US2908420A

US2908420A - Article feeding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2908420A
Application number: US629754A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas A Hoffmann; Henrietta M Rehberg
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
Current assignee: CBS Corp
Priority date: 1956-12-20
Filing date: 1956-12-20
Publication date: 1959-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-13

Description

Oct. 13, 1959 HQFFMANN ETAL 2,908,420

ARTICLE FEEDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1956 INVENTOR; 77A HOFFMfiA/A/ d R. H. PEI-{B526 BY l/EA/k/EIT/PM 2127/8526; an.

Oct. 13, 1959 Filed Dec. 20, 1956 T. A. HOFFMANN ETAL ARTICLE FEEDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR$ Mam/5m? M. 20 15;; 515% Oct. 13, 1959 A IHOFFMANN ETAL 2,908,420

ARTICLE FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 20, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .swac/c 20UE' INVENTORJ United States Patent f fice ARTICLE FEEDING APPARATUS Thomas A. Holimann, Newark, N.J., and Richard A.

Rehberg, deceased, late of Livingston, N.J., by Henrietta 'M. Rehherg, executrix, Livingston, N.J., assign'ors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 20, 1956, Serial No. 629,754

7 Claims. (Cl. 221-201 The present invention relates to article feeding apparatus and, more particularly, to a filament feeding device for automatically feeding lamp filament coils to an automatic mounting machine.

Heretofore, lamp filaments, which may be in the form of coiled-coils or single helical coils, have been fed manually or by various types of semi-automatic and automatic filament feeding apparatus to lamp stems on an automatic mounting machine, such as shown in US. Patent No. 2,637,144, issued May 5, 1953, to R. M. Gardner, which mounting machine automtically secures the legs of the coil to the lead wires of the lamp stem. The manual feeding of the coils to the automatic mounting machine is subject to high manufacturing costs and is limited by the speed and skill of the individual operator. In an attempt to reduce costs one form of automatic feeding apparatus which has heretofore been employed utilizes reciprocable transfer arms adapted to select one coil from the mass of coils in a reservoir and to transfer the coils to the mounting machine. Because of its lack of positive selectivity of untangled individual coils and low speed operation, this apparatus with its reciprocable transfer arms has not materially reduced manufacturing costs by increasing the production rate to any substantial extent. An alternative apparatus is also known to the prior art which utilizes conventional type vibratory feeders in which the coils are advanced up an inclined helical runway, but this apparatus likewise has proven unsatisfactory due to the continued entanglement of the coils on the runway and the inability of the device to properly untangle them.

A further and more recent type of article feeding apparatus is known which employs a vibratory type reservoir from which pneumatic means sucks the coils through a funnel onto a feeding plate and thence such coils are finally delivered one at a time, to a transfer finger, such as the apparatus shown in US. Patent No. 2,760,679 issued August 28, 1956 to J. J. Chadderton et al. It has been found, however, that this latter article feeding apparatus also does not insure and guarantee the positive feeding of a coil at the proper moment and futher this recent type apparatus is not capable of operating at high hourly production rates, as required for high-speed commercial lamp production.

The existing disadvantages inherent in the above noted prior art article feeding apparatus are eliminated by the present invention through the provision of a coil feeding apparatus wherein the filamentary coils are accurately and positively untangled from entwined positions by impacting them against the grooved surface of a sorting conveyor which thus forms a plurality of single lines of aligned coils to thereafter assure the individual feeding of such coils to a transfer wheel.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an article feeding apparatus which successively shocks the entangled articles to positively untangle them and wherein the apparatus then assures the individual feeding of. the untangled articles to a transfer member.

. Patented Oct. 13, 1959 A further object of the present invention is the provision of an article feeding apparatus, such as for the feeding of filamentary coils for electric lamps, wherein the apparatus is operable to first untangle entwined coils and thereafter feed them individually to a transfer member, which apparatus is operable with precision, accuracy and fidelity, at a high rateof productive speed.

Still further objects of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a frontal perspective view of the article feeding apparatus. a

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the article feeding apparatus.

