Patent ID: 7681617

Claim:
A linear multiple feeder for surface-mounted device automatic positioning apparatus, the device being arranged on a tape and wound about a reel, and the tape having a protective film coating removably attached thereto, and separable therefrom for enabling the device to be collected, the feeder comprising a support structure, a plurality of reels of tape carrying the device rotatably mounted to the structure, a member for retrieving the protective film detached from the tape when the device or components are exposed for collection, a plurality of relatively parallel lanes on the support structure, downstream of the film-retrieving member, a device for forward linear delivery of the tape along the lanes, the delivery device including a carriage moving alternately between two stops and carrying a row of tape-entraining pins selectively engageable with holes in the tape and inside the lanes so as to carry forward only those tapes selected, wherein respective elements are provided between the lanes for separating the film coating, drawn along axially by the film-retrieving member, in a direction opposite to that of delivery of the respective tape, in order to detach the film coating from the forward-moving tape, and forcing it against the separator elements, whereby the tension created in the film coating by the film-retrieving member is suitable for biasing the separators against the bottom of their respective lanes and, thereby, preventing movement of those tapes that have not been selected for delivery, by blocking them between the separators and the bottom of the lane.