Stick stacking apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR STACKING FLAT STICKS IN ALIGNED FACE TO FACE RELATION COMPRISING A FEED DRUM HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED TRANSVERSE SLOTS IN ITS PERIPHERY, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DRUM ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A MASS OF GENERALLY PARALLEL ORIENTED STICKS AGAINST THE PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM IN AN UPWARDLY-ROTATING REGION THEREOF APPROXIMATELY AT THE HEIGHT OF THE DRUM AXIS, A GUIDEWAY GENERALLY TANGENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE DRUM AT THE TOP THEREOF AND HAVING A CURVING ENTRANCE PORTION CONFORMING GENERALLY TO THE CURVATURE OF THE DRUM, SAID GUIDEWAY HAVING A PASSAGE TO RECEIVE STICKS CONFINED IN A SINGLE LAYER IN EDGE TO EDGE CONTACT, A SECOND GUIDEWAY EXTENDING GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO AND INTERSECTING THE FIRST GUIDEWAY, AND MEANS ADJACENT THE INTERSECTION OF THE FIRST AND SECOND GUIDEWAYS FOR INTERCEPTING STICKS ADVANCING ALONG THE FIRST GUIDEWAY AND FOR DIVERTING THEM INTO THE SECOND GUIDEWAY IN FACE TO FACE RELATION, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A TOOTHED ROTARY MEMBER HAVING OBLIQUE TEETH ONTO WHICH THE STICKS ARE FED IN SUCCESSION BY THE FEED DRUM, SAID TOOTHED MEMBER BEING ROTATED SOLELY BY THE ACTION OF THE ADVANCING STICKS IN SUCCESSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TEETH OF SAID MEMBER.