Abstract:
A pallet cuber for vertically aligning and stacking empty pallets comprising: (a) a primary guide extending vertically and horizontally in a first X-Y plane comprising an X-axis and a Y-axis, the primary guide vertically extending at least to a height of four flat lying pallets stacked upon one another; and (b) a barrier extending vertically and lengthwise in a Y-Z plane, comprising a Z-axis and the Y-axis, that is perpendicular to the first X-Y plane, the barrier being spaced apart from the primary guide a distance less than a length of a pallet and vertically extending at least to the height of four flat lying pallets stacked upon one another, the barrier being repositionable between a retaining position and an egress position, wherein the retaining position inhibits a pallet from traveling beyond the barrier while traveling along the primary guide in a first direction along the X axis in an X-Z plane, and wherein the egress position allows the pallet to travel beyond the barrier while traveling along the primary guide in the first direction.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/779,575, filed Mar. 6, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention is directed to devices and methods for organizing empty pallets used in shipping goods and, more specifically, to devices and methods for economically and efficiently stacking empty pallets.  
         [0003]     Storage facilities and large retail establishments utilize semi tractor trailers to receive a majority of their inventory. To accommodate for the relatively large volume of goods needing to be offloaded or loaded in a relatively short period of time, as well as the size of certain goods, machinery and packaging have been devised to hasten the process. The most common form of machinery for loading and unloading goods is a forklift. Forklifts take advantage of relatively uniform platforms upon which the goods are mounted to allow large, heavy, and numerous goods to be moved in short order. These uniform platforms are commonly referred to as pallets. Pallets are most commonly wooden, however, other materials may be used to construct pallets such as plastics and metals.  
         [0004]     Goods may be manually or automatically removed from the pallets, or may be stored on the pallets themselves. For example, machines have also been developed to automatically extract the goods from the pallet. In most instances, however, the goods are stored on the pallets to ensure that eventual consumption or repositioning remains relatively easy. Most industrial warehouses include shelving that accommodates bulk storage of goods so that the goods remain on the pallets. However, at some point the goods are removed from the pallets for consumption purposes. An example would be a pallet of auto parts that are utilized by an automaker in assembling an automobile.  
         [0005]     Generally, the empty pallets are loosely stacked or thrown into a disorganized pile. More infrequently, pallets are manually stacked using a forklift as a backstop or simply stacked on the floor. In both cases, the resulting stacks are hastily constructed and most often not aligned. Thus, when the forklift picks up the stack of empty pallets to move them to another area, the unorganized alignment renders the stack unstable and susceptible to toppling over and injuring adjacent workers.  
       INTRODUCTION TO THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention is directed to devices and methods for organizing empty pallets, such as those used in shipping goods and, more specifically, to devices and methods for economically and efficiently stacking empty pallets prior to a subsequent use.  
         [0007]     The present invention, in exemplary form, includes two frame members straddling a,conveyor upon which empty pallets are to be stacked. A third frame member is positioned on the same side of the conveyor and cooperates with the first frame member to define a plane against which pallets are positioned. A gate is mounted to the first frame member and selectively inhibits the stacked or unstacked pallets from egressing from the keeper and cooperates with the first and third frame members to define a block U-shaped cavity into which pallets are positioned. The vertical nature of the block U-shaped cavity ensures that as successive pallets are stacked on top of one another, with the stack has a whole having a uniform length and width. In this manner, the stack may be aligned prior to removal from the keeper so that the transportation of the stack is not unreasonably jeopardized by the alignment of the pallets. Moreover, the frame members are positioned in a triangular fashion to allow for loading of empty pallets from more than one side, thereby providing a greater range of movement if the pallets are stacked manually.  
