Abstract: An automatic packaging machine is adapted to insert a plurality of layers of product into a carton. In a preferred embodiment, the product is carried in an X-Y tray which is able to expand or to contract in width and to raise or lower, thereby giving two dimensional geometrical adjustments. A first layer of product is loaded into the X-Y tray. Then the tray is lowered and a second layer is placed over the first layer. The process is repeated for any number of layers. Thereafter, the stack of layers is pushed into a carton.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of forming stacked article groups by supplying at least two streams of articles; forming a stream of first article groups having at least one article; placing a support base on a top surface of each first article group; and forming a second article group, having at least one article, on top of the support base of each first article group, whereby stacked article groups are formed. The stacked article groups are subsequently packaged.

Abstract: Citrus fruit packing machine, consisting of a framework structure, in front of which corresponding endless conveyors converge at an angle, respectively holding the citrus fruits and the boxes that are going to contain them; a first head, mounted on said framework structure and with means for guided motion in relation thereto on a vertical plane; a second head, mounted on said first head and with means for linear motion in relation to the former on a horizontal plane and possessing set of cups for taking shipments of citrus fruits from their endless conveyor and depositing them in orderly fashion in the corresponding box, without the possibility that citrus fruits of the same shipment might rub against each other by direct contact.

Abstract: A tape roll in-series package machine for neatly packing a plurality of tape rolls into a paper box. In includes (a) a conveying device, (b) an in-series filling device, and (c) a paper box elevating device. The in-series filling device contains first, second, and third pneumatic cylinder each of which is connected to a receiving plate to cooperatively pack a row of the tape rolls into a paper box.

Abstract: A method for packaging cans or tubes continuously delivered from a production installation to pick-up elements, which are moved in steps, of an intermediate station. A gripper device brings the cans or tubes in groups according to the desired number of pieces in a packaging layer to a delivery station. Each can or tube is deposited into a support element, after which the cans or tubes are pushed together out of the support elements into a loading station. The cans or tubes are placed at equal distances into the pick-up elements, wherein individual support elements are placed apart from each other at a predetermined distance. The cans or tubes are then deposited into the support elements at distances predetermined by the pick-up elements. The support elements are subsequently moved together until they touch each other, whereupon the cans or tubes are then pushed into the loading station. This method allows the use of the same apparatus for different can diameters with minimal changing effort.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for putting small, slender, cylindrical cells in a box in an aligned row. By using the force of a magnet, multiple cells are suspended from the lower side of a conveyor belt, and are aligned and held in this position. By releasing the magnetic force, the cells drop, so that large numbers of cells, in a suspended and aligned state, can be simultaneously put into a cell container waiting below.

Abstract: An automatic packing device for the filling of containers with superimposed layers of products, in particular fruits such as oranges, comprises a transport device capable of dividing the flow of citrus fruits into two separate streams, two separate feed stations suited to arrange each stream of citrus fruits according to a predetermined distribution, a packing station, and gripping elements capable of gripping alternately a layer of citrus fruits square with each feed station, and of effecting their transfer towards the packing station. Each feed station comprises a conveyor belt (8, 9) extending along a descending slope, which is constructed to run in a longitudinal direction opposite to that in which the products are fed, and an interchangeable cradle (10, 11) whose form is suited to ensure that the products endowed with a rotating movement take up position inside the cradle.

Abstract: A device for packing filled bags in outers comprises means (1, 3) for placing the bags in a row in such a way that they overlap each other, a suction box (8) with suction cups (13, 14) for retaining filled bags, which suction box can be moved between a pick-up position above the means for forming a row and a delivery positon above an outer or device for feeding in an outer, and means (4, 6) for pushing a formed row of bags up against the suction cups of the suction box. The suction box (8) has one or more rows of suction cups (13) having mouths placed relatively high up and one or more rows of suction cups having mouths placed relatively low down. In a tint pick-up position of the suction box, the suction cups having mouths placed high up are positioned directly above the means for forming a row of bags, and in a second pick-up position of the suction box, the suction cups having mouths placed relatively low down are situated directly above the means for forming a row of bags.

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 goods collection method is disclosed, in which box-shaped goods form goods delivery units and are successively received in necessary quantities on goods receptacles and accommodated in containers or the like. Each goods receptacle used has a goods reception surface inclined downward from a goods reception side toward the other side and includes a stopper wall provided on the other side for stopping received goods. The goods received on the goods receptacle are caused to gather on the goods reception surface such as to be on the side thereof adjacent the stopper wall.

