Apparatus for automatically stacking and compressing batts of compressible material

Abstract

Apparatus for stacking and compressing batts of compressible material comprising a vertical stacking chamber, indexing gates in the upper portion of said stacking chamber normally disposed to receive batts, an indexing and compression plate, means for repeatedly cycling said indexing and compression plate around a first path a predetermined number of times and then around a second path once, said first path extending upwardly of the outside of said stacking chamber laterally into said stacking chamber at a level above said indexing gates, downwardly in said stacking chamber, through said indexing gates, and laterally out of said stacking chamber, said second path extending upwardly of the outside of said stacking chamber, laterally into said stacking chamber, downwardly in said stacking chamber to a compression level in the lower portion thereof that is below the extent of downward travel of said first path and laterally out of said stacking chamber, said indexing gates being operable in response to the passage therethrough of said indexing and compression plate to permit said indexing and compression plate to carry batts thereon to the portion of said stacking chamber therebelow, an ejection passage extending across said stacking chamber at the lower end thereof and below said compression level through which batts underlying said index and compression plate at the compression level can be laterally removed from said stacking chamber, means for ejecting batts underlying said indexing and compression plate when said indexing and compression plate is at said compression level, means for causing said means for repeatedly cycling said indexing and compression plate being adapted to remove said compression plate out of said stacking chamber on said second path after operation of said means for ejecting batts.

What I claim as my invention is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for stacking and compressing batts of compressible material comprising: i. a vertical stacking chamber,   ii. indexing gates in the upper portion of said stacking chamber normally disposed to receive batts,   iii. an indexing and compression plate,   iv. means for repeatedly cycling said indexing and compression plate around a first path .[.a predetermined number of times and then.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.around a second path .[.once.].,   v. said first path extending upwardly of the outside .Iadd.of .Iaddend.said stacking chamber laterally into said stacking chamber at a level above said indexing gates, downwardly in said stacking chamber, through said indexing gates, and laterally out of said stacking chamber, said second path extending upwardly of the outside of said stacking chamber, laterally into said stacking chamber, downwardly in said stacking chamber to a compression level in the lower portion thereof that is below the extent of downward travel of said first path and laterally out of said stacking chamber,   vi. said indexing gates being operable in response to the passage therethrough of said indexing and compression plate to permit said indexing and compression plate to carry batts thereon to the portion of said stacking chamber therebelow,   vii. an ejection passage extending across said stacking chamber at the lower end thereof and below said compression level through which batts underlying said index and compression plate at the compression level can be laterally removed from said stacking chamber,   viii. means for ejecting batts underlying said indexing and compression plate when said indexing and compression plate is at said compression level,   ix. said means for repeatedly cycling said indexing and compression plate being adapted to remove said compression plate out of said stacking chamber on said second path after operation of said means for ejecting batts.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus for stacking and compressing batts of compressible material as claimed in claim 1 including: i. a second indexing and compression plate,   ii. means for repeatedly cycling said second indexing and compression plate around a third path .[.a predetermined number of times and then.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.around a fourth path .[.once.].,   iii. said third path extending upwardly of the outside .Iadd.of .Iaddend.said stacking chamber laterally into said stacking chamber at a level above said receiving gates, downwardly in said stacking chamber through said indexing gates, and laterally out of said stacking chamber, said fourth path extending upwardly of the outside .Iadd.of .Iaddend.said stacking chamber laterally into said stacking chamber, downwardly in said stacking chamber to a compression level in the lower portion thereof that is below the extent of downward travel of said third path and laterally out of said stacking chamber,   .[.iv. means for repeatedly cycling said second indexing and compression plate around said third path a predetermined number of times and then around said fourth path once,.].   .[.v.]. .Iadd.iv.Iaddend.. said means for repeatedly cycling said first mentioned indexing and compression plate and said means for repeatedly cycling said second indexing and compression plate being adapted to cycle said first mentioned indexing and compression plate around said first path a predetermined number of times .[.as aforesaid.]. and then to cycle said second indexing and compression plate around said third path a predetermined number of times .[.as aforesaid.]. on a repetitive basis whereby one or other of said indexing and compression plates is continuously cycling through said receiving gates.  .[.3. Apparatus for stacking and compressing batts of compressible material as claimed in claim 1 having:   i. feed means for intermittently feeding more than one batt of compressible material at a time to said indexing gates in overlying relation,   ii. said feed means comprising a first conveyor,   iii. a sheath having an open end to receive a single batt,   iv. a second conveyor,   v. said sheath being normally disposed with its open end to receive a batt from said first conveyor and to return it with its trailing end extending therefrom,   vi. means for temporarily swinging said sheath from its normal position after it has received a batt as aforesaid from said first conveyor to locate the trailing end of a batt contained therein in the path of the underside of a next following batt on said first conveyor with its trailing edge pointed in the direction of conveyor travel, said second conveyor being adapted to receive and convey a batt from said sheath and a batt from said first conveyor in overlying relation and deposit them on said indexing and compression gates in overlying relation..].