Patent ID: 8074431

Claim:
An item handling and stacking system adapted to receive at least one item from an infeed system presented at a first height, the item handling and stacking system comprising: a frame defining a generally vertical column of space; a layer queuing device within the vertical column of space and operable within the vertical column, the layer queuing device comprising a layer assembly platform where items are placed for layer assembly, and the layer queuing device further adapted to independently and selectively reciprocate vertically in the vertical column of space, the layer queuing device further comprising an apron operable from a first closed position to a second open position, and a compression mechanism operable to include relative movement in at least two directions in a single plane, the compression mechanism comprising a first x-direction arm and a second, oppositely disposed x-direction arm, and a first y-direction barrier arranged generally perpendicular to the first x-direction arm and cooperating with both arms to define a generally rectilinear space; a pallet-build area disposed within the vertical column of space and positioned under the layer queuing device; a pick-and-place robot disposed adjacent to the vertical column of space, the robot adapted to transfer the at least one item from the infeed system at the first height to a predetermined position on the layer queuing device; and a stretch wrapping device comprising means for automatic wrap start and wrap cut after wrapping completion, a turntable positioned in the vertical column of space and adapted to selectively rotate, and a wrap dispensing system adjacent to the turntable, the dispensing system being operable to concurrently wrap a plurality of item layers within the vertical column while at least one item is being transferred from the infeed system to the layer assembly platform.