Self-adjusting cap applying mechanism

Claim 1

IN A CONTAINER CAPPING MACHINE HAVING MEANS TO FEED A SUCCESSION OF CAPS AND A SUCCESSION OF CONTAINERS WHICH MEET AT A CAPPING LOCATION AND ROLLER MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CAPS TO THREADEDLY ENGAGE THE SAME UPON SAID CONTAINERS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS TO AUTOMATICALLY LATERALLY ADJUST THE AXIAL POSITION OF SAID ROLLERS TO CORRESPOND TO WEAR ON THE PERIPHERAL SURFACES THEREOF, SAID MEANS INCLUDING FIRST ROLLER SUPPORTING MEANS IN FIXED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID CAPPING MACHINE, SECOND MEANS RELATED TO SAID FIRST MEANS FOR MOVEMENT IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF A ROLLER, AND HAVING BEARING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID ROLLER FOR ROTATION, THIRD MEANS RESILIENTLY ENGAGING SAID SECOND MEANS IN A DIRECTION WHEREBY SAID ROLLER WILL LIE WITHIN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF AN ENGAGED CAP SUPPORTED UPON THE NECK OF A CONTAINER, FOURTH MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE LIMIT OF TRAVEL OF SAID SECOND MEANS TO FIX THE ADJUSTED LOCATION OF THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID ROLLER, AND SENSING MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE EFFECTIVE DIAMETER OF SAID PERIPHERAL SURFACES WITH THE OCCURRENCE OF WEAR, AND RELOCATING THE POSITION OF SAID FOURTH MEANS IN ACCORDANCE THEREWITH.