Abstract: A fork lift mechanism is associated with apparatus for palletizing long sheets of strip material at the discharge end of a shearing press. The long sheets are palletized on an underlying conveyor having a width corresponding to the length of the sheets in the direction of discharge from the press. The fork lift mechanism is supported above the conveyor for displacement toward and away from the shearing press in the direction of the discharge and is adapted to be elevated and lowered relative to the conveyor. The fork lift mechanism is operable to receive and support a plurality of short sheets from the press to form a stack on the fork lift mechanism and to position a plurality of such stacks on a pallet on the conveyor and in side-by-side relationship on the pallet in the direction of press discharge and/or in the direction of conveyor movement.

Abstract: Randomly spaced articles in serial order are separated into predetermined linear configurations or rows of a predetermined number of articles and thereafter simultaneously transferred into compartments in rows in a container. In reverse operation, articles from the compartments in the container are transferred into single file order. The apparatus used in these operations includes a conveyor upon which the predetermined linear configuration of articles is established, and a conveyor which moves the container and its rows of compartments into alignment to receive the articles, and an elevator assembly for transferring the articles in the predetermined configuration between the first conveyor and the rows of the container. Separably operable conveyor segments and separator plates establish the predetermined linear configuration on the conveyor, and the conveyor moves to avoid interference with the movement path of the articles transferred by the elevator assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus for the continuous unloading of ships, having a traveling crane and a boom disposed for raising and lowering thereon and bearing a feeder for bulk material that is to be unloaded comprise a bucket elevator including a main frame and a lower section and an endless bucket train having at least one releasable coupling. The lower section has a pulley mechanism joined to the feeder assembly feeding it and is releasably fastened to the main frame so that the lower section of the bucket elevator together with the feeder assembly is removable.

Abstract: In a control for use in a hydraulic system of the type which includes a hydraulic cylinder arranged to raise and lower a load such as a dump bed of a vehicle, wherein the hydraulic system is actuated for raising and lowering the dump bed upon axial displacement of a rod member contained within an outer conduit from a neutral position in first and second respective axial directions and wherein the hydraulic system is deactivated upon the rod member being in the neutral position. The control includes a tubular member which is adapted to be connected to the outer conduit, a control knob, and a rigid inner member partially within the tubular member having a first end connected to the rod member and a second end supporting the control knob. A latch supported by the tubular member is arranged for releasably locking the inner member in a neutral position with respect to the tubular member for precluding inadvertent axial displacement of the rod member from the neutral position.

Abstract: The instant invention provides sheet stacking apparatus capable of stacking bundles of aligned sheets of paper in alternate, offset relation or alternate, skewed relation. The apparatus includes a storage bin for receiving a multiplicity of aligned bundles of sheets. The storage bin includes a bottom wall, a pair of side walls, front stopping members adjacent each of the side walls, and an adjustable, central post situated between the front stopping members. The apparatus also includes means for feeding the aligned bundles of sheets along alternate side walls of the storage bin. The post may be positioned closer than the front stopping members to said feeding means to effect alternate offset stacking or further away than the front stopping members from said feeding means to effect alternate skewed stacking.

Abstract: A street sweeper having a frame with a cab positioned at a forward end of the frame. A hopper is provided for receiving sweepings carried on the frame behind the cab. Linkage is further provided for enabling the hopper to be moved over the cab to a forward dumping position. Outriggers are positioned at a forward end of the sweeper. Hydraulic circuit means, valve means, and ram means collectively cooperable together and sequentially operable to initially move the outriggers into ground engagement to provide additional support for the hopper when in the forward dumping position and then operable to actuate the linkage to move the hopper over the cab for dumping.

Abstract: A plurality of flat, similar articles, such as, by way of example, individual slices of sausage which have been severed from an elongate substantially cylindrical sausage-stuffed casing, are randomly deposited onto a conveyor and then advanced in coplanar relationship to an accumulator station where predetermined numbers of articles are divided into individual groups, and each group of articles is advanced onto a carrier member for and which is unique to a particular group of articles, the carrier-member supported groups are advanced one-at-a-time to a stacking station where the articles of each succeeding group are deposited onto the articles of each preceding group until a predetermined number of groups of articles have been vertically stacked, after which the entire stack is released onto a conveyor for further processing.

Abstract: An automatic apparatus for discharging loose products, such as fruit, vegetables and the like, contained in the generously dimensioned crates that are commonly known as "bins", are open at the top and have their lower part provided with a support plate in the form of a pallet. The apparatus consists essentially of: a lower full bin infeed platform connected to a de-stacker group that progressively reduces a number of bins placed, for example by a fork lift truck, on the lower platform and feeds them, one at a time and one after the other, to an oscillating frame provided to tip the individual bins through more than 90.degree. until they have been completely emptied; and an upper platform, positioned above the one to which prior reference has been made, onto which the emptied bins pass, this being connected to a stacker group, the purpose of which is to form the empty bins into piles which are then picked up and are sent back to be filled anew.

Abstract: An apparatus for placing carpet samples one on top of the other in a neat, uniform stack to minimize the need for human involvement in the stacking process and to minimize the time required in stacking operations by quickly and automatically bringing samples individually into the apparatus along a conveyor belt, sliding the samples out over adjustable bars, dropping the samples from the bars one on top of the other to form a stack on a movable platform, lowering the stack by lowering the platform in response to the size of the stack and then removing the stack by a conveyor to a point where it can be easily picked up.

