Article transferring apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING ARTICLES INDIVIDUALLY FROM A FIRST LOCATION TO A SECOND LOCATION WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY CHANGING THE ORIENTATION OF SAID ARTICLES FROM A FIRST ORIENTATION WHEN AT SAID FORST LOCATION TO A SECOND ORIENTATION WHEN AT SAID SECOND LOCATION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATED CARRIER SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS; A PLURALITY OF SPACED CLAMPING ASSEMBLIES INDIVIDUALLY MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIER FOR RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT ALONG STRAIGHT-LINE PATHS OF TRAVEL, EACH OF SAID CLAMPING ASSEMBLIES HAVING A PAIR OF COOPERATING ARMS BIASED IN A CLAMPING DIRECTION AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ONE OF THE ARTICLES TO BE TRANSFERRED, A FIRST OF SAID COOPERATING ARMS BEING MOVABLE RADIALLY OF SAID AXIS AND HAVING A CAM FOLLOWER ROTATABLY MOUNTED THEREON; CAM TRACKS MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIER, ONE EACH DISPOSED ALONG THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF EACH OF SAID CLAMPING ASSEMBLIES; THE CAM FOLLOWER OF EACH OF SAID CLAMPING ASSEMBLIES BEING ENGAGED WITH THE RESPECTIVE CAM TRACK; SAID CAM FOLLOWER AND SAID TRACK COOPERATING TO SEQUENTIALLY (A) OPEN SAID COOPERATING ARMS DURING MOVEMENT THEREOF AWAY FROM BOTH SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOCATIONS, (B) CLOSE SAID COOPERATING ARMS WHEN AT SAID FIRST LOCATION TO EFFECT PISKUP OF THE ARTICLE TO BE TRANSFERRED, AND (C) OPEN SAID COOPERATING ARMS WHEN AT SAID SECOND LOCATION TO RELEASE THE ARTICLE TRANSFERRED; AND SECOND DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CARRIER WHEREBY THE ARTICLE TRANSFERRED IS ROTATED FROM SAID FIRST ORIENTATION TO SAID SECOND ORIENTATION DURING TRANSFER FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION TO SAID SECOND LOCATION.