Carton lowering machine

Claim 2

Apparatus for handling sheetlike material comprising vertically movable endless conveyor means having spaced members therealong for carrying a plurality of sheets, material support means adjacent the lower end of said conveyor means, said material support means serving as a sheet supply source from which sheets are removed as needed for usage, reciprocative transfer means adjacent said lower end and said support means, said transfer means being reciprocative between an upper position in which it receives said sheets from said conveyor members and a lower position in which it places said sheets on said support means, and control means including means responsive to an inadequate supply of sheets on said support means for automatically cycling said transfer and conveyor means to automatically supply sheets to said support means and thereby provide an adequate supply of sheets thereon.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1, said endless conveyor means including opposed chain track assemblies each having vertically spaced tab members therealong cooperating with substantially aligned opposed tab members of the other track assembly, said cooperating tabs adapted to carry at least one sheet therebetween, at least one of said track assemblies being movable toward and away from the other to permit the handling of various sized sheets.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said sheets are stacked on said support means, and said responsive means responds to the height of said stack to cycle said transfer and conveyor means.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 3, said responsive means being a photoelectric cell.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 1, said transfer means comprising vertically reciprocating plate elements positioned to receive said sheets from said conveyor members as said conveyor means is moved downwardly, and actuator means for lowering said plate elements to deposit sheets on said support means.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 5, said plate elements being pivotally mounted, and operative means for pivoting said plate elements outwardly when they have been lowered to deposit said sheets on said support means.

Claim 8

Apparatus for handling sheetlike material comprising vertically movable endless conveyor means having spaced members therealong for carrying a plurality of sheets, material support means adjacent one end of said conveyor means, transfer means adjacent said one end and said support means for receiving said sheets from said conveyor means and placing them on said support means, said transfer means comprising vertically reciprocable, outwardly pivotable plate elements positioned to receive said sheets from said conveyor members as said conveyor means is moved downwardly, actuator means for lowering said plate elements to deposit sheets on said support means, operative means for pivoting said plate elements outwardly when they have been lowered to deposit said sheets on said support means, and control means including first means responsive to an inadequate supply of sheets on said support means to energize said actuator means and then to lower said plate elements, second means mounted on said plate elements and actuatable when said plate elements reach a lowered position to actuate said operative means to thereby pivot said plate elements outwardly, depositing a sheet on said support means, and deenergize said actuator means to move said elements upwardly, third means responsive to the upward movement of said plate elements to deactivate said operative means and move said plate elements inwardly and to drive said conveyor means to place at least the next sheet from said conveyor spaced members on said plate elements, and fourth means operative when said next sheet has been placed on said plate elements to stop movement of said conveyor means.

Claim 9

Apparatus for handling sheetlike material comprising vertically movable endless conveyor means having spaced members therealong for carrying a plurality of sheets, material support means adjacent one end of said conveyor means, transfer means adjacent said one end and said support means for receiving said sheets from said conveyor means and placing them on said support means, said transfer means comprising vertically reciprocable, outwardly pivotable plate elements positioned to receive said sheets from said conveyor members as said conveyor means is moved downwardly, actuator means for lowering said plate elements to deposit sheets on said support means, operative means for pivoting said plate elements outwardly when they have been lowered to deposit said sheets on said support means, and control means including first means responsive to an inadequate supply of sheets on said support means to energize said actuator means and then to lower said plate elements, second means mounted on said plate elements and actuatable when said plate elements reach a lowered position to actuate said operative means to thereby pivot said plate elements outwardly, depositing a sheet on said support means, and deenergize said actuator means to move said elements upwardly, third means responsive to the upward movement of said plate elements to deactivate said operative means and move said plate elements inwardly and to drive said conveyor means to place at least the next sheet from said conveyor spaced members on said plate elements, and fourth means operative when said next sheet has been placed on said plate elements to stop movement of said conveyor means.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said sheets are stacked in said support means, and said second means comprises switch means aCtuated by contacting the top one of said stacked sheets to pivot said elements outwardly and deposit additional sheets on said stack.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 7, said first and fourth means comprising photoelectric cells responsive respectively to the presence of sheets on said support means and said plate elements.

Claim 12

Apparatus for supplying flattened articles to a supply magazine from which articles are periodically withdrawn as needed comprising a pair of opposed vertically movable endless conveyor tracks mounted above said supply magazine, each track having laterally spaced endless chains with a plurality of vertically spaced lug members therealong cooperating with substantially aligned lug members of the other track to support a group of flattened articles therebetween, said conveyor tracks when fully loaded having a plurality of groups of articles supported therebetween on said cooperating lug members in substantial vertical alignment with said supply magazine, reciprocative transfer means located adjacent the bottom of said conveyor tracks and above said supply magazine, said transfer means being reciprocative between an upper position in which it receives a group of articles from said lug members and a lower position in which it deposits the group of articles in said magazine, and control means including means responsive to an inadequate supply of flattened articles in said magazine for automatically cycling said transfer means and said conveyor tracks to automatically supply a group of articles to said magazine on demand, thereby providing an adequate supply therein.

Claim 13

Apparatus for supplying flattened articles to a supply magazine from which articles are periodically withdrawn as needed comprising a pair of opposed vertically movable endless conveyor tracks mounted above said supply magazine, each track having laterally spaced endless chains with a plurality of vertically spaced lug members therealong cooperating with substantially aligned lug members of the other track to support a group of flattened articles therebetween, said conveyor tracks when fully loaded having a plurality of groups of articles supported therebetween on said cooperating lug members in substantial vertical alignment with said supply magazine, reciprocative transfer means located adjacent the bottom of said conveyor tracks and above said supply magazine, said transfer means being reciprocative between an upper position in which it receives a group of articles from said lug members and a lower position in which it deposits the group of articles in said magazine, and control means including means responsive to an inadequate supply of flattened articles in said magazine for automatically cycling said transfer means and said conveyor tracks to automatically supply a group of articles to said magazine on demand, thereby providing an adequate supply therein.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 10, said transfer means comprising fluid-operated cylinder means mounted adjacent the bottom of each of said conveyor tracks, each said cylinder means having a vertically reciprocable piston rod mounting on its lower end a plate element positioned to receive said groups of articles from said lug members, said cylinder means being pivotally mounted to swing outwardly from said tracks and magazine, operating means for pivoting said cylinder means outwardly, said responsive means initiating actuation of said cylinder means to lower a group of articles into said magazine and of said operative means to pivot said cylinder means outwardly and thereby release and deposit said group of articles into said magazine.

Claim 15

Apparatus as in claim 10, reversible drive means for driving said conveyor tracks in a normal article-lowering direction or in an article-raising direction.