Bottle-feeding apparatus

Claim 1

BOTTLE-FEEDING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS ARRANGED TO TRANSPORT A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT EMPTIED BOTTLES, ARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN, TO A TRANSFER STATION; A SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID TRANSFER STATIONA ND ARRANGED TO HAVE THE BOTTLES ON SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS TRANSFERRED THERETO; A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE RODS AT SAID TRANSFER STATION, EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID BOTTLES AND ARRANGED IN SAID PREDETERMINED PATTERN; A PLURALITY OF SUCTION CUPS EACH SECURED TO THE LOWER END OF A RESPECTIVE ROD; MEANS MOUNTING SAID RODS FOR RECIPROCATION IN UNISON TO PROJECT INTO BOTTLES AT SAID TRANSFER STATION TO ENGAGE SAID SUCTION CUPS WITH THE INNER SURFACES OF THE BOTTLE BOTTOMS, AND TO LIFT SAID BOTTLES TO A FIRST PRESELECTED LEVEL ABOVE SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS; MEANS FOR MOVING SAID MOUNTING MEANS HORIZONTALLY TO TRANSFER SAID RODS BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION, VERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS, AND A SECOND POSITION, VERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS; MEANS OPERABLE, WHEN SAID MOUNTING MEANS IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION, TO LIFT SAID RODS AND THE ATTACHED BOTTLES TO A SECOND LEVEL ABOVE SAID FIRST LEVEL; AND RESTRICTING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID BOTTLES DURING LIFTING THEREOF FROM SAID FIRST LEVEL TO ARREST MOTION OF SAID BOTTLES TOWARD SAID SECOND LEVEL WHILE PROVIDING FOR LIFTING OF SAID RODS TO SAID SECOND LEVEL, TO DISENGAGE SAID SUCTION CUPS FROM THE INNER SURFACES OF THE BOTTLE BOTTOMS TO DEPOSIT THE BOTTLES ON SAID SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS; SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS EXTENDING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER FROM SAID TRANSVERSE STATION.