Stacking articles

936,460. Packaging-machines. UNILEVER Ltd. Aug. 22, 1960 [Sept. 7, 1959], No. 30537/59. Class 94(1). Apparatus for forming a stack of articles comprises means for assembling a charge consisting of a row or rows and pushing it horizontally on to an elevator the elevator then moving vertically downwards so that a further charge can be added, and continuing this until the penultimate charge is positioned, the block so formed being moved horizontally at least the width of a charge during the addition of the final charge. This final movement may place the stack in a carton. In one embodiment, articles A are fed by a conveyer on to a platform 28 mounted on a slide 29 which is fixed to a pusher plate 40. Also fixed to the slide is the air cylinder 31 of a pusher 33 which latter, when a row is formed pushes it on to an elevator 11. The elevator descends to position 19 and a second row is placed on the first. The elevator then descends to position 18 and both pushers 33 and 40 are actuated whereby the two rows on the elevator and the next row are thrust together on to a support 43 embraced by a carton 48. The pushers retract and the elevator rises to its upper position in a single movement. In another embodiment, Fig. 4 (not shown), the elevator has three superposed platforms and the uppermost is loaded first in its lowest position opposite a fixed assembly position by a pusher plate. The elevator rises for like loading of the next platform and when the third is opposite the assembly position, a pair of pusher plates fixed to the air cylinder operating the first pusher, advance while the first pusher is operating so that the third row is pushed through the elevator as the other rows are discharged and forms a complete stack at the carton filling position.