kinney

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR GROUPING AND DELIVERING IN A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY AND PATTERN A PLURALITY OF FRUSTOCONICAL SHAPED CONTAINERS HAVING THE LARGER ENDS THEREOF UPPERMOST, EACH CONTAINER HAVING AN OUTWARDLY DISPOSED PERIPHERAL BEAD FORMED IN THE SIDE WALL ADJACENT THE LARGER UPPER END, COMPRISING RECEIVING MEANS, GROUPING MEANS DISPOSED ABOVE SAID RECEIVING MEANS, CONVEYER MEANS CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING A PLURALITY OF SAID CONTAINERS IN A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PARALLEL ROWS INTO SAID GROUPING MEANS, SAID GROUPING MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF OSCILLATABLE SUPPORT GATES DISPOSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OF SAID ROWS, EACH GATE OF SAID PAIRS OF GATES BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END AND HAVING AN INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE FORMED ON THE UPPER END THEREOF, SPRING MEANS CONNECTING AND URGING THE TWO GATES IN EACH PAIR OF GATES INWARDLY TOWARDS EACH OTHER, STOP MEANS LIMITING THE INWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORT GATES WHEREBY SAID FLANGES AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME A PREDETERMINED SPACING FOR SLIDABLY RECEIVING SAID CONTAINERS THEREBETWEEN WITH SAID FLANGES ENGAGING THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID BEADS TO FORM THE SOLE SUPPORT OF SAID CONTAINERS IN SAID GROUPING MEANS, EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF SUPPORTING GATES HAVING A LENGTH SUFFICIENT TO RECEIVE A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF SAID CONTAINERS THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR SENSING WHEN SAID GROUPING MEANS HAS A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF SAID CONTAINERS THEREIN, FIRST MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING THE ENTRY OF SAID CONTAINERS INTO SAID GROUPING MEANS AND SECOND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID SUPPORT GATES OUTWARDLY TO POSITIVELY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY RETRACT SAID FLANGES FROM BENEATH THE BEADS OF ALL OF THE CONTAINERS IN SAID GROUPING MEANS WHEREBY THE PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF CONTAINERS IN SAID GROUPING MEANS MAINTAIN THEIR ATTITUDE AND POSITION IN THE GROUP PATTERN AS THEY MOVE UNSUPPORTED INTO SAID RECEIVING MEANS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR GROUPING AND DELIVERING IN A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY AND PATTERN A PLURALITY OF FRUSTOCONICAL SHAPED CONTAINERS HAVING THE LARGER ENDS THEREOF UPPERMOST, EACH CONTAINER HAVING AN OUTWARDLY DISPOSED PERIPHERAL BEAD FORMED IN THE SIDE WALL ADJACENT THE LARGER UPPER END, COMPRISING RECEIVING MEANS, GROUPING MEANS DISPOSED ABOVE SAID RECEIVING MEANS, CONVEYER MEANS CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING A PLURALITY OF SAID CONTAINERS IN A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PARALLEL ROWS INTO SAID GROUPING MEANS, SAID GROUPING MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF OSCILLATABLE SUPPORT GATES DISPOSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OF SAID ROWS, EACH GATE OF SAID PAIRS OF GATES BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END AND HAVING AN INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE FORMED ON THE UPPER END THEREOF, SPRING MEANS CONNECTING AND URGING THE TWO GATES IN EACH PAIR OF GATES INWARDLY TOWARDS EACH OTHER, STOP MEANS LIMITING THE INWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORT GATES WHEREBY SAID FLANGES AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME A PREDETERMINED SPACING FOR SLIDABLY RECEIVING SAID CONTAINERS THEREBETWEEN WITH SAID FLANGES ENGAGING THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID BEADS TO FORM THE SOLE SUPPORT OF SAID CONTAINERS IN SAID GROUPING MEANS, EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF SUPPORTING GATES HAVING A LENGTH SUFFICIENT TO RECEIVE A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF SAID CONTAINERS THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR SENSING WHEN SAID GROUPING MEANS HAS A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF SAID CONTAINERS THEREIN, FIRST MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING THE ENTRY OF SAID CONTAINERS INTO SAID GROUPING MEANS AND SECOND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID SUPPORT GATES OUTWARDLY TO POSITIVELY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY RETRACT SAID FLANGES FROM BENEATH THE BEADS OF ALL OF THE CONTAINERS IN SAID GROUPING MEANS WHEREBY THE PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF CONTAINERS IN SAID GROUPING MEANS MAINTAIN THEIR ATTITUDE AND POSITION IN THE GROUP PATTERN AS THEY MOVE UNSUPPORTED INTO SAID RECEIVING MEANS.