Apparatus for stacking bricks

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY STACKING BRICKS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SUPPORT ON WHICH A PLURALITY OF BRICKS ARE ARRANGED IN ROWS WITH ADJACENT ROWS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER LATERALLY, A GRIPPER ASSEMBLY FOR LIFTING THE ROWS OF BRICKS IN UNISON AND FOR DEPOSITING THEM AT A STACKING STATION, SAID GRIPPER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL GRIPPER MEMBERS EACH INCLUDING MEANS FOR GRASPING A ROW OF BRICKS BY APPLYING PRESSURE TO ITS OUTER ENDS TO THEREBY PRESS INWARDLY LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF WHILE BEING SUPPORTED IN A LATERAL DIRECTION BY AN ADJACENT ROW OF BRICKS IN ORDER TO PREVENT LATERAL BUCKLING OF SAID ROWS, AND SPREADER MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID INDIVIDUAL GRIPPER MEMBERS IN SAID LATERAL DIRECTION AFTER SAID ROWS HAVE BEEN LIFTED FROM SAID SUPPORT, THEREBY MOVING THE INDIVIDUAL ROWS OF BRICKS APART WHILE SUSPENDED AND BEFORE THEY ARE DEPOSITED AT SAID STACKING STATION.