Apparatus for inspecting glassware

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING GLASS CONTAINERS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A CONVEYOR, A TABLE, AN INDEXING HEAD HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POCKETS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION WHEREBY SAID POCKETS ARE SUCCESSIVELY MOVED FROM THE POSITION OVERLYING SAID CONVEYOR TO A POSITION ALONG SAID TABLE, A PLURALITY OF INSPECTING DEVICES AT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POINTS ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF SAID INDEXING HEAD AND ALONG SAID TABLE, AN ENTRY STATION ADJACENT THE AREA OF JUNCTURE OF THE CONVEYOR AND INDEXING HEAD, MEANS PROVIDING A GUIDEWAY FOR GUIDING THE CONTAINERS IN A ROW AND DIRECTING THEM SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY TOWARD SAID INDEXING HEAD, A DISCHARGE STATION SPACED FROM SAID ENTRY STATION AT THE AREA OF JUNCTURE OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID INDEXING HEAD AND SAID CONVEYOR, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL FROM ONE OF SAID INSPECTION STATIONS FOR PREVENTING THE NORMAL DISCHARGE OF A GLASS CONTAINER FROM A POCKET OF SAID INDEXING HEAD TO THE CONVEYOR AND REMOVAL FROM SAID POCKET BY SAID CONVEYOR, A REJECT STATION INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID ENTRY STATION AND SAID DISCHARGE STATION AT THE AREA WHERE THE PERIPHERY OF SAID INDEXING HEAD OVERLIES SAID CONVEYOR, AND MEANS NORMALLY URGING A CONTAINER OUT OF A POCKET AT SAID REJECT STATION, WHEREBY WHEN SAID RESPONSIVE MEANS PREVENTS THE NORMAL DISCHARGE OF A GLASS CONTAINER, SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT OF SAID POCKET TO THE REJECT STATION BRINGS THE CONTAINER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REJECT MEANS FOR DISCHARGE OF SAID CONTAINER FROM SAID POCKET BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CONVEYOR, SWITCH MEANS IN SAID GUIDEWAY MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID GLASS CONTAINERS, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SWITCH MEANS AND MOVABLE IN THE PATH OF SAID GLASS CONTAINERS TOWARD THE PERIPHERY OF SAID INDEXING HEAD TO OBSTRUCT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID CONTAINERS TOWARD THE PERIPHERY, WHEN SAID GUIDEWAY IS NOT SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH GLASS CONTAINERS, SAID GUIDEWAY MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST SECTION EXTENDING RADIALLY TOWARD THE PERIPHERY OF SAID INDEXING HEAD AND A SECOND SECTION EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO SAID FIRST SECTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID CONVEYOR WHEREBY IF A CONTAINER IS TIPPED OVER IN ITS MOVEMENT ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, IT IS PREVENTED FROM MOVING TOWARD THE PERIPHERY OF THE INDEXING HEAD BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN DIRECTION CAUSED BY THE ANGULARITY BETWEEN THE TWO SECTIONS OF THE GUIDEWAY.