         [0008]     It is a first aspect of the present invention to provide a pallet keeper for vertically aligning and stacking empty pallets comprising: (a) a primary guide extending vertically and widthwise in an X-Y plane, the primary guide vertically extending at least the height of four flat lying pallets stacked upon one another; and (b) a barrier extending vertically and lengthwise in a Y-Z plane and downstream from the primary guide a distance less than a length of a pallet and vertically extending at least the height of four flat lying pallets stacked upon one another, the barrier being oriented between a retaining orientation and an egress orientation, where the retaining position inhibits a pallet from traveling adjacent to the primary guide and beyond a predetermined point in a first direction, and where the egress position allows the pallet to travel adjacent to the primary guide and beyond the predetermined point in the first direction.  
         [0009]     In a more detailed embodiment of the first aspect, the primary guide includes a first guide and a second guide, where the first guide is spaced from the second guide in an X direction within the X-Y plane, and the barrier is repositionably mounted to the first guide. In yet another more detailed embodiment, the invention further comprises an actuator operative to direct the repositioning of the barrier from at least one of the retaining position to the egress position, and the egress position to the retaining position, where the barrier is at least one of slidably repositionable and rotatably repositionable with respect to the primary guide. In a further detailed embodiment, the barrier extends vertically and widthwise in the X-Y plane, and the barrier and the primary guide cooperate to provide a block U-shaped pallet receiver when the barrier is in the retaining position. In still a further detailed embodiment, the invention further comprises a secondary guide extending vertically and widthwise in the X-Y plane and spaced in a Z direction from the primary guide, where the secondary guide, barrier, and primary guide cooperate to provide a block U-shaped pallet receiver when the barrier is in the retaining position. In a more detailed embodiment, the invention further comprises a conveyor to allow the pallet to be conveyed in an X direction within an X-Z plane, where the bed of the conveyor is perpendicular to the primary guide and perpendicular to the barrier.  
         [0010]     It is a second aspect of the present invention to provide a pallet keeper for vertically aligning and stacking empty pallets comprising: (a) a first guide including an exposed surface facing in a first direction; and (b) a barrier repositionable between a retaining position and an egress position, the barrier including a stop cooperating with the exposed surface of the first guide to provide a pallet receiver while the barrier is in the retaining position, the pallet receiver provides a backstop used to vertically align a plurality of flat-lying pallets in widthwise and lengthwise directions, where the pallet receiver is discontinued in the egress position of the barrier to permit passage of the plurality of flat-lying pallets beyond the barrier.  
         [0011]     In a more detailed embodiment of the second aspect, the invention further comprises a conveyor, where the conveyor extends adjacent to the first guide and a bed of the conveyor is perpendicular to the stop of the barrier in the retaining position. In still another more detailed embodiment, the invention further comprises a second guide being spaced a first horizontal distance from the first guide, the second guide including a corresponding exposed surface facing in a second direction, generally opposite the first direction, the first and second guides cooperating to define an opening through which the plurality of flat-lying pallets pass when the barrier is in the egress position, where the barrier is repositionable in the first direction toward the first guide to establish the retaining position and repositionable in the second direction away from the first guide to establish the egress position. In a further detailed embodiment, the invention further comprises a supplemental guide including a surface facing in the first direction, where the surface of the supplemental guide cooperates with the exposed surface of the first guide to define a vertically oriented plane normal to a surface upon which the plurality of flat-lying pallets lie, where the first guide, the second guide, and the supplemental guide are arranged in a right triangular manner while the barrier is in the retaining position and the egress position. In still a further detailed embodiment, the barrier includes a corresponding exposed surface facing in a second direction, generally opposite the first direction, and spaced a first horizontal distance from the first guide, and the barrier is repositionable in the first direction toward the first guide to establish retaining position and repositionable in the second direction away from the first guide to establish the egress position. In a more detailed embodiment, the invention further comprises a supplemental guide including a surface facing in the first direction, where the surface of the supplemental guide cooperates with the exposed surface of the first guide to define vertically oriented plane normal to a surface upon which the plurality of flat-lying pallets lie, where the first guide, stop, and supplemental guide are arranged in a right triangular manner while the barrier is in the retaining position, and where the first guide, stop, and supplemental guide are arranged in a co-linear manner while the barrier is in the egress position.  