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 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 method for discontinuous delivery of products, such as tubes or capsules supplied continuously by a production facility to a delivery station of a machine. A box-filling installation, for example, is located at the delivery station. The machine has two carriages guided along the same path. While the first carriage which is moved in steps is loaded at the transfer station, the second carriage is already at the delivery station, where it is unloaded and subsequently rapidly moved on until it again abuts the carriage. Thus, loading of the carriages at the transfer station can take place continuously. So that the carriages can perform the movement cycles, such as step-by-step movement, driving, stopping, rapidly moving on until connection with the other carriage, independently of each other, an individual drive is provided for each one of the two carriages.

Abstract: A rack packer for loading containers onto a rack comprises a loading station, a transfer station, an elevator, and a rack positioning means. The loading station receives and supports successive incoming rows of vertically oriented identical containers. The transfer station is positioned adjacent to the loading station. A starwheel at the transfer station is rotatably mounted about a transfer axis parallel to the successive rows of containers at the loading station. The starwheel has multiple sets of radial arms extending from the transfer axis to support individual containers of each row. The starwheel moves successive rows of containers from their vertical positions at the loading station upwardly to horizontal positions above the loading station. The elevator is located adjacent to the starwheel to receive multiple rows of horizontally oriented containers from the starwheel.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic packing system including a station at which a serial stream of articles are placed into stacks (one on top of another) or groups and discharged into a transversely moving tray-type package, or the like. The system includes a conveyor belt for transporting the articles, one by one, while they lie in a horizontal plane. The articles are transferred by another conveyor to a station at the end of the conveyor where the articles are stopped by protruding pins, picked up by a vacuum holding device, transferred by lever mechanisms and carried to a loading station where the articles are dropped one upon another in a stacked manner until an appropriate group has accumulated.

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: An arm and cradle apparatus is disclosed for receiving empty trays from an upper conveyor having empty lettuce holding and transporting trays, lowering the received empty tray to an angular disposition in which it can most conveniently be packed, and finally off loading the packed full tray to a lower conveyor having full lettuce holding trays thereon for plunging to cartons. The arm and cradle apparatus is mechanically passive in that all movements of the trays to and from the arm and cradle apparatus are either worker assisted or occur under the natural gravity biased movement of the arm and cradle apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for continuously accumulating, screening, stacking and packaging disks such as hamburger patties automatically and without the use of personnel in contact with the patties. This includes weighing the patties by optical comparison means so that the finished package is within the tolerances permitted for weight of goods.

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: 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: Cylindrical-shaped objects coming from a conveyor belt of a production line are transferred to a compensator. The compensator continuously receives the manufactured cylindrical-shaped objects and transfers them intermittently. Transfer of the cylindrical-shaped objects is made to a carriage guided on rails. A plate with compartments is disposed on the carriage. A quantity of cylindrical-shaped objects corresponding to a layer in a box are placed on the carriage. The carriage is moved in steps by means of a spindle by a step motor. Once the plate on the carriage is filled, the carriage is moved to the side and all the cylindrical-shaped objects lying on it are pushed into the waiting box by a cross slide. Subsequently, the carriage returns to its initial position. This method and apparatus permit extraordinary cycle times, assure gently treatment of the cylindrical-shaped objects and are very adaptable.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packing flexible packages, comprises separating and aligning the packages (5) transversely from a single feeding line (11) into plural lines (12), centralizing the packages so as to overlap each other partially (13), subsequently, lifting up the packages in centralizing state through vacuum pads (1), and placing them into an open top outer cartons without dropping the packages by gravity so that they are arranged in tiers as stacked in the cartons.

Abstract: An apparatus for boxing coin rolls comprising a hopper feeding coin rolls to a rotary orienting feeder that discharges the coin rolls through a discharge chute. A conveyer belt system receiving the coin rolls and transporting the same to a manifold. A manifold bypassing apparatus is operative upon the manifold being filled with coin rolls to cause excess coin rolls to be returned to the orienting feeder for re-entry into the conveyor belt system until the filled manifold is emptied and ready to receive a new supply of coin rolls.

Abstract: Sausages leaving a sausage-making machine as a string are arranged into groups suitable for packing by transferring them onto a conveyor belt, subsequently orienting them with their respective longitudinal axis extending obliquely with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt and thereafter restraining the sausages to turn them to a transverse orientation relative to the conveying direction so they can be discharged in groups.

