Dispenser for retaining rings

Claim 1

A POWER-OPERATED COMBINATION DISPENSER AND APPLICATOR FOR SPLIT EXTERNAL SPRING RETAINING RINGS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN UPRIGHT FRAME MEMBER, A TABLE MEMBER MOUNTED THEREON, AN GENERALLY UPRIGHT STACK ROD AFFIXED TO THE FRAME MEMBER ABOVE THE TABLE MEMBER, A RING-SLIDEWAY PROVIDED ON AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE TOP SURFACE OF THE TABLE MEMBER BENEATH THE STACK ROD, THE LOWER END OF THE STACK ROD BEING SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID SLIDEWAY A DISTANCE APPROXIMATING THE AXIAL THICKNESS OF ONE RING OF A COLUMN OF SUCH RINGS MOUNTED ON THE STACK ROD, A SLIDE MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT IN SAID SLIDEWAY AND OPERATIVE ON ITS WORKING STROKE TO PUSH THE LOWERMOST RING OF THE COLUMN THEREOF DISPOSED ON THE STACK ROD IN SIDEWARD DIRECTION ALONG THE SLIDEWAY, POWER MEANS OPERATIVELY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME MEMBER ABOVE THE TABLE MEMBER AND IN GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION TO THE STACK ROD, A TUBULAR PLUNGER COAXIAL WITH AND RECIPROCABLE BY SAID POWER MEANS IN A PATH TRANSVERSING THAT OF RING MOVEMENT A RING-SPREADING MANDREL DISPOSED BELOW AND IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PLUNGER AND THEREBY IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE RING MOVED SIDEWARDLY AS AFORESAID AND TO BE TELESCOPED BY SAID PLUNGER WHEN THE LATTER MOVES ON ITS DOWNWARD STROKE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PLUNGER TRAVEL IN UPWARD DIRECTION FOR ACTUATING THE SLIDE THROUGHOUT ITS WORKING STROKE THEREBY TO EFFECT TRANSFER OF SAID LOWERMOST RING TO AND ITS POSITIONING ON THE UPPER END OF THE SPREADING MANDREL, WHEREBY SAID PLUNGER ON ITS RETURN STROKE WILL ACTUATE SAID RING AXIALLY DOWNWARDLY ALONG SAID SPREADING MANDREL TO EFFECT SPREADING THEREOF, SAID SPREADING MANDREL BEING POSITIONED WITH ITS UPPER END IN LINE WITH SAID SLIDEWAY WHEREBY THE SLIDE IS ADAPTED TO PUSH SAID LOWERMOST RING DIRECTLY ONTO THE MANDREL.