US 12,338,079 B2
Feeding group and method for feeding a plurality of articles in discrete rows
Luca Borderi, Bologna (IT); Gianluca Parisini, Bologna (IT); and Antonio Gigante, Bologna (IT)
Assigned to G.D S.P.A., Bologna (IT)
Appl. No. 18/018,845
Filed by G.D S.P.A., Bologna (IT)
PCT Filed Jul. 26, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/056726
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 30, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/029553, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 10, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000019651 (IT), filed on Aug. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0303336 A1, Sep. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 47/26 (2006.01); B65G 47/248 (2006.01); B65G 65/23 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 47/248 (2013.01) [B65G 47/26 (2013.01); B65G 65/23 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A feeding group for feeding articles in discrete rows, said feeding group comprising:
a tray configured to contain articles arranged in discrete rows;
an inlet station configured to receive said tray containing the articles arranged in said discrete rows;
a transfer device configured to move the tray between the inlet station, an unloading station and an outlet station, the transfer device comprising a retaining device configured to retain the tray during movement of the tray between the inlet station and the unloading station, said retaining device being further configured to release the tray at the outlet station, wherein said transfer device comprises an inverting device for said tray, said inverting device being configured to rotate said tray about an inverting axis transverse relative to a vertical axis; and
an unloading device configured to unload the