Automatic package accumulator

An article accumulator for temporarily storing articles being packaged comprising a supporting framework, two verticle stacks of uniformly spaced apart temporary storage shelves, comprising an incoming stack of shelves and an outgoing stack of shelves, in-feed means operatively associated with the incoming stack to guide the articles coming into the apparatus onto the incoming stack, means operatively associated between the stacks for transferring articles from the incoming stack to the outgoing stack and means operatively associated with the outgoing stack to transfer the first article placed in the outgoing stack out of the apparatus upon a demand signal, the outgoing shelves are positioned on an inclined angle with respect to the vertical proceeding downwardly toward the outlet side of the machine, a temporary stop having a lower edge is provided to hold the articles on the outgoing shelves and a means is provided for establishing relative vertical motion between the temporary stop and the outgoing shelves whereby the articles are free to slide off the outgoing shelf and out of the apparatus when the outgoing shelves are below the lower edge of the temporary stop.

An article accumulator for temporarily storing articles being packaged comprising a supporting framework, two vertical stacks of uniformly spaced apart temporary storage shelves, comprising an incoming stack of shelves and an outgoing stack of shelves, in-feed means operatively associated with the incoming stack to guide the articles coming into the apparatus onto the incoming stack, means operatively associated between the stacks for transferring articles from the incoming stack to the outgoing stack and means operatively associated with the outgoing stack to transfer the first article placed in the outgoing stack out of the apparatus upon a demand signal, the stacks of shelves are mounted upon an endless chain means entrained over vertically spaced apart sprockets journaled for rotation upon laterally extending vertically spaced apart axels mounted upon a shelf supporting framework, means is provided for locking incoming or outgoing portions of said chain and means is provided for raising and lowering the shelf framework with either the incoming shelves or the outgoing shelves and the associated portion of the chain means held stationary by said locking means.

An article accumulator for temporarily storing articles being packaged comprising a supporting framework, two vertical stacks of uniformly spaced apart temporary storage shelves, comprising an incoming stack of shelves and an outgoing stack of shelves, in-feed means operatively associated with the incoming stack to guide the articles coming into the apparatus onto the incoming stack, means operatively associated between the stacks for transferring articles from the incoming stack to the outgoing stack and means operatively associated with the outgoing stack to transfer the first article placed in the outgoing stack out of the apparatus upon a demand signal, the shelves are supported upon an endless chain, a locking means is pivotally mounted between a portion of said chain secured to the incoming shelves and a portion of the chain secured to the outgoing shelves, an actuator means is provided for moving the lock to engage and hold stationary either the incoming shelves or the outgoing shelves whereby moving the shelf supporting framework upwardly raises the incoming shelves when the lock engages the outgoing shelf portion and lowering the shelf framework lowers the outgoing shelves when the lock engages and holds the incoming shelf portion stationary.