Machine for unloading retort crates

Claim 1

A RETORT CRATE UNLOADING MACHINE FOR UNLOADING A RETORT CRATE HAVING A VERTICALLY SLIDABLE BOTTOM AND WHEREIN CONTAINERS ARE STACKED IN LAYERS ON SAID BOTTOM, COMPRISING: ELEVATING MEANS FOR RAISING SAID BOTTOM IN INCREMENTS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF ONE LAYER OF CONTAINERS, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING TABLE ADJACENT SAID ELEVATING MEANS FOR DEPOSIT OF CONTAINERS FROM SAID CRATE, A SWEEP YOKE MOUNTED ON SAID TABLE, YOKE MOVING MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID YOKE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION FORWARDLY BEYOND A FIRST END OF SAID TABLE AND ON THE SIDE OPPOSITE SAID TABLE OF A CRATE TO A SECOND POSITION REARWARD OF SAID FIRST END, A GATHERING ARM MOUNTED ABOVE SAID TABLE, AND ARM MOVING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GATHERING ARM LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TABLE AND ALSO VERTICALLY IN TIMED SEQUENCE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID YOKE FROM A FIRST POSITION ADJACENT SAID FIRST END OF SAID TABLE TO A SECOND POSITION ABOVE SAID TABLE A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE HEIGHT OF A CONTAINER AND LONGITUDINALLY REMOVED FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO A THIRD POSITION ELEVATED ABOVE SAID TABLE A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF A CONTAINER.