Patent ID: 8527087

Claim:
A dunnage placing apparatus, comprising: a chassis; a dunnage magazine adapted to contain therein a plurality of dunnage pieces, and further adapted to selectively release the contained dunnage pieces; a carriage movably supported by the chassis and adapted to receive dunnage pieces from the magazine, wherein the carriage comprises a lower gate, an intermediate gate substantially above the lower gate, and an upper gate substantially above the intermediate gate; and a control system adapted to control operation of the apparatus, wherein the control system comprises a memory device; and a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the memory device and adapted to cause the control system to operate the apparatus in a manner wherein: the magazine releases a first dunnage piece into an upper dunnage position in the carriage proximate the upper gate; the upper gate opens to release the first dunnage piece from the upper dunnage position into an intermediate dunnage position in the carriage proximate the intermediate gate; the intermediate gate opens to release the first dunnage piece from the intermediate dunnage position into a lower dunnage position in the carriage proximate the lower gate; the magazine releases a second dunnage piece into the upper dunnage position proximate the upper gate; the upper gate opens to release the second dunnage piece from the upper dunnage position into the intermediate dunnage position proximate the intermediate gate; the magazine releases a third dunnage piece into the upper dunnage position proximate the upper gate; the lower gate opens to release the first dunnage piece from the lower dunnage position, thereby placing the first dunnage piece; the intermediate gate opens to release the second dunnage piece from the intermediate dunnage position into the lower dunnage position proximate the lower gate; the upper gate opens to release the third dunnage piece from the upper dunnage position into the intermediate dunnage position proximate the intermediate gate; the lower gate opens to release the second dunnage piece from the lower dunnage position, thereby placing the second dunnage piece; the intermediate gate opens to release the third dunnage piece from the intermediate dunnage position into the lower dunnage position proximate the lower gate; and the lower gate opens to release the third dunnage piece from the lower dunnage position, thereby placing the third dunnage piece.