Mechanism for loading lamp caps into the cells of an endless chain conveyor

A mechanism for loading lamp caps into the cells of an endless chain conveyor, comprising:

• a stationary guide arranged to accommodate lamp caps in a line, one behind the other;
• a rotor adapted to be driven from said chain conveyor and designed to carry lamp caps to the chain conveyor cells;
• radial slots provided in said rotor for the purpose of accommodating lamp caps being carried to the chain conveyor cells;
• a stationary plate located underneath the rotor to serve as a bottom cover of the rotor slots in the portion of the rotor travel which carries lamp caps to the chain conveyor cells;
• a shoulder provided on said stationary plate and arranged to extend over the side of the rotor so as to prevent lamp caps from dropping out of the rotor slots;
• a spring-loaded retainer provided between the rotor and the stationary guide for the purpose of retaining lamp caps in said guide, said retainer being adapted to be positively moved out of the retaining position at periodic intervals, when a rotor slot arrives at said guide;
• a means for positively moving lamp caps from said stationary guide into the rotor slots;
• cams provided on said rotor for the purpose of periodically acting upon said retainer in order to move it out of the retaining position and thereby permit lamp caps to be positively moved into the rotor slots by said means.