Material feeding apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING WELDING FLUX INTO A CAVITY IN THE END OF A WELDING STUD HAVING A CENTRAL POST WITH A SHOULDER THEREON INCLUDING IN COMBINATION MEANS FOR HOLDING A STUD IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL POSITION, A BASE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SPACED AND UPWARDLY EXTENDING MOUNTING WALLS, A MOUNTING PLATE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND END PORTIONS, PIVOT MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID SECOND END PORTION OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE TO SAID BASE, A CAM MECHANISM CONNECTING SAID FIRST END PORTION OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE TO SAID MOUNTING WALLS FOR PIVOTING SAID MOUNTING PLATE ABOUT SAID PIVOT MEANS, SAID CAM MECHANISM INCLUDING CAM SLOTS IN EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOUNTING WALLS AND CAM FOLLOWERS MOVABLE THEREIN, WALL MEANS DEFINING A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED GUIDEWAY IN SAID MOUNTING PLATE, A SLIDE MEMBER MOVABLE BETEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS IN SAID GUIDEWAY, WALL MEANS DEFINING A CIRCULAR OPENING THROUGH SAID SLIDE MEMBER, A FUNNEL TYPE STORAGE MEMBER MOUNTED ON TOP OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE AND BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CIRCULAR OPENING IN SAID FIRST POSITION OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER, WALL MEANS DIVIDING SAID STORAGE MEMBER INTO AT LEAST TWO VERTICALLY EXTENDING CHAMBERS, A TRANSFER TUBE MOUNTED ON THE LOWER SIDE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE AND BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CIRCULAR OPENING IN SAID SECOND POSITION OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER, FUNNEL MEANS IN SAID TRANSFER TUBE HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, A CONE SHAPED DIFFUSER MEMBER MOUNTED IN SAID TRANSFER TUBE IMMEDIATELY BELOW SAID CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID FUNNEL MEANS, THE LOWER END OF SAID TRANSFER TUBE BEING ADAPTED TO SURROUND A WELDING STUD WITH A LOWER END OF SAID DIFFUSER MEMBER ADAPTED TO COVER THE CENTRAL POST AND SHOULDER OF THE WELDING STUD TO PREVENT WELDING FLUX FROM BEING THEREON, AN AIR CYLINDER MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND END PORTION OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE, A PISTON IN SAID AIR CYLINDER AND HAVING A PISTON ROD CONNECTED THERETO FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, A CONNECTING BLOCK FIXED TO SAID PISTON ROD, SAID CAM FOLLOWERS CARRIED BY SAID CONNECTING BLOCK, SAID SLIDE MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID CONNECTING BLOCK AND MOVABLE THEREWITH, MOVEMENT OF SAID CONNECTING BLOCK FROM SAID FIRST TO SAID SECOND POSITION CAUSING SAID CIRCULAR OPENING IN SAID SLIDE MEMBER TO CARRY WELDING FLUX TO SAID TRANSFER TUBE AND AT THE SAME TIME SAID CAM MECHANISM CAUSES MOVEMENT OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE ABOUT SAID PIVOT MEANS TO MOVE SAID LOWER END OF SAID TRANSFER TUBE INTO POSITION RELATIVE TO THE WELDING STUD.