Filling and capping machine

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ORIENTING CYLINDRICAL CARTRIDGES FROM A HORIZONTAL POSITION TO A VERTICAL POSITION COMPRISING A FEED HOPPER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A QUANTITY OF CARTRIDES IN CONTIGUOUS RELATION AND A HORIZONTAL POSITION, SAID HOPPER HAVING A DOWNWARDLY SLANTED BOTTOM WALL LEADING TO A DISCHARGE OPENING, A PICK-UP WHEEL POSITIONED WITH A PORTION OF ITS PERIPHERY ADJACENT THE HOPPER OPENING AND ROTATABLE ON AN AXIAS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE CARTRIDGES IN THE HOPPER, SAID WHEEL HAVING SPACED NOTCHES IN ITS PERIPHERY PARALLELING ITS AXIS, MEANS MOUNTING THE PICKUP WHEEL SO THAT SAID PORTION OF THE WHEEL CLOSES THE DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE HOPPER AND WHEREBY CARTRIDGES WITHIN THE HOPPER ARE CAUSED TO LIE AGAINST THE WHEEL, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE WHEEL IN A DIRECTION TO CAUSE INDIVIDUAL CARTRIDGES TO FALL INTO THE RESPECTIVE NOTCHES AND TO BE DRAWN FROM BENEATH THE MASS INSIDE THE HOPPER TO AN ELEVATED POSITION OUTSIDE THE HOPPER, SAID WHEEL LYING IN A PLANE RELATIVE TO THE HORIZONTAL POSITION OF THE CARTRIDGE IN THE HOPPER SUCH THAT ONE END OF THE CARTRIDGES ENTRAINED IN THE NOTCHES OF THE WHEEL PROJECT UNSUPPORTED FROM ONE END FACE OF THE WHEEL, MEANS FOR STOPPING WHEEL ROTATION WHEN AT LEAST ONE OF THE ENTRAINED CARTRIDGES REACHES SAID ELEVATED POSITION, A TIPPER BLOCK MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT ADJACENT THE SAID END OF THE WHEEL, SAID TIPPER BLOCK HAVING A LEDGE PORTION OVERLYING THE PROJECTING END OF THE CARTRIDGE WHEN THE LATTER IS IN SAID ELEVATED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID BLOCK IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION WHEN SAID WHEEL IS STOPPED TO CAUSE THE LEDGE THEREIN TO ENGAGE THE PROJECTING END OF THE CARTRIDGE AND TIP IT TO A VERTICAL POSITION OUT OF THE HORIZONTAL NOTCH IN THE WHEEL SO THAT IT MAY FALL IN A VERTICAL POSITION ACROSS THE END OF THE WHEEL.