Apparatus for intermittently moving a series of items in an endless path

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY MOVING A PLURALITY OF ITEMS IN AN ENDLESS PATH, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST AND A SECOND ELONGATED TRACK EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND HAVING EACH A FIRST AND SECOND END, EACH OF SAID TRACKS HAVING ITEM SUPPORTING ROLLERS HAVING AXES OF ROTATION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID TRACKS; A FIRST TRANSFER DEVICE MOVABLE BETWEEN THE FIRST ENDS OF AND INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRACKS; A SECOND TRANSFER DEVICE MOVABLE BETWEEN THE SECOND ENDS OF AND INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRACKS, EACH OF SAID TRANSFER DEVICES HAVING ITEM SUPPORTING ROLLERS HAVING AXES EXTENDING IN THE ALIGNED POSITIONS OF SAID TRANSFER DEVICES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE ROLLERS OF SAID TRACKS, SO THAT AN ITEM LOCATED ON ONE OF SAID TRANSFER DEVICES MAY BE PUSHED ALONG THE ROLLERS THEREOF ONTO THE ROLLERS OF THE RESPECTIVE TRACK.