Abstract: An apparatus for clamping, folding and transferring a stack of flexible plastic bag products such as a stack of zippered plastic bags. The apparatus can be retrofitted in existing bag sealers used for producing and packaging a stack of plastic bags in order to produce novel shallower plastic bag products.

Abstract: A laning conveyor is provided which may be used as an infeed for a packer. The laning conveyor comprises a central lane guide and a movable lane guide unit including at least two lane guides connected thereto spaced apart a first lane width. The unit is mounted adjacent the central lane guide to form a lane therebetween having the first lane width. The unit is movable to provide the lane with a second lane width. A method of laning articles is also disclosed.

Abstract: A goods accommodation method and apparatus in which a container is set such that its opening is directed horizontally, and box-shaped goods are stacked on a slide such that their surfaces facing the opening of the container are aligned with each other. The goods are transferred into the container while they are held in the stacked state by inserting the slide together with the goods stacked thereon into the container and then quickly pulling the slide out of the container at a speed higher than the speed of insertion such that the stacked goods reimain in the container. The container is then turned up such that its opening is directed upward.

Abstract: A package rectifying apparatus designed to prevent a rearmost one of packages (3) from being toppled rearwardly to fall down even though the packages have been rectified so as to partially overlap with each other and also to enable the amount of overlap between each neighboring packages to be adjustable.

Abstract: A dry fruit bin filler for rapidly filling fruit bins, including a continuous fruit infeed belt and a fruit distribution belt mounted below the infeed belt which reciprocates under the infeed belt to receive and distribute the fruit layer-by-layer in the bin. The distribution belt is coupled to a sensor which controls intermittent activity of the belt based on the position of a discharge end of the belt relative to the bottom of the bin. The distribution belt is activated when the discharge end reaches the bottom of the bin, and lays down a layer of fruit as the belt retracts from the bin. To facilitate the layer-by-layer loading, the bin is held in a rotatable bin holder. The bin holder incrementally rotates during loading, so that the bin is lowered incrementally by a distance corresponding to a height of the layer of fruit.

Abstract: A system for individually commissioning packaged goods from a supply path, in which the goods are arranged in rows, to containers with a movable or positionable transporting device. The packaged goods lie on a slanted chute against a first stopping surface and are picked up by the transporting device which is positionable against a second stopping surface and are released over a selected remote container.

Abstract: A suture winder machine and, more particularly, a semi-automated suture winding station of the machine adapted to facilitate the high-speed winding of multiple sutures, which are each attached to needles, into a peripheral channel of a tray utilized for packaging the needles and attached sutures. A substantially flat suture tray loaded with multiple needles and sutures extending therefrom is mounted on a rotatable platform incorporating registration structure for ensuring the appropriate mounting and positioning of the suture tray thereon, and with the winding machine containing operative structure adapted to rotate the suture tray about an axis perpendicular to the planar surface thereof so as to enable the extending multiple sutures to be bundled and wound for depositing in a channel formed along the periphery of the suture tray.

Abstract: A loading device for picking up and repositioning a plurality of upright cylinders arranged in a rectangular array includes a rectangular-shaped frame and a lift mechanism for raising and lowering the frame. A first fixed wall depends from a first end of the frame, and a second fixed wall depends from a second end of the frame adjacent the first end. A first movable wall adjacent a third end of the frame opposes the first fixed wall, and a second movable wall adjacent a fourth end of the frame opposes the second fixed wall. The first and second fixed walls and the first and second movable walls surround a rectangular-shaped enclosed area. A first motive mechanism couples the frame and the first movable wall for moving the first movable wall in a first direction, normal to the first fixed wall, for clamping the array between the first movable wall and the first fixed wall while maintaining the first movable wall vertical.

Abstract: A conveyor conveys boxes that are empty and boxes that are filled with articles in a horizontal plane past an article handling machine where articles of a first type are removed from some boxes and articles of a second type are inserted in empty boxes. The machine runs concurrently with the box conveyor in one direction so boxes from which the articles of the first type are conveyed beyond the machine and empty boxes in which articles of the second type are inserted are also conveyed from the machine in the same direction. The article handling machine has heads that are constrained to orbit in a generally circular path and the heads have grippers on them which are controllable to grip and release groups of articles at consecutive working stations along the orbital path of the heads.

