Abstract: A product orienting and loading system includes a powered disk conveyor which receives product to be oriented from an infeed conveyor. A turntable is parallel to the support plane of the disk conveyor and is movable between a lowered position below the support plane and a raised position above the support plane and accommodating rotation of the turntable to orient the product. The turntable has cruciform slots for respectively receiving the disks to allow the turntable to pass to its lowered position in any of several rotational orientations spaced 90.degree. apart. The reoriented product is transferred to an endless window conveyor overlying a container supported at a loading level of a loading station. A counter-rotating pusher shifts the product through the window of the window conveyor into the container while the window conveyor moves the container in a discharge direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for unstacking cross-nested articles includes an elevator which raises the stack as articles are removed two-at-a-time from the top thereof by a continuous-chain transfer conveyor. The transfer conveyor carries the removed articles to a discharge station where they are dropped onto two vertically spaced-apart discharge conveyors. In one embodiment, the upper discharge conveyor comprises laterally spaced-apart tracks arranged so that the bottom article drops therethrough to the lower discharge conveyor, while the top article is caught on the upper discharge conveyor. A finger on one of the conveyors turns selected articles 90.degree. so that all articles are aligned in the same direction as they exit the lower conveyor. In another embodiment both discharge conveyors comprise laterally spaced-apart tracks, and a turntable is vertically movable between the tracks to lower the articles onto the discharge conveyors, the turntable rotating 90.degree.

Abstract: A system for loading groups of articles into containers includes an infeed conveyor which groups the articles into subgroups which are then selectively reoriented by a turntable-type orienting device. The oriented subgroups are then conveyed to a transfer area where they are accumulated into elements of a predetermined pattern of articles. A pusher sequentially pushes the pattern elements onto the lower reach of a window conveyor disposed at a loading station. A container conveyor runs beneath the window conveyor to deliver an empty container to the loading station, a lifter assembly then raising the empty container to a loading position immediately beneath the support reach. The window conveyor is then operated to drop the pattern of articles through the window thereof into the container.