Pallet handling machine

Claim 1

A PALLET HANDLING MACHINE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE FORK MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITHIN THE CORE OF THE LOWERMOST PALLET IN A VERTICAL STACK OF PALLETS TO SUPPORT SAID STACK, A VERTICALLY MOVABLE FORK MEMBER DISPOSED BENEATH SAID STACK, SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER HAVING A DOWN POSITION WHEREIN IT IS DISPOSED IN SPACED VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP TO SAID STACK FOR RECEIVING AN INCOMING PALLET TO BE ADDED TO SAID STACK, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID VERICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER UPWARDLY TO BRING AN INCOMING PALLET DISPOSED THEREON INTO ENGAGEMENT AGAINST THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWERMOST PALLET IN SAID STACK, MEANS FOR RETRACTING SAID HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE MEMBER FROM SAID LOWERMOST PALLET AFTER SAID INCOMING PALLET IS BROUGHT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOWERMOST PALLET, MEANS FOR LIFTING SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF A PALLET TO RAISE SAID INCOMING PALLET INTO HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE MEMBER, MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE MEMBER TO ITS FORWARDLY EXTENDED POSITION TO INSERT IT INTO THE CORE OF SAID INCOMING PALLET IT IS IN ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER TO ITS DOWN POSITION TO LOWER SAID INCOMING PALLET AND SAID STACK ONTO SAID HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE MEMBER AND RUNAWAY MEANS FOR CONVEYING AN INCOMING PALLET TO A POSITION WHEREIN IT IS DISPOSED ABOVE SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER WHEN THE LATTER IS IN ITS DOWN POSITION, SAID RUNWAY MEANS HAVING A FEED SURFACE WHICH IS DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIAL HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER WHEN THE LATTER IS IN ITS SAID DOWN POSITION, AND SAID RUNWAY MEANS HAVING A RECESS WHICH IS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER WHEN IT IS IN SAID DOWN POSITION.