Panel counting and separating apparatus

Claim 1

PANEL COUNTING AND SEPARATING APPARATUS, COMPRISING A PAIR OF GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PARALLEL ARMS HAVING FIRST PORTIONS FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING UNCOUNTED PANELS AND SECOND PORTIONS FOR SUPPORTING COUNTED PANELS IN THEIR VERTICAL POSITIONS, A LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID ARMS, SAID APPARATUS HAVING A PROJECTION THAT NORMALLY EXTENDS ABOVE THE ARMS TO SEPARATE THE TWO PORTIONS THEREOF AND WHICH IS PIVOTED THROUGH A PRESCRIBED ARC WHEN A PANEL IS MOVED FROM THE FIRST PORTIONS OF THE ARMS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH AND PAST THE PROJECTION TO THE SECOND PORTIONS OF THE ARMS, A RATCHET WHEEL MOUNTED ON THE APPARATUS FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO IN A PRESCRIBED DIRECTION AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF TEETH CORRESPONDING TO A PRESCRIBED NUMBER OF PANELS TO BE COUNTED, A PAWL PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE LEVER FOR DRIVINGLY ENGAGING A TOOTH ON THE RATCHET WHEEL EACH TIME THE LEVER IS PIVOTED THROUGH THE PRESCRIBED ARC TO STEPPINGLY ADVANCE THE RATCHET WHEEL, A SPRING SECURED BETWEEN THE PAWL AND THE LEVER FOR CAUSING THE LEVER TO BE RETURNED TO ITS NORMAL POSITION SUBSEQUENT TO THE PASSAGE OF A PANEL, A CAM MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THE RATCHET WHEEL AND MOVABLE THROUGH ITS TOTAL TRAVEL DURING EACH COMPLETE ROTATION OF THE RATCHET WHEEL, A SEPARATOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE APPARATUS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN SEPARATING AND NONSEPARATING POSITIONS, AND SEPARATOR CONTROL MEANS MOUNTED ON THE APPARATUS WHICH IS NORMALLY MAINTAINED IN A POSITION WHEREAT THE SEPARATOR MAY THEREBY BE MAINTAINED IN THE NONSEPARATING POSITION AND WHICH MOVES TO A SECOND POSITION WHEN THE CAM MEMBER REACHES A PRESCRIBED POSITION IN ITS TOTAL TRAVEL INDICATIVE OF A PRESCRIBED NUMBER OF PANELS HAVING BEEN COUNTED TO CAUSE THE SEPARATOR TO BE PIVOTALLY MOVED TO THE SEPARATING POSITION SO THAT SUBSEQUENTLY COUNTED PANELS ARE SEPARATED FROM THE PANELS ALREADY COUNTED, THE SEPARATOR CONTROL MEANS RETURNING TO ITS NORMAL POSITION SUBSEQUENT TO THE CAM MEMBER REACHING THE PRESCRIBED POSITION IN ITS TOTAL TRAVEL, THE SEPARATOR BEING ADAPTED TO BE MOVED, SUBSEQUENT TO THE REMOVAL OF THE COUNTED AND SEPARATED PANELS, TO THE NONSEPARATING POSITION WHEREAT IT IS MAINTAINED BY THE SEPARATOR CONTROL MEANS.