R.a. Pearson Company

Gary M Garofano

Richard R Lile

Jerald R McBride

John A Crabb

James Peterson

Gregory Nowak

Disclosed is a system which includes a method and apparatus for the removal of carton bundles from where they are stacked, such as on pallets, re-positions the carton bundles relative to a carton holding structure such as a hopper, removes the restraining strap(s) from each bundle and feeds the bundle or cartons onto a hopper.

Depalletizer and hopper feeder

A rack packer for loading containers onto a rack comprises a loading station, a transfer station, an elevator, and a rack positioning means. The loading station receives and supports successive incoming rows of vertically oriented identical containers. The transfer station is positioned adjacent to the loading station. A starwheel at the transfer station is rotatably mounted about a transfer axis parallel to the successive rows of containers at the loading station. The starwheel has multiple sets of radial arms extending from the transfer axis to support individual containers of each row. The starwheel moves successive rows of containers from their vertical positions at the loading station upwardly to horizontal positions above the loading station. The elevator is located adjacent to the starwheel to receive multiple rows of horizontally oriented containers from the starwheel. The elevator vertically transports the rows of horizontally oriented containers to elevations corresponding to the elevations of supporting elements on a rack. The containers are then discharged into the awaiting rack. The rack positioning means is located adjacent the elevator. The rack positioning means and the elevator fix the position of the rack in alignment with the elevator.

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Spokane, WA, United States of America

Gary M Garofano