US 12,291,404 B2
Method and device for feeding articles
Francesco Carlino, Bologna (IT); Ivan Galvanetto, Bologna (IT); Maria Livia Melchionda, Bologna (IT); and Domenico Polidori, Bologna (IT)
Assigned to Azionaria Costruzioni Macchine Automatiche A.C.M.A. S.p.A., Bologna (IT)
Appl. No. 18/028,595
Filed by AZIONARIA COSTRUZIONI MACCHINE AUTOMATICHE A.C.M.A. S.P.A., Bologna (IT)
PCT Filed Sep. 30, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/058982
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 27, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/070123, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 7, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000023044 (IT), filed on Sep. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0365347 A1, Nov. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 47/68 (2006.01); B65B 23/12 (2006.01); B65B 25/00 (2006.01); B65B 35/24 (2006.01); B65G 41/00 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 47/684 (2013.01) [B65B 23/12 (2013.01); B65B 25/005 (2013.01); B65B 35/24 (2013.01); B65G 41/002 (2013.01); B65G 2047/685 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0202 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for feeding articles comprising the steps of:
feeding, using a first conveyor, a first succession of rows of articles being parallel to one another, to a transfer area, wherein said rows of articles are fed by said first conveyor along a first path transversal to the rows of articles;
moving away, using a second conveyor, a second succession of the rows of articles as respective units from the transfer area along a second path parallel to the rows of articles;
transferring, using a third conveyor, each of the rows of articles as respective units from the first conveyor to the second conveyor;
sending at least one of the rows of articles as the respective units, coming from the first conveyor, to a storage unit whilst the at least one of the rows of articles is fed transversely to the at least one of the rows of articles;
transferring the at least one of the rows of articles inside the storage unit, and positioning said at least one of the rows of articles aligned with the second path at an outfeed section of the storage unit;
extracting from the storage unit portions in sequence of said at least one of the rows of articles, the portions formed by one or more of the articles in the at least one of the rows of articles, and feeding said portions to the transfer area along said second path.