Patent ID: 7228955

Claim:
A container and generally elongated item feed-dispensing machine, of the type including a hopper ( 1 ) in which objects are randomly introduced and in which said objects finally adopt a vertical arrangement in desired positions, comprising: a hopper having an outlet, wherein arranged at said outlet of said hopper ( 1 ) is a metering device ( 5 – 10 ) leading to a discharge plate ( 22 ) ending at a lifting means ( 6 ) provided with a plurality of blades ( 11 ) of a grooved free edge, said discharge plate ( 22 ) having an also grooved edge ( 23 ) so as to intertwine with the blades ( 11 ), and said lifting means ( 6 ) ending at a transfer plate ( 31 ), also of a grooved edge, for access to a transfer and selection station in which a base plate ( 29 ) framed by two side rails ( 30 ) collaborates, located on which is a conveyor ( 27 ), located above the base plate ( 29 ) and provided with grooved blades ( 28 ) similar to those of the lifting means ( 6 ), a plate ( 29 ) provided with a central opening ( 17 ) for the dropping of the objects, with a positional selection criterion of the objects, towards a vertical positioning station having a first end located under the opening ( 17 ) of the base plate ( 29 ), said vertical positioning station having a second end whereby movement of objects from said first end to said second end defines a feed direction for the object, wherein two tilted and static walls ( 34 ) are provided, arranged parallel to said feed direction of the object, linearly moving forward inside of which are vertical pushing means ( 35 ) attached to a conveyor ( 36 ) defining a horizontal path for said pushing means ( 35 ) which drag the objects, separated from one another, on a bottom conveyor ( 41 ) on which they are placed.