         [0012]     It is a third aspect of the present invention to provide a pallet keeper comprising: (a) a first obstruction providing a normal surface closing a first side of the pallet keeper to inhibit loading of empty pallets from the first side while the pallets are lying flat; (b) a gate repositionable between a closed position and an open position, the closed position orienting the gate in a manner generally perpendicular to the normal surface of the first obstruction and closing a second side of the pallet keeper to inhibit loading empty pallets from the second side when the empty pallets are lying flat, where the pallet keeper is open on at least a third side and a fourth side to allow empty pallets to be loaded and vertically stacked, where the third side is parallel to and opposite from the first side, and where the fourth side is parallel to and opposite the fourth side.  
         [0013]     In a more detailed embodiment of the third aspect, the invention further comprises a conveyor traversing the first guide and second guide, with a length of the conveyor running substantially adjacent to the first guide and first stop.  
         [0014]     It is a fourth aspect of the present invention to provide a method of cubing pallets comprising: (a) positioning a pallet stacking jig in proximity to a conveyor, the pallet stacking jig including at least two barriers operative to vertically align first sides of a plurality of pallets and vertically align second sides of the plurality of pallets, where the first sides are generally perpendicular to the second sides, and where the first sides are generally uniform in length and the second sides are generally uniform in length; (b) positioning a pallet so that a first side of the pallet is substantially parallel to a first barrier of the pallet staking jig and positioning the pallet so that a second side of the pallet is substantially parallel to a first barrier of the pallet staking jig; (c) repeating the act of positioning the pallet to form the plurality of pallets; and (d) conveying the plurality of pallets downstream from the pallet staking jig.  
         [0015]     In a more detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect, the act of positioning the pallet includes conveying the pallet along the conveyor in a first direction, and the act of conveying the plurality of pallets downstream from the pallet staking jig is in the first direction. In still another more detailed embodiment, the act of positioning the pallet includes conveying the pallet along the conveyor in a first direction, and the act of conveying the plurality of pallets downstream from the pallet staking jig is in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.  
         [0016]     It is a fifth aspect of the present invention to provide a pallet keeper comprising: (a) a first obstruction providing a normal surface closing a first side of the pallet keeper to inhibit loading of empty pallets from the first side while the pallets are lying flat; (b) a second obstruction mounted to the first obstruction and providing a normal surface closing a second side of the pallet keeper to inhibit loading of empty pallets from the first side while the pallets are lying flat, where the first and second obstruction cooperate to provide a pallet stack receiver that extends vertically to align a stack of pallets along at least two sides of the pallets; and (c) an upright support about which the pallet stack receiver horizontally pivots between a loading position and an unloading position. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is an elevated perspective view from a left rear quadrant of a first exemplary pallet keeper in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is an elevated perspective view from a right rear quadrant of the exemplary pallet keeper of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is an elevated perspective view from a right front quadrant of the exemplary pallet keeper of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is an elevated perspective view from a left front quadrant of the exemplary pallet keeper of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a right side profile view of the exemplary pallet keeper of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a overhead view of the exemplary pallet keeper of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described and illustrated below to encompass methods of stacking empty pallets as well as devices utilized to stack such pallets. Of course, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the preferred embodiments discussed below are exemplary in nature and may be reconfigured without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. However, for clarity and precision, the exemplary embodiments as discussed below may include optional steps, methods, and features that one of ordinary skill should recognize as not being a requisite to fall within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0024]     Referencing  FIGS. 1-6 , a first exemplary pallet keeper  10  straddles a conveyor  12  that provides an elevated platform upon which empty pallets  14  will be stacked. The pallet keeper  10  may be downstream from an automated unloading machine (not shown) that is operative to remove goods previously loaded onto the pallets  14 , or may be positioned in proximity to an intermediary collection area of empty pallets  14  such as a drop off area for forklift operators where the pallets are stacked manually. In either instance, the conveyor  12  provides a means to convey a finished stack of pallets from the pallet keeper  10 . In this exemplary embodiment, and for purposes of explanation only, a standard wooden pallet  14  has dimensions of 40″×48″×5″ (l×w×h). However, those of ordinary skill will readily understand that pallets having sizes other than a standard wooden pallet may be accommodated by the present invention.  
