Plate inverting apparatus

Claim 1

PLATE INVERTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME, A CONVEYOR FLIGHT MOVABLE ALONG SAID FRAME FOR TRANSPORTING A SINGLE FILE OF RANDOMLY ORIENTED UPRIGHT AND INVERTED PLATES, MEANS DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PIVOT AXIS ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR FLIGHT AND NORMAL TO THE PATH OF CONVEYING MOVEMENT, FIRST AND SECOND PLATE CARRIERS STRADDLING SAID CONVEYOR FLIGHT AND CONJOINTLY MOVABLE ABOUT SAID AXIS, AND FIRST AND SECOND CARRIERS BEING DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED RELATIVE TO SAID AXIS, A LOST MOTION DRIVE CONNECTION TO EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATE CARRIERS, POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVE CONNECTION FOR DRIVING SAID CARRIERS SUBSTANTIALLY 180 DEGREES BETWEEN A PLATE RECEIVING POSITION IN WHICH ONE OF SAID CARRIERS SLIDABLY, SUPPORTABLY RECEIVES OPPOSED RIM PORTIONS OF AN UPRIGHT PLATE, TO A PLATE RELEASING POSITION IN WHICH THE SAME CARRIER IS INVERTED AND THE OTHER CARRIER IS IN SAID PLATE RECIEVING POSITION, AND INDIVIDUAL PLATE SENSING MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATE CARRIERS, SAID SENSING MEANS EACH BEING OPERABLE WHEN THE ASSOCIATED PLATE CARRIER IS IN SAID PLATE RECEIVING POSITION TO ACTUATE SAID POWER MEANS TO DRIVE SAID PLATE CARRIER TOWARD SAID PLATE RELEASING POSITION, THE DRIVING MOTION OF SAID POWER MEANS BEING TERMINATED SUBSTANTIALLY AT 180 DEGREES FROM ITS INITIAL POSITION SO THAT AN INVERTED CARRIER, DUE TO SAID LOST MOTION DRIVE CONNECTION, IS GRAVITY-URGED TO DECLINE FROM SAID AXIS TO INTERENGAGE A RIM PORTION OF THE INVERTED PLATE WITH SAID CONVEYOR FLIGHT.