Container testing and sorting apparatus

Claim 1

IN CONTAINER TESTING AND STORING APPARATUS HAVING A ROTARY TURRET AND A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE GAGE CARRIERS MOUNTED ON THE TURRET AND MEANS FOR FEEDING CONTAINERS SUCCESSIVELY ONTO THE TURRET AND FOR POSITIONING EACH CONTAINER IN VERTICAL GAGING ALIGNMENT WITH A GAGE CARRIER, MEANS FOR TESTING EACH CONTAINER AND FOR LATER EJECTING FROM THE TURRET ANY CONTAINER THAT DOES NOT CONFORM TO A PREDETERMINED STANDARD, SAID TESTING AND EJECTING MEANS COMPRISING: MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING EACH GAGE CARRIER DOWNWARDS AND THEN UPWARDS DURING EACH ROTATION OF THE TURRET, A GAGE SUPPORTED ON EACH CARRIER FOR TESTING A GIVEN PHYSICAL CONDITION OF THE CONTAINER DURING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE GAGE CARRIER, THE GAGE BEING MOUNTED TO THE MOVABLE UPWARDS RELATIVE TO THE CARRIER ONLY WHEN DESCENT OF THE GAGE IS OBSTRUCTED AS BY A NONCONFORMING CONTAINER, AN ACTUATOR MOUNTED ON EACH GAGE CARRIER AND HAVING A NORMAL FIRST PORTION AND A TRIPPED SECOND POSITION, TRIPPING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH GAGE AND OPERABLE TO MOVE ITS ASSOCIATED ACTUATOR FROM ITS FIRST POSITION TO ITS SECOND POSITION SOLELY IN RESPONSE TO UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE GAGE RELATIVE TO THE GAGE CARRIER, FIXED CAM MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE ACTUATOR IN ITS SECOND POSITION AFTER THE GAGE HAS BEEN RAISED ABOVE THE CONTAINER, AN EJECTOR FOR EJECTING A CONTAINER FROM THE TURRET, ENERGIZING MEANS FOR OPERATING THE EJECTOR IN RESPONSE TO THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE ACTUATOR WITH THE FIXED CAM MEANS, AND RESET MEANS FOR RESETTING THE ACTUATOR FROM ITS SECOND POSITION TO ITS FIRST POSITION AFTER THE OPERATION OF THE EJECTOR AND BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER TESTING CYCLE.