Fig- 3 is a vertical sectional view of the article feeding apparatus taken on the line III-III of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the details of the article discharge end thereof.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the discharge end of the article feeding apparatus along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3. in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the article receiving end of the sorting conveyor taken on the line VV of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the sorting grooves thereof and the delivery end portions of said grooves in dotted lines-for comparison.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view, partially in section, of the delivery end of the sorting conveyor, with the transfer wheel broken away to show the conveyor, and the associated pneumatic transfer means.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the delivery end of the sorting conveyor, a portion of the transfer wheel and the pneumatic transfer means, along the line VII-VII of Fig. 6 in the direction of the arrows, and showing two aligned entwined coils as said coils approach the transfer means.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view, similar to Fig. 7 and showing the separation of the two entwined coils by the transfer means. I

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view, similar to Figs. 7 and 8, and showing the separated leading coil seated. in a transfer groove.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the article feeding apparatus showing the operation thereof.

Although the principles of the invention are broadly applicable to the sorting and feeding of entangled articles, the invention is particularly adapted for use in conjunction with the sorting and feeding of coils to an automatic mount machine for the making of electric lamp stems and hence it has so been illustrated and will be so described.

With reference to the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings an article feeding apparatus 10 is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which is adapted to automatically feed articles, such as coils 12 for electric incandescent and" fluorescent lamps, to an automatic mount machine of the type such as shown in US. Patent No. 2,637,144, issued May 5, 1953, to R. M. Gardner et al.

While various means may be utilized to support the apparatus 10 the form of the invention illustrated employs a table 14 on which is resiliently mounted a vibrator 16 for producing longitudinal vibrations with respectto the table 14. A sorting conveyor 18, essentially a quadrantal segment of a hollow cylinder provided with end and mid-ribs 20 (Figs. 2 and 3) for increased strength, is secured by means of a mounting plate 22 (see Figs. 2 and 3) to a vibrator support plate 24 up standing from the vibrator 16. The sorting conveyor 18 is provided with a plurality of spaced V-shaped sorting grooves 26, which may be six in number, as shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 6. The grooves 26 are adapted at the left hand end, when viewed in Fig. 1, to receive a plurality of the coils 12 and such grooves 26 are tapered toward the opposite or discharge end, as viewed in Fig. 1,;to gradually decrease in depth and width. As the coils'12 are advanced up the grooves 26 by the movement of the vibrator 16, which oscillates or vibrates the conveyor axially, excess, entangled and transversely positioned coils 12 slide off the arcuate surface of the conveyor 18 and a single line of aligned coils 12 (some of which may be entwined), is presented at the delivery or right hand end, as viewed in Fig. l, of the grooves 26. It will be understood that the number of sorting grooves 26 may be increased to any desired number to further guarantee the positivity of the coil feeding opera tionand to meet the demands of further increased high speed coil feeding.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 5, the left hand lower portion of the sorting conveyor 18 supports a reservoir 28, suitably an open ended container having a rear-wall 30 extending along the receiving end of the sorting conveyor 18 and abutting a top retaining wall 27. The reservoir 28 (Fig. 1) extends longitudinally along the side of the sorting conveyor 18 and may re ceive a fresh bulk supply of manually dumped coils, as the supply diminishes, or coils 12 automatically fed into this reservoir 28, and the discarded coils 12 from the sorting conveyor 18 which gravitate to the reservoir when not retained by the grooves 26.

If the aligned coils 12 are entwined in the sorting grooves 26, as they arrive at the delivery end thereof, such coils 12 are separated and transferred by a first pneumatic means, such as for example an arcuate transfer shoe 32, to registering transfer grooves 33 on the periphery of an indexable transfer wheel 34, the periph cry of which is located adjacent and slightly below the delivery ends of the sorting grooves 26. If the aligned coils 12 in the grooves 26 are not entwined, but are separately aligned then the shoe 32 merely transfers them to the grooves 33. If a coil 12 already rests in a groove 33 a second coil from the conveyor 18 will ride over the top of the first coil and be removed from the wheel as will appear later.

