Article transfer apparatus

Claim 1

TRANSFER MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES FROM A FIRST CONVEYOR MOVING ALONG A FIRST PATH TO A SECOND CONVEYOR MOVING ALONG A SECOND PATH GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST PATH, SAID TRANSFER MEANS COMPRISING A PUSHING BAR AND A PLURALITY OF PARTITIONS CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING SAID ARTICLES SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PUSHING BAR AND SAID PARTITIONS ALONG A THIRD PATH PASSING ACROSS AND ABOVE SAID FIRST PATH WITH A VELOCITY HAVING A FIRST COMPONENT PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST PATH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE VELOVITY OF SAID ARTICLES ALONG SAID FIRST PATH AND HAVING A SECOND COMPONENT OF VELOCITY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST COMPONENT OF VELOCITY, AND A THIRD CONVEYOR LOCATED BETWEEN SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID THIRD CONVEYOR ALONG A FOURTH PATH TRANSVERSE TO SAID SECOND PATH AND LOCATED BENEATH SAID THIRD PATH BY A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT OBJECTS SMALLER THAN SAID ARTICLES TO BE REMOVED FROM SAID TRANSFER MEANS PRIOR TO THE TRANSFER OF SAID ARTICLES TO SAID SECOND CONVEYOR.