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Claim 1

ON A CONVEYOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF MOVABLE TRANSPORTERS FOR CARRYING ARTICLES ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, EACH OF SAID TRANSPORTERS HAVING AT LEAST ONE ARTICLE HOLDING DEVICE, A PLURALITY OF UNLOADING STATIONS LOCATED ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED PATH, EACH OF SAID UNLOADING STATIONS AND EACH OF SAID TRANSPORTERS HAVING SELECTIVELY INTERENGAGEABLE MEANS EFFECTIVE IN AT LEAST ONE PREDETERMINED UNLOADING STATION TO MOVE SAID ARTICLE HOLDING DEVICE FROM AN ARTICLE HOLDING POSITION TO A POSITION WHEREIN AN ARTICLE HELD BY SAID DEVICE IS RELEASED FOR GRAVITATIONAL MOVEMENT WHICH IS INITIATED IN ONE PREDETERMINED DIRECTION LATERALLY AWAY FROM SAID PREDETERMINED PATH, AND TAKE-AWAY MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID UNLOADING STATIONS FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES UNLOADED FROM THE ASSOCIATED STATION AND FOR CONDUCTING SAID UNLOADED ARTICLES OUT OF SAID PREDETERMINED PATH, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN THE TAKE-AWAY MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID UNLOADING STATIONS COMPRISES A ROD, MEANS SUPPORTING ONE END OF SAID ROD FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS SPACED FROM SAID PREDETERMINED PATH LATERALLY IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH UNLOADING MOVEMENT OF AN ARTICLE IS INITIATED, MEANS YIELDABLY URGING SAID ROD INTO A FIRST POSITION SLOPING DOWNWARDLY IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID ROD IN SAID FIRST POSITION HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID PREDETERMINED PATH AND TERMINATING IN A FREE END LOCATED AT A POINT SPACED FROM SAID PATH LATERALLY IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID ROD IN SAID FIRST POSITION BEING SO POSITIONED LENGTHWISE OF SAID PREDETERMINED PATH AS TO CATCH ANY ARTICLE UNLOADED FROM SAID ASSOCIATED STATION AND TO CONDUCT SAID UNLOADED ARTICLE ACROSS SAID PREDETERMINED PATH TO THE FREE END OF SAID ROD, MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE FREE END OF SAID ROD IN SAID FIRST POSITION FOR RECEIVING ARTICLE FROM SAID FREE END, AND SAID PORTION OF SAID ROD WHEN IN SAID FIRST POSITION BEING ENGAGEABLE BY ARTICLES RETAINED AND CARRIED THROUGH SAID ASSOCIATED STATION BY SAID TRANSPORTERS WHEREBY CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF EACH ENGAGED ARTICLE IS EFFECTIVE TO SWING SAID ROD ABOUT SAID AXIS AND AGAINST SAID YIELDABLE MEANS TEMPORARILY INTO A SECOND POSITION TO PERMIT EACH ENGAGED ARTICLE TO PASS BEYOND THE FREE END OF SAID ROD.