Contact inserting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INSERTING ELECTRICAL ELEMENTS INTO PANEL BOARDS, SAID ELEMENTS BEING IN LADDER STRIP FROM AND EACH ELEMENT HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED APART LEGS EXTENDING FROM ONE OF ITS ENDS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A PANEL BOARD, A PAIR OF FINGERS HAVING END PORTIONS EXTENDING THROUGH THE PLANE OF A PANEL BOARD SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, A GUIDE TUBE HAVING AN OPENING ON ONE SIDE THEREROF FOR RECEPTION OF ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS, SAID GUIDE TUBE BEING DISPOSED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FINGERS AND MOVABLE TOWARDS SAID FINGERS WHEREBY, UPON POSITIONING A PANEL BOARD ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS WITH SAID FINGERS EXTENDING THROUGH AN OPENING IN SAID PANEL BOARD AND UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID GUIDE TUBE TOWARDS SAID PANEL BOARD, SAID PANEL BOARD IS CLAMPED AGAINST SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, STRIP FEEDING MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID LADDER STRIP IN A PLANE EXTENDING NORMALLY OF THE PLANE OF A CLAMPED PANEL BOARD ALONG A PATH EXTENDING PAST SAID GUIDE TUBE AND PAST SAID OPENING IN SAID GUIDE TUBE, TRANSFER MEANS FOR REMOVING THE LEADING ELEMENT FROM SAID LADDER STRIP AND TRANSFERRING SAID LEADING ELEMENT INTO SAID GUIDE TUBE, PUSHING MEANS IN SAID GUIDE TUBE FOR PUSHING SAID LEADING ELEMENT TOWARDS SAID CLAMPED PANEL BOARD UNTIL THE LEGS OF SAID LEADING ELEMENT EXTEND THROUGH SAID OPENING IN SAID PANEL BOARD AND STRADDLE SAID FINGERS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FINGERS APART WHEREBY SAID LEGS ARE BENT LATERALLY TO CLINCH SAID LEADING ELEMENT TO SAID PANEL BOARD.