Rotary article storage and outfeed apparatus

Abstract

A rotary article storage and outfeed apparatus stores a plurality of groups of generally flat articles in a facewise stacked condition and delivers a supply of these articles to an infeed for a device wherein the articles are to be utilized. The apparatus comprises an upper rotary carousel rotatable about an upper axis and a lower rotary carousel located below the upper carousel and rotatable about a lower axis parallel to and offset from the upper axis. Each of the carousels has a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertically oriented pockets, each pocket being dimensioned for receiving a group of articles in a facewise stacked condition. A frame mounts the upper and lower carousels so that an upper end of the pockets of the lower carousel is spaced below a lower end of the pockets of the upper carousel, and so that the lower and upper axes are offset in such a way that one of the pockets of the lower carousel coaxially aligns with one of the pockets of the upper carousel at one position in the respective rotations thereof to define an article transfer position. An article transfer device is provided for transferring a group of articles between the pockets of the respective carousels which are aligned and located in the transfer position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.