Transfer wheel It will be understood from a consideration of Figs. 1, 3, 4, 6 and that the transfer wheel 34 is rotatable on a suitable bushing 36 carried by a stud shaft 38, mounted in a support bracket 40 upstanding from the table 14. The transfer wheel 34, a ratchet wheel 42 secured to the wheel 34, as by screws 34a (Fig. 3) and a pawl lever 44 pivotable on the bushing 36 between the bracket 40 and the ratchet wheel 42 are retained on the bushing 36 by an arm 45 suitably pinned to the right hand end, as viewed in Fig. 3, of the shaft 38. An arcuate shoe 46 (Figs. 1 and 4) is mounted on the arm 45 below the sorting grooves 26 for peripheral engagement with coils 12 in the transfer grooves 33 and for the removal of excess, entangled or transversely positioned coils 12 therefrom.

The pawl lever 44 (Figs. 3 and 4) is joined by a connecting rod 50 to a bell crank lever 52 pivoted at 54 on the bracket 40 adjacent frame portions 56 of a conventional coil transfer conveyor 58, of the type shown in US. Patent 1,929,294, issued October 3, 1933 to J. M. Van Der Pool. The conveyor 58 is synchronized with and driven by the automatic mounting machine (not shown). A connecting rod 60 joins the bell crank lever 52 to the drive means (not shown) of such automatic mounting machine so that the transfer conveyor 58 and the transfer wheel 34 index in synchronism with the operation of the automatic mounting machine. A pawl 62 pivoted at 64 on the pawl lever 44 engages the ratchet wheel 42, so that counterclockwise rotation, as viewed in Fig. 4, of the bell crank lever 52 by the drive means of the automatic mounting machine likewise moves the pawl lever 44 and the pawl 62 in a counterclockwise direction, thus indexing the ratchet wheel 42 and the transfer grooves 33 on transfer wheel 34 one index position in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4. To assure the passage of a coil 12 from the sorting grooves 26 and the loading of each of said transfer grooves 33 with a coil 12 successive indexes of the transfer wheel 34 present an individual transfer groove 33 successively in register with each of said sorting grooves 26, thus properly aligning the

grooves

26 and 33 for the loading of each of said transfer grooves 33 with a coil 12 so that the coils 12 can be transferred by the transfer shoe 32 from the grooves 26 to the grooves.33 with positiveness.

Pneumatic means As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the first pneumatic means or arcuate transfer shoe 32, is affixed to the lower end of a high pressure air line 70 supported by a bracket 72 projecting laterally from a mount rod 74 upstanding from the bracket 40.. The air line 70 is connected to a source of high pressure air (not shown). The pneumatic transfer shoe 32 is provided with a plurality of jets 76 (Figs. 7 through 9) angularly disposed about from the vertical axis of the transfer shoe 32, one jet being provided for each of the sorting grooves 26 in the sorting conveyor 18. High pressure air from each jet 76 engages the barrel of the leading coil 12 at the delivery end of each groove 26, untwining the legs of the leading coil 12 from the adjacent coil (Fig. 8), and projecting said lead coil 12 across, and then into, the adjacent registering transfer groove 33 on the transfer wheel 34 (Fig. 9).

A second pneumatic means, such for example as an air nozzle 78 (Fig. 1-4, 6, and 10), is mounted in a plate 80, projecting laterally from the mount rod 74 substantially parallel to the wall 27 of the sorting conveyor 18, and projects through a suitable slot 82 in said side wall 27. The air jet from the nozzle 78 is directed transverse to the transfer grooves 33 to aid the retaining shoe 46 in the removal of any entangled, excess or transversely positioned coils 12 from the transfer wheel 34 without disturbing coils properly positioned in the grooves 33. A suitable high pressure air line 84 connects the nozzle 78 to a source of high pressure air (not shown).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 guide means, such for example as a chute 86, directs the movement of coils 12 from the reservoir 28 and discarded coils 12 from the transfer wheel 34 to an impacting means 88 (Figs. 1, 4 23d 10) located beneath the wheel 34 and the reservoir Impacting means The impacting means 88 (Figs. 1, 4 and 10) is mounted by means of a bracket 90 to the forward portions, as viewed in Fig. 1, of the support bracket 40. As shown particularly in Fig. 10 the impacting means comprises an expanding passage 92 provided with an article admitting slot 94 adjacent the bottom of the chute 86. The lower right hand end, when viewed in Fig. 10, of the passage 92 is connected by an air line 96 to a high pressure air supply (not shown). A delivery tube 98, suitably glass, extends from the left hand end, when viewed in Fig. 10, of the passage 92 to a point adjacent the receiving end of the sorting conveyor 13. This delivery end of the tube 98 is supported by a bracket 100 secured to the sorting conveyor 18 and is provided with a deflector ap 102 of a generally S-like configuration, as shown in ig. 3.

