Carton unstacking machine

Claim 1

A CARTON UNSTACKING MACHINE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SUCCESSION OF STACKS OF CARTONS, EACH STACK CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS COMPOSED OF ONE OR MORE ROWS OF CARTONS, COMPRISING: A FIRST PLATFORM DEFINING AN UNSTACKING AREA, A SECOND PLATFORM DEFINING A LAYER RECEIVING AREA AT ONE SIDE OF SAID FIRST PLATFORM; A HOIST ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRST PLATFORM INCLUDING A SUPPORTING FRAME, A VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE CARRIAGE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, FIRST POWER ACTUATED MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID CARRIAGE ON SAID FRAME, A PAIR OF CLAMPING JAWS POSITIONED ON SAID CARRIAGE TO ENGAGE OPPOSITE SIDES OF LAYERS OF CARTONS ON SAID FIRST PLATFORM, SECOND POWER ACTUATED MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CLAMPING JAWS INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CARTON LAYERS; CONTROL MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY ENERGIZING SAID SECOND POWER ACTUATED MEANS TO CAUSE SAID CLAMPING JAWS TO CLAMP CARTON LAYERS COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF CARTONS ABOVE A BOTTOM LAYER, THEN ENERGIZING SAID FIRST POWER MEANS TO LIFT SAID LAYERS TO A PREDETERMINED ELEVATION AND THEREAFTER LOWER SAID LAYERS TO SAID FIRST PLATFORM, AND LAYER MOVING MEANS DISPOSED TO TRANSFER CARTONS FROM SAID FIRST PLATFORM TO SAID SECOND PLATFORM WHEN THE CARTONS OF THE UPPER LAYER OR LAYERS OF EACH STACK ARE IN SAID PREDETERMINED ELEVATED POSITION ON SAID HOIST, WHEREBY THE SUCCESSIVE BOTTOM LAYERS OF ARTICLES ARE TRANSFERRED LATERALLY FROM SAID FIRST PLATFORM TO SAID SECOND PLATFORM.