Abstract: A catalog stacker and loader having a conveyor, a cage assembly associated with the conveyor, and a loader for unloading catalogs from the cage assembly and loading them into shipping containers. The cage assembly has a first cage and a second cage, each of which is movable between a loading position adjacent the conveyor and an unloading position adjacent the loader. Each cage is dimensioned to receive two stacks of catalogs and comprises means for holding the two stacks in a first relative orientation when the cage is in a first position and for holding the two stacks in a second relative orientation when the cage is in a second position.

Abstract: An automated machine for the high-speed packaging of multiple surgical needles each with an attached suture into a tray and detachable cover structure providing a suture package utilized for the packaging of the needles and attached sutures. Additionally, the automated packaging machine incorporates operative mechanism adapted to wind the sutures into a peripheral channel of the tray and facilitating the attachment of the cover to the tray which contains the needles and attached wound sutures, and from which cover there is concurrently formed a separate product-identifying label as a component of the tray upon removal of the cover to gain access to the contents of the tray.

Abstract: An improved actuating system for a plurality of tucker plates used to compress and tuck arrays of fruit placed by an automated fruit handler into shipping cartons is described. The timing and motive force used for operation of the tucker plate is derived from motion of the fruit handler. Contact of the fruit and the fruit handler with an inclined tucker plate on each of four side is sufficient to cause tucker plates to rotate about a hinge assembly which couples the tucker plate to the packer table through which the fruit handler disposes the layers of fruit into the shipping cartons positioned on a conveyor underneath the packer table. Each tucker plate is provided with an upper finger which contacts the fruit handler as the fruit handler move upwardly thereby causing a torque to be applied to the tucker plate to reorient the tucker plate from the vertical packing position to an open tilted receiving position.

Abstract: A machine automatically carries out operations for ampul boxing, because it includes, coordinately operating with one another, a framework, a conveyor device for conveying the ampuls, a box transporting and positioning unit, an ampul transfer device and either a pneumatic or a mechanical device for transient ampul clamping.

Abstract: The station comprises a conveyor belt to bring empty containers to a basket housing station, and for removing the containers when filled, and a conveyor belt for transporting baskets inwardly of the containers; the baskets are housed in an ordered fashion in the containers by a movement device of the baskets inside the containers.

Abstract: An automatic fruit container filler machine. Such comprises a structure (1) supporting an electric motor (3) which drives a carriage lift (2) carrying an endless belt (6) having rotary and conveyor movement to form a horizontal belt surface (6b) which can be positioned coplanar with a feeder (16) for a fruit layer (18c) and can then be positioned at a lower level namely at the bottom of the container (17) or the preceding fruit layer. At this position, the belt is retracted, and the fruit layer (18) is deposited at a position (18a) without the layer being hocked or changed.The machine is applicable for filling containers with delicate fruit being extremely sensitive to hocking, such as apples, citrus fruits, tomatoes, peaches and the like.

Abstract: A predetermined number of articles, as open ended, nested hollow articles, are packed in a container by an apparatus including a first holding means for said articles including a first retaining means, as a gate means, adjacent the end portion thereof. Means are provided for moving the first holding means with nested articles thereon into an adjacent carton, means are provided for moving the gate means into the open position to permit the articles to be removed from the first holding means, and a second retaining means is provided for holding the articles in the carton while removing the first holding means.

Abstract: A dough cutting and packing apparatus for cutting a sheet of dough into dough pieces and transferring the dough pieces to containers. A cutting unit is defined by a plurality of cutting plates having dough retaining openings. The sheet of dough is partially sheeted into the dough retaining openings by an initial compressor roll which is spaced from an upper surface of the cutting plates. A terminal compressor roll contacts the upper surface of the cutting plates, and acts to sheet a remaining portion of the dough sheet into the dough retaining openings to divide the dough sheet into a plurality of dough pieces retained in the openings. The initial compressor roll is driven at a peripheral rate of speed that exceeds an instantaneous liner rate of speed of the cutting unit. The terminal compressor roll is frictionally driven via contact with the cutting plates such that a peripheral rate of speed of the terminal compressor matches the linear rate of speed of the cutting unit.

Abstract: A filling head for loading food articles such as franks into individual packaging trays is adapted for quick connect to a power system and a loader parent machine. The filling head comprises an open frame, at least two spring loaded flapper doors hingeably attached to the frame, and a pusher bar unloading system capable of operable connection to the power system of the parent machine to intermittently discharge food articles from the filling head to the individual packaging trays positioned below the flapper doors. The pusher bar unloading system includes a drive rod which can be connected to the periphery of a flywheel by quick connect means to run in an smooth continuous reciprocating motion to deliver an up and down motion to a horizontal shaft slideably mounted on the frame and an associated set of pusher bars and elongated pusher members.

