Article feeding device

Claim 1

A FEED DEVICE FOR FEEDING AND SEPARATING SMALL THIN, FLAT WAFERS FROM THEIR NORMALLY RESTING HORIZONTAL POSITION TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION INTO A MACHINE, WHICH COMPRISES, A FEED TRACK HAVING AT THE ENTRANCE END THEREOF A RESERVOIR FOR RECEIVING WAFERS TO BE FED ALONG THE TRACK, THE TRACK HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED GROOVE COMMUNICATING WITH THE RESERVOIR AND PROGRESSIVELY CHANGING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED GROOVE AT THE EXIT END OF THE TRACK CAUSING THE WAFERS TO BE LIFTED FROM A HORIZONTAL TO A PREDOMINATELY VERTICAL POSITION, AT LEAST ONE ELEVATED STEP DISPOSED ALONG THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE GROOVE FOR SEPARATING DOUBLED-UP WAFERS, AND VIBRATORY MEANS CONNECTED TO THE TRACK FOR EMITTING NORMALLY UNIFORM LOW AMPLITUDE VIBRATIONS FOR VIBRATING THE TRACK TO FEED THE WAFERS FROM THE RESERVOIR AND ADVANCE THE WAFERS ALONG THE GROOVE IN THE TRACK AND RELATIVELY HIGH AMPLITUDE VIBRATIONS SUPERIMPOSED PERIODICALLY ON THE LOW VIBRATIONS FOR SPACING THE WAFERS BEING FED ALONG THE GROOVE INTO THE TRACK.