Abstract: A mechanism for inverting containers or other objects. The mechanism inverts the container or object a full 180 degrees while providing motion control without the use of hydraulic actuators; thereby eliminating the costs, maintenance, environmental issues, and contamination concerns associated with hydraulic systems. The primary application for the inverting mechanism is inverting containers for the purpose of emptying the contents. The mechanism may also be employed to rotate a variety of other objects in other applications.

Abstract: A lift mechanism of a "fork-lift" type is capable of use on the input and output sides of machines for processing sheets of particle board, plywood and similar products. The mechanism itself has the sheets of product to be processed stacked on a pair of spaced-apart lifting arms which are hydraulically raised and lowered from one end, leaving the other end open to permit loading of stacks of product sheets or to permit removing stacks of product sheets from the arms by means of a conventional fork-lift truck. The lifting arms deflect under load in direct proportion to the amount of load on them, and a cam and cam-follower mechanism is provided to compensate for this deflection. Thus, the top sheet of the stack load always is presented at a horizontal orientation.