Apparatus for feeding intermediate pallets

Claim 1

A TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR PALLETS IN AN APPARATUS FOR PALLETIZING BARRELS, KEGS AND THE LIKE IN UNIT LOADS COMPRISING A TRANSFER STATION, MEANS FOR FEEDING AN INDIVIDUAL PALLET TO SAID STATION, MEANS FOR VERTICALLY RAISING AN INDIVIDUAL PALLET UPON ARRIVAL AT SAID STATION A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, A FIRST CARRIAGE, GRIPPING MEANS UPON SAID CARRIAGE, A SECOND CARRIAGE IN WHICH SAID FIRST CARRIAGE IS MOVABLE FIXED TRACKS IN WHICH SAID SECOND CARRIAGE IS MOVABLE, A RACK FIXED TO SAID FIRST CARRIAGE, A FIXED TRACK A GEAR WHEEL ROTATABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID SECOND CARRIAGE INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID RACKS, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID GEAR WHEEL BY MOVING SAID SECOND CARRIAGE TO THEREBY GIVE SUBSTANTIALLY AN INCREASED MOVEMENT TO SAID FIRST CARRIAGE, AND MEANS FOR GRIPPING A PALLET WHEN IN RAISED POSITION BY SAID GRIPPING MEANS TO THEREBY MOVE SAID PALLET TO A POSITION OVER A PALLETIZING STATION.