Machine for conveying a continuous line of pipe

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ROTATING AND CONVEYIN PIPES IN END-TO-END SUCCESSION THROUGH A TREATMENT STATION COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF TURNTABLES SPACED ALONG A PATH FOR THE PIPE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS OF WHICH THE MIDDLE GROUP EXTENDS THROUGH SAID TREATMENT STATION; EACH TURNTABLE COMPRISING A STATIONARY BASE, AND A PAIR OF WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED HORIZONTAL AXES, AND BEILNG ROTATABLE MOUNTED ALONG PARALLEL HORIZONTAL AXES, AND BEING ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO A VERTICAL AXIS AND THE BASE TO VARY THE ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP OF SAID PARALLEL AXES TO SAID PATH; (B) A DRIVE SHAFT FOR EACH GROUP OF TURNTABLES EXTENDING SERIALLY THROUGH THE BASES THEREOF IN DRIVE RELATION WILTH SAID WHEELS OF EACH TURNTABLE; (C) MEANS FOR DRIVING THE SHAFT OF THE MIDDLE GROUP; AND (D) MEANS AT EACH END OF THE SHAFT OF THE MIDDLE GROUP FOR CONNECTING SAID SHAFT TO THE SHAFT OF THE ADJACENT GROUP IN GENERALLY COAXIAL RELATIONSHIP COMPRISING AN OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSION; EACH OF SAID TRANSMISSION; TO THE SHAFT OF THE MIDDLE GROUP TO DRIVE THE OTHER SHAFT CONNECTED THEREWITH AT ONE SPEED EQUAL TO, AND ANOTHER SPEED GREATER THAN, THE THE SPEED OF THE MIDDLE SHAFT; AND EACH TRANSMISSION HAVING MEANS FOR CHANGING FROM SAID ONE SPEED TO SAID GREATER SPEED IN EITHER DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT OF THE MIDDLE GROUP.