Rotating stacker

Abstract

Some manufacturing processes include forming stacks of manufactured objects for handling and/or processing. While some such manufactured objects are consistent in thickness, other are more irregular. Some manufactured objects are generally flat, but are also generally thicker along one edge. When objects having these characteristics are stacked, the cumulative effect of such inconsistent thickness results in an unbalanced stack. The disclosed apparatus and method utilize a novel rotating stacker that rotates the stack of manufactured objects as each new object is added to the stack, thereby distributing the thickness inconsistency of individual objects throughout the stack, producing a more uniform stack without manual intervention.

1 . A rotating stacker comprising:
 a stack support;   an input conveyor arranged so that objects transported by the input conveyor can be moved toward and be supported by the stack support, thereby forming an object stack;   an output conveyor arranged so that the object stack can be moved off of the stack support;   wherein the stack support is constructed and arranged to assume a plurality of different rotational positions with respect to the input conveyor as the input conveyor transports the objects to the stack support while a single said object stack is formed.   
     
     
         2 . The rotating stacker of  claim 1 , wherein the stack support is constructed and arranged so as not to rotate while each said object is being added to the object stack. 
     
     
         3 . The rotating stacker of  claim 2 , wherein the stack support is constructed and arranged so as to rotate through a fixed predetermined rotation angle during a time between successive said objects being added to the object stack. 
     
     
         4 . The rotating stacker of  claim 3 , wherein the stacker is constructed and arranged so as to be adjustable by a user to set the rotation angle to a desired value. 
     
     
         5 . The rotating stacker of  claim 1 , wherein the stack support is constructed and arranged so as to rotate continuously while the object stack is being formed. 
     
     
         6 . The rotating stacker of  claim 5 , wherein the stacker is constructed and arranged so as to be adjustable by a user to set a rate at which the stack support continuously rotates while the object stack is being formed. 
     
     
         7 . The rotating stacker of  claim 1 , wherein the stack support is constructed and arranged to move vertically with respect to the input conveyor as the object stack is formed. 
     
     
         8 . The rotating stacker of  claim 7 , wherein the stack support moves downward with respect to the input conveyor as the object stack is formed. 
     
     
         9 . The rotating stacker of  claim 8 , wherein the stack support moves downward with respect to the input conveyor as the object stack is formed so as to maintain a generally consistent position of a top of the object stack with respect to the input conveyor. 
     
     
         10 . A method for creating a stack of objects comprising steps of:
 a) moving the objects toward a stack support so that each of the objects comes to rest on the stacker or another said object supported by the stacker;   b) repeating step a) until a full stack of the objects on the stack support is formed; and   c) moving the full stack off of the stack support;   wherein the stack support is rotated as the step a) is repeated so that at least one of the objects is effectively rotated with respect to another of the objects on the stack.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein step a) is performed so that the stack support does not rotate while each said object is being added to the object stack. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein step a) is performed so that the stack supports rotate through a fixed predetermined rotation angle during a time between successive said objects being added to the object stack. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein step a) is performed so that the stack support rotates continuously while the object stack is being formed. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein step a) is performed so that the stack support moves vertically with respect to the input conveyor as the object stack is formed. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein step a) is performed so that the stack support moves downward with respect to the input conveyor as the object stack is formed. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein step a) is performed so that the stack support moves downward with respect to the input conveyor as the object stack is formed so as to maintain a generally consistent position of a top of the object stack with respect to the input conveyor. 
     
     
         17 - 22 . (canceled)