Escapement and contact mechanism having separately acting series controllers for testing electronic components

Claim 1

CONTACT MECHANISM FOR TESTING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS HAVING OPPOSITELY EXTENDING LEAD WIRES, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT CHUTE HAVING EDGES AND HAVING SIDES WITH NARROW SIDE SLOTS FOR THE LEAD WIRES OF THE COMPONENTS, STATIONARY STOPS AT THE SIDES OF THE CHUTE EXTENDING AWAY FROM ONE EDGE OF THE CHUTE, MOVABLE CONTACTS AT THE SIDES OF THE CHUTE EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE CHUTE AND MOVABLE HORIZONTALLY TOWARD THE STOPS FOR PRESSING THE LEAD WIRES OF THE COMPONENT AGAINST SAID STOPS AND THEREBY ELECTRICALLY CONTACTING THE LEAD WIRES, A FINGER TO PREVENT DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE COMPONENTS, SAID FINGER EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE CONTACTS AND AWAY FROM THE SAME EDGE OF THE CHUTE AS THE STOPS, KNIVES AT THE SIDES OF THE CHUTE SOMEWHAT HIGHER THAN THE CONTACTS AND EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE SAME EDGE OF THE CHUTE AS THE CONTACTS AND FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO THE CONTACTS FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH TO ENTER THE CLEARANCE SPACE BETWEEN THE LEADS OF THE BOTTOM COMPONENT AND THE NEXT HIGHER COMPONENT, TEST SUPPORTS AT THE SIDES OF THE CHUTE EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE SAME EDGE OF THE CHUTE AS THE CONTACTS AND FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO THE CONTACTS FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, SAID SUPPORTS BEING LOCATED AT THE LEVEL OF THE CONTACTS, A RIGID FRAME CONNECTING THE CONTACTS AND KNIVES AND TESTS SUPPORTS AT ONE EDGE OF THE CHUTE TO THE FINGER AT THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE CHUTE FOR SIMULTANEOUS HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF ALL OF SAID PARTS, THE FRAME ELEMENTS AT THE SIDES OF THE CHUTE BEING SPACED APART FURTHER THAN THE OVERALL LENGTH OF THE COMPONENTS INCLUDING THE LEAD WIRES, AND A LINEAR ACTUATOR TO RECIPROCATE THE FRAME TOGETHER WITH THE CONTACT, KNIVES, TEST SUPPORTS AND FINGER, THE DISPOSITION OF THE PARTS BEING SUCH THAT THE SUPERPOSED COMPONENTS HIGHER THAN THE BOTTOM COMPONENT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE ADVANCING KNIVES AS THE BOTTOM COMPONENT IS RELEASED BY RETRACTION OF THE FINGER, AND THE BOTTOM COMPONENT IS SUPPORTED BY THE TESTS SUPPORTS AS IT IS BEING CONTACTED FOR TESTS, AND THE TESTED COMPONENT IS RELEASED FOR CONTINUED MOVEMENT DOWN THE CHUTE WHEN THE SUPPORTS AND KNIVES ARE RETRACTED, AT WHICH TIME THE FINGER ADVANCES TO AGAIN HOLD THE STACK OF COMPONENTS.