Article-feed apparatus having an article transfer means and fluid means to propel articles through a tube

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ONE AT A TIME FROM A SOURCE TO A DELIVERY POINT A SERIES OF ARTICLES, EACH HAVING SURFACE PORTIONS BY ENGAGEMENT WITH WHICH SAID ARTICLE IS ORIENTABLE IN A PREDETERMINED ATTITUDE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A TRACK, AND MEANS OPERABLE TO INTRODUCE SAID ARTICLES INTO SAID TRACK IN A PREDETERMINED ATTITUDE, A TRANSFER MOVABLE LATERALLY OF SAID TRACK AND HAVING AN OPENING WHICH IN ONE POSITION OF SAID TRANSFER IS ALIGNED FOR RECEPTION OF AN ARTICLE FROM SAID TRACK, AND IN ANOTHER POSITION IS DISPLACED FROM SAID TRACK, MEANS DEFINING A GUIDEWAY POSITIONED FOR RECEPTION OF AN ARTICLE FROM SAID OPENING IN SAID OTHER POSITION OF SAID TRANSFER, SAID GUIDEWAY EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY SO THAT A RECEIVED ARTICLE PASSES GRAVITATIONALLY THERETHROUGH, A FLEXIBLE TUBE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL PASSAGEWAY THEREIN EXTENDING TO SAID DELIVERY POINT, MEANS MOUNTING SAID TUBE SO THAT SAID PASSAGEWAY IS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE AN ARTICLE FROM SAID GUIDEWAY, SAID TRACK, TRANSFER OPENING, GUIDEWAY, AND PASSAGEWAY HAVING CONTROL SURFACES WHICH ARE OPERATIVE BY ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID ARTICLES TO HOLD THE SAME IN THEIR PREDETERMINED ATTITUDE, A CLOSURE MOVABLE LATERALLY TO AND FROM ALIGNMENT WITH AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID GUIDEWAY AND BEING THEREBY OPERATIVE TO CLOSE AND OPEN SAID GUIDEWAY, MOTOR MEANS OPERABLE TO MOVE SAID TRANSFER AND CLOSURE SO THAT SAID TRANSFER OPENING AND CLOSURE ARE MOVED TO AND FROM ALIGNMENT WITH SAID GUIDEWAY SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY, MEANS OPERABLE WHEN SAID CLOSURE IS ALIGNED WITH SAID GUIDEWAY TO INTRODUCE AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO A PORTION OF SAID GUIDEWAY BELOW SAID CLOSURE FOR PROPELLING AN ARTICLE THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY TO SAID DELIVERY POINT, AND TO DISCONTINUE SAID PRESSURE WHEN SAID CLOSURE IS RETRACTED FROM SAID GUIDEWAY, SAID CLOSURE, WHEN IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID GUIDEWAY, PROVIDING A TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT FOR AN ARTICLE RECEIVED FROM SAID TRANSFER AND A PNEUMATIC CLOSURE FOR CONTAINING SAID AIR UNDER PRESSURE, THE CONTROL SURFACES OF SAID PASSAGEWAY HAVING RELATIVELY LARGER TOLERANCES WITH RESPECT TO SAID SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID ARTICLES THAN CONTROL SURFACES UPSTREAM THEREOF TO FACILITATE CURVING OF SAID TUBE WITHOUT BINDING AGAINST ARTICLES PASSING THERETHROUGH AND TO FACILITATE ESCAPE OF AIR PAST ARTICLES PROPELLED THEREBY IN SAID TUBE.