Vacuum transfer conveyor

Claim 1

TRANSFER CONVEYOR COMPRISING AN ENDLESS PERFORATED BELT THREADED AROUND A PAIR OF SPACED TURNAROUND PULLEYS AND HAVING A LOWER RUN AND AN UPPER RUN, A VACUUM CHAMBER POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID UPPER RUN AND SAID LOWER RUN, SAID VACUUM CHAMBER HAVINGA PLANAR BOTTOM WALL IN ABUTTING RELATION WITH A SURFACE OF THE LOWER RUN OF SAID BELT, SAID BOTTOM WALL HAVINGA PLURALITY OF SPACED APERTURES THEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN SAID PERFORATIONS IN SAID BELT, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF LATERAL WALLS FORMING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE LATERAL COMPARTMENTS, VACUUM MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, CONTROL MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, MEANS TO URGE DIFFERENT SIZED ARTICLES INTO ABUTTING RELATION WITH THE UNDER SIDE OF SAID BELT LOWER RUN AT A FIRST LOCATION WHEREIN SAID ARTICLE IS HELD AGAINST THE SURFACE OF SAID BELT BY THE VACUUM IN SAID CHAMBER, AND A PLURALTIY OF SPACED SENSORS POSITIONED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID BELT AT A SECOND LOCATION, SAID SENSORS ARRANGED TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL AS SAID ARTICLE IS CONVEYED TO SAID SECOND LOCATION, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID SENSORS TO SAID CONTROL MEANS, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS OPERABLE TO ACTUATE A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF SAID CONTROL MEANS AT SAID SECOND LOCATION TO DEENERGIZE SAID VACUUM MEANS IN CERTAIN OF SAID COMPARTMENTS TO THEREBY RELEASE SAID ARTICLE FROM SAID BELT AT SAID SECOND LOCATION.