Component feed mechanism

摘要

An improved escapement is provided for use with a channel for feeding successive components to insure their continuous and individual release therefrom. The escapement includes elements for holding a next-to-endmost component in cooperation with a land extending lengthwise in the channel, in unobstructive position while the endmost component is released. The invention has particular advantages when one or more components in a stacked series may be of a form tending to overlap or have a small irregularity, such as a protruding flashing for instance, causing shingling and hence resisting automatic feeding one-by-one in the channel.