The entangled coils 12 are sucked through the slot 94 in the passage 92, are transferred at a relatively high speed through the tube 98 and successively impacted against the sides of the cap 102 and then are impinged against:

and projected into, the sorting grooves 26 in the sorting conveyor 18.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 10 the guide chute 86 comprises a side wall 104 supported by the plate '80, a front wall 106, as viewed in Fig. 1, mounted on the impacting means 88, and a bottom portion 107 of the chute 86, as viewed in Fig. 1, which converges on the slot 94 located in the impacting means 88 (Fig. 10). Coils 112 from the reservoir 28 and discarded coils from the transfer wheel 34 are gravity fed by the chute 86 to the slot 94, from which they are then delivered to the sorting conveyor 18 by the air pressure passing through the passage 92 and delivery tube 98, as above described.

Transfer conveyor Asshown particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 the transfer conveyor 58 has a movable endless member ,110, such as a plurality of integrated links 112, provided with a plurality of coil receiving grooves or notches 114 movable into registry with the transfer grooves 33 on the transfer wheel '34 at the bottom of the latter, as the transfer grooves 33 pass beyond the retaining shoe 46. This movable member 110 is carried by guide members, such for example as the sprockets 116, only one of which is shown in Fig. 3 and which is indexable by means (not shown) at the same rate as the transfer wheel 34 and the automatic mount machine (not shown).

Operation As shown particularly in Fig. 10, the coils 12 in the reservoir 28 are advanced by the vibrator '16 toward the delivery end thereof adjacent the guide chute 86 where they drop downwardly through gravity to a point adjacent the entrance aperture 94 in the passage 92, where they are sucked into the passage 92 by the stream of high pressure. air flowing therein. The impacting means 88 imparts a highvelocity to the coils 12 as the latter are sped through the tube "98. At the delivery end of the tube 98 the coils 12 are successively impacted against the sides of the deflector cap 102 and the surface of the sorting conveyor 18 to untangle the coils 12 into single unaligned coils. The untangled coils d2 are unged by the vibrations imparted to the conveyor 18, into and up the tapered sorting grooves 26 in the sorting conveyor 18 toward the'delivery end thereof, which, as previously mentioned is adapted, because of the taper of the grooves 26'as to width and depth, to receive a single line of aligned intertwined or individual coils, thus allowing only one coilat a time to reach the upper end of each such groove '26. All excess, entangled and transversely positioned coils 12 fall ofi the curved surface of the sorting conveyor 18 into the reservoir 28 for recirculation.

High pressure air jets from the transfer shoe 32 engage'the barrel of the leading coil 12 in each of the grooves 26, separating when necessary, the leading coil 12 from its adjacent coil, and projecting the leading coil 12 across the wheel 34 against the wheel rim 34!) where the leading coil 12 falls in the registering transfer groove 33. When another coil '12 is projected across the wheel 34' against the rim 3412 by the shoe 32, said other coil cannot enter the loaded groove 33 and rolls off the wheel 34. Each transfer groove '33 is then indexed successively into register with each of the other sorting grooves 26 to guarantee the filling of each of the transfer grooves 33 with a single coil 12. If, for example, a coil 12 becomes positioned transverse to one of the transfer grooves 33 or one or more entangled coils is caught therein, the air nozzle 78 and the retaining shoe 46 removes such coils from the transfer wheel 34, and they drop downwardly through the guide chute 86 for recirculation through .the impacting means 88 as hereinbefore described. a After each transfer groove 33 on the transfer wheel 34, having a single coil 12 positioned therein, has passed the last sorting groove 26 in the sorting conveyor 18, the