         [0025]     The pallet keeper  10  includes three guides  18 ,  20 ,  22  that are vertically oriented and are mounted normal to the floor of a building, such as a warehouse. These guides  18 ,  20 ,  22  cooperate to facilitate the stacking of flat lying empty pallets  14  so that the widthwise and lengthwise dimensions of the pallet stack are generally uniform along the vertical planes of the stack.  
         [0026]     The first guide  18  includes an extended backstop surface  26  spaced from the conveyor  12  so that the surface of the backstop  26  is generally perpendicular to conveyor  12 . The backstop surface  26  faces the conveyor  12  and the second guide  20 , which is positioned on the other side of the conveyor  12  and connected to the first guide  18  by a crossbar  24 .  
         [0027]     The second guide  20  includes two vertical surfaces  28 ,  30  that cooperate to align the pallets  14  when stacked one on top of another. The first vertical surface  28  runs parallel to the backstop surface  26  of the first guide  18 , whereas the second vertical surface  30  is angled with respect to the backstop surface  26  so that the widthwise dimension between the backstop surface  26  and the second vertical surface  30  generally increases in the upstream direction. The tapered nature of the second guide  20  acts to direct the pallets  14  toward the backstop surface  26  of the first guide  18  as each pallet  14  is horizontally directed into contact with the second guide  20  along the line of travel of the conveyor  12 . A bracing arm  32  is mounted to a rear surface  34  of the second guide  20  and the floor using a pair of brackets  36 . The bracing arm  32  is adapted to retard displacement of the second guide  20  as the bracing arm  32  counteracts the forces exerted by horizontally moving pallets  14  that contact the guide  20  and would otherwise tend to displace the second guide  20  in the direction of travel of the conveyor  12 .  
         [0028]     The distance between the guides  18 ,  20  partially defines an opening  38  through which stacked pallets  14  may egress from the keeper  10 . Spacing between the first and second guides  18 ,  20  may depend directly upon the dimensions of the pallets  14  to be stacked. For example, it is preferred to have the distance between the guides  18 ,  20  (generally between the backstop surface  26  and the first surface  28 ) be greater than a shorter lengthwise dimension of the pallets  14  to be stacked, but be less than a longer widthwise dimension of the pallets. In this manner, flat lying pallets  14  may pass through the opening  38  in the lengthwise direction, but not in the widthwise direction. Such a configuration would automatically inhibit the discharge of a stack of pallets  14  from the keeper  10  with the widthwise dimension embodying the leading edge of the stack. However, as will be discussed in more detail hereafter, the spacing between the first and second guides  18 ,  20  may be varied to accommodate for the dimensions of target pallets to be stacked.  
