| 摘要 |
<p>Apparatus and method for sequential provision of a series of similarly configured objects to and from a proximal location such as a device for testing those objects. The objects are provided in a gravity-fed ramp (163) to an open cylindrical container (155) provided with a centrally pivoting rotatable drum (157). The drum (157) is provided with an indentation (161) configured to receive only one of the objects at a time. The drum (157) is rotatably disposed in the open cylinder (155) about a central pivot (159) to rotatably move the indentation (161) between a first position of the open cylinder at the foot of the walled ramp (163) and a second position of the open cylinder. At the second position, the open cylinder is provided with a drop tube (173). At the second position, the received object (167) drops into the drop tube (173) and thence into a supply tube (187) that communicates at one of its ends to gravity feed the object (167) to the proximal location (113) where the object (167) is to be utilized. After the received object (167) has been dropped at the second position into the drop tube (173), but before another such object can be received, the drum (157) is rotated from the second position back to the first position wherein the indentation (161) is at the foot of the ramp (163). The used object (167) is ejected, by an appropriate force, from the proximal location (113) back into the supply tube (187) and thence to another container (183) for disposed or used objects. <IMAGE></p> |