positioned coil 12 is indexed into peripheral engagement with the retaining shoe 46. The positioned retained coil 12 is successively indexed around the periphery of the transfer wheel 34 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 until it arrives at the bottom of the shoe 46 directly above -a notch 114 on the movable member of the transfer conveyor '58, into which the coil is deposited for transfer to the automatic mounting machine (not shown).

Although a preferred embodiment has been disclosed, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Article feeding apparatus comprising an arcuate sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being shaped to receive articles at one end and by discarding excess articles to present only a single line of aligned articles at the opposite end, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said articles to move along said grooves and to cause any excess, entangled, and transversely positioned articles to leave said grooves, and a transfer wheel provided with a plurality of transfer grooves, each adapted to be aligned, with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, means connected to said wheel for moving the wheel to present each of said transfer grooves in turn, in alignment with each of said sorting grooves to assure the passage of the vibrated moving articles from said sorting grooves and loading of each of said transfer grooves with an article.

2. Article feeding apparatus comprising a sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive articles and by discarding excess articles to present only a single line of aligned articles at the opposite end, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said articles to move along said grooves and to discard any excess, entangled and transversely positioned articles from said grooves, a transfer wheel provided with a plurality of transfer grooves, each adapted to be aligned with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, said wheel being movable to present each of said transfer grooves in turn, in alignment with each of said sorting grooves to assure the passage of said articles from said sorting grooves and the loading of each of said transfer grooves with an article, a first pneumatic means adjacent the delivery end of said sorting conveyor for separating said aligned articles and delivering them one at a time from said sorting grooves to said transfer grooves, and a second pneumatic means transverse to said transfer grooves for removing any excess, entangled or transversely positioned articles from said transfer grooves.

3. Article feeding apparatus comprising a sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive a plurality of said articles and by discarding excess articles to present only a single line of aligned articles at the opposite end, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said articles to move along said grooves and the latter to discard any excess, entangled and transversely positioned articles from said grooves, a transfer wheel provided with a plurality of transfer grooves, each adapted to be aligned with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, said wheel being movable to present each of said transfer grooves in turn, in alignment with each of said sort ing grooves to assure the passage of said articles from said sorting grooves and the loading of each of said transfer grooves with an article, a first pneumatic means adjacent the delivery end of said sorting conveyor for separating said aligned articles and delivering said articles one at a time from said sorting grooves to said transfer grooves, a second pneumatic means transverse to said transfer grooves for removing any excess, entangled or transversely positioned articles from said transfer grooves, and means adjacent said transfer wheel for holding said delivered individual articles in said transfer grooves during '7 movement of said wheel and until they are transferred therefrom to an article receiving member.

4. Article feeding apparatus comprising a sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive articles and by discarding excess articles to present only a single line of aligned articles at the opposite end, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said articles to move along said grooves and to discard any excess, entangled and transversely positioned articles from said grooves, a transfer wheel provided with -a plurality of transfer grooves, each adapted to be aligned, with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, said wheel being movable to present each of said transfer grooves in turn, in alignment with each of said sorting grooves to assure the passage of said articles from said sorting grooves, and the loading of each of said transfer grooves with an article, a first pneumatic means adjacent the delivery end of said sorting conveyor for separating said aligned articles and delivering said articles one at a time from said sorting grooves to said transfer grooves, a second pneumatic means transverse to said transfer grooves for removing any excess, entangled or transversely positioned articles from said transfer grooves, means closely adjacent said transfer wheel for holding said delivered individual articles in said transfer grooves during movement of said wheel in transferring said articles from said sorting conveyor to an article receiving member, and a reservoir adjacent said sorting conveyor for receiving a fresh supply of articles and any discarded articles from said sorting conveyor.

