED ON THE CAN, AND SECOND CONVEYOR BELT MEANS TO REMOVE CANS WITH INSERTED VALVES FROM THE VALVE-INSERTING STATION, AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID FEED MEANS, SAID SELECTOR STATION, SAID FIRST CONVEYOR BELT MEANS, SAID VALVE-INSERTING STATION, AND SAID SECOND CONVEYOR BELT MEANS IN SPACED AND COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP.