Article layer stacking apparatus

Claim 1

FOR USE IN AN ARTICLE LAYER STACKING APPARATUS COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING THEREON AN ARTICLE LAYER STACKING STATION AND A STACK DISCHARGE STATION BELOW AND IN VERTICALLY SPACED ALIGNED RELATION WITH THE LAYER STACKING STATION AND AN ELEVATOR MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID STATIONS AND HAVING MEANS THEREON ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT SUCCESSIVE AND ACCUMULATIVE ARTICLE LAYERS IN THE DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE ELEVATOR THUS TO FORM A STACK OF LAYERS AND, ON ARRIVAL AT THE STACK DISCHARGE STATION TO DISCHARGE THE STACK FROM THE ELEVATOR AND OUT WARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE FRAME, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH SAID MEANS INCLUDES A CARRIAGE ELEMENT HAVING A LOAD CARRY AREA THEREON OF DIMENSIONS IN LENGTH AND WIDTH EXCEEDING THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF AN ARTICLE LAYER TO BE STACKED; A BEARING IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CARRIAGE ELEMENT AT A POINT ON A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDENT WITH A PERIMETER OF SAID LOAD CARRY AREA THEREOF AND WITH AN OUTER END OF THE ELEVATOR FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE CARRIAGE ELEMENT FOR TRANSLATOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE ELEVATOR ABOUT AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDENT WITH SAID PERIMETER; A STOP IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ELEVATOR AND INWARDLY OF THE OUTER END OF THE ELEVATOR AND OF THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE BEARING THEREWITH AND IN A POSITION THEREON TO BE ENGAGED BY THE CARRIAGE ELEMENT IN THE TRANSLATORY MOVEMENT THEREOF ABOUT SAID BEARING AT A POINT THEREIN IN WHICH SAID CARRIAGE ELEMENT EXTENDS TO LOCATE THE LOAD CARRY AREA THEREOF IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT SUCCESSIVE AND ACCUMULATIVE ARTICLE LAYER; AND A SECOND STOP IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FRAME IN A POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY THE CARRIAGE ELEMENT AT A POINT THEREON SPACED FROM SAID BEARING ENGAGED PERIMETER AND AT A POINT IN THE DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE ELEVATOR WHEREBY THE INNER END OF THE CARRIAGE ELEMENT IS MOVED UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE ELEVATOR FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FIRST MENTIONED STOP AND ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID BEARING AS THE ELEVATOR APPROACHES THE STACK DISCHARGE STATION AND SO THAT, UPON ARRIVAL OF THE ELEVATOR AT THE STACK DISCHARGE STATION, THE CARRIAGE ELEMENT WILL BE POSITIONED THAT THE LOAD CARRY AREA THEREOF IS IN AN INCLINED PLANE TO DISCHARGE AN ARTICLE LAYER STACK SUPPORTED THEREON BY FORCE OF GRAVITY.