Automatic transfer mechanism for press line

Claim 1

IN A PRESS LINE FOR PERFORMING A SERIES OF PRESS OPERATION ON A WORKPIECE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A POWER PRESS HAVING A FRAME AND A SLIDE DEFINING A WORK AREA AS WELL AS A MOTOR AND OUTPUT CONTROL DEVICE FOR DRIVING THE SLIDE, A TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR CONVEYING A WORKPIECE INTO THE WORK AREA, SAID TRANSFER MECHANISM INCLUDING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING BRACKET CANTILEVER SUPPORTED ON THE FRAME OF THE PRESS ON ONE SIDE THEREOF, A CARRIER LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE IN THE BRACKET, A POST VERTICALLY MOVABLE IN THE CARRIER A GRIPPER ARM SECURED TO THE LOWER END OF THE POST AND EXTENDING IN FOLDED-BACK RELATION UNDER THE BRACKET AND IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WORK AREA, A DRIVE SHAFT JOURNALED IN THE BRACKET AND COUPLED TO THE MOTOR OUTPUT, SAID DRIVE SHAFT HAVING A PAIR OF CAMS AND ASSOCIATED CAM FOLLOWERS COUPLED TO THE CARRIER AND POST RESPECTIVELY FOR ACHIEVING COMPOUND HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT OF THE ARM INTO AND OUT OF THE WORK AREA OF THE PRESS, AND A GRIPPER AT THE END OF THE ARM FOR ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING A WORKPIECE AT ITS LIMITS OF MOVEMENT.