Apparatus for transferring chocolate bars or the like from one conveying system to another

Claim 1

A DISTRIBUTOR FOR CHOCOLATE BARS, TABLETS, OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A FIRST CONVEYOR INCLUDING ENDLESS CHAINS MOUNTED TO MOVE IN A VERTICAL PLANE AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A PLURALITY OF CHOCOLATE BARS DISPOSED CROSSWISE ON SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, A SECOND CONVEYOR INCLUDING CONVEYING CHAINS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO AND MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY TO THE PLANE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, AT LEAST ONE THIRD CONVEYOR DISPOSED CROSSWISE TO AND BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND CONVEYORS, A PLURALITY OF PLATES REMOVABLY CARRIED BY SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, EACH OF SAID PLATES SUPPORTING ONE OF SAID CHOCOLATE BARS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AT A SPEED IDENTICAL WITH THAT OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, LIFTING MEMBERS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH AND MOVING WITH SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING, RESPECTIVELY, SAID LIFTING MEMBERS DURING THEIR TRAVEL WITH SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR INTERLOCKING SAID LIFTING MEMBERS WITH SAID PLATES DURING THE TRAVEL OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYORS, IN ORDER TO LIFT SAID PLATES FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR TO A LEVEL ABOVE SAID THIRD CONVEYOR, ABUTMENT MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID THIRD CONVEYOR AND WITHIN THE PATH OF SAID CHOCOLATE BARS DURING THE LIFTED POSITION OF THE LATTER AND MOVING SAID CHOLOCATE BARS FROM SAID LIFTED PLATES ONTO SAID THIRD CONVEYOR TO BE RECEIVED THEREON LONGITUDINALLY IN A SINGLE LINE, AND SAID LIFTING MEMBERS, UPON LOWERING THE LATTER TO THE LEVEL OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR DURING THEIR CONTINUED TRAVEL WITH SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, DEPOSITING AGAIN SAID PLATES ONTO SAID FIRST CONVEYOR.