Patent ID: 11858759
Assignee: 9374-4399 QUEBEC INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 14:
15. A method of laying a spacer stick over a board layer using a stick-distributing unit of a stick-laying mechanism, the stick-distributing unit retaining a plurality of spacer sticks in a stack from below within a stick-receiving area, the method comprising the steps of:
i. receiving the plurality of spacer sticks in a vertical stack via the stick-receiving area of a frame of the stick-distributing unit, wherein the stick-receiving area has an open bottom end, wherein a hold-and-release mechanism of the stick-distributing unit is configured to dispense each stick of the vertical stack one-by-one from the open bottom end of the stick-receiving area, wherein the hold-and-release mechanism includes at least one lower holding member and at least one upper holding member, wherein the at least one lower holding member is operable between a lower holding position and a lower release position, wherein the at least one lower holding member is adapted to hold a bottommost spacer stick of the vertical stack in the lower holding position, wherein the at least one upper holding member is operable between an upper holding position and an upper release position, wherein the at least one upper holding member is adapted to hold a penultimate spacer stick of the vertical stack in the upper holding position;
ii. retaining the stack of spacer sticks within the stick-receiving area such that the penultimate spacer stick becomes a new bottommost spacer stick, when the bottommost spacer stick is released, by:
setting the at least one lower holding member in the lower holding position; and
setting the at least one upper holding member in the upper release position;

iii. positioning the stick-laying mechanism over the board layer;
iv. releasing the bottommost spacer stick through the open bottom end of the stick-receiving area and to the stick-laying mechanism of the stick-distributing unit by:
setting the at least one upper holding member to the upper holding position to support the vertical stack from the penultimate spacer stick in the stick-receiving area; and
setting the at least one lower holding member to the lower release position;

v. knocking on the penultimate spacer stick, via the hold-and-release mechanism, by quickly releasing and re-engaging the at least one upper holding member of the hold-and-release mechanism with the penultimate spacer stick, wherein the at least one upper holding member is adapted to release the penultimate spacer stick;
receiving, via the stick-laying mechanism, the bottommost spacer stick upon release by the at least one lower holding member;

vi. laying the bottommost spacer stick on the board layer via the stick-laying mechanism.