Abstract: The device for dividing a transport stream consisting of one line of successively arranged upright containers into two partial transport streams, each partial transport stream consisting of one line of successively arranged upright containers, has a feed device for conveying the transport stream of containers, and two distribution lines arranged at an angle to each other, each of which serves to accept one of the partial transport streams of containers in a transfer area of the feed device, the feed device and the two distribution lines thus forming a Y-shaped intersection in the transfer area. At least one driven roller with a substantially vertical axis of rotation is arranged between the two distribution lines in the transfer area of the feed device.

Abstract: The device for dividing a transport stream consisting of one line of successively arranged upright containers into two partial transport streams, each partial transport stream consisting of one line of successively arranged upright containers, has a feed device for conveying the transport stream of containers, and two distribution lines arranged at an angle to each other, each of which serves to accept one of the partial transport streams of containers in a transfer area of the feed device, the feed device and the two distribution lines thus forming a Y-shaped intersection in the transfer area. At least one driven roller with a substantially vertical axis of rotation is arranged between the two distribution lines in the transfer area of the feed device.

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging small identical objects in respective pockets of a package strip where the pockets are in a succession of identical arrays has a conveyor extending and displaceable from an upstream loading end to a downstream transfer end and having a plurality of sections each formed with an array of pockets dimensioned to hold a respective one of the objects. The array of each section corresponds to at least two of the arrays of the package strip interleaved with each other so that each section can hold a number of the objects equal to at least twice what one of the arrays of the package strip can hold. The objects are fed to the conveyer at the upstream end ordered such that at the transfer station there is one of the objects in each of the pockets.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting identical flat-bottomed objects has a vibratory conveyor defining a generally horizontal support surface. A plurality of the objects are supplied to an upstream end of the surface standing on their flat bottoms and the objects travel along the surface while standing on their bottoms. A sorting drum rotatable about a horizontal axis at a downstream end of the conveyor is formed with at least one row of radially outwardly open seats generally complementary to the objects and each having a flat floor. The drum is rotated between a pickup position in which the flat floors of the one row of seats are aligned and generally coplanar with the support surface and closely juxtaposed with the downstream end and a handoff position with the one row of seats raised up above the support surface. The objects are taken out of the seats in the takeoff position.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting identical flat-bottomed objects has a vibratory conveyor defining a generally horizontal support surface. A plurality of the objects are supplied to an upstream end of the surface standing on their flat bottoms and the objects travel along the surface while standing on their bottoms. A sorting drum rotatable about a horizontal axis at a downstream end of the conveyor is formed with at least one row of radially outwardly open seats generally complementary to the objects and each having a flat floor. The drum is rotated between a pickup position in which the flat floors of the one row of seats are aligned and generally coplanar with the support surface and closely juxtaposed with the downstream end and a handoff position with the one row of seats raised up above the support surface. The objects are taken out of the seats in the takeoff position.