Conveyor for transporting workpieces

Claim 1

A CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTING WORKPIECES SUBJECTED TO OPERATIONAL STEPS DURING MASS-PRODUCTION, COMPRISING A CHAIN CONTINUOUSLY TRAVELING ALONG A PATH INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE CIRCULAR ARC HAVING A RADIUS OF PREDETERMINED LENGTH AND A CENTRAL AXIS POSITIONED LATERALLY OF SAID PATH AT ONE SIDE THEREOF, AT LEAST ONE ARM MOUNTED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS ON SAID CHAIN AND PROJECTING LATERALLY THEREFROM AT SAID ONE SIDE OF THE PATH, A WORKPIECE HOLDER TURNABLE ON SAID ARM ABOUT A PIVOTAL AXIS SPACED FROM SAID PATH OF THE CHAIN BY A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID RADIUS OF THE CIRCULAR ARC SO THAT SAID CENTRAL AND PIVOTAL AXES WILL COINCIDE DURING TRAVEL OF SAID ONE END OF THE ARM CONNECTED TO SAID CHAIN ALONG SAID CIRCULAR ARC, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR REGULATING MOVEMENT OF SAID WORKPIECE HOLDER ABOUT SAID PIVOTAL AXIS IN THE REGION OF SAID CIRCULAR ARC TO FACILITATE PERFORMANCE OF SAID OPERATIONAL STEPS, SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING STOP MEANS FOR RELEASABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID WORKPIECE HOLDER TO PREVENT SAID HOLDER TEMPORARILY FROM ROTATING ABOUT SAID PIVOTAL AXIS WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION OF SAID ARM ABOUT SAID PIVOTAL AXIS FROM AN INITIAL RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID ARM AND HOLDER TO A MODIFIED RELATIVE POSITION.