Hopper feeding mechanism

Claim 1

A FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ORIENTING IN A PREFERRED DIRECTION HOLLOW PARTS HAVING OPEN AND CLOSED ENDS WHICH COMPRISES, A ROTATABLE FEEDING MEMBER HAVING OPEN SLOTS RADIALLY DISPOSED THEREIN EXTENDING TO THE PERIPHERY THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND CONFINE THEREIN A HOLLOW PART AT A FIRST STATION, A PART-SUPPORTING FINGER IN EACH OF SAID SLOTS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE BOTTOM AND THE TOP OF EACH TERMINATING INTERMEDIATE THE BOTTOM AND THE TOP OF EACH OF THE SLOTS, SAID FINGER BEING ADAPTED TO ENTER THE HOLLOW OF SAID PART AND CARRY IT TO A DISCHARGE STATION BEING LOCATED ROTATABLE MEMBER, SAID DISCHARGE STATION BEING LOCATED RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST STATION TO CAUSE AN AXIAL REVERSAL OF SAID PART, A PAWL MOUNTED NEAR ONE FACE OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER AND BIASED TO ENTER EACH OF SAID SLOTS DURING ROTATION OF SAID MEMBER AND EXERT A TRANSVERSE DEFLECTING FORCE WITHOUT REVERSING THE AXIAL ORIENTATION OF PARTS CONFINED IN SAID SLOTS BUT NOT CARRIED BY THE FINGERS THEREIN, A CHAMBER ADJACENT THE OTHER FACE OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER FOR RECEIVING PARTS DEFLECTED THEREIN BY SAID PAWL, AND AN OUTPUT CHUTE COOPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROTATABLE MEMBER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING ORIENTED PARTS DELIVERED BY SAID CHAMBER AND BY SAID SLOTS.