Cleat stacker

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR STACKING CLEATS COMPRISING A CLEAT SUPPORT FOR SLIDABLY SUPPORTING SAID CLEATS FOR MOVEMENT INTO SAID MACHINE SIDE BY SIDE IN A HORIZONTAL COLUMN, A CLEAT ENGAGING FINGER MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A CLEAT ENGAGING POSITION IN THE PATH OF THE LEADING CLEAT IN SAID COLUMN AND A RETRACTED POSITION CLEAR OF SAID PATH, CLEAT FINGER DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CLEAT ENGAGING FINGER BETWEEN SAID CLEAT ENGAGING POSITION AND SAID RETRACTED POSITION, CLEAT PUSHING MEANS MOVABLE TO ENGAGE THE TRAILING CLEAT IN A SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS AT THE LEADING END OF SAID COLUMN SELECTED AND PUSH SAID SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS FURTHER ALONG SAID CLEAT SUPPORT AHEAD OF THE CLEATS BEHIND THEM IN SAID COLUMN A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE COLUMN-WISE LENGTH OF SAID SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS, CLEAT PUSHER DRIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CLEAT PUSHING MEANS, A CLEAT STOPPING MEMBER MOVABLY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A CLEAT STOPPING POSITION AT WHICH IT ENGAGES AND STOPS THE MOVEMENT OF THE LEADING CLEAT OF THE SUPPLY GROUP OF CLEATS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SAID SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS IN SAID COLUMN AND A RETRACTED POSITION CLEAR OF SAID COLUMN OF CLEATS, CLEAT STOPPER DRIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CLEAT STOPPING MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID CLEAT STOPPING POSITION AND SAID RETRACTED POSITION, SAID CLEAT ENGAGING FINGER BEING CONNECTED TO CONTROL OPERATION OF SAID CLEAT FINGER DRIVE MEANS, SAID CLEAT PUSHER DRIVE MEANS AND SAID CLEAT STOP DRIVE MEANS, WHEREBY ACTUATION OF SAID CLEAT ENGAGING FINGER CAUSES MOVEMENT OF SAID CLEAT ENGAGING FINGER TO RETRACTED POSITION, MOVEMENT OF SAID CLEAT STOPPING MEMBER INTO CLEAT STOPPING POSITION, AND PUSHING OF SAID SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS BY SAID CLEAT PUSHING MEANS, A CLEAT LIFTING MEMBER NORMALLY POSITIONED BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS AND BEING RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SUCCESSIVE SELECTED GROUPS OF CLEATS TO RAISE SAID CLEATS UPWARDLY, A CLEAT HOPPER MOUNTED ABOVE SAID CLEAT LIFTING MEMBER FOR RECEIVING THROUGH ITS LOWER END AND SUPPORTING IN A VERTICAL STACK SAID SUCCESSIVE SELECTED GROUPS OF CLEATS, LATCH MEANS AT THE LOWER END OF SAID HOPPER AND MOVABLE BETWEEN A CLEAT SUPPORTING POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOTTOM LAYER OF CLEATS IN SAID STACK AND A RETRACTED POSITION OUT OF THE PATH OF THE CLEATS BEING MOVED UPWARDLY INTO SAID HOPPER BY SAID CLEAT LIFTING MEMBER, CLEAT LIFTER DRIVE MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID CLEAT LIFTING MEMBER, CLEAT LIFTER CONTROL MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID CLEAT LIFTER DRIVE MEANS, SAID CLEAT LIFTER CONTROL MEANS BEING ARRANGED FOR ACTUATION UPON ARRIVAL OF SAID SELECTED GROUP OF CLEATS IN PROPER POSITION ABOVE SAID CLEAT LIFTING MEMBER, CLEAT DELIVERY MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED FOR ENGAGING SAID STACK OF CLEATS AND MOVING IT LATERALLY OUT OF SAID HOPPER, CLEAT DELIVERY DRIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CLEAT DELIVERY MEANS, AND A CLEAT STACK SENSING MEANS MOUNTED AT THE UPPER END OF SAID HOPPER FOR ACTUATION WHEN SAID STACK OF CLEATS REACHES A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT, SAID CLEAT STACK SENSING MEANS BEING CONNECTED FOR CONTROL OF SAID CLEAT DELIVERY DRIVE MEANS.