Delivery apparatus for the products of a rotary press

Claim 1

DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTS DISCHARGED FROM A ROTARY PRESS IN IMBRICATED FORM THE APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS DEFINING AN ENDLESS TRAVELLING PATH INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF STRAIGHT SECTIONS INCLINEDLY COUPLED TO ONE ANOTHER, A PLURALITY OF CARRIER MEMBERS EACH INCLUDING MEANS MOVABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID SECTIONS TO ENABLE EACH CARRIER MEMBER TO BE INDEPENDENTLY MOVABLE ALONG SAID TRAVELLING PATH, A PLURALITY OF SEPARATING ARMS EACH HAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A RESPECTIVE CARRIER MEMBER, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIER MEMBERS ALONG THE TRAVELLING PATH, MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY STOPPING A GROUP OF THE CARRIER MEMBERS FROM MOVING ALONG SAID PATH AND FOR RELEASING IN TIME-WISE SUCCESSION STOPPED CARRIER MEMBERS ONE BY ONE FOR SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT, CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE IMBRICATED SUCCESSION OF PRODUCTS ALONG CERTAIN OF SAID TRAVELING PATH SECTIONS FOLLOWING THE POINT WHERE THE CARRIER MEMBERS ARE STOPPED AND RELEASED IN SUCCESSION TO CAUSE THE SEPARATING ARM OF THE RELEASED CARRIER MEMBER TO ENGAGE BETWEEN THE IMBRICATED SUCCESSION OF PRODUCTS AND GRADUALLY PENETRATE BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT PRODUCTS AS THE LATTER ARE ADVANCES SO THAT PACKAGES CONTAINING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PRODUCTS ARE FORMED BETWEEN THE SEPARATING ARMS OF SUCCESSIVE CARRIER MEMBERS, AND MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY RECEIVING AND DISCHARGING THE THUS FORMED PACKAGES.