5. Article feeding apparatus comprising a sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive articles and by discarding excess articles to present only a single line of aligned articles at the opposite end, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said articles to move along said grooves and to discard any excess, entangled and transversely positioned articles from said grooves, a transfer wheel provided with a plurality of 4 transfer grooves, each adapted to be aligned with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, said wheel being movable to present each of said transfer grooves in turn in alignment with each of said sorting grooves to assure the passage of said articles from said sorting grooves and the loading of each of said transfer grooves with an article, a first pneumatic means adjacent the delivery end of said sorting conveyor for separating said aligned articles and delivering said articles one at a time from said sorting grooves to said transfer grooves, a second pneumatic means transverse to said transfer grooves for removing any excess, entangled or transversely positioned articles from said transfer grooves, means on said transfer wheel for holding said delivered aligned articles in said transfer grooves during their transfer by said wheel from said sorting conveyor to an article receiving member, a reservoir adjacent said sorting conveyor for receiving a fresh supply of articles and any discarded articles from said sorting conveyor, and impacting means for receiving articles from said reservoir and any articles not transferred to said transfer wheel and operable to impart a velocity to said received articles and to cause them to be successively impacted against a delivery end of said impacting means and against said sorting conveyor to untangle said articles.

6. Article feeding apparatus comprising a sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive articles and by discarding excess articles to present only a single line of aligned articles at the opposite end, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said articles to move along said grooves and to discard any excess, entangled and transversely positioned articles from said grooves, a transfer wheel provided with a plurality of transfer grooves, each adapted K) be aligned with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, said wheel being movable to present each of said transfer grooves in turn, in'alignment with each of 'said'sorting grooves to assure the passage of said articles from said sorting grooves and the loading of each of said transfer grooves with an article, a first pneumatic means adjacent the delivery end of said sorting conveyor for separating said aligned articles and delivering said articles one at a time from said sorting grooves to said transfer grooves, a second pneumatic means transverse to said transfer grooves for removing any excess, entangled or transversely positioned articles from said transfer grooves, means on said transfer wheel for holding said delivered individual articles in said transfer grooves during their transfer by said wheel from said sorting conveyor to an article receiving member, a reservoir adjacent said sorting conveyor for receiving a fresh supply of articles and any discarded articles from said sorting conveyor, impacting means for receiving articles from said reservoir and any articles not transferred to said transfer wheel and operable to impart a velocity to said received articles and to cause them to be impacted successively against a delivery end of said impacting means and against said sorting conveyor t0 untangle said articles, and guide means for directing the movement of said articles from said reservoir and said transfer wheel to said impacting means.

7. Coil feeding apparatus comprising a sorting conveyor provided with a plurality of sorting grooves, each of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive coils and by discarding excess coils to present only a single line of aligned coils at the opposite end of said sorting grooves, means for vibrating said sorting conveyor to cause said coils to move along said grooves and to discard any excess, entangled and transversely positioned coils from said grooves, a transfer wheel provided with a plurality of transfer grooves, each adapted to be aligned with the opposite end of said sorting grooves, said wheel being indexable to present each of. said transfer grooves in turn, in alignment with each of said sorting grooves to assure the passage of said coils from said sorting grooves and the loading of each of said transfer grooves with a coil, a first pneumatic means adjacent the delivery end of said sorting conveyor for separating said aligned coils and delivering said coils one at a time from said sorting grooves to said transfer grooves, a second pneumatic means transverse to said transfer grooves for removing any excess, entangled or transversely positioned coils from said transfer grooves, means closely adjacent said transfer wheel for holding said delivered individual coils in said transfer grooves during their transfer by said wheel from said sorting conveyor to a mount making machine, a reservoir adjacent, said sorting conveyor for receiving a fresh supply of coils and any discarded coils from said sorting conveyor, impacting means for receiving coils from said reservoir and any coils not transferred to said transfer wheel and operable to impart a velocity to said received coils and to cause them to be impacted successively against a delivery end of said impacting means and against said sorting conveyor to untangle said coils, and guide means for directing the movement of said coils from said reservoir and said transfer wheel to said impacting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Harwood Oct. '2, 1956