Material handling system

Claim 1

A MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF WORK STATIONS LOCATED ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH; CONVEYER MEANS EXTENDING ALONG SAID PATH AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CARRIERS WHICH MOVE ALONG SAID PATH WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO CARRY CONTAINERS, RESPECTIVELY, WHICH HOLD MATERIAL TO BE WORKED ON AT SAID STATIONS, SAID CONVEYER MEANS INCLUDING FOR EACH WORK STATION AT LEAST TWO CARRIERS SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY CARRIERS FOR OTHER WORK STATIONS SO THAT THE CARRIERS FOR ANY ONE STATION ARE NOT LOCATED NEXT TO EACH OTHER AND SAID CONVEYOR MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL CARRIER; A RECEIVING AREA LOCATED AT EACH WORK STATION FOR RECEIVING A CONTAINER FROM ONE OF THE CARRIERS AND AT EACH WORK STATION A DISCHARGE AREA FROM WHICH A CONTAINER IS DELIVERED TO A CARRIER OF SAID CONVEYER MEANS; AN ADDITIONAL RECEIVING AREA LOCATED AT A PART OF SAID PATH FOR RECEIVING FROM SAID CONVEYER MEANS EXCESS CONTAINERS WHEN ALL OF SAID RECEIVING AREAS AT SAID WORK STATIONS ARE OCCUPIED; AND MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID DISCHARGE AREAS AND SAID CONVEYER MEANS FOR MOVING FROM THE DISCHARGE AREA OF ONE WORK STATION A CONTAINER TO A CARRIER FOR ANOTHER WORK STATION WHICH IS TO FURTHER OPERATE ON THE MATERIAL WORKED ON SAID ONE WORK STATION, WHEN THE CARRIERS OF SAID OTHER WORK STATIONS ARE UNOCCUPIED, FOR MOVING THE CONTAINER FROM SAID ONE DISCHARGE AREA TO SAID ADDITIONAL CARRIER WHEN THE CARRIERS FOR THE NEXT WORK STATIONS ARE OCCUPIED, AND FOR SUBSEQUENTLY DISCHARGING THE CONTAINER MOVED ONTO SAID ADDITIONAL CARRIER ONTO SAID ADDITIONAL RECEIVING AREA.