Patent ID: 7699578

Claim:
A method for forming bundles from stackable objects using a stacking device having a vertical shaft, a first fork, a second fork, and a third fork, the method comprising: supplying a first stackable object in a first conveying direction with a first conveying apparatus; measuring the thickness of the first stackable object; moving the first stackable object in a second direction traverse to the first conveying direction onto the second fork while the second fork is located at an upper opening of the vertical shaft; retracting the second fork and transferring the first stackable object onto the first fork while the first fork is located in the vertical shaft below the second fork; lowering the first fork within the vertical shaft by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the first stackable object; measuring the thickness of a second stackable object located upstream from the stacking device; stacking the second stackable object on top of the first stackable object to form a bundle from the bottom upward; lowering the first fork inside the vertical shaft by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the second stackable object; lowering the first fork within the vertical shaft while supporting the bundle; while lowering the first fork within the vertical shaft, extending the third fork at the upper opening of the vertical shaft; transferring the bundle from a lower section of the vertical shaft to a second conveying apparatus; and forming a new bundle on the third fork.