Apparatus for feeding and extracting a work-piece from a column of workpieces of varying lengths

Claim 1

THE COMBINATION WITH A VERTICALLY POSITIONED OVEN HAVING AN EXIT AT ONE END AND AN ENTRANCE AT THE OTHER END AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND EXTRACTING ONE WORKPIECE AT A TIME FROM A COLUMN OF WORK-PIECES OF VARYING LENGTH WITHIN SAID OVEN COMPRISING, A SLIDE MEMBER FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID COLUMN IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SLIDE MEMBER, COLUMN ELEVATION DETERMINING MEANS POSITIONED RELATIVE TO THE EXIT END OF SAID OVEN FOR ENGAGING A WORK-PIECE EXTERNALLY OF SAID EXIT END AND TERMINATING MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID ELEVATION DETERMINING MEANS AND SAID MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SLIDE MEMBER, A FOLLOWER MEMBER FRICTIONALLY COUPLED WITH SAID SLIDE MEMBER, STOP MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID FOLLOWER MEMBER IN THE RAISING DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER WHEREBY SAID SLIDE MOVING RELATIVE TO SAID FOLLOWER WHEN SAID FOLLOWER IS ENGAGED WITH SAID STOP MEANS, CLAMPING MEANS POSITIONED RELATIVE TO THE ENTRANCE END OF SAID OVEN FOR ENGAGING A WORK-PIECE EXTERNALLY OF SAID OTHER END UPON LOWERING MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER AND ADJUSTABLE MEANS IN THE PATH OF LOWERING MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER MEMBER, SAID ADJUSTABLE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CLAMPING MEANS FOR HALTING MOVEMENT OF SAID COLUMN DURING LOWERING MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER.