Article transfer mechanism

Claim 1

IN ARTICLE TRANSFER APPARATUS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AT LEAST ONE ARTICLE BY VERTICAL MOTION AT ONE STATION, TO MOVE THE ARTICLE SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY ALONG A PATH TO THE NEXT SUCCEEDING STATION AND DISENGAGE THE ARTICLE BY VERTICAL MOTION AT THAT SUCCEEDING STATION, WHICH COMPRISES A MACHINE FRAME, A TRANSFER MEMBER, FIRST CAMAND-FOLLOWER MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MACHINE FRAME BOTH TO SUPPORT AND TO IMPART THE VERTICAL COMPONENT OF MOTION TO SAID TRANSFER MEMBER, A CRANK ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MACHINE FRAME HAVING TWO ROLLERS MOUNTED ON THE FREE END BEING RADIALLY SPACED ONE FROM THE OTHER, A SECOND CAM FIXED TO SAID TRANSFER MEMBER AND DEFINING A VERTICAL SLOT IN WHICH SAID INNER CRANK ROLLER RIDES AS SAID CRANK ROTATES WHEREBY ONLY HORIZONTAL MOTION IS TRANSMITTED FROM SAID CRANK TO SAID TRANSFER MEMBER, WHICH VERTICAL SLOT IS BROADENED ALONG ITS CENTRAL PORTION TO ACCOMMODATE A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF SAID HORIZONTAL MOTION SUCH THAT SAID INNER CRANK ROLLER UPON RIDING FIRST UP ONE SIDE AND SUBSEQUENTLY DOWN THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID BROADENED CENTRAL PORTION IMPARTS A MODIFIED HORIZONTAL COMPONENT OF MOTION FROM SAID CRANK TO SAID TRANSFER MEMBER WHICH COMBINED WITH THE VERTICAL COMPONENTS RESULTS IN A PREDETERMINED TRANSFER PATH, SAID SECOND CAM FURTHER DEFINING AN OUTER GUIDE SURFACE ALONG WHICH SAID OUTER CRANK ROLLER RIDES SUCH THAT SAID INNER CRANK ROLLER IS POSITIVELY HELD AGAINST ALTERNATIVE SIDES OF SAID BROADENED PORTION, AND A DRIVE MECHANISM FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING SAID FIRST CAM MEANS AND SAID CRANK CONTINUOUSLY THROUGHOUT AT LEAST ONE TRANSFER CYCLE.