Means for intermittently conveying vials

Claim 1

MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY CONVEYING VIALS IN HORIZONTAL POSITION COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS HAVING NOTCHES ON ONE EDGE OF EACH BAR AND FIXEDLY MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER WITH THE NOTCHES UPPERMOST TO SUPPORT THE VIALS DURING PERIODS OF REST IN THE CONVEYING OF THE VIALS, AND A SECOND PAIR OF RACK BARS HAVING NOTCHES IN ONE EDGE OF EACH BAR OF SAID SECOND PAIR AND MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS WITH THE NOTCHES UPPERMOST, AND A PAIR OF CRANKS CONNECTED TO SPACED INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF THE SECOND PAIR OF RACK BARS AND CONTINUOUSLY ROTATED TO IMPART SIMULTANEOUS CIRCULAR MOVEMENT IN VERTICAL PLANES TO THE SECOND PAIR OF RACK BARS TO LIFT THE VIALS FROM THE FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS AND ADVANCE THE VIALS TO SUCCESSIVE NOTCHES IN THE FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS, SAID FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS HAVING A VIAL RECEIVING END, A HOPPER CHUTE EXTENDING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE ADJACENT SAID RECEIVING END SUPPORTING THE VIALS IN SUPERPOSED HORIZONTAL PLANES, A FIRST PAIR OF DISCS MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND HAVING EQUIDISTANTLY SPACED RECESSES TO SUCCESSIVELY ENGAGE AND REMOVE THE LOWERMOST VIAL FROM THE HOPPER CHUTE, A SECOND PAIR OF DISCS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE FIRST PAIR OF DISCS AND ADJACENT THE VIAL RECEIVING END OF THE FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS AND HAVING EQUIDISTANTLY SPACED PERIPHERAL RECESSES TO RECEIVE THE VIALS FROM THE FIRST PAIR OF DISCS AND DELIVER THEM TO THE NOTCHES OF THE FIRST PAIR OF RACK BARS.