Abstract: Packaging machine to package sections in alternate layers with one single set of magnetic heads, which comprises a conveyor bench (11), an oscillatory arm (12) with a magnetic head (13) and an area (15) for the formation of packages (14), the conveyor bench (11) bearing alternate first and second layers (16-17) of sections wherein one layer comprises "N" sections whereas the next layer comprises "N minus 1" sections, each layer being defined by a pin (18), whereby the magnetic head (13) takes an upstream second layer (17) first, overturns it and places it on a previous first layer (16) located downstream and transfers both layers (16-17) onto a package (14) being formed after a relative vertical displacement as between the conveyor bench (11) and the oscillatory arm (12) at least during the step of transfer of the layers (16-17) onto the package (14) being formed, the packaging machine (10) being positioned below the conveyor bench (11) and at the side of the package (14) formation area (15).

Abstract: An automatic baler for bundling together small, individual food bags that have been previously formed and filled in automatic packers, designed to be arranged in line with the outlet of a packer machine with individual bags sequentially transferred by a moveable piston onto the top of a stacking hopper and arranged firstly in layers of several bags disposed side by side, and secondly to be stacked by superimposing every layer over another, and finally to introduce, again by way of a moveable piston, the stack of layers thus made into a larger bag or box attached to an open mouth of the stacking hopper, allowing in this way a plurality of individual packages to be placed in a condition for ease of handling.

Abstract: The process includes an initial phase in which pieces of fruit in a line are lifted by suction and the line of fruit is then transferred to the packing case with one piece of fruit situated in the central zone of the line being displaced angularly and the remainder of the fruit either side of this central piece being displaced towards the center of the line prior to the entry of the line of fruit into the case. After entry, the pieces of fruit resume their initial position and are deposited in the case and the suction is discontinued. The machinery includes a mechanism having a plurality of vacuum operated suction pads of which the central suction pad can be moved angularly and the remainder have the means to be displaced laterally.

Abstract: In a boxing plant for cones and/or conoids which at its inlet are disposed in groups of a certain number each, an apparatus for feeding groups of cones in an orientated and ordered arrangement to boxes comprises a first section (A) in which groups of cones (11) positioned on a container tray (12) in an essentially horizontal plane are orientated in a predetermined manner on opposite sides so that they all lie with their tails pointing towards the center, and a second section (B) in which they are discharged from the container trays (12) onto racks (15) and the cones (11) on one side are offset relative to the cones on the other side, and then moved while offset onto a central region (16) which can be opened in the manner of a sliding door above boxes (17) and in which the cones (11) disposed side by side in a head-tail arrangement are compacted (18) into matrices (44) having the same dimensions as the boxes and are then allowed to fall into the boxes by opening the sliding door.

Abstract: A lettuce packing machine for the packing of heads of lettuce in corrugated, carboard cartons is disclosed. A lettuce head holding tray is loaded with lettuce. Thereafter, the tray is utilized to pack cartons. The lettuce head holding trays has discrete lettuce receiving cells upwardly exposed. Each tray contains four columns of cells, each column of cells being three wide for a capacity of 12 heads of lettuce. Each discrete lettuce receiving cell in the tray is defined by four semirigid, flexible sides, which sides extend downwardly and inwardly, are elastically biased and form an inverted pyramid-like profile truncated at an open bottom. The lettuce head holding tray is loaded at a picking station and conveyed to a packing station. When the lettuce head holding tray arrives at the packing station, a packing apparatus having discrete plungers--one for each cell--unloads the tray overlying a box to be packed.

Abstract: A case packing apparatus having a conveyor for moving a plurality of articles seriatim in a first direction to a location where means substantially perpendicular to the conveyor move a predetermined number of articles in the perpendicular direction into a case to form a layer within the case.

Abstract: An apparatus for packaging articles having a conveyor; means associated with the conveyor for forming groups of articles and moving the groups independently of other articles on the conveyor; means for moving the groups of articles transversely to the conveyor; an elevator for receiving said groups of articles in stacked groupings; and means for moving the stacked groupings into a carton. Means are also provided for assembling and closing the carton upon receipt of the stacked groupings.

Abstract: Relatively flexible cookie trays are supported on a rotatable mount. The cookie trays are not solidly supported, but rather are supported along portions beneath, and in between, regions where cookies are to be received. As the trays are relatively flexible, it is important that, for soft cookies, no rigid or hard surface be encountered during the relatively high speed loading operation. In connection with this invention, a cookie separating device is used which includes a pair of fingers holding cookies back and releasing them individually at time intervals. Also included is a conveyor belt feeding directly and selectively to one of two conveyor belts, each conveyor belt being fed having a far end which directly loads empty cookie trays by moving upward or downward relative to the cookie tray as well as extending toward and away from the tray.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for packing a box with a plurality of groups of pouches or other flexible containers and inserting a support shelf between the groups. A conveyor is used to support and convey boxes such that means for inserting a first group of pouches into a box inserts a group of pouches into the top portion of a box. The boxes are then positioned such that means for inserting a support shelf into the box inserts a shelf into the box before means for inserting a second group of pouches inserts a second group of pouches into the box. The support shelf is inserted from the bottom of the box such that the first group of pouches is supported above the second group of pouches and the support legs of the support shelf rest on the bottom of the box.