         [0029]     A manually repositionable gate  40  is pivotally mounted to the first guide  18  and selectively restricts the egress of horizontally lying pallets  14  through the opening  38 . The gate  40  includes a first vertical surface  42  operative to provide a stop against which pallets  14  may be positioned to vertically align the pallets. This first surface  42  cooperates with the backstop surface  26  of the first guide  18  to provide a 90° degree guide so that when the widthwise aspect of the pallet  14  is generally flush against the backstop  26  and pushed forward against the gate  40 , the lengthwise aspect of the pallet  14  will correspondingly be generally flush against the vertical surface  42 . In this manner, as pallets  14  are stacked upon one another and directed forward into this 90° degree guide, the lengthwise and widthwise aspects of the pallets will be aligned vertically.  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the gate  40  also includes a second vertical surface  44 , perpendicular to the first vertical surface  42 , that is adapted to be contacted by a manual actuator  46  to reposition the gate  40  from an open position to a closed position. The actuator  46  is slidably mounted to the first guide  18  to allow horizontal traversal. A tip of an angled distal end  48  of the actuator  46  is repositioned (rotationally and horizontally) by a proximal handle  50  so that a planar surface of the angled distal end  48  faces the second vertical surface  44 . As the handle  50  is moved forward, the tip of the distal end  48  contacts the second vertical surface  44  and causes the gate  40  to pivot toward the closed position (see  FIGS. 3-6 ). Continued forward movement of the actuator  46  results in continued contact between the surface of the angled distal end  48  and the second vertical surface  44  of the gate  40  to reposition the gate  40  to the closed position. A circumferential longitudinal surface of the actuator  46  comes into contact with the second vertical surface  38  and maintains the gate  34  in the closed position as shown in  FIG. 2  after the surface of the angled distal end  48  passes beyond the point of contact with the actuator  46 . When a stack of pallets  14  is ready egress from the keeper  10 , the actuator  46  is drawn rearward and out of the pivoting arc of travel of the gate  40 . This rearward withdrawal of the actuator  46  allows the forward momentum of the pallet stack to pivot the gate  40  to the open position.  
         [0031]     Referencing  FIGS. 1-6 , the third guide  22  is positioned upstream from the first and second guides  18 ,  20  and positioned on the same side of the conveyor  12  as the first guide  18 . In an exemplary configuration, the first and third guides  18 ,  22  are equally backset from the conveyor  12  and cooperate to define a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the conveyor  12 . This vertical plane is preferably normal to the floor of the building, however, deviations from completely vertical are also within the scope of the invention. An area opposite the third guide  22  directly upstream from, and on the same side of the conveyor  12  as, the second guide  20 , is open and allows for loading of pallets onto the conveyor  12  in directions other than generally parallel to the line of travel of the conveyor. For instance, in embodiments where a random pile of empty pallets is adjacent to the keeper  10 , a worker may pick up a pallet and pivot 180° to position the pallet  14  against one or both guides  18 ,  22 . This open side entrance for loading of pallets  14  is one of the novel aspects of the instant invention. It is to be understood, however, that a worker may also continue to stack pallets by feeding pallets in a direction in parallel to the direction of the conveyor  12 .  
         [0032]     In operation, a first pallet  14  is positioned on top of the conveyor  12  and oriented so that the edge board or other part of the pallet  14  defining the widthwise dimension is substantially flush against one or both of the first and third guides  18 ,  22 . This can be accomplished using at least two methods. A first method includes orienting the pallet  14  in a manner where it is generally centered on the conveyor  12  so that a lengthwise aspect faces the gate  40  and a widthwise aspect faces the first and third guides  18 ,  22 . If the pallet  14  is not flush against the first or third guide, the pallet  14  is moved forward along the conveyor  12  in a direction toward the gate  40 , so that the edge material along the lengthwise dimension comes into contact with the second guide  20 . The tapered nature of the second guide  20 , via the second vertical surface  30 , directs the pallet  14  toward the first guide  18  as the pallet continues toward the gate  40 . Eventually, the pallet  14  rides along the length of the second vertical surface  30  until it terminates at the first vertical surface  28 . At this point, the pallet  14  continues to be moved forward until it is adjacent to the gate  40  in the closed position. Because the pallet  14  has been moved forward so that the lengthwise aspect is adjacent to the gate  40 , the wedging action of the guides  18 ,  20  is operative to align the widthwise aspect of the pallet  14  substantially parallel to the backstop  26 . Further pallets may be likewise stacked upon the first pallet  14  and aligned in similar fashion.  
         [0033]     Alternatively, a pallet  14  may be generally centered on the conveyor and oriented so the lengthwise portion faces the gate  40  and the widthwise portion faces the first and second guides  18 ,  20 . If the pallet  14  is not generally flush with at least one of the first and third guides  18 ,  22 , the pallet is horizontally repositioned manually against at least one of the first and third guides  18 ,  22 . While maintaining this generally flush position, the pallet  14  is moved forward toward the gate  40  and eventually abuts the gate. When the pallet  14  abuts the gate  40 , a widthwise aspect of the pallet is aligned with the backstop  26  and a lengthwise aspect is aligned with the gate  40 . Further pallets may be likewise stacked upon the first pallet  14  and aligned in a similar fashion.  
