Keg handling system

Claim 1

IN A BREWERY HAVING A PLURALITY OF UNLOADING STATIONS AT WHICH EMPTY BEER KEGS ARE RETURNED TO THE BREWERY AND WASHING APPARATUS FOR CLEANING THE EMPTY KEGS PRIOR TO THE RACKING THEREOF, A SYSTEM FOR HANDLING THE KEGS COMPRISING CONVEYOR MEANS MOVING PAST SAID UNLOADING STATIONS FOR RECEIVING THE RETURNED EMPTY KEGS AND HAVING A TERMINUS ADJACENT THE WASHING APPARATUS TOWARD WHICH KEGS ON SAID CONVEYOR MEANS ARE TRANSPORTED FOR FEEDING TO SAID APPARATUS, MEANS OPERATIVE WHEN THERE IS A PREDETERMINED EXCESS OF KEGS ON A SECTION OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS LOADING TO SAID TERMINUS TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF KEGS FROM SAID COVEYOR MEANS IN ADVANCE OF SAID SECTION, GROUPING MEANS RECEIVING SAID KEGS REMOVED FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND ACCUMULATING SAID REMOVED KEGS IN PREDETERMINED CONVENIENT GROUPINGS FOR STORAGE THEREOF, DEGROUPING MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID GROUPINGS OF KEGS FROM STORAGE AND BEING OPERABLE TO SEPARATE KEGS FROM SAID GROUPINGS, AND AUXILIARY CONVEYOR RECEIVING THE SEPARATED KEGS FROM SAID DEGROUPING MEANS AND CONVEYING SUCH KEGS IN SUCCESSION, KEG DISTRIBUTING MEANS OPERATIVE TO TRANSFER SUCCESSION KEG FROM SAID AUXILIARY CONVEYOR TO SAID SECTION OF THE CONVEYOR MEANS, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID KEY DISTRIBUTING MEANS ACTUATABLE TO CAUSE OPERATION OF THE LATTER WHEN THERE IS LESS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED EXCESS OF KEGS ON SAID SECTION OF THE CONVEYOR MEANS, THEREBY TO CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF EMPTY KEGS ON SAID SECTION FOR FEEDING TO THE WASHING APPARATUS.