In a transporting system, a first conveyor includes a transport surface to transport different size tires in a first direction. A first positioner positions an end of a tire transported by the first conveyor, at a first predetermined position in the first direction. A second positioner positions an end of the tire at a second predetermined position in a second direction horizontally perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second clamping portion portions are at or adjacent to a clamping position, and pass through between a tire first portion at or adjacent to an end of the tire positioned by the first positioner and a tire second portion at or adjacent to an end of the tire positioned by the second positioner to clamp side surfaces of the tire.

An automatic egg tray stacking apparatus turns alternate egg trays through the operation of movable guides at the junction with a loading conveyor before conveying the egg trays toward a stacking mechanism that first stops the egg tray and then lowers the stack on top of the egg tray before re-elevating the partially formed stack to permit the entrance of a new egg tray into the stacking mechanism. Once the stack of egg trays is completed, the stack is allowed to move onto a stack conveyor and is moved forwardly for shipment. The stacking mechanism is operated by a single actuator having dual pneumatic cylinders that provide a three position operation of the lifting function with the stacking mechanism having lifter members engaging all four sides of the lowermost egg tray of the elevated stack. A control mechanism operates the apparatus with input from appropriately positioned sensors.

A tray transport apparatus comprises a reception portion configured to receive a container configured to accommodate a stack formed by stacking a plurality of trays, an accommodation portion configured to accommodate the stack, the accommodation portion being disposed above the reception portion, a transfer unit configured to lift the stack from the container to separate the stack from the container and transfer the stack to the accommodation portion, and a transport unit configured to unload a tray located at a lowermost portion of the stack accommodated in the accommodation portion.

Exemplary systems and methods are disclosed for stacking containers in an automated storage and retrieval system. The system includes a plurality of storage stacks establishing a grid of storage locations and a plurality of buffering stacks. Each buffering stack having a hand-over location for holding containers near a surface of a grid and at least one intermediate holding location for holding the containers to be transported to processing stations or storage locations within the grid. An overhead load handler is configured to lift or lower containers from/to the top of a storage stack or the hand-over location of a buffering stack.

A storage facility for the storage of stackable goods, especially stackable postal item containers, includes at least one storage device and at least one stacking device. The at least one storage device includes storage locations. At least one of the storage locations is configured to receive at least two items of goods stacked on top of one another. A mechanism is configured to move the at least one storage location and/or a further storage location within the storage facility, and the at least one stacking device is configured to stack one or more of the items of goods into the at least one storage location from below and/or unstack one or more of the items of goods from the at least one storage location from below. A method for storing stackable goods, especially stackable postal item containers, is also provided.

An apparatus and method involves continuously conveying a plurality of solid food products to a plurality of loading stations where the solid food products can be loaded onto racks, each station including an apparatus for stacking a plurality of the loaded racks into a batch. The apparatus further includes a plurality of cookers capable of simultaneously cooking the solid food products provided on the loaded, stacked racks as a batch, and a batch conveyor for conveying the plurality of loaded, stacked racks as a batch to one of a plurality of cookers, where the solid food products in the batch are cooked under the same conditions. The apparatus also includes an unloading station to which a plurality of loaded, stacked racks are conveyed as a batch by the batch conveyor after the solid food products provided thereon have been cooked in one of the plurality of cookers.

A tray transport apparatus comprises a reception portion configured to receive a container configured to accommodate a stack formed by stacking a plurality of trays, an accommodation portion configured to accommodate the stack, the accommodation portion being disposed above the reception portion, a transfer unit configured to lift the stack from the container to separate the stack from the container and transfer the stack to the accommodation portion, and a transport unit configured to unload a tray located at a lowermost portion of the stack accommodated in the accommodation portion.

A stage-stacking lift according to the present invention includes a lift unit and a stage-stacking unit mounted in the lift unit. The stage-stacking unit stacks a tray, in which accommodation targets are accommodated, in multiple stages, and the lift unit elevates the tray stacked in multiple stages.

A station for presenting at least one container, which includes a frame, a conveying device having a first conveyor and a mobile platform provided with a second conveyor. Also, a method for presenting containers implemented by this station for presenting at least one container, which includes the steps of depositing a first container at a first point of delivery, controlling the first conveyor to transfer the first container to a point of transfer, actuating the movable platform to transfer the first container from the point of transfer to a point of presentation, and controlling the second conveyor to transfer the first container from the point of presentation to a point of evacuation.