An apparatus for stacking and storing articles and subsequently unstacking the articles. The apparatus includes a first conveyor to convey a plurality of articles, and a plurality of secondary conveyors are disposed normal to a side edge of the first conveyor. To store the articles, each article is stopped on the conveyor and is pushed laterally from the main conveyor into bearing engagement against a movable stop member on a secondary conveyor. Additional articles are pushed onto the secondary conveyor into engagement with the preceding article to form a composite stack. The composite stack can be lifted from the secondary conveyor by a lifting mechanism to a storage site, and subsequently, when it is desired to release the stack from storage, the stack is lowered back onto the secondary conveyor. As the composite stack approaches the downstream end of the secondary conveyor, the individual articles are separated from the stack and fed to a third conveyor, which conveys the articles in uniformly spaced relation to working equipment.
A mechanism for reorienting an article moving along a conveyor assembly. Articles such as video cassette containers, compact disc containers, or audio cassettes, enter an article reorientation mechanism on their face surface. The face surface of each article is supported by a conveyor belt of a primary conveyor assembly. The primary conveyor assembly moves the article from an upstream location toward a downstream location. A guide assembly forces the article toward a lateral edge of the conveyor belt of the primary conveyor assembly. A transfer conveyor assembly extends upwardly at an angle from the lateral edge of the primary conveyor assembly to receive the article as it is pushed off the primary conveyor assembly by the guide assembly. A twist guide plate is positioned downstream from the transfer conveyor assembly for receiving the article from the transfer conveyor assembly and tipping the article upright onto its side surface. The article is then supported on its side surface on the primary conveyor assembly and transferred downstream to an outfeed conveyor. The primary conveyor assembly, transfer conveyor assembly, and guide assembly operate at substantially identical speeds.
