Apparatus for stacking sheets of veneer

Claim 1

A VENERR STACKER COMPRISING: UPRIGHT WALL MEANS DEFINING AN OPEN RECTANGULAR BIN FOR RECEIVING VENEERS TO BE STACKED, SAID BIN INCLUDING A FRONT END, A BACK END WALL AND OPPOSITE SIDEWALLS, A VERTICALLY MOVABLE STACKING PLATFORM DEFINING A BOTTOM WALL OF SAID BIN, SAID PLATFORM INCLUDING A SERIES OF OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID PLATFORM, INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS FOR LOWERING SAID PLATFORM AND CONTROL MEANS FOR RAISING SAID PLATFORM, CONVEYING MEANS ADJACENT SAID FRONT END FOR FEEDING VENEER SHEETS HORIZONTALLY THROUGH SAID FRONT END IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID BACK WALL AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID PLATFORM AND A STACK OF VENEERS SUPPORTED THEREON, DEFLECTOR MEANS WITHIN SAID BIN FOR DECELERATING EACH INFED SHEET BEFORE IT STRIKES SAID BACK WALL AND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DEFLECTING THE LEADING END OF SAID INFED SHEET DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID PLATFORM, SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR LOWERING SAID PLATFORM BEING ACTIVATED MOMENTARILY TO LOWER SAID PLATFORM A SHORT DISTANCE EACH TIME SAID DEFLECTOR MEANS IS STRUCK BY AN INFED SHEET SUCH THAT THE TOP OF THE STACK REMAINS AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LEVEL WITHIN SAID BIN DURING A STACKING OPERATION, AND BLOWER MEANS FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF AIR AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF EACH INFED SHEET AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID BIN SUCH THAT A PRESSURIZED CUSHION OF AIR IS CREATED BETWEEN SAID ENTERING SHEET AND THE TOP OF SAID STACK, SAID CUSHION MAINTAINING THE LEADING END EDGE OF EACH INFED SHEET OUT OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TOP OF THE STACK DURING ITS TRAVEL FROM SAID FRONT END TO SAID DEFLECTOR MEANS TO PREVENT DAMAGE THERETO, AND UNLOADING MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY UNLOADING SAID STACK WHEN SAID PLATFORM REACHES A LOWER LIMIT POSITION, SAID UNLOADING MEANS INCLUDING ROLLER MEANS EXTENDING IN ROWS FROM WITHIN SAID BIN TO A POSITION OUTSIDE SAID BIN, SAID ROLLER MEANS WITHIN SAID BIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PLATFORM OPENINGS AND ABOVE SAID PLATFORM IN THE LOWER LIMIT POSITION OF THE LATTER SUCH THAT STACK BECOMES SUPPORTED ON SAID ROLLER MEANS, SAID ROWS OF ROLLER MEANS EXTENDING AT A DOWNWARD INCLINATION FROM WITHIN SAID BIN SUCH THAT SAID STACK IS CONVEYED FROM SAID BIN ON SAID ROLLER MEANS BY GRAVITY.