Conveying apparatus incorporating rotary transfer mechanism

Claim 1

A CONVEYING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ALIGNED FIRST SECTION AND AN ALIGNED SECOND SECTION DISPOSED WITH ONE OF EACH OF THE ENDS THEREOF IN PROXIMATE RELATIONSHIP AND INTERCONNECTED AT SAID ENDS BY A ROTARY TRANSFER MECHANISM, SAID TRANSFER MECHANISM INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF WORK RACK SUPPORTING MEANS THEREON, AND DRIVE MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY ROTATING SAID SUPPORTING MEANS INTO SUCCESSIVE END ALIGNMENT WITH THE ADJACENT SAID ENDS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS, EACH SAID SECTION INCLUDING RAIL MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG A SERIES OF TREATING STATIONS, A CARRIAGE MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID RAIL MEANS, LIFT MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR ENGAGING AND VERTICALLY MOVING THE WORK RACKS ABOVE THE TREATING STATIONS AND SAID WORK RACK SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAID TRANSFER MECHANISM WHEN DISPOSED IN END ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY MOVING EACH SAID CARRIAGE ALONG SAID RAIL MEANS, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR COORDINATING THE MOVEMENT OF EACH SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID LIFT MEANS THEREON, AND THE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR SUCCESSIVELY ALIGNING SAID RACK SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAID TRANSFER MECHANISM WITH SAID ENDS OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SECTION FOR RECEIVING WORK RACKS FROM AND FOR TRANSFERRING WORK RACKS TO SAID LIFT MEANS ON EACH SAID CARRIAGE.