         [0034]     Alternate methods of operation may include simply stacking pallets  14  one on top of another to establish a jumbled stack, thereafter aligning the widthwise and lengthwise portions by moving individual pallets within the stack against the guides  18 ,  20 ,  22 . A further alternate method might include aligning the widthwise dimension of the entire stack, followed by moving the stack toward and into contact with the gate  40  to align the lengthwise portions of each of the pallets  14 . No matter what method is utilized, the guides  18 ,  20 ,  22  cooperate to provide a frame into which empty pallets  14  may be regularly stacked.  
         [0035]     In any event, the orientation of the pallet stack is relatively uniform in the vertical directions along the lengthwise and widthwise aspects when using the exemplary keeper  10 . After the stack has been vertically aligned, the actuator  46  is repositioned out of the line of travel of the gate  40 , thereby allowing the gate  40  to pivot to the open position when a forward force is applied to the first vertical surface  42 . In this exemplary embodiment, a forward force is applied to the first vertical surface  42  in the form of momentum by the lengthwise aspect of the pallet stack being repositioned along the conveyor and egressing from the keeper  10 . Those of ordinary skill will readily understand that the actuator  46  may include a swivel mount to positively reposition the gate  40  from an open position to a closed position and vice versa. Moreover, it is also within the scope of the invention to utilize non-manually repositioned mechanical means to positively reposition the gate  40  from an open position to a closed position and vice versa. Examples include pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders, electromechanical actuators, or toggling eccentric levers.  
         [0036]     Fabrication of the first exemplary pallet keeper  10  includes shaping a first guide  18  from a 3/16″ steel plate into a block C-shape. The first guide  18  includes the backstop  26  that faces an interior loading area of the pallet keeper  10 . Two wings  52 ,  54  extend from the vertical ends of the backstop  26  and away from the interior loading area. Each wing  52 ,  54  is generally perpendicular to the backstop  26  and extends 49/16″ away from the backstop  26  along the entire vertical distance of the backstop  26 . A top plate  56  and base plate  58  are mounted across the top and bottom of the backstop  26  to tie the wings  52 ,  54  together. The base plate  58  also includes three holes  60  adapted to receive permanent fasteners to mount the first guide  18  to the floor of a building.  
         [0037]     Two actuator brackets  62  are mounted to the opposite side of the backstop  26 . Each actuator bracket  62  includes a 1″ hole that is horizontally aligned with notches  66  cut out of each wing  52 ,  54  approximately 42″ from the base plate  58 . Two additional 1″ notches  68  are cut out of the second wing  54  approximately 12″ and 72″ from the top plate  56 , with each notch  68  accommodating a gate bracket  80 .  
         [0038]     The 15/16″ diameter actuator bar  46  traverses the hole of each actuator bracket  62  and extends longitudinally through the notches  66 . A circumferential catch  72  is mounted to the actuator bar  46  between the brackets  62  to limit the travel of the bar to a predetermined incremental distance between the brackets  62 . One end  48  of the bar  46  is tapered at an angle, while the opposing end of the bar is bent at a right angle to provide the handle  50 . The overall length of the bar  46  may be varied, but for purposes of the instant explanation the bar  46  is 48″ long.  
         [0039]     It is also within the scope of the invention that each actuator bracket  62  house bearings (not shown) that circumferentially receive the bar  46  to allow traversal through the bracket  62 .  
