Device for arranging irregularly supplied flat articles

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING IRREGULARLY SUPPLIED FLAT OBJECTS, PARTICULARLY BISCUITS, AND ADVANCING SAID OBJECTS IN THE ALIGNED ORDER, MEANS DEFINING A TRACK INCLINED FROM A SUPPLY END TO A DELIVERY END THEREOF SUFFICIENTLY TO CAUSE SAID OBJECTS TO SLIDE BY GRAVITY THEREON FROM SAID SUPPLY END TO SAID DELIVERY END, MEANS ON SAID TRACK DEFINING A PLURALITY OF CHANNELS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM SAID SUPPLY END TO SAID DELIVERY END OF THE TRACK, EACH OF SAID CHANNELS HAVING A WIDTH SUFFICIENT TO ACCOMMODATE ONE OF SAID OBJECTS WITH A SLIGHT LATERAL CLEARANCE, ROTARY MEANS EXTENDING ACROSS SAID PLURALITY OF CHANNELS ADJACENT TO SAID DELIVERY END OF THE TRACK AND HAVING ITS AXIS OF ROTATION SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE TO SAID CHANNELS, A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RADIAL PINS ON SAID ROTARY MEANS ARRANGED IN SEPARATE CIRCUMFERENTIAL ROWS COINCIDING WITH SAID CHANNELS AND HAVING SUCH A LENGTH AND CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACING AS TO SUCCESSIVELY EXTEND INTO SAID CHANNELS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH CONSECUTIVE ONES OF SAID OBJECTS THEREIN AS SAID ROTARY MEANS ROTATES, WHEREBY UPON CESSATION OF THE ROTATION OF SAID ROTARY MEANS ADVANCE OF THE OBJECTS IN THE CHANNELS PAST SAID ENGAGING PINS IS PREVENTED, DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID ROTARY MEANS, FIRST CONTROL MEANS DISPOSED IN THE LOWER RANGE OF SAID TRACK AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR SENSING A GAP IN ANY ONE OF SAID ROWS OF ALIGNED OBJECTS IN SAID CHANNELS AND FOR STOPPING SAID DRIVE MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE SENSING OF SUCH A GAP, AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS ADAPTED TO RESTART SAID DRIVE MEANS FOLLOWING SAID STOPPING THEREOF, WHEREBY DELIVERY OF SAID OBJECTS FROM SAID TRACK IS AUTOMATICALLY INTERRUPTED WHEN ANY OF SAID CHANNELS IS DEVOID OF A ROW OF INTERENGAGING OBJECTS, AND AUTOMATICALLY RESUMED WHEN SAID VOID HAS BEEN FILLED, SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS BEING DISPOSED IN A HIGHER RANGE OF SAID TRACK THAN SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS AND INCLUDES SENSING MEANS FOR SENSING THE PRESENCE OF ONE OF SAID OBJECTS AT REST IN EACH OF SAID CHANNELS AND FOR STARTING SAID DRIVE MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE SENSING OF SUCH PRESENCE, AND INCLINED SLIDE MEANS AT THE SUPPLY END OF SAID TRACK, MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID SLIDE MEANS TRANSVERSELY OF SAID TRACK A PLURALITY OF LAMINATIONS FORMING BETWEEN THEM CONTINUATIONS OF SAID CHANNELS OVER THE SUPPLY END OF SAID TRACK, AND MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID LAMINATIONS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TRACK.