Material transferring apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING MATERIAL FROM A FIRST WORK STATION OF PREDETERMINED HEIGHT TO A SECOND WORK STATION OF PREDETERMINED HEIGHT COMPRISING: (A) SUPPORT MEANS BETWEEN SAID WORK STATIONS AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SUPPORT MEANS AT A HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF EITHER OF SAID WORK STATIONS, (B) AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF MATERIAL HANDLING ARMS SUPPORTED FROM SAID SUPPORT AT A HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF SAID WORK STATIONS, (C) GUIDE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT FOR GUIDING SAID ARMS FOR RECIPROCAL SUBSTANTIALLY RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID WORK STATIONS, (D) A FIRST ONE OF SAID ARMS HAVING ONE END THEREOF SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND HAVING A FREE END PORTION EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARD A FIRST ONE OF SAID WORK STATIONS, (E) MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FIRST ARM ADJACENT SAID FREE END, (F) THE SECOND OF SAID ARMS HAVING ONE END THEREOF SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND HAVING A FREE END PORTION EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARD THE OTHER OF SAID WORK STATIONS, (G) MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND ARM ADJACENT THE FREE END THEREOF, (H) SAID ARMS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST EXTREME OF TRAVEL IN WHICH SAID MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS OF SAID FIRST ARM IS POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY DIRECTLY OVER SAID FIRST WORK STATION AND SAID MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS OF SAID SECOND ARM IS POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY DIRECTLY OVER SAID SECOND WORK STATION AND A SECOND EXTREME POSITION IN WHICH SAID MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ARMS ARE CLOSELY ADJACENT EACH OTHER IN SUBSTANTIALLY CO-PLANAR RELATION AT A POINT BETWEEN SAID WORK STATIONS, WHEREBY MATERIAL MAY BE PICKED UP BY SAID MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS OF SAID FIRST ARM FROM SAID FIRST WORK STATION AND TRANSFERRED IN MID-AIR OF SAID MATERIAL HOLDING MEANS OF SAID SECOND ARM AND THEN TRANSFERRED BY SAID SECOND ARM TO SAID SECOND WORK STATION.