         [0040]     As discussed previously, the second wing  54  includes two 1″ notches  68  approximately 12″ and 72″ from the top plate  56 . Each of these notches  68  is traversed by a gate bracket  80  mounted to the backside of the backstop  26 . Each gate bracket  80  includes a hole that receives a gate pin  84  allowing the gate  40  to pivot with respect to the first guide  18 . The through hole of each gate bracket  80  is sized slightly larger than the diameter of the gate pin  84  and, for purposes of explanation, the hole is 33/32″ in diameter and the gate pin  84  is 1″ in diameter. The gate  40  includes a linear piece of angle iron with segments  42 ,  44  extending 5″ from the common axis of the gate. Each gate bracket  80  extends outward toward the gate  40  with one of the segments  42  of the gate  40  facing the second guide  20  in the open position, and a second segment  44  of the gate  40  facing the first guide  18  in the open position.  
         [0041]     Two sets of bracing brackets  90 ,  92  are also mounted to the backside of the backstop  26 . Each bracket includes a series of vertically spaced holes or slots  96 . The first set of bracing brackets  90  is approximately 12″ long and is mounted to the backside of the backstop  26  approximately 52″ from the base plate  58  of the first guide  18 . The second set of bracing brackets  92  is approximately 12″ long and is also mounted to the backside of the backstop  26  approximately 30″ from the base plate  58  of the first guide  18 .  
         [0042]     A stabilizing brace  98  is mounted to the first guide  18  using one of the bracing brackets  90 ,  92 . The stabilizing brace  98  includes a 5/4″ rectangular tube  100  pivotally mounted to a foot  102  that is adapted to be mounted to the floor using a series of fasteners, such as bolts. Depending upon the floor space available for installation of the pallet keeper  10 , the foot  102  may be positioned closer to or further away from the first guide  18 . To accommodate for these variable distances, the upper end of the tube  100  is repositionably mounted to one of the bracing brackets  90 ,  92  using repositionable fasteners, such as bolts. Two aligned holes backset 1″ from the upper end of the tube  100  receive the repositionable fasteners that are aligned with corresponding holes or slots  96  through one of the bracing brackets  90 ,  92 . The brackets  90 ,  92  may be fabricated to include predetermined incrementally spaced holes  96  vertically offset 21/16″ from one another in order to allow the upper end of the tube  100  to be vertically repositioned and thereby correspondingly accommodate for shorter or longer distances that the foot  102  may be mounted from the guide  18 .  
         [0043]     It is also within the scope of the invention that the brackets  90 ,  92  include a single oblong vertical hole to accommodate an increased range of distances between the foot  102  and guide  18 . For example, the distance between the foot  102  and the guide  18  may not allow the holes within the upper end of the tube  100  to align with a set of holes  96  within one of the brackets  90 ,  92 . In such an instance, a continuous vertical hole would accommodate such a position, whereas a set of distinct vertical holes spaced apart may not.  
         [0044]     Referencing  FIGS. 1-6 , the third guide  22  includes an inward surface  110  that is generally aligned with the inward elongated surface  26  of the first guide  18  so as to lie along the same plane. The inward surface  110  comprises a 3″ wide segment of a rectangular tube that extends approximately 84″ from the floor. The base of the tube is mounted to a foot  112  that comprises a 3″×8″ plate and two triangular segments having 8″ legs. One of the legs of each triangular segment is welded to a rear face  114  of the rectangular tube  22 , with a corresponding leg of each triangular segment being welded to the plate. The plate includes through holes adapted to receive a fastener, such as a bolt, in order to mount the guide  22  to the floor.  
         [0045]     A cross brace  116  is mounted to the first and third guides  18 ,  22  in order to tie the guides together. The cross brace  116  is mounted to the first guide using a 3″×7½″ bracket  118  fabricated from ¼″ metal plate material. Two through holes in the bracket  118  are adapted to receive fasteners that are received within corresponding holes of the second wing  52  of the first guide  18 . An angle iron member  120  is welded at one end to the bracket  118  and extends away from the bracket a predetermined distance, for example 19″. The widths of each segment of the angle iron member  120  are 2″, with one of the segments including a through hole adapted to receive a fastener to mount the opposing end to the backside of the third guide  22 .  
