Importance

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Abstract

Improved sticker placer apparatus is described. The apparatus includes plural, inclined sticker feed pockets for holding stickers simultaneously to be placed and vertically reciprocable placement arms, each being capable of displacing one sticker at a time from the mouth of the sticker pocket to a variable height of lumber indexed therebeneath, and each having a positive sticker capture device including a generally horizontal pivotable support arm for cradling the sticker thereabove, and a downwardly impinging pincer arm for urging the sticker downwardly throughout the placement cycle. Each placement arm further has plural stops for halting the descent of the arm when the top of the lumber is reached, a slider link mechanism providing dwell time between the arm's downstroke and upstroke and a spring-tensioned rocker arm operable during the dwell time to pivot the support arm out from under the sticker when the associated stops are reached. The individual slider link mechanisms selectably are extended and retracted by a single, common drive cylinder to reciprocate the associated placement arms. Upstream stickers are retained by spring-tensioned pinch bars impinging on the face of the to-be-placed sticker. Fully automatic, continuous operation of the apparatus is enabled by selectively openable and closeable feed gates located at the top of each feed pocket.

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First Claim