Abstract: The machine consists of a first flow line which conveys box blanks from feed station to a box-filling station, a second flow line for products, leading to a third station where the products are collated to form groups which are then transferred to the box-filling station where they are inserted into the boxes, and finally a third line which carries the boxes made at this latter station, each boxes containing a group of products, to a fourth station where the boxes are completed.

Abstract: For packing filled bags into boxes an apparatus is provided which includes a receiving plate for collecting bags in a row, and a pusher plate for pushing the row to a position above a box to allow the row to fall into the box. To achieve an accurate positioning of the rows of bags in a box and a high degree of filling of the box a movable cassette is positioned above a waiting box. In order to bridge over the varying distance between the cassette and the receiving plate, a bridging plate extends between the cassette and the receiving plate. Preferably the bridging plate is in the form of a slide plate which is joined to the cassette.

Abstract: A machine for the packaging of food products of flat, wide type, in particular "lasagne", which comprises the positioning and cutting of the "lasagne" from pasta sheets on a first conveyor means provided with pairs of coupled trays, and the subsequent stacking thereof inside moving-plane storage units, before a preselected number thereof are introduced into an equipment for containing and conveying them to means for introducing them into the packaging boxes.

Abstract: A machine for automatically setting in place products into receiver alveoli comprises essentially an alignment device (10) for aligning the products (11), which device is designed to arrange the products in lines in a plurality of columns, a device (12) for depositing aligned products into the receiver alveoli (14) and a device (13) for transporting said alveoli. The deposition device comprises a dispenser member (17) comprising a feed pin wheel comprised of a drum (19) provided with pins (20) radially arranged at the periphery of said drum. A control mechanism comprising a drive wheel (24) fitted with a roller (23) drives the feed pin wheel via rollers (22) mounted on a disc (21) which is integral with the drum (19). The device for transporting the receiver alveoli (14) comprises essentially a chain (35) provided with levers (37 ) arranged to pivot about an axis (38) due to the existence of a guide (40) which cooperates with follower members (39) integral with the levers (37).

Abstract: A robot system for encasing conical articles, having along a moving path of a robot a conical article arraying and feeding device, an empty case for enclosing therein said conical articles and an inverting device for carrying and inverting a plurality of said conical articles, the robot having two kinds of grippers, one functioning to grip and convey the conical articles arranged on the arraying and feeding device and the other functioning to grip and convey the conical articles inverted on the inverting device.

Abstract: A system for aligning and packing substantially flat objects moving on a conveyor line in irregularly spaced and, nonaligned rows includes a mechanism for separating the rows and aligning the objects and also for feeding the aligned objects onto another conveyor. A packing mechanism transfers the aligned objects from a loading area to a container. An additional device places a strip of protective material on top of the layer of objects. A moving means vertically moves the container a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the object being packed in preparation for the reception of an additional layer of objects. Another transfer device moves the filled container from the loading area and replaces it with an empty container. Another transfer moves the filled container to provide room for the next container and an additional device transfers a supply of empty containers in preparation for another container being placed in the loading area.

Abstract: In a method of grouping, orienting, and packing articles such as ice-cream cones, the cones are advanced in rows on conveyors while being grouped and oriented, and are subsequently gripped in groups by a gripping device. Through suction heads gripping their respective groups, the gripping device is adapted to situate the groups in an open packing box. To permit the process to be carried out at a relatively high speed and low noise level, the articles are initially advanced in a first advancing direction while lying directly on a first endless and continuously running conveyor. They are then received in groups by a second endless and continuously running conveyor, which lifts the cones into contact with the suction heads of the gripping device while the mutual distance of the cones is being adjusted. The transfer of the cones from the first conveyor and through the second conveyor to the gripping device is carried out without stopping the advancing movement of the cones.

Abstract: A machine for boxing items in groups, in particular sticks of sweets or similar, on which the sticks are fed in successive layers into a compartment for forming the aforementioned groups, which compartment is open vertically and designed to move, along a supporting surface, between a loading position and a bending position; in which bending position, each group is placed on the center portion of a respective blank which is bent about the group by a box-shaped bending assembly; the aforementioned bending operation being performed in two stages, during the first of which, the aforementioned bending assembly moves in relation to the blank and the group which are stationary, and during the second of which, the group and the blank are moved through the bending assembly by virtue of two opposed pushers.

