Lumber stacker

Claim 1

IN MECHANISM OF THEA CHARACTER DESCRIBED FOR STACKING LUMBER: CONVEYOR MEANS WITH FEED AND OFF-BEARING ENDS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONVEYOR UNITS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND DEFINING A FIRST SUPPORT PLANE; A PICK-UP SECTION ADJACENT TO THE OFF-BEARING END OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING FORKS PARALLELING AND INTERSPACED BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF SAID CONVEYOR UNITS AND SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND DEFINING A SECOND SUPPORT PLANE LOCATED BELOW SAID SUPPORT PLANE OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS WITH SAID FORKS IN ONE POSITION; FIRST MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FORKS FROM THEIR SAID ONE POSITION UPWARDLY WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SECOND SUPPORT PLANE OF SAID FORKS PARALLEL TO THE POSITION WHICH IT OCCUPIES WHEN SAID FORKS ARE IN THEIR SAID FIRST POSITION TO PLACE SAID SECOND SUPPORT PLANE TO SAID FORKS ABOVE SAID FIRST SUPPORT PLANE OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; SECOND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FORKS ABOVE SAID FIRST SUPPORT PLANE OF SAID PLANE TO SAID FORKS ABOVE SAID FIRST SUPPORT PLANE OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS TO AN EXTENDED POSITION WHERE SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEANS OF SAID FORKS IS BEYOND SAID OFF-BEARING END OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; THIRD MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FORKS DOWNWARDLY TO A LOWERED EXTENDED POSITION; FOURTH MEANS FOR SUBSEQUENTLY MOVING SAID FORKS RETRACTIVELY TO THEIR SAID ONE POSITION; A DEPOSITORY HAVING AN APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL THIRD SUPPORT PLANE AT THE OFF-BEARING END OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES FROM SAID FORKS WHEN IN THEIR LOWER EXTENDED POSITION; AND MEANS FOR LOWERING SAID DEPOSITORY IN STEPS AS ARTICLES ARE STACKED THEREON WHEREBY THE TOP OF A STACK AS IT IS FORMED ON SAID THIRD SUPPORT PLANE OF SAID DEPOSITORY MAY BE MAINTAINED AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LOADING LEVEL.