Patent ID: 7690222

Claim:
A glass gob distributor for delivering gobs of molten glass to sections of a glassware forming machine, which includes: at least one electric motor, a ball screw coupled to said electric motor, a carriage slidable on a carriage shaft and coupled to said ball screw, at least one gear rack coupled to said carriage, at least one scoop coupled to said gear rack for rotation around a scoop axis as a function of linear motion of said gear rack and said carriage, a pair of slides slidably mounted on a stationary slide shaft parallel to said carriage shaft on opposite sides of said carriage, said slides being disconnected from said carriage and freely slidable with respect to said carriage and said carriage shaft, and a pair of fluid cylinders disposed adjacent to said slides, said fluid cylinders being responsive to an absence of power at said electric motor for pushing said slides toward each other to abut and slidably position said carriage on said carriage shaft, said gear rack and said at least one scoop at a home position.