Article grouping device

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR GROUPING ARTICLES INTO INDIVIDUAL GROUPS ALIKE IN NUMBER, COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY TRAVELING CONVEYOR ON WHICH THE ARTICLES ARE SUPPORTED AND CARRIED FORWARD THROUGH A GROUPING STATION, A ROTATABLE STARWHEEL DEFINING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES RECEIVING POCKETS, MEANS MOUNTING THE STARWHEEL AT SAID STATION IN THE PATH OF THE ARTICLES FOR RECEIVING THEM IN SAID POCKETS AND GUIDING THEM FORWARDLY THROUGH SAID STATION, AND AUTOMATIC MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID STARWHEEL PREVENTING FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE STARWHEEL TO ARREST THE ARTICLES AT SAID STATION AND ACTUATED BY PREDETERMINED LINE PRESSURE OF ARRESTED ARTICLES TO ADVANCE INDIVIDUAL GROUPS OF SAID ARTICLES BEYOND SAID STATION, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A CONTACTOR CONNECTED TO SAID STARWHEEL FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH IN A ROTARY PATH, AN ARM, MEANS MOUNTING THE ARM FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF SAID PATH OF THE CONTACTOR, POWEROPERATED DRIVE MEAND CONNECTED TO SAID ARM NORMALLY MOVING THE LATTER INTO THE PATH OF SAID CONTACTOR AND OPERABLE FOR WITHDRAWING IT OUT OF SAID PATH, SAID POWEROPERATED DRIVE MEANS COMPRISING AN ELECTRICALLY-OPERATED SOLENOID, THE ARM BEING CONNECTED TO THE SOLENOID ARMATURE, AND THE SOLENOID IS SPRING LOADED SO THAT WHEN SOLENOID IS DE-ENERGIZED THE ARM IS EXTENDED INTO THE PATH OF SAID CONTACTOR, AND CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR ENERGIZING ITS SAID SOLENOID IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ARTICLES BEING ACCUMULATED IN CONTACT WITH STAR WHEEL AT THE GROUPING STATION.