At&t Technologies, Inc.

Jack H Moll, Jr

Charles R Fegley

Charles L Davis

Individual ones of articles such as (LED) devices 10 are fed and positioned at one or more stations along a path traversed by the devices. A track 30 guidably advances the devices 10 in single file to and beyond stations 63 and 64 successively located along the path represented by a channel 35 in the track 30. An assembly 50 shuttles, transversely of the channel 35, a plurality of fingers 66-70 simultaneously from a working state to and from a transitory state with respect to devices 10 in channel 35. The fingers may be in the form of thin, upright blades 66-70 which are engaged to assembly 50 and extend substantially normally of and into channel 35 in response to the shuttling. An indexing blade 68 extends from the front of and into channel 35 when shuttling assembly 50 is in the working state to block a waiting file of devices 10. At stations 63 and 64, positioning blades 66 and 67, respectively, extend from the front of and into channel 35 when shuttling assembly 50 is in the working state to position respective devices 10 for treatment. At stations 63 and 64, detaining blades 69 and 70, respectively, extend from the back of and into channel 35 when shuttling assembly 50 is in the transitory state to block a respective device 10 from advancing beyond a respective station during the shuttling. The detaining blade 69 is spaced from the indexing blade 68 a distance suitable to cooperatively capture therebetween a device 10 from the waiting file during a shuttling cycle. Such device 10 is then released to blade 66 when shuttling assembly 50 is returned to the working state.

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Oley, PA, United States of America

Jack H Moll, Jr