Pallet loading mechanisms

Claim 1

IN A PALLET LOADING MECHANISM OF THE KIND DESCRIBED, THE COMBINATION OF AN ARTICLE-FEEDING CONVEYOR, A LOADING PLATFORM ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE ARTICLES ON THE ARTICLE FEEDING CONVEYOR AND DOWNWARDLY INCLINED AWAY THEREFROM, A MOVABLE END STOP ARRANGED AT THE FORWARD END OF THE PLATFORM AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO A CONTROLLING MEANS OPERABLE AT WILL BY AN OPERATOR, A PALLET CARRIAGE ARRANGED FORWARDLY OF THE LOADING PLATFORM WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE ARTICLES ON THE PLATFORM FOR RECEIVING A LAYER OF ARTICLES FROM THE PLATFORM, SAID CARRIAGE BEING MOVABLE VERTICALLY TO DEPOSIT A LOADED PALLET ON TO A DELIVERY CONVEYOR, A PALLET-FEEDING CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTING AN EMPTY PALLET INTO POSITION ABOVE THE PALLET CARRIAGE WHEN THE CARRIAGE IS IN ITS LOWERMOST POSITION, THE MOVEMENT OF THE PALLET-FEEDING CONVEYOR BEING RESPONSIVE TO A CONVEYOR CONTROL MEMBER OPERABLE BY THE CARRIAGE AS IT REACHES ITS LOWERMOST POSITION, A PALLET MAGAZINE HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE BASE ARRANGED ABOVE THE PALLET-FEEDING CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A STACK OF PALLETS, A CLAMPING DEVICE ARRANGED, PRIOR TO THE OPERATION OF THE CONVEYOR CONTROL MEMBER BY THE CARRIAGE, TO MOVE INTO CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PALLET NEXT TO THE BOTTOM ONE OF THE STACK SO AS TO SUPPORT ALL BUT THE BOTTOM PALLET, AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE MOVABLE BASE, WHILE THE STACK IS SO SUPPORTED BY THE CLAMPING DEVICE, FIRSTLY TO LOWER THE BOTTOM PALLET ON TO THE PALLET-FEEDING CONVEYOR AND THEN, AFTER THE PALLET HAS BEEN MOVED BY THE PALLETFEEDING CONVEYOR, TO RAISE THE BASE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOWERMOST PALLET IN THE STACK, THE CLAMPING DEVICE THEN BEING RELEASED TO LEAVE THE STACK SUPPORTED ON THE BASE.