Automatic stud producing machine

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC STUD PRODUCING MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, MEANS OPERABLE TO SUCCESSIVELY FEED STUD BLANKS FROM A SUPPLY INTO THE MACHINE; A STRAIGHT ROW OF UNIFORMLY SPACED WORK HEADS LOCATED AT SUCCESSIVE STATIONS, SAID WORK HEADS BEING DISPOSED IN PAIRS AND THE TWO HEADS OF EACH PAIR OPERATING TO FORM RESPECTIVELY OPPOSITE ENDS OF FED STUD BLANKS; DRIVE MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING THE WORK HEAD; COLLETS AT SAID STATIONS FOR HOLDING STUD BLANKS WHILE THEY ARE BEING OPERATED UPON BY THE WORK HEADS; A TRANSFER SLIDE WHICH IS LINEARLY MOVABLE TO AND FRO PARALLEL TO AND IN FRONT OF THE STRAIGHT ROW OF WORK HEADS; MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING THE SAID SLIDE OVER A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE PITCH OF THE WORK HEADS AND COLLETS; RECEIVERS MOUNTED ON SAID TRANSFER SLIDE FOR RECEIVING AND CARRYING THE STUD BLANKS DURING PROGRESSIVE AND LINEAR TRANSFER OF THE SAME FROM STATION TO STATION; TOOTHED PINIONS WHICH ARE ARRANGED TO TURN ABOUT THEIR AXES ON THE TRANSFER SLIDE AND HAVE APPROPRIATE ONES OF THE AFORESAID RECEIVERS MOUNTED THEREUPON; TOOTHED RACKS PROVIDED AT FIXED LOCATIONS ALONGSIDE THE TRANSFER SLIDE WITH THEIR TEETH PERMANENTLY IN MESH WITH THE SAID TOOTHED PINIONS WHEREBY EACH TIME THE SLIDE IS MOVED LINEARLY TO ADVANCE STUD BLANKS CARRIED IN SAID RECEIVERS ONE STEP TOWARDS THE FINAL STATION EACH OF THE SAID TOOTHED PINIONS AND THE RECEIVERS THEY CARRY WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TURNED THROUGH 180* AND, CONVERSELY, THE SAID PINIONS AND RECEIVERS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY RESTORED TO THEIR ORIGINAL POSITIONS EACH TIME THE TRANSFER SLIDE IS MOVED BACK IDLY TO ITS STARTING POSITION WITH RECEIVERS EMPTY; AND SETS OF THIN AND STRAIGHT EJECTOR PINS ARRANGED AT RESPECTIVELY OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSFER SLIDE, THE EJECTOR PINS OF ONE SET BEING OPERABLE TO EJECT BLANKS FROM THE COLLETS INTO THE RECEIVERS WHILST THE EJECTOR PINS OF THE OTHER SET ARE OPERABLE TO RETURN THE BLANKS FROM SUCH RECEIVERS INTO THE COLLETS.