Patent ID: 9624047
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: B65D,B65G

Claim:
1. A container denester apparatus configured to denest a lowermost container from a stack of containers, each of the containers including a flange extending about at least a portion of either side of the container, the apparatus comprising: a frame assembly having a front plate and a back plate defining a container cavity therebetween; an indexing assembly comprising a drive assembly comprising an actuator coupled to the first side and second side upper slides, the actuator configured to direct cooperative slidable movement of the upper slides between the first inward position and the second outward position, and coupled to the first side and the second side lower slides, the actuator configured to direct cooperative slidable movement of the lower slides between the first inward position and the second outward position, wherein the drive assembly comprises a front actuator coupled to the upper slides and a back actuator coupled to the lower slides, and wherein the front actuator is configured to move in a substantially vertical direction, a first side front side linkage is pivotably coupled to the front actuator at a first end and pivotably coupled to the first side upper slide at a second end, a second side front slide linkage is pivotably coupled to the front actuator at a first end and pivotably coupled to the second side upper slide at a second end.