Abstract: A carton loading machine is effective to load bottles packaged in basket style or in sleeve style cartons at high speed and with minimal attention by the operator due to the dual function of many of the machine parts.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying or removing vessels including a conveyor means to or away from a continuously working packing machine. For adapting the supply or the removal of vessels to the sequence of movements of the packing machine in the best possible manner, the vessels are transported in an essentially closed formation by a conveyor means which is adapted to be driven continuosly at a periodically non-uniform speed in synchronism with the performance of the packing machine.

Abstract: An automatic device for sweeping letter mail or alternatively, stacking and sweeping letter mail, and depositing the resultant stack into a managed mail tray. The sweeping device provides an accumulation platform which receives a stream of mail, the platform having a slidable end plate urged against the accumulating stack of mail which overcomes the urging of the end plate to fill the accumulation platform. A sweep plate is thereafter actuated to pierce the stack and thereafter translate towards the end plate to compress the now captured stack to a specified length. The specified length correspond to trap doors provided in the accumulation platform which thereafter open to vertically drop the stack into a managed mail tray arranged therebelow. A forward plate is provided to pierce the stack with the sweep plate to hold back further accumulated mail while the specified stack is being compressed and deposited.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for continuously loading containers into cartons in oriented two row arrays is provided. A supply delivers the containers individually to a depositing device for individually receiving respective containers. The depositing device is then moved to individually deposit the containers delivered thereto in a first collection device for collecting the containers in rows and columns corresponding to the array. The first collection device includes a matrix of dedicated channels similar to the array into which channels the depositing device deposits the containers in a sequential manner whereby the matrix is repeatedly filled with the containers row by row. Individually and alternately after each associated row of the matrix is filled, each row of containers in the first collection device is next delivered to a second collection device for collecting the containers in separated rows. The second collection device includes a respective bay for each respective row of the array of containers.

Abstract: A device comprises a conveyor for moving blister packs to a stack forming station where a lift inserts the blister packs 2 coming off the conveyor into a magazine to form a stack of blister packs. Then a pusher moves the stack out of the magazine and into a drawer that receives the stack and that is provided with an outfeed opening which externally has a shape of a beak. The drawer is movable so that this opening comes into contact with an instruction leaflet positioned aside of the drawer and in front of an opening of a carton, while two strikers act in conjunction with the drawer for folding the instruction leaflet. Finally an ejector insert the stack together with the instruction leaflet into the carton.

Abstract: A packing apparatus used for filling or/and emptying bottle cases or the like. The packing apparatus comprises an extension arm, which is adapted to have attached thereto a gripping head and which is articulated on two articulation points with the aid of steering rods defining a steering rod system which is adapted to be moved after the fashion of the bars of a parallelogram, said extension arm being adapted to be moved in an essentially horizontal direction via a cam disk. The steering system also comprises a bipartite steering rod whose parts are adapted to be pivoted relative to each other. By pivoting the two parts of the steering rod relative to each other with the aid of a second cam disk and by changing thus the effective length of the steering rod defined by these two parts, an essentially vertical motion can be superimposed on the horizontal motion of the extension arm, to provide an appropriate path for the gripping head.

Abstract: Products which are somewhat self-supporting are carried in tandem on a first conveyor toward a second conveyor with an edge of the product transverse to the direction of travel. When each product reaches the point of transfer between conveyors, it is transferred downwardly on edge onto the second conveyor and the products are reverse-shingled in batches on edge in a partially upright fashion on the second conveyor. Each batch of products is then moved on the second conveyor on edge by a loader for insertion into a container or for transfer to another device for further processing or handling. When inserted into a container, a wall of the container is temporarily bowed inwardly to guide the products while they are being loaded into the container.

Abstract: A packaging apparatus and method for packaging objects in such a way as to ensure that the article will not be damaged. Objects to be packaged are gripped by a plurality of pairs of vertically oriented gripping fingers each having inflatable bladders therein. The inflated bladders engage the objects with a predetermined low pressure sufficient to grasp and secure the objects. The plurality of fingers with objects gripped therein therebetween are then moved to place the objects in packaging containers. A vacuum is drawn on the inflated bladders, releasing the objects into the packaging container.

