Apparatus for assembling screw blanks and washers

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR INSERTING WASHERS ON SCREW BLANKS EACH HAVING A HEAD AND A SHANK, COMPRISING, (A) A CONVEYOR MEANS, (B) A PLURALITY OF SPACED NOTCH GROUPS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND CARRIED THEREBY, EACH GROUP FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF SUPERIMPOSED ALIGNED NOTCHES, (C) HEAD CARRYING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH GROUP AND MOVING THEREWITH AS A UNIT, (D) AT LEAST ONE WASHER FEEDING STATION TO INSERT A WASHER EACH INTO A NOTCH ALIGNED WITH THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID WASHER FEEDING STATION AS SAID NOTCH GROUPS SUCCESSIVELY REGISTER THEREWITH, (E) A BLANK FEEDING STATION FOR INSERTING A SCREW BLANK INTO EACH OF SAID GROUP IN A POSITION WHERE THE BLANK SHANK EXTENDS DOWNWARDLY AND THE LOWER END THEREOF IS CENTERED WITH AND DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE WASHER OR WASHES HELD IN THE SAME GROUP AND THE PERIPHERY OF THE BLANK HEAD IS ENGAGED BY SAID CARRYING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID GROUP, (F) A RAMP STATIONARY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BLANK FEEDING STATION AND PROJECTING INTO SAID NOTCH GROUP UNDER THE LEVEL OF SAID HEAD CARRYING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO HOLD SAID BLANK IN SUSPENSION BY ENGAGING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BLANK HEAD, SAID RAMP EXTENDING ALONG THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID GROUP IN A DOWNWARD SLOPING DIRECTION CAUSING THE BLANK, DRIVEN BY SAID HEAD CARRYING MEANS DURING THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE NOTCH GROUP FROM THE BLANK FEEDING STATION, TO SLIDE ALONG THE RAMP AND, WHILE GRADUALLY BEING DISPLACED WITH IN THE NOTCH GROUP, ENGAGE SAID WASHER AND THE NOTCH DISPOSED ADJACENT THERETO, AND (G) A DISCHARGE STATION WHERE THE BLANK AND WASHER ASSEMBLY IS REMOVED FROM EACH OF SAID NOTCH GROUPS.