Shiftable stack assembly

Claim 1

A STACK ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF STACKS FOR ACCOMMODATING ARTICLES, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING (1) A ROW OF STACKS EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE FACE THROUGH WHICH ARTICLES MAY BE TAKEN OUT AND PUT IN, SAID STACKS BEING ARRANGED ON A FLOOR IN SIDEBY-SIDE RELATION IN A MANNER SUCH THAT SAID FACES OF ADJACENT STACKS ARE PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND BEING NORMALLY ARRANGED CLOSELY ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, AND THE FACE OF ANY STACK BEING MADE ACCESSIBLE FOR THE TAKING OUT AND PUTTING IN OF ARTICLES THERETHROUGH BY FORMING AN AISLE IN FRONT OF THE FACE BY SHIFTING AT LEAST ONE STACK LYING AT THE FACE BY A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH REQUIRED OF THE AISLE; (2) MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID STACKS IN A MANNER SUCH AS TO ALLOW THEM TO BE SHIFTED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE FACES AND THUS TO MOVE SAID FACES OF THE ADJACENT STACKS TOWARD AND APART FROM EACH OTHER, AND (3) SHIFTING MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY SHIFTING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID STACKS AS SELECTED, SAID SHIFTING MEANS INCLUDING (1) AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE SHIFTING BAR EXTENDING FOR THE DEPTH OF ALL OF SAID STACKS NORMALLY TO THE FACES THEREOF AND CHARACTERIZED BY A PLURALITY OF APERTURES IN LONGITUDINALLY SPACED ARRAY, SAID SHIFTING BAR BEING SLIDABLE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OF THE STACKS OF SAID ROW OF STACKS, (11) MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING SAID SHIFTING BAR IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION, AND (111) MEANS FOR CONNECTING SELECTED ONES OF SAID STACKS TO BE SHIFTED TO SAID SHIFTING BAR, SAID CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING ELECTROMAGNETICALLY ACTUATED PIN MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID RESPECTIVE STACKS AND ADAPTED TO ENTER THE APERTURES IN SAID SHIFTING BAR.