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Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A JUMBLE OF PIECES OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED AND TRANSPORTING THEM IN SPACED RELATION FROM EACH OTHER, COMPRISING A FIRST CONVEYOR ADAPTED TO RECEIVE PIECES AT A STARTING END, CARRY SAID PIECES AND DROP THEM AT A DISCHARGE END, MEANS DRIVING SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AT A GIVEN LINEAR SPEED TO CARRY PIECES FROM SAID STARTING TO SAID DISCHARGE END, A SERIES OF ADDITIONAL CONVEYORS LOCATED SUCCESSIVELY ONE BELOW ANOTHER UNDER SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, EACH CONVEYOR IN THE SERIES ADAPTED TO RECEIVE PIECES AT A STARTING END, CARRY SAID PIECES AND DROP THEM AT A DISCHARGE END, MEANS DRIVING EACH SUCCESSIVE CONVEYOR AT A LINEAR SPEED PROGRESSIVELY GREATER THAN THAT OF THE PRECEDING CONVEYOR TO CARRY PIECES FROM SAID STARTING TO SAID DISCHARGE END, A SERIES OF KICKER ELEMENTS, ONE ABOVE EACH OF SAID SERIES OF ADDITIONAL CONVEYORS, ECH LOCATED IN THE PATH OF PIECES DROPPPED FROM THE PRECEDING CONVEYOR, MEANS DRIVING EACH SUCCESSIVE KICKER ELEMENT AT A SPEED GREATER THAN THE LINEAR SPEED OF THE CONVEYOR PRECEDING IT, EACH OF SAID KICKERS, AS DRIVEN, ADAPTED TO ENGAGE PIECES DROPPED THEREAGAINST FROM THE PRECEDING CONVEYOR AND TO THROW SUCH PIECES TOWARD THE STARTING END OF THE CONVEYOR BELOW IT, WHEREBY THE REPEATED DROPPING OF PIECES FROM A CONVEYOR TO A KICKER AND THROWING OF PIECES BY THE KICKER TO A NEXT CONVEYOR TENDS TO SEPARATE THE PIECES AND THE PROGRESSIVELY GREATER SPEED OF THE SUCCESSIVE CONVEYORS SPACES THE PIECES ACCORDINGLY AND SAID PIECES ARE TRANSPORTED IN SPACED RELATION FROM EACH OTHER ON THE LAST OF SAID SERIES OF ADDITIONAL CONVEYORS.