         [0046]     The second guide  20  is horizontally spaced from the first guide  18  a predetermined distance to approximate the width of a standard pallet  14 . In this exemplary embodiment, the distance between the first guide  18  and the second guide  20  is 40¾″. The second guide  20  includes two primary exposed surfaces  28 ,  30  that are adapted to be contacted by one or more pallets during the stacking operation. The primary surfaces  28 ,  30  are formed by shaping a single ¼″ metal plate material so that the first vertical surface  28  is 3″ wide and 84″ tall and angled with respect to the second vertical surface  30  approximately 30°. The second vertical surface  30  is 8″ wide and 84″ tall, however, those of ordinary skill will readily understand that angles other than 30° may be used, thereby impacting on the width of the second vertical surface  30 . As discussed previously, the angled nature of the second guide  20  provides a taper to direct pallets  14  toward the first guide  18  as the pallets are moved along the second vertical surface  30  toward the first vertical surface  28 .  
         [0047]     The second guide  20  also includes a rear surface  34  generally perpendicular to the first vertical surface  28 . The rear surface  34  is also fabricated from the single ¼″ metal plate material and is approximately 3″ wide. The rear surface  34  includes a through hole that is adapted to be aligned with a through hole at a corresponding end of the crossbar  24  to receive a fastener, such as a bolt, to mount the crossbar  24  the second guide  20 , thus tying the first guide  18  to the second guide  20 . Opposing base plates  124  are mounted to the ends of the surfaces  28 ,  30 ,  34 , with the bottom base plate including multiple through holes adapted to receive fasteners to mount the second guide  20  to the floor.  
         [0048]     It is also within the scope of the present invention to outfit the keeper  10  with hardware facilitating portability within a building or storage facility. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, the keeper  10  includes retractable wheels (not shown) mounted to the first, second, and third guides  18 ,  20 ,  22 .  
         [0049]     It is also within the scope of the present invention to outfit the first and third guides  18 ,  22  with a plurality of horizontal ribs that interpose the guides  18 ,  20  in order to close off the opening therebetween. Exemplary ribs would face the second guide  20  and cooperate with the surfaces of the guides  18 ,  22  to define a vertical plane against which pallets may be stacked.  
         [0050]     It is further within the scope of the invention that one or more of the guides  18 ,  20 ,  22  include rollers vertically oriented to aid in the “push through” alignment of the empty pallets similar to that of the rollers of the conveyor  12  to facilitate ease of egress of the stacked pallets  14  from the pallet keeper  10 .  
         [0051]     It is further within the scope of the invention that one or more of the guides  18 ,  20 ,  22  are repeatably oriented on a carousel (not shown) to enable stacking of pallets and rotation of the carousel to enable discharging of the stacked pallets. In exemplary form, the carousel includes four bays for stacking of pallets, with each bay including one or more of the guides  18 ,  20 ,  22  to comprise at least an L-shaped receiver against which pallets may be vertically stacked. In such an embodiment, the bays may be consecutively loaded or alternatively loaded, with at least one bay retaining a stack of pallets while another bay is accommodating the stacking of pallets. Those skilled in the art would readily be able to construct such an embodiment using the instant disclosure.  
         [0052]     It should also be noted, however, that the exemplary embodiments of the present invention do not require utilization of a conveyor. For example, the pallets could simply be stacked on the floor of a facility or on the base of a carousel and allow for the withdrawal of one or more stacked pallets from the exemplary keepers of the present invention.  
         [0053]     Following from the above description and invention summaries, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the methods and apparatuses herein described constitute exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the invention contained herein is not limited to this precise embodiment and that changes may be made to such embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the claims and it is not intended that any limitations or elements describing the exemplary embodiments set forth herein are to be incorporated into the interpretation of any claim element unless such limitation or element is explicitly stated. Likewise, it is to be understood that it is not necessary to meet any or all of the identified advantages or objects of the invention disclosed herein in order to fall within the scope of any claims, since the invention is defined by the claims and since inherent and/or unforeseen advantages of the present invention may exist even though they may not have been explicitly discussed herein.