Automatic container rim dip inspection machine

Claim 1

A CONTAINER RIM INSPECTION MACHINE CONPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A CONTAINER CONVEYOR HAVING SPACING MEANS TO MOVE CONTAINERS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP CONTINUOUSLY ALONG AN ARCUATE PATH, A PLURALITY OF CONTAINER RIM INSPECTION HEADS MOUNTED ABOVE THE CONTAINER SPACING MEANS, MEANS TO CONTINUOUSLY MOVE SAID INSPECTION HEADS IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID CONVEYOR ABOVE SAID ARCUATE PATH, A LEVELING MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID HEADS, A CONTACT MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID LEVELING MEMBERS, CONTAINER ENGAGING ROLLERS ON SAID LEVELING AND CONTACT MEMBERS, DEFECT SENSING MEANS MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND POSITIONED TO RESILIENTLY ENGAGE THE TOP OF A CONTAINER RIM AND TO ORIENT ITSELF WITH RESPECT TO CONTAINER RIMS DISPOSED IN PLANES VARYING FROM THE HORIZONTAL, MEANS TO PROVIDE RELATIVE ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE SENSING MEANS AROUND THE CONTAINER RIM WHEREBY THE POSITION OF THE SENSING MEANS IS DETERMINED BY THE VARIATION OF THE RIM SURFACE FROM THE PLANE OF THE RIM SURFACE, SIGNAL MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE SNENSING MEANS TO SELECTIVELY DETECT RIM VARIATIONS FROM THE PLANE OF THE RIM SURFACE ON DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS GREATER THAN A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT, AND CONTAINER REJECTION MEANS OPERATIVELY COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL MEANS TO REMOVE SAID DEFECTIVE CONTAINERS FROM SAID CONVEYOR.