Abstract: An apparatus for carrying an article on the roof top of a motor conveyance and for conveniently loading and unloading the article. The apparatus including a main frame, a sliding frame slidably connected to the main frame, a carrier fixedly connected to the sliding frame and a hinge connected to the roof top for rotating engagement with the main frame. The main frame includes a pair of parallel side runs having front and rear ends and spanned by at least one cross member a predetermined distance from the rear ends. The sliding frames also includes a pair of parallel side runs. The sliding frame includes a rear end zone comprising a release/lock mechanism to prevent sliding movement. A front bracket is provided opposite the hinge on the conveyance roof top in line with the sliding frame to prevent rotational movement of the apparatus, thereby preventing premature unloading.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for automatic handling of bread pans adapted for use in a baking process, individual empty pans are received and stacked at a first station and automatically moved to a predetermined storage station. When individual pans are required, the stacked pans are selectively removed from the storage station and transported to an automatically operable unstacking device. The method and apparatus includes a control system for detecting a demand for individual pans which operates the unstacking device and distributes individual pans in response to the demand.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for palletizing or cubing layers of articles such as cartons. The apparatus includes a first subassembly for preparing a layer of articles and introducing the layer into a palletizer subassembly. The palletizer includes a fixed frame supporting a plurality of spaced, generally parallel rollers. A carriage support frame is carried by the fixed frame for vertical movement relative thereto. A pair of carriages are slidably supported by the support frame for movement towards and away from the rollers along the axis of rotation of the rollers. Each carriage includes a plurality of horizontally positioned, spaced tines or fingers which extend between the spaced rollers when the carriages are moved towards the rollers. Clamps supported on the carriage support frame engage a raised layer of articles as well as the successive layer positioned underneath the raised layer upon which the raised articles are placed in order to properly position the articles relative to each other.

Abstract: In a self-propelled, hydraulic four wheel drivetwo row cane harvester having a four-row piler with a main power source driving variable volume pumps for propulsion and operation; structural and operational improvements of a shortened wheel base, outward extension of right rear center carrier, individual suspension of rear wheels for stability on uneven ground, steerable rear wheels differentially linked by means of bell crank linkages, single articulation pilers having multiple row piling capacity, adjustable cane butt deflectors, and a combination range and speed controls with independent adjustments of ranges ground chain speeds and unit control of the cut cane carrier chains of all speeds within the set range.

Abstract: A bag machine and method includes a continuously driven rotary drum for making articles such as bags from a folded web of thermosealing material. A bag stripping and accumulating mechanism is driven in timed relation with the bag making drum for removing each bag from the drum and accumulating a predetermined plurality of bags in groups before depositing the groups of bags at a location such as on the pins of a wicket conveyor when the pins are stationary, or in shingled stacks on a takeaway conveyor. Several embodiments of the bag machine are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to cranes or the like in which two hoist lines control a clamshell bucket. If the winch for one line is operated to draw in this line, it closes the clamshell bucket and hoists it. During this hoisting, the winch for the other line must also be operated to pull in the slack. If this other line is reeled in excessively, it will dump the bucket. A system is provided for automatic control of the winch being used for slack-takeup, thus avoiding the need for great care and delicate finesse by an experienced hand on a second control lever. The system puts the slack-takeup winch in hydraulic series or tandem with the discharge from the hoisting winch, but limits the hydraulic pressure supplied to the slack-takeup winch so that it is barely enough to accomplish the takeup of its line, and cannot cause dumping.

Abstract: A multi-function end effector for performing operations on equipment located in areas where human access is limited comprises a vertical support capable of being supported in the equipment on which the operations are to be performed, such as a nuclear steam generator, along with a table attached to the vertical support. The table is capable of positioning tools in relation to the equipment and is capable of driving the tools. The table comprises a centering device for positioning the tools in proper relation to the equipment.

Abstract: A railroad car has an elongated cylindrical car body formed of thin cylindrical longitudinal walls and closed at each end by a respective end wall, a coupler at each end of the car body for coupling the car to other cars, a truck at each end of the car body, and a supporting structure mounted on each of the trucks for supporting the car body on the respective truck for transport on rails. As described, the end walls are conical and truncated, the longitudinal and end walls comprising continuously wound filaments impregnated with resin with the filaments lying in the longitudinal walls at an angle of less than 30.degree. to the longitudinal direction and extending in the end walls to the region of the truncation.

Abstract: An attachment is disclosed which is releasably securable to an agricultural bale-loading machine to convert the latter into a combined collector/loader.

Abstract: In abstract, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a lumber spacer which automatically separates lumber in parallel alignment, drops spacer sticks on top of the stacked lumber, and then stacks further lumber thereon. The stick layer portion of the present invention is of such design that warped, bent or other normally unsuitable sticks can be used without affecting the laying operation or the subsequent stacking operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for ejecting stacks of flat products, especially printed products from a receiver chute of a stacker device. The stack supported upon a support table which closes the receiver chute at its lower end is displaced by means of a forward and rearward movable ejection element from the support table. The ejection element is secured to one end of a flexible, spatially movable thrust and traction element, for instance a ball-and-socket chain. At the other end of the thrust and traction element there engages a drive unit, for instance an hydraulic or pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit. The thrust and traction element is guided by a guide having a stationary part and a section which travels in the support table which changes its position. In a rest position of the support table the section travelling in the support table is in alignment with the stationary part of the guide. During its displacement over the support table the ejection element bears at the support table, preferably by means of rolls.