Automatic positioning and orienting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND MAINTAINING SUCCESSIVE HEADED FASTENERS IN ACCURATE POSITION AND ORIENTATION WITH RESPECT TO SUCCESSIVE ARTICLES FOR INSERTION OF THE FASTENERS INTO THE ARTICLES, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: TWO PAIRS OF FINGERS FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING SUCCESSIVE FASTENERS; AND A CARRIAGE FOR SUPPORTING SAID FINGERS WITH FREE ENDS OF SAID FINGERS PROJECTING THEREFROM, AND FOR MOVING SAID FINGERS BETWEEN A FASTENER RECEIVING STATION AND A FASTENER INSERTING STATION, THE FINGERS OF EACH PAIR BEING NORMALLY MAINTAINED IN GENERALLY PARALLEL, SIDEBY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP; THE FINGERS OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS HAVING THEIR FACING EDGES OF SUCH CONTOUR THAT WHEN IN NORMAL RELATIVE POSITION THEY DEFINE THEREBETWEEN ADJACENT THEIR FREE ENDS AN OPENING FOR RECEIVING AND CONFINING THE SHANK OF SUCCESSIVE FASTENERS; SAID CARRIAGE SUPPORTING SAID PAIRS OF FINGERS WITH THEIR OPENINGS ALIGNED WITH THE PAIRS OF FINGERS SPACED APART BY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE SHANK OF THE FASTENERS, WHEREBY A FASTENER ARRANGED WITH ITS SHANK WITHIN THE OPENINGS AND WITH ITS HEAD ENGAGING THE FINGERS OF ONE OF SAID PAIRS IS SUPPORTED AND IS FIRMLY MAINTAINED IN DESIRED ORIENTATION; AT LEAST SAID ONE PAIR OF FINGERS BEING FLEXIBLE IN THE DIRECTION OF FASTENER INSERTION WHEREBY SAID ONE PAIR OF FINGERS MAY YIELDED DURING INITIAL FASTENER INSERTION TO PERMIT CONTINUED ALIGNMENT OF THE FASTENER BY BOTH OF SAID PAIRS OF FINGERS; THE FREE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF FINGERS BEING YIELDABLE RELATIVELY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER TO PERMIT ESCAPE OF THE SHANK OF A PARTIALLY INSERTED FASTENER FROM SAID PAIRS OF FINGERS WHEN SAID CARRIAGE MOVES SAID FINGERS FROM FASTENER INSERTING POSITION TO FASTENER RECEIVING POSITION.