Article handling apparatus

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR UNLOADING ARTICLES FROM A PALLET LOAD FORMED OF TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED ROWS ARTICLES ARRANGED IN MULTI-ROW LAYERS, COMPRISING A SUPPORT STRUCTURE HAVING AN ELEVATED FRAME, AN ELEVATOR MOUNTED ON SAID STRUCTURE FOR RECEIVING A LOADED PALLET, POWER MEANS ARRANGED WHEN ACTIVATED TO RAISE SAID ELEVATOR TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION WHEREIN THE UPPERMOST LAYER OF ARTICLES IS DISPOSED IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, A TRANSFER CARRIAGE HAVING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING ROLLERS MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM FOR MOVEMENT IN SAID HORIZONTAL PLANE IN A FIRST DIRECTION TOWARD A POSITION SUPERPOSED ABOVE SAID ELEVATOR AND IN A SECOND DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID SUPERPOSED POSITION, DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE TOWARD SAID POSITION, A DRIVEN BELT MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM AND DISPOSED IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH SELECTED ONES OF SAID ROLLERS WHEN SAID CARRIAGE IS SPACED FROM THE POSITION ABOVE SAID ELEVATOR AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID ROLLERS WHEN SAID CARRIAGE IS IN SAID SUPERPOSED POSITION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BELT IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION TO ROTATE THE ROLLERS IN CONTACT THEREWITH, FRICTIONAL ARTICLE ENGAGING MEANS CARRIED BY THE ROLLER NEAREST THE PALLET, AND CONTROL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ELEVATOR RAISING MEANS FOR DEACTIVATING SAID ELEVATOR RAISING MEANS WHEN THE UPPERMOST LAYER OF ARTICLES IS ELEVATED TO SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE AND ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CARRIAGE DRIVE MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID DRIVE MEANS TO MOVE SAID TRANSFER CARRIAGE TOWARD THE ARTICLES ON THE PALLET, SAID LEADING ROLLER FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE LOWER END OF SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF THE ARTICLES AND LIFTING THE ROW OF ARTICLES ONTO SAID LEADING ROLLER, WHEREBY THE ARTICLES ARE MOVED ONTO SUCCEEDING ROLLERS WHICH CONVEY THE ARTICLES REARWARDLY WHILE THE CARRIAGE IS ADVANCED TOWARD THE NEXT TRANSVERSE ROW OF ARTICLES.