Abstract: A machine for conditioning filled and sealed bags for testing, to assure that the bags are accurately tested without damaging the product contained in the bags, and for packaging the bags that have passed the test in cartons with the longitudinal axis of the bags arranged vertical.

Abstract: A system for loading product into a container comprises a conveyor with side by side staggered delivery portions, a pair of side by side bottom opening receptacles fed at different times by the deliver portions of the conveyor, a hopper moveable in an alternating manner to a product receiving position beneath each of the receptacles and a container holder below and fed by the hopper.

Abstract: A apparatus for packing or unpacking containers, particularly bottles, into and from carrying crates, respectively, including a rotation element mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and having suspended therefrom, in the manner of gondolas and at locations spaced from its axis of rotation, a number of container pickup heads adapted to repeatedly travel through a closed loop path including a pickup position and a grip release position. Each container pickup head is connected to the rotation element by a suspension device permitting the pickup head to move relative to the rotation element in a substantially vertical plane, and a drive and control mechanism is provided for the movement of the pickup heads relative to the rotation element in a manner to generate the loop path in a desired configuration.

Abstract: A seeder apparatus comprises a seeder plate (18), which is hingedly attached at a hinge edge (70) thereof to a frame (16), with the frame being mounted on a plug-tray conveyor (12). The seeder plate includes a substantially-flat seeder sheet (36) having seed holes (38) therein and a pressure-plenum (48) on a backside (41) of the seeder plate for producing negative and positive pressures at the seed holes. Hinges (20) are double-acting, spring-loaded barroom type door hinges which bias the seeder plate toward an upright intermediate position which is approximately halfway through 180.degree. movement of the seeder plate between an approximately horizontal loading position and an approximately horizontal planting position. The seeder plate includes a vibrator (54) for automatically vibrating it and an angular-activation adjustment element (60) for adjusting the angular positions in which this vibration takes place.

Abstract: Upright containers of non-rectangular shape move downstream in a plurality of parallel columns and in laterally aligned rows toward a load station where the containers are deposited row-on-row into partitioned packing cases. The cases move continuously through the load station end-to-end and are indexed to the rows of containers by depending pegs that move in between the containers from above. The pegs are provided in flights of an overhead flight bar conveyor and camming means keeps these pegs oriented perpendicular to the upright containers as the legs move in between the containers to control the containers dropped at the load station.

Abstract: Groups of articles are received from a conventional drop packer grid, into one side of a rotatable carrier that defines pockets for receiving the articles. Each pocket is defined by upright fingers that form funnels for each article. These fingers are resiliently deformed by a star shaped cam located alongside each pocket so as to close around each article and hold it securely while the carrier is inverted. A second set of pockets accepts a second charge of articles while the first charge is dropped into a case lifted into place below the carrier. This case can be so positioned while the fingers are closed to reduce the verticle height through which the articles are dropped.

Abstract: A system for storing and transporting can end members comprising multiple tray units having multiple parallel rows of elongated compartment for receiving and supporting stacks of end members. The tray units are nestable and stackable one upon another to provide palletized loads of both empty and filled tray units. End loading and unloading apparatus is provided to enable simultaneous loading and unloading full tray compartments so simultaneous lateral movement of all of the stacks of end members between the tray compartments and a shuttle tray unit whereat all the stacks of end members are stored prior to loading and unloading of the tray unit. The shuttle tray unit is loaded and unloaded by stacking units of a lesser number than the number of tray compartments.

Abstract: A carton loading apparatus for loading delicately covered articles into a carton having dividers therein arranged to define spaces for the articles is disclosed. The apparatus utilizes a reciprocal grid structure to transport the articles from a separation station to a loading station. The grid structure includes guide surfaces which guide the articles away from the sharp edges of the grid structure as the articles are moved therein thereby preventing damage to the articles. Other guide elements associated with the grid guide the articles in moving from the grid to the carton so as to avoid the sharp edges of the dividers.

Abstract: A compact apparatus for loading bulk ammunition, particularly rimmed cartridges, into cartridge boxes. The apparatus includes a manifold having side walls, a rear wall and a removable front spacer bar. A tray pan is indexed beneath a plurality of parallel, spaced rails in the manifold. The rails are spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the cartridges but less than the diameter of the cartridge rims. The manifold is vibrated by an adjustable eccentric drive. Loose ammunition is poured onto the manifold and contained on there by the walls and gate. Once the holes of the cartridge boxes are substantially filled, the operator moves the rear gate to clear off the excess ammunition. The tray pan is then released from spring detents to remove the boxes from the apparatus.

