Apparatus for continuously feeding articles to machines

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY TO NESTS MOVED INTERMITTENTLY INTO A FEEDING STATION COMPRISING: A SUPPORT FIXEDLY MOUNTED AT THE FEEDING STATION, A CARRIAGE DISPOSED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN GIVEN POSITIONS ON THE SUPPORT, HOLDERS LOADED WITH SUPPLIES OF ARTICLES, LIKE SPACED UNITS, ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT THE HOLDERS SINGLY, MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE AND OPERABLE ALTERNATELY IN A FEEDING POSITION TO FEED ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY TO THE NESTS UNTIL THE HOLDER FOR ARTICLES AT THE FEEDING POSITION IS EMPTY, EACH EMPTY HOLDER BEING REMOVABLE FROM ITS UNIT WHEN AWAY FROM THE FEEDING POSITION AND REPLACED BY A LOADED HOLDER, MEANS OPERABLE ALTERNATELY TO MOVE THE CARRIAGE IN REVERSE DIRECTIONS TO MOVE EACH UNIT OUT OF THE FEEDING POSITION WHEN ITS HOLDER FOR ARTICLES IS EMPTY AND MOVE THE OTHER UNIT WITH ITS LOADED HOLDER INTO THE FEEDING POSITION TO CONTINUOUSLY FEED ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY TO THE NESTS, A TRANSFER ELEMENT FOR EACH UNIT MOUNTED IN THE CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT THEREIN RELATIVE TO ITS UNIT, MEANS FOR EACH TRANSFER ELEMENT OPERABLE WHEN IN THE FEEDING POSITION TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSFER ELEMENT BETWEEN A NORMAL POSITION AND A PROJECTED POSITION TO RECEIVE ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY FROM THE HOLDER AT THE NORMAL POSITION AND LOCATE THE ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY BENEATH THE UNIT AT THE PROJECTED POSITION. THE HOLDERS HAVING OUTER PARTS WITH OUTLETS FOR THE ARTICLES OPEN TO THEIR TRANSFER ELEMENTS, INNER PARTS MOVABLY DISPOSED IN THE OUTER PARTS AND HAVING OUTLETS FOR THE ARTICLES, TUBES FOR HOLDING THE ARTICLES IN STACKED FORMATION HAVING THEIR LOWER END MOUNTED IN THE INNER PARTS IN REGISTRATION WITH THE OUTLETS THEREOF, AND MEANS TO LOCATE THE INNER PARTS IN FIRST POSITIONS WITH THE TUBES AND OUTLETS OF THE INNER PARTS OUT OF REGISTRATION WITH THE OUTLETS OF THE OUTER PARTS AND IN SECOND POSITIONS WITH THE RESPECTIVE TUBES AND OUTLETS ALIGNED.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY TO NESTS MOVED INTERMITTENTLY INTO A FEEDING STATION COMPRISING: A SUPPORT FIXEDLY MOUNTED AT THE FEEDING STATION, A CARRIAGE DISPOSED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN GIVEN POSITIONS ON THE SUPPORT, HOLDERS LOADED WITH SUPPLIES OF ARTICLES, LIKE SPACED UNITS, ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT THE HOLDERS SINGLY, MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE AND OPERABLE ALTERNATELY IN A FEEDING POSITION TO FEED ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY TO THE NESTS UNTIL THE HOLDER FOR ARTICLES AT THE FEEDING POSITION IS EMPTY, EACH EMPTY HOLDER BEING REMOVABLE FROM ITS UNIT WHEN AWAY FROM THE FEEDING POSITION AND REPLACED BY A LOADED HOLDER, MEANS OPERABLE ALTERNATELY TO MOVE THE CARRIAGE IN REVERSE DIRECTIONS TO MOVE EACH UNIT OUT OF THE FEEDING POSITION WHEN ITS HOLDER FOR ARTICLES IS EMPTY AND MOVE THE OTHER UNIT WITH ITS LOADED HOLDER INTO THE FEEDING POSITION TO CONTINUOUSLY FEED ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY TO THE NESTS, A TRANSFER ELEMENT FOR EACH UNIT MOUNTED IN THE CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT THEREIN RELATIVE TO ITS UNIT, MEANS FOR EACH TRANSFER ELEMENT OPERABLE WHEN IN THE FEEDING POSITION TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSFER ELEMENT BETWEEN A NORMAL POSITION AND A PROJECTED POSITION TO RECEIVE ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY FROM THE HOLDER AT THE NORMAL POSITION AND LOCATE THE ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY BENEATH THE UNIT AT THE PROJECTED POSITION. THE HOLDERS HAVING OUTER PARTS WITH OUTLETS FOR THE ARTICLES OPEN TO THEIR TRANSFER ELEMENTS, INNER PARTS MOVABLY DISPOSED IN THE OUTER PARTS AND HAVING OUTLETS FOR THE ARTICLES, TUBES FOR HOLDING THE ARTICLES IN STACKED FORMATION HAVING THEIR LOWER END MOUNTED IN THE INNER PARTS IN REGISTRATION WITH THE OUTLETS THEREOF, AND MEANS TO LOCATE THE INNER PARTS IN FIRST POSITIONS WITH THE TUBES AND OUTLETS OF THE INNER PARTS OUT OF REGISTRATION WITH THE OUTLETS OF THE OUTER PARTS AND IN SECOND POSITIONS WITH THE RESPECTIVE TUBES AND OUTLETS ALIGNED.