Unstacking machine

Claim 1

AN UNSTACKING MACHINE COMPRISING AN ELEVATOR CHUTE, AN ELEVATOR VERTICALLY MOVEABLE IN SAID CHUTE, INFEED CONVEYOR MEANS FOR FEEDING PALLETS LOADED WITH LAYERS OF ARTICLES THEREON SUCCESSIVELY TO SAID ELEVATOR CHUTE AND OVER SAID ELEVATOR, MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE TRAVEL OF SAID PALLETS TO SAID ELEVATOR CHUTE WHEN SAID ELEVATOR HAS RECEIVED A LOADED PALLET, MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE TRAVEL OF SAID PALLETS TO SAID ELEVATOR UNTIL SAID ELEVATOR IS POSITIONED IN ITS LOWERMOST POSITION, MEANS FOR SPACING SAID PALLETS ON SAID INFEED CONVEYOR, A PAIR OF OPPOSED HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SLIDE PLATES OPERABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ELEVATOR CHUTE AND MOVEABLE TOWARD EACH OTHER ACROSS SAID ELEVATOR CHUTE, DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY PROJECTING TINES AT THE INNER EDGES OF SAID SLIDE PLATES FOR URGING THE TOPMOST LAYER OF ARTICLES UPWARDLY AS SAID SLIDE PLATES MOVE TOWARD EACH OTHER, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID SLIDE PLATES IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID ELEVATOR, RECIPROCATABLE RAKE MEANS MOVEABLE ACROSS SAID SLIDE PLATES FOR PUSHING ARTICLES FROM SAID SLIDE PLATES, AND A DISCHARGE CONVEYOR OPPOSITE SAID RAKE MEANS FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES PUSHED BY SAID RAKE MEANS AND FOR ARRANGING SAID ARTICLES IN SINGLE FILE FASHION UPON BEING RECEIVED THEREON.