Method and apparatus for transferring articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DRIVING A WORK ELEMENT IN COMPOUND CYCLIC MOTION COMPRISING A FIRST ENDLESS CHAIN OPERATIVELY TRAINED ABOUT A FIRST SERIES OF ROTATABLE SPROCKETS FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A FIRST ENDLESS PATH DETERMINED BY THE LOCATION OF THE FIRST SPROCKETS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, A SECOND ENDLESS CHAIN OPERATIVELY TRAINED ABOUT A SECOND SERIES OF ROTATABLE SPROCKETS FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A SECOND ENDLESS PATH DETERMINED BY THE LOCATION OF SAID SECOND SPROCKETS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND ENDLESS PATHS LYING IN PARALLEL GENERAL PLANES, A FIRST ELEMENT MOUNTED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT ALONG A PREDETERMINED THIRD PATH, FIRST MEANS COUPLING SAID FIRST ELEMENT TO A SELECTED POINT ON SAID FIRST ENDLESS CHAIN FOR TRANSMITTING FROM SAID FIRST CHAIN TO SAID FIRST ELEMENT THAT COMPONENT OF MOVEMENT OF SAID POINT ON SAID FIRST CHAIN ALONG SAID FIRST PATH WHICH IS PARALLEL TO SAID THIRD PATH, A WORK ELEMENT MOUNTED UPON SAID FIRST ELEMENT FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST ELEMENT ALONG A FOURTH PATH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID THIRD PATH, SECOND MEANS COUPLING SAID WORK ELEMENT TO A SELECTED POINT ON SAID SECOND CHAIN FOR TRANSMITTING FROM SAID SECOND CHAIN TO SAID WORK ELEMENT MOVEMENT OF SAID POINT ON SAID SECOND CHAIN RELATIVE TO SAID POINT ON SAID FIRST CHAIN TO DRIVE SAID WORK ELEMENT ALONG SAID FOURTH PATH IN MOVEMENT PROPORTIONATE TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE POINTS ON THE RESPECTIVE CHAINS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CHAINS ALONG THEIR RESPECTIVE PATHS.