Method of and apparatus for handling cases

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CASES OR THE LIKE COMPRISING AN ARTICLE SUPPORT MEMBER, A FIRST CONVEYOR HAVING AN ELONGATE MOVABLE CONVEYING SURFACE DISPOSED AT A CERTAIN HEIGHT IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, A SUPPORT STRUCTURE ADJACENT SAID CONEYOR, A SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING A CONVEYING SURFACE, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR BEING MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE WITH THE CONVEYING SURFACE THEREOF AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE HEIGHT OF THE CONVEYING SURFACE OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND FOR LATERAL BODILY RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT IN THE PLANE OF SAID CONVEYING SURFACES AND IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL CENTRLINE OF SAID ELONGATE MOVABLE CONVEYING SURFACE, BETWEEN A POSITION IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND A POSITION ADJACENT SAID ARTICLE SUPPORT MEMBER AND SPACED FROM SAID ALIGNED POSITION AND PARALLEL OT SAID ELONGATE MOVABLE CONVEYING SURFACE, POWER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND CONVEYOR FOR RECIPROCATING SAID SECOND CONVEYOR LATERALLY BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS, A PUSHER MEMBER DISPOSED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID ARTICLE SUPPORT MEMBER FROM SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND MOVABLE TOWARD SAID ARTICLE SUPPORT MEMBER IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION TO OPERATIVELY ENGAGE AND SHIFT A ROW OF ARTICLES FROM SAID MEMBER OVER THE SIDE EDGE OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND ONTO THE CONVEYING SURFACE THEREOF, CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID POWER MEANS AND ARRANGED TO NORMALLY DISPOSED SAID SECOND CONVEYOR IN SAID POSITION SPACED FROM SAID ALIGNED POSITION, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND ARRANGED UPON ACTUATION BY A CASE ON SAID SECOND CONVEYOR TO ACTUATE SAID CONTROL MEANS AND THEREBY ACTIVATE SAID POWER MEANS TO MOVE SAID SECOND CONVEYOR LATERALLY FROM SAID SPACED POSITION INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST CONVEYOR.