Article handling and electrostatic imprinting apparatus and method

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MARKING ARTICLES COMPRISING: (A) A ROW OF ARTICLE SUPPORTS, EACH ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THEREON AN ARTICLE TO BE MARKED; (B) A ROW OF POWDER SUPPORTS, EACH ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A BODY OF MARKING POWDER; (C) ROW SUPPORTING MEANS RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTING SAID ROWS FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF IN SEPARATE PATHS OF TRAVEL, AND MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID ROWS FOR SO MOVING THEM; (D) GUIDE MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY GUIDING SUCH ARTICLE SUPPORT AND EACH POWDER SUPPORT INTO REGISTRATION WITH EACH OTHER, AT A POINT IN SAID PATHS; (E) EACH POWDER SUPPORT INCLUDING A STENCIL SCREEN ON WHICH EACH BODY OF POWDER IS ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED AND WHICH SCREEN IS IN SPACED OPPOSED RELATION TO EACH ARTICLE SUPPORT WHEN THEY ARE IN REGISTRATION WITH EACH OTHER AT SAID POINT; (F) AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IN WHICH SAID ARTICLE AND POWDER SUPPORTS ARE OPERATIVELY CONNECTED AT SAID POINT FOR ESTABLISHING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL THEREBETWEEN; (G) POWDER SPREADING MEANS SUPPORTED ON EACH POWDER SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE POWDER TO BE SUPPORTED ON THE LATTER AND WITH EACH SCREEN AND ACROSS THE LATTER FOR SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTING SUCH POWDER ON SAID SCREEN AND FOR FORCING THE POWDER THROUGH THE MESH OPENINGS IN SAID SCREEN; (H) DRIVING MEANS INCLUDING DRIVING AND DRIVEN ELEMENTS MOVABLE FROM AN INOPERATIVE POSITION OUT OF DRIVING RELATION TO EACH OTHER TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID DRIVING AND DRIVEN MEANS ARE IN DRIVING RELATION, AND VICE VERSA, FOR SO MOVING SAID POWDER SPREADING MEANS WHEN SAID DRIVING AND DRIVEN MEANS ARE IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION AND FOR DISCONTINUING SAID MOVEMENT WHEN SAID DRIVING AND DRIVEN MEANS ARE IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION; (I) SAID DRIVEN MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT INTO SAID OPERATIVE POSITION ONLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN ARTICLE ON AN ARTICLE SUPPORT AT SAID POINT AS SAID ARTICLE SUPPORT MOVES PAST SAID POINT WHEREBY SAID POWDER SPREADING MEANS WILL BE INOPERATIVE IN THE ABSENCE OF AN ARTICLE ON AN ARTICLE SUPPORT AT SAID POINT.