Apparatus for setting up and shifting workpieces

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A CONVEYING ROLLER TABLE FOR RECEIVING ROLLED WORKPIECES, SUCH AS ROLLED SECTIONS, AND A CROSS TRANSFER, SUCH AS A HOT BED, ARRANGED LATERALLY OF SAID CONVEYING ROLLER TABLE ONTO WHICH WORKPIECES ARE INDIVIDUALLY TRANSFERRED EITHER TO OR FROM SAID CONVEYING ROLLER TABLE, AN APPARATUS FOR SHIFTING SAID WORKPIECES BETWEEN AND ABOVE THE CONVEYING PLANES OF SAID CONVEYING ROLLER TABLE AND SAID CROSS TRANSFER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLE WORKPIECE ENGAGING MEMBERS HAVING HORIZONTALLY COAXIALLY DISPOSED PIVOTS, SAID MEMBERS HAVING A FIRST WORKPIECE ENGAGING SURFACE ADAPTED TO PICK UP INDIVIDUALLY WORKPIECES ARRANGED IN A FIRST POSITION AND ROTATE THEM RELATIVE TO THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES TO A SECOND POSITION AS, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM A LYING DOWN POSITION TO AN UPRIGHT POSITION OR VICE VERSA, SAID WORKPIECE ENGAGING MEMBERS HAVING A SECOND WORKPIECE ENGAGING SURFACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AND PICK UP A WORKPIECE ABOVE SAID CONVEYING PLANE AND TRANSFER SAID WORKPIECE WITHOUT ROTATION THEREOF EITHER TO OR FROM SAID CONVEYING ROLLER TABLE, STATIONARY GUIDES FOR CARRYING THE PIVOTS OF SAID MEMBERS IN A MANNER TO ALLOW HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM SAID CROSS TRANSFER, SAID GUIDES BEING LOCATED BEYOND THE ROLLER TABLE ON THE SIDE THEREOF ADJACENT SAID CROSS TRANSFER AND SAID GUIDES EXTENDING A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE ADJACENT SIDE OF SAID CROSS TRANSFER, AND POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBERS FOR HORIZONTALLY AND ROTATIONALLY DISPLACING SAID MEMBERS RELATIVE TO SAID GUIDES.