Abstract: A loading apparatus for elongated articles comprises a first conveying device for transporting the articles from a ready-supply station to an aligning and gathering apparatus and then to a layer-forming apparatus, from where they are transported layerwise by means of a second conveying device into a container in which they are stacked in layers on a support which is lowerable stepwise. The first conveying device comprises a plurality of beams which are movable in and oppositely to the conveying direction and are liftable and lowerable. The aligning and gathering apparatus comprises a plurality of abutments past which the beams are movable, the articles lying on them being held fast so that they are aligned parallel to each other and pushed into lateral contact with each other. The layer-forming apparatus comprises a stationary support whose supporting surface is just as wide as one layer in the container.

Abstract: A device for packing filled bags of low weight into boxes comprises a suction box (1) movable along a horizontal track between a pick-up position and a delivery position. The suction box is provided with a number of suction cups (2). To avoid the problem of bags falling from the suction cups or not taken up by these cups the device comprises means (17, 18, 19) for pushing the bags upwards against the suction cups.

Abstract: Packing method and apparatus for packing consumer packages directly onto a pallet. First the packages are arranged to form a load layer on a support plate, which plate and load layer is supported at its sides by a guide plate. Then the support plate is removed so that the load layer is immediately slid onto the empty pallet located below the support plate or on top of a previous layer located on the pallet. Now the pallet together with its load layer, is lowered the height of one load layer so that the load layers are supported on all sides by the guide frame and as new packages emerge from below the guide frame they are simultaneously wrapped in the final wrapping material. The method can be modified so that after the load layer supported by the guide frame is formed on the support plate, the plate is lowered and removed so that the load layer is slid onto the pallet located at standard height below the support plate or on top of the previous load layer located on the pallet.

Abstract: The high density packaging of generally conical articles is effected by mechanism which feeds two rows of the suspended articles onto a conveyor so that the articles lie on their sides in a single horizontal row arrangement aligned in spaced relation along the path of travel imparted by the conveyor. This arrangement is such that the articles lie in head-to-toe relation. At a downstream region, the progress of the articles is arrested so that they sequentially crowd into touching relation define a contiguous sequence. Transfer mechanism transfer a group of articles from the sequence as a layer and deposits the layer in a receptacle. The transfer mechanism then transfers a second group in the receptacle as a layer nested with the first layer. To achieve high density, the second group of articles has an orientation relative to the sequence which is different from that of the first group.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method and apparatus for the automatic handling and bagging of articles, such as can ends, and thereafter depositing filled bags of said article on a pallet member in such a manner as to provide a plurality of layers of filled, palletized bags. The apparatus includes a receiving station which can handle a continuous flow of articles and provide individual stacks of articles disposed in facewise relationship for delivery to a bagging station. At the bagging station the stack of articles is automatically disposed with a bag to provide a filled bag. A collating station is provided which receives the filled bags from the bagging station and temporarily stores a layer of a number of filled bags in generally side-by-side horizontal disposition prior to palletizing. The collating station includes a discharger for depositing a layer of filled bags onto a palletizing station.

Abstract: The invention provides a bacon slicing machine which synchronizes the cutting and laying of bacon on a reception plate with a sheet of non adherent material layed between two successive cut slices of bacon.

Abstract: Cigarette cartons 12 fed in by conveyor 13 are stacked in a group 14 and then laterally displaced by pusher 26 onto a turntable 27. A further pusher 29 then inserts the group into an awaiting, open ended shipping container 10 or 11, either with or without a 90.degree. turntable rotation depending upon the type of packaging being performed.

Abstract: A packaging machine comprises a primary wrapper for applying wrappers to individual sweets, a collating mechanism for collating the wrapped sweets into batches and a batch wrapper for overwrapping the batches of sweets. Batching is effected by pushers on a chain conveyor which advance the sweets successively, along a support, the pushers normally tilting to disengage the sweets but the disengagement of every n.sup.th pusher with its sweet being delayed, where n is the number of sweets required in a batch. The machine can be readily modified to collate the sweets into batches in which the sweets lie flat or in an erect condition as desired.

Abstract: A device and method for packing chocolates or related products includes a mold with a series of cavities. Product push devices cross the bottoms of the cavities so that the chocolates are pushed out of the mold to later be drawn together and carried into a box. The mold includes slots which receive longitudinal and transverse separating partitions. Product push devices push the partitions out of the slots while the chocolates are pushed out of the mold, so that the partitions remain between the chocolates for placement into a box.