Abstract: A stacked container handling system includes an input section having an input conveyor onto which a box, containing a multiplicity of empty stacked containers arranged in a matrix of rows and columns of vertical stacks of containers, is manually or automatically placed in upside down position. Following removal of the box to expose the matrix of vertical stacks of containers, the vertical stacks of containers are moved forward by the input conveyor to a hinged lay-down table that rotates from an upright position in which one row at a time of the stacked containers is received to a horizontal position from which the received row of stacked containers is unloaded. The stacked container handling system may also include an output section having an output accumulation conveyor that serves to move a desired number of horizontal stacks of containers onto a lift table having a hinged bed that rotates from a horizontal position to an upright position.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for compiling deformable, substantially cylindrical bodies and for packing them, comprising vibrating said bodies being positioned at pile delivery substantially parallel adjacent and superposed to each other and being aligned in at least one row of parallelly positioned bodies adjacent to each other, whereafter this row is loaded into a substantially parallelepipedic magazine (6) that is substantially spaceless charged with bodies and thereafter transferred to a magazine discharge station (E) and positioned below a substantially similar transfer magazine (12), into which the bodies are transferred and which is thereafter transversely shifted above a reception space (14) for said bodies into which the bodies enter by gravity and are divided into streams moving downwardly into the area of two or more adjacent discharge devices (17) from which the bodies being compiled to predetermined groups are conveyed at the same time into cups of a cup conveyer (FIG. 4).

Abstract: In a continuous cycle the apparatus denests stacked plant pots and plant flats and fills the flats with the pots. Two piston mounted vacuum grippers employing arrays of suction cups are mounted to a frame. The flat gripper moves vertically to destack an array of plant flats or trays, and the pot gripper moves vertically to destack an array of plant pots. Both grippers are moveable between a retracted position, an unloading position, and a multiplicity of loading positions. A carriage is reciprocated on wheels between a first position beneath the flat gripper in its unloading position and a second position beneath the pot gripper in its unloading position.Stacks of nested plant flats and arrays of stacks of nested pot--both of which may be contained in their original shipping containers--are positioned beneath their respective grippers and aligned with the flat and pot grippers by means of adjustable alignment flanges.

Abstract: Method for stacking substantially flat products such as meat patties. Rows of patties are conveyed under a metal detector and then to a sigmoidal slide. Patties contaminated with metal trigger the metal detector to send a signal to the slide. Upon receipt of a signal from the metal detector, the slide pivots in a manner to dispose of metal contaminated patties. Uncontaminated patties are conveyed down the slide without flipping over and onto a second lower conveyor having a plurality of vertical blades mounted thereto, between which patties are received in stacks. An optical counter is mounted to count patties conveyed down the slide. The counter is in communication with the second indexed conveyor and signals such conveyor to move forward after a predetermined number of patties have been stacked between two adjacent vertical blades on the indexed conveyor.

Abstract: A lettuce head holding tray is defined in which both the upper tray layer and the lower tray layer are packed side-by-side at packing stations. At a carton loading station, two side-by-side arrays of plungers each are used for packing of discrete layers of the cartons. One array of plungers packs the bottom carton layer; the other array of plungers packs the top carton layer. Two cartons are disposed opened upwardly to the plunger array at the packing station; one carton is disposed to the bottom layer loading plunger array for packing of the bottom layer and the other carton--with its bottom layer previously packed--is disposed to the top layer loanding plunger array for packing of its top layer. The cartons--between the packing of the bottom layer and the packing of the top layer--are conveyed between positions underlying the plunger arrays. Thus each carton has is lower layer packed by the lower layer loading plunger array and then its top layer packed by the upper layer loading plunger array.

Abstract: The invention provides a baling machine for baling groups of packages containing product into a bale bag. Packages are transported to fall down a chute individually where they are stacked in a group until the group is allowed to fall into a bale bag and into engagement with a moving platform which decelerates the group to minimize impact and resulting bruising. The filled bale bag is then ejected and closed.

Abstract: An apparatus for packing closely-arranged articles into a receptacle includes a rigid funnel having inwardly sloping walls and a downwardly projecting flexible skirt means attached to the funnel. The flexible skirt comprises a plurality of flexible planar segments that project downwardly into the receptacle. The funnel and skirt are lowered into an empty receptacle, the articles are packed, and the funnel and skirt are lifted out. The skirt means avoids contact between the articles and the walls of the receptacle as the receptacle is being packed, thereby decreasing the potential for damage to the articles. The apparatus includes a switch that stops the downward movement of the funnel and skirt when the bottom edge of the skirt is adjacent the bottom of the receptacle.

