Patent ID: 7621712

Claim:
A stacking apparatus for forming a stack of superimposed layers of elongated items, said stacking apparatus comprising: a feed device configured to feed a succession of elongated items and receive a number of the elongated items at a pick-up station; a rotating structure having at least a first arm and a second arm provided at different angles about a rotation axis of said rotating structure, each of said first arm and said second arm having a receiving surface mounted thereto, said receiving surface being configured to receive the number of elongated items as a layer at said pick-up station during rotation of said rotating structure as said receiving surface travels past said pick-up station; a carriage having a plurality of layer supporting forks, said carriage being movable in a horizontal direction to a layer receiving station, said plurality of layer supporting forks being configured to receive the layer from said receiving surface during rotation of said rotating structure as said receiving surface travels past said layer receiving station; and a layer stacking station configured to receive the layer from said plurality of layer supporting forks to form the stack of superimposed layers, wherein said carriage having said plurality of layer supporting forks is configured to carry the layer from said layer receiving station and deposit the layer at said layer stacking station.