Roll grinder having loading and unloading roll-conveying means

Claim 1

IN A GRINDING MACHINE FOR GRINDING AN ELONGATED WORKPIECE AND HAVING A GRINDING WHEEL HEAD ASSEMBLY FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT LENGTHWISE OF THE WORKPIECE ON A PATH PROVIDED ON A BED PART, THE COMBINATION OF A SECOND BED PART, A FIRST GUIDE MEANS ON SAID SECOND BED PART EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AFOREMENTIONED PATH OF THE HEAD ASSEMBLY, A MAIN CARRIAGE, A PLURALITY OF SECOND GUIDE MEANS INDEPENDENT OF AND PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER ON THE CARRIAGE AND EXTENDING AXIALLY OF SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS, SAID CARRIAGE BEING MOVABLE RECTILINEARLY AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS TO SELECTIVELY ALIGN THEREWITH ANY ONE OF SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS, A THIRD BED PART HAVING MEANS TO GUIDE SAID MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE, AND A PLURALITY OF WORKPIECE-SUPPORTING SUBCARRIAGES FOR MOVEMENT FROM THE MAIN CARRIAGE ON ANY ONE OF SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS TO SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS AND THEN BACK TO THE MAIN CARRIAGE ON A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS AFTER A GRINDING OPERATION AND SELECTIVE MOVEMENT OF THE MAIN CARRIAGE, EACH SUBCARRIAGE BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A WORKPIECE FOR A GRINDING OPERATION THEREON, SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS RECEIVING SEQUENTIALLY EACH WORKPIECE-SUPPORTING SUBCARRIAGE IN A POSITION IN WHICH THE WORKPIECE MAY BE GROUND BY THE GRINDING WHEEL HEAD ASSEMBLY.