Abstract: An apparatus for extracting stick confections from a row of mold cups of a stick confection molding machine and for transferring the extracted confections to a multi-lane wrapping machine having a number of lanes that is a submultiple of the number of mold cups in a row. The transfer apparatus includes a plurality of transfer bar assemblies which are moved from an extraction location above and parallel to a row of mold cups to a discharge location above and transverse to the lanes of the multi-lane wrapping machine. Each transfer bar assembly includes a number of gripper heads mounted on the transfer bar assembly for turning movement about individual turning axes transverse to the transfer bar and spaced apart therealong and a number of individual gripper units mounted on each head.

Abstract: The drug packing apparatus, provided with: a drug storing section in the upper portion of its casing; a packing machine in its lower portion, for making drug packs; a multiplicity of elongate tablet cases which extend upwardly and are in planar arrangement to one another; a transfer mechanism for collectively transferring into a pack a predetermined number of drugs extracted from a selected drug cases and sealing the pack; and a transport means for delivering the packs out of the drug packing apparatus.

Abstract: A package palletizing system is systematized such that it comprises a winder, an inspection station for inspecting cone packages wound up by the winder, and a palletizing station for palletizing the cone packages after inspection in alternately opposite postures, and that feeding of cone packages from the winder to the inspection station is carried out by means of an overhead self-traveling truck while feeding of cone packages from the inspection station to the palletizing station and loading of the same are carried out by means of the overhead self-travelling truck.

Abstract: Cookies (30) of uniform but irregularly shaped perimeter are received from the cookie oven in a horizontal as-baked attitude onto a first surface conveyor (19). As the cookies are passed to successive surface conveyors 920) and (21) operating at successively decreased velocities, the cookies are raised to an edge standing attitude abutting one another. Laser detecting means (24-26) are positioned above the conveyors (19-21), and measure the height of the edge stacked cookies and adjust this height by varying the speed of the successive conveyors (19, 20 and 21). A counting means (28) at the discharge end of conveyor (21) counts out a predetermined number of cookies to be placed upon the loader (16) for loading into a cookie tray (104), and a pair of separator blades (42, 43) separates these cookies on the loader from the cookies remaining on surface conveyor (21). A cookie tray (104) is positioned under the loader (16) by a cookie tray conveyor (18).

Abstract: An apparatus for the mechanical bagging or packaging of produce or other articles susceptible to damage upon impact. The apparatus includes a tiltable support for temporarily holding a quantity of produce and having an end portion for discharging the produce or articles when tilted. A bag positioning assembly is provided to position a bag around the support such that the end portion of the support is nearly adjacent the closed end of the bag. When the support is tilted, the produce or articles will settle towards the closed end of the bag. Because the bag is positioned around the support, the impact and damage to the produce or articles is minimized.

Abstract: A gripping head for loading packages into a crate is disclosed having a number of support members attached to a frame. The support members each have a predetermined number of pneumatically operated suction cups for gripping packages that are intended for loading into a crate. Two of the support members are capable of pivoting movement on the frame in response to vertical movement of a center support member so as to allow the gripping head to deposit the packages into the crate in a manner that is economical and that allows efficient use of the crate space.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for conveying, classifying, and packing goods is disclosed. The goods move on a plurality of lanes to containers for packing. The goods move on conveyors to classifiers where goods outside a predetermined specification are discarded. Goods which meet the specifications move to a counter and retainer. A predetermined number of goods moves to a stacker in a cycle. The stacker moves within a set of spindles configured to receive the goods there between. A controller counts the number of goods stacked in the set of spindles. When a full count is reached the spindles rotate and the goods are placed into a box which is positioned proximate the spindles.

Abstract: A robotic case packing system arranges a row of articles entering on a conveyor into an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of articles to be packaged, where an end effector of a robotic arm engages the individual articles and lifts them for placement into waiting cases. The end effector of a first embodiment includes opposed pairs of stationary and pivoting gripper elements for engaging each of the articles. The pivoting gripper elements are provided through the action of cylinders operating through a linkage connected to a lever for rotating a cam shaft on which is mounted a cam for engaging a cam follower on the pivoting gripper element. A second embodiment includes suction cups for engaging smooth tops of articles.