Article positioning and stacking apparatus

Claim 2

Article stacking apparatus comprising an upright frame, an elongated, substantially horizontal, carriage mounted for vertical shifting on said frame, a slide plate defining a substantially horizontal articlesupport surface mounted on said carriage for vertical movement therewith and for horizontal movement longitudinally of said carriage, at least one upright, elongated, double-acting ram operatively connected to said carriage in such a manner that it is operable on actuation to raise or lower said carriaGe under power between a lowered position at one elevation and various adjusted raised positions at higher elevations, article feed means disposed adjacent one end of said carriage at said one elevation operable to feed articles onto said plate when the carriage is at said one elevation, said article feed means comprising a conveyor for supporting the undersides of articles and conveying them in succession along a path toward the carriage and article-turning means adjacent said conveyor including means for frictionally engaging an upright side portion of an article causing the same to rotate about the portion engaged as the article is conveyed along said path, and means for raising from said conveyor a portion of the article adjacent said arm with remainder portions of the article supported on the conveyor, article receiving means defining an article support surface underlying the opposite end of said carriage, means operatively connected to said slide plate for moving the same on said carriage between a first position at the end of the carriage adjacent said article feed means and a second position adjacent the opposite end of the carriage, and fence means mounted on said frame above said slide plate intermediate the ends of the carriage, said fence means being mounted for shifting vertically relative to said plate between a raised position spaced a sufficient distance above said plate to permit articles received on the plate to be moved with the plate from its first to its second position and a lowered position more closely adjacent said plate to prevent articles from returning with the plate from its second to its first position, thus to wipe such articles from said slide plate and deposit them on said article receiving means.

Claim 3

Article stacking apparatus comprising an upright frame, an elongated, substantially horizontal, carriage mounted for vertical shifting on said frame, a slide plate defining a substantially horizontal article-support surface mounted on said carriage for vertical movement therewith and for horizontal movement longitudinally of said carriage, at least one upright, elongated, double-acting ram operatively connected to said carriage in such a manner that it is operable on actuation to raise or lower said carriage under power between a lowered position at one elevation and various adjusted raised positions at higher elevations, said ram being directly connected at one of its ends to said carriage, whereby a unit change in length of said ram results in an equivalent unit vertical movement of said carriage, article feed means disposed adjacent one end of said carriage at said one elevation operable to feed articles onto said plate when the carriage is at said one elevation, said article feed means comprising a conveyor including a plurality of horizontally spaced conveyor elements having upper article support surfaces for supporting the undersides of articles and conveying them in succession along a path toward the carriage, article-turning means adjacent said conveyor including means for frictionally engaging an upright side portion of an article causing the same to rotate about the portion engaged as the article is conveyed along said path, and a stop element disposed upstream on said conveyor from said turning means said stop element including means defining an article support surface mounted for vertical shifting between a lowered position below the elevation of the article support surfaces of the conveyor elements and a raised position above the elevation of said surfaces, in which raised position it is operable to engage the underside of an article and lift and hold the same above the support surfaces of the conveyor element to stop articles upstream on the conveyor from an article adjacent the turning means to separate articles disposed in an upstream direction on the conveyor from the article to be turned to provide adequate space for turning said article, and means for shifting said stop element beTween its lowered and raised position, article receiving means defining an article support surface underlying the opposite end of said carriage, means operatively connected to said slide plate for moving the same on said carriage between a first position at the end of the carriage adjacent said article feed means and a second position adjacent the opposite end of the carriage, and fence means mounted on said frame above said slide plate intermediate the ends of the carriage, said fence means being mounted for shifting vertically relative to said plate between a raised position spaced a sufficient distance above said plate to permit articles received on the plate to be moved with the plate from its first to its second position and a lowered position more closely adjacent said plate to prevent articles from returning with the plate from its second to its first position, thus to wipe such articles from said slide plate and deposit them on said article receiving means.

Claim 4

Article stacking apparatus comprising an upright frame, an elongated, substantially horizontal, carriage mounted for vertical shifting on said frame, a slide plate defining a substantially horizontal article-support surface mounted on said carriage for vertical movement therewith and for horizontal movement longitudinally of said carriage, at least one upright, elongated, double-acting ram operatively connected to said carriage in such a manner that it is operable on actuation to raise or lower said carriage under power between a lowered position at one elevation and various adjusted raised positions at higher elevations, said ram being directly connected at one of its ends to said carriage, whereby a unit change in length of said ram results in an equivalent unit vertical movement of said carriage, article feed means disposed adjacent one end of said carriage at said one elevation operable to feed articles onto said plate when the carriage is at said one elevation, said article feed means comprising a conveyor including a plurality of horizontally spaced conveyor elements having upper article support surfaces for supporting the undersides of articles and conveying them in succession along a path toward the carriage, article-turning means adjacent said conveyor including means for frictionally engaging an upright side portion of an article causing the same to rotate about the portion engaged as the article is conveyed along said path, and a stop element disposed upstream on said conveyor from said turning means said stop element including means defining an article support surface mounted for vertical shifting between a lowered position below the elevation of the article support surfaces of the conveyor elements and a raised position above the elevation of said surfaces, in which raised position it is operable to engage the underside of an article and lift and hold the same above the support surfaces of the conveyor element to stop articles upstream on the conveyor from an article adjacent the turning means to separate articles disposed in an upstream direction on the conveyor from the article to be turned to provide adequate space for turning said article, and means for shifting said stop element beTween its lowered and raised position, article receiving means defining an article support surface underlying the opposite end of said carriage, means operatively connected to said slide plate for moving the same on said carriage between a first position at the end of the carriage adjacent said article feed means and a second position adjacent the opposite end of the carriage, and fence means mounted on said frame above said slide plate intermediate the ends of the carriage, said fence means being mounted for shifting vertically relative to said plate between a raised position spaced a sufficient distance above said plate to permit articles received on the plate to be moved with the plate from its first to its second position and a lowered position more closely adjacent said plate to prevent articles from returning with the plate from its second to its first position, thus to wipe such articles from said slide plate and deposit them on said article receiving means.