Abstract: Orienting apparatus for elongated finger cookies or other elongated bakery roducts supplied in uniform groups. The finger cookies are supplied to the orienting apparatus in upright conditions and are then laid flat on a packaging conveyor. Usually, the groups of cookies are supplied in two rows in side by side relation relative to each other with groups in each row of uniform count and conveyed along drop gate members in upright positions to a dropping station, where the drop gate members are swung from supporting engagement with a group of cookies conveyed and accommodate the group of cookies to drop through a drop chute assembly in their upright positions and then are turned at 90.degree. and laid onto a conveyor plate along which the oriented groups of cookies are conveyed in a flat condition to a loading station for packaging or wrapping.

Abstract: Automatic sandwiching machine for cookies and the like. The cookies having design impressed on one side thereof are conveyed through an oven in rows with the design sides facing upwardly and the opposite or plain sides facing the oven conveyor. At least two side-by-side rows are up-ended and stacked one behind the other and conveyed to adjacent magazines with the sides with the design facing upwardly. The rows of cookies are flared as they leave the oven with four rows of cookies in each group of flared rows and are conveyed to separate magaines design side up. One magazine is spaced in advance of the other. The magazines drop the cookies on a conveyor where the advance cookies are positioned to be deposited on creme deposited on trailing or upstream cookies. One upstream magazine is spaced ahead of the other.

Abstract: An automatic tray loading apparatus for cookies or the like in which cook are divided into two rows with cookies in each row separated into groups of a given count and continuously conveyed to a loading station for loading into trays. A pair of drop chute members are aligned with the rows of cookies and each arranged to receive a discrete cookie group dropped therein by a drop gate device. The cookie group dropped into one of the drop chutes is moved laterally into close proximity to a second cookie group resting in the second drop chute to bring the cookie spacing into register with the spacing of cookie receiving compartments in the trays. Drop gate slides for each drop chute are then activated to open chute outlet openings to drop each cookie group into an appropriate compartment of a waiting cookie tray. A tray conveyor then carries away the cookie-filled tray and spots an empty tray below the drop chute outlet openings.