Discharging mechanism for bottle handling machines

Claim 1

IN A BOTTLE HANDLING MACHINE HAVING MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY PRESENT BOTTLES TO A DISCHARGE STATION, MECHANISM FOR REMOVING BOTTLES FROM THE MACHINE AS THEY ARE BROUGHT TO AND LEAVE THE DISCHARGE STATION, COMPRISING: (A) A STATIONARY TRACK BELOW THE DISCHARGE STATION AND ALONG WHICH BOTTLES STANDING ERECT THEREON MAY BE MOVED; (B) MOVABLE BOTTLE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS EXTENDING UP FROM THE TRACK AND MOVABLE BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN AN INCLINED BOTTLE-RECEIVING POSITION FORMING A CHUTE LEADING FROM THE DISCHARGE STATION TO THE TRACK AND DOWN WHICH BOTTLES MAY SLIDE ONTO THE TRACK, AND AN UPRIGHT BOTTLE-DELIVERING POSITION ADJACENT TO THE DELIVERY END OF THE TRACK, TO PUSH BOTTLES ALONG THE TRACK TO ITS DELIVERY END, SAID BOTTLE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS EXTENDING FROM A POINT CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE DISCHARGE STATION TO A POINT CONTIGUOUS TO THE TRACK WHEN SAID MEANS IS IN ITS INCLINED BOTTLE-RECEIVING POSITION, SO THAT THE CHUTE FORMED THEREBY LEADS UNINTERRUPTEDLY FROM THE DISCHARGE STATION TO THE TRACK AND BOTTLES ON THE TRACK ARE FIRMLY SUPPORTED AGAINST TIPPING OR WOBBLING AS THEY ARE PUSHED THEREALONG BY THE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS; (C) CAM MEANS ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND OPERABLE IN THE ZONE BETWEEN THE DISCHARGE STATION AND THE TRACK TO SUPPORT AND GENTLY LOWER BOTTLES IN SAID CHUTE ONTO THE TRACK AS THE CAM MEANS ROTATES; (D) DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE CAM MEANS AND WITH THE BOTTLE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS TO CONTINUOUSLY ROTATE THE CAM MEANS AND IMPART BACK AND FORTH MOTION TO THE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS IN TIMED RELATION WITH THE ROTATION OF THE CAM MEANS, SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A ROTATABLE MOTIONPRODUCING CAM, A CAM FOLLOWER AND MOTIONTRANSMITTING LINKAGE CONNECTING THE CAM FOLLOWER WITH THE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS; AND (E) MEANS PROVIDING AN ADJUSTABLE CONNECTION IN SAID MOTION-TRANSMITTING LINKAGE BY WHICH THE DELIVERY POSITION OF THE BOTTLE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS MAY BE ADJUSTED WITHOUT AFFECTING ITS BOTTLE-RECEIVING POSITION, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST LEVER ARM FIXED WITH RESPECT TO THE CAM FOLLOWER AND CONSTRAINED TO SWING ABOUT A FIXED AXIS, A SECOND LEVER ARM FIXED WITH RESPECT TO THE BOTTLE GUIDING AND PUSHING MEANS CONSTRAINED TO SWING ABOUT A FIXED AXIS, A LINK HAVING ONE END THEREOF PIVOTED TO THE FIRST LEVER ARM, AND ADJUSTABLE MEANS TO PIVOTALLY CONNECT THE OTHER END OF THE LINK TO THE SECOND LEVER ARM AT DIFFERENT SELECTED DISTANCES FROM THE AXIS ABOUT WHICH SAID SECOND LEVER ARM SWINGS.