Package arranging equipment

Claim 1

BUNDLE STACKING APPARATUS COMPRISING A STATION PROVIDING A PLANE UPON WHICH TO STACK LAYERS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BUNDLES, A SHUTTLE CART MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID STACKING STATION, SAID CART BEING PROVIDED WITH A CONVEYOR AND A DEPOSITION RAMP, SAID RAMP EXTENDING TOWARD SAID STATION AND SLOPING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD IT TO A POINT LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF A LAYER ABOVE SAID PLANE, A TRANSFER CONVEYOR POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID SHUTTLE CART FOR DELIVERING LAYERS THERETO, POWER MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID CART, A FIRST SENSING ELEMENT POSITIONED TO SENSE THE PRESENCE OF A LAYER ON SAID CART, A SECOND SENSING ELEMENT POSITIONED TO SENSE THE PRESENCE OF THE CART AT THE LIMIT OF ITS RECIPROCATION AWAY FROM THE STACKING STATION, AND CONTROL MECHANISM INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SENSING ELEMENTS AND SAID POWER MEANS FOR OPERATING THE LATTER TO MOVE SAID CART IN A LAYER DEPOSITING STROKE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID STACKING STATION WHEN THE PRESENCE OF A LAYER IS SENSED ON SAID CART AND FOR OPERATING THE POWER MEANS TO MOVE SAID CART IN A LAYER JOGGING STROKE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID STATION WHEN SAID CART HAS COMPLETED ITS LAYER DEPOSITING STROKE.