Machine for handling packages

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR FORMING GENERALLY FLAT PACKAGES AND ARRANGING A PLURALITY OF SAID PACKAGES IN A STACK, THE COMBINATION OF, A BASE, A CONVEYOR ON SAID BASE FOR SUPPORTING A SERIES OF STACKS OF PACKAGES AND ADVANCING SAID STACKS SUCCESSIVELY ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH BETWEEN A LOADING STATION AND A TRANSFER STATION, A PACKAGE CARRIER FOR DELIVERING PACKAGES TO SAID LOADING STATION, A POWER-DRIVEN SHAFT COUPLED TO SAID PACKAGE CARRIER AND OPERABLE TO ADVANCE THE LATTER STEP BY STEP AT A PREDETERMINED INTERMITTENT RATE TO DELIVER SUCCESSIVE PACKAGES TO SAID LOADING STATION, A SECOND SHAFT FOR DRIVING SAID CONVEYOR, A FIRST REDUCTION COUPLING BETWEEN SAID SHAFTS WHEREBY SAID SECOND SHAFT IS DRIVEN AT A REDUCED RATE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TURNING OF SAID SECOND SHAFT AND OPERABLE TO COUPLE THE LATTER TO SAID CONVEYOR ONCE FOR A FIRST PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF STEPS OF SAID FIRST SHAFT THEREBY TO ADVANCE THE CONVEYOR ONE STEP AFTER SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PACKAGES HAVE BEEN STACKED ON SAID CONVEYOR, A RECEIVER CARRIER SUPPORTED ON SAID BASE, A PLURALITY OF RECEIVERS SPACED ALONG SAID RECEIVER CARRIER, THE LATTER BEING MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH TO PRESENT SAID RECEIVERS SUCCESSIVELY TO SAID TRANSFER STATION, TRANSFER MECHANISM AT SAID TRANSFER STATION FOR INSERTING SAID STACKS SUCCESSIVELY IN THE ONE RECEIVER DWELLING AT SAID TRANSFER STATION, SAID TRANSFER MECHANISM BEING DRIVEN IN TIMED RELATION WITH SAID CONVEYOR, A THIRD SHAFT FOR DRIVING SAID RECEIVER CARRIER, A SECOND REDUCTION COUPLING BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND THIRD SHAFTS WHEREBY SAID THIRD SHAFT IS DRIVEN AT A FURTHER REDUCED RATE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TURNING OF SAID THIRD SHAFT AND OPERABLE TO COUPLE THE LATTER TO SAID RECEIVER CARRIER ONCE FOR A SECOND PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF STEPS OF SAID SECOND SHAFT THEREBY TO ADVANCE THE RECEIVER CARRIER ONE STEP WHEN SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF STACKS HAVE BEEN INSERTED IN SAID ONE RECEIVER.