Stacking machines

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING, COUNTING AND STACKING ARTICLES BEING SUPPLIED IN A STREAM, THE COMBINATION WITH AN INPUT CONVEYOR AND A MEANS FOR COUNTING SAID ARTICLES BEING MOVED BY SAID CONVEYOR, OF STACKING MEANS AT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CONVEYOR COMPRISING AN ENDLESS MEANS CARRYING A PLURALITY OF DEVICES FOR RECEIVING AND STACKING SAID ARTICLES, SAID DEVICES EACH BEING AFFORDED LIMITED MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID ENDLESS MEANS, MEANS ENERGIZABLE TO ADVANCE SAID ENDLESS MEANS A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, MEANS ACTUABLE BY SAID COUNTING MEANS EACH TIME THE LATTER REGISTERS A PREDETERMINED COUNT TO ENERGIZE SAID MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID ENDLESS MEANS A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE TO MOVE ONE OF SAID DEVICES INTO AN ARTICLE RECEIVING AND STACKING POSITION IN RELATION TO THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID CONVEYOR, LATCH MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH A FOLLOWING DEVICE TO HOLD THAT DEVICE AGAINST THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID ENDLESS MEANS TO CAUSE SAID DEVICE TO MOVE TO A DISPLACED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID ENDLESS MEANS, AND MEANS ACTUABLE BY SAID COUNTING MEANS TO CAUSE SAID LATCH TO RELEASE SAID DEVICE UPON REGISTRATION OF A PREDETERMINED COUNT TO PERMIT THE LATTER TO MOVE OUT OF SAID DISPLACED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID ENDLESS MEANS TO THEREBY SEPARATE THE STREAM OF ARTICLES AND BE POSITIONED TO RECEIVE FOLLOWING ARTICLES THEREUPON.