A method and apparatus for severing a generally axially moving strand carried in an airstream. Closing of a slide valve member reduces the velocity of, and preferably substantially stops the stream, thereby reducing the velocity of and preferably stopping the strand. Substantially simultaneously therewith, and preferably after the strand is substantially stopped, a scissor is operated to sever the strand. As the valve member is closed, a guide thereon positions the strand for receipt by the scis...

Handling apparatus for and method of spacing apart a plurality or multitude of similar articles, such as sticks, canes, rods, tubes or small disks or the like disposed adjacent each other on a relatively flat surface, the apparatus including a main body member embodying a vacuum chamber or cavity having an open side against which one surface of a perforated plate is disposed. A first surface of a perforated sheet or membrane of an elastic or resilient material, such as rubber, is disposed agains...

An article supporting surface, such as for handling sheets of glass provides an air cushion for supporting the sheets and suction for holding sheets against the surface. The surface is articulated and tilts and is mounted on tracks so that the sheets may be handled and moved.

A feeding device comprising a carrier which is to be loaded with a workpiece and which has a fixed arm and a movable arm, the movable arm being provided with means to urge it towards the fixed arm and a notch being formed between the two arms to receive the workpiece in a particular orientation, and a loading device being provided to load the workpiece into the notch in this particular orientation. The loading device preferably comprises a pusher member which is movable towards the opening of th...

Handling truck having a platform including two U-section side members constituting two sides of the platform. Two U-section supports are mounted on each side member and arranged in facing relation to each other so as to receive vertical grills in the recesses defined by the flanges of the U-section supports. Several similar truck platforms can be stacked on each other by engagement of outer flanges of their U-section side members in the recesses of the U-section supports of another handling truc...

Apparatus for handling seedlike small articles, comprising: a longitudinally bored elongate member mounted at one end for cyclic movement of the other, free end around a closed path through an article supply station and past an article receiving station; valve means for selectively applying a vacuum to the bore of said member during movement through the supply station and to the receiving station whereat the vacuum is cut off from said member; and means for vibrating and applying draught over sa...

A resilient plastic container having a box section and lid section formed with equal pluralities of complementary hollows or spaces to hold articles such as eggs and tomatoes and with closure means adapted to snap one into the other, is transported in an open position, lid section first, on a belt conveyor against a depending hook which moves the lid section to an upright position and then slips off while the container moves under a downwardly sloping guide plate under which the lid section is c...

A palletized drum assembly in which drums are stacked in successive layers, each comprising plural drums, on a transportable pallet, with anti-roll spacers between the layers, and the stack is releasably secured to the pallet by strap passed about the former and fastened to the latter. The assembly is dismantled for individual filling of the drums when empty by transferring the stack to a pivoted receiver in the vertical condition, rotating the receiver to a stack-supporting intermediate angular...

A backhoe bucket of the type including two sections attached for relative pivotal movement and an actuator for pivoting the sections relative to each other, and an attachment adapted for engagement by the sections.

An automatic handling of brick for assembling bricks into a standard brick pack for shipment, method and apparatus whereby bricks are transferred from a kiln car or other supply station to a transfer or blending station in a predetermined number of rows; a certain number of rows are removed from said bricks at said transfer station to reduce the number of rows for further processing at a further station beyond said transfer station; the removed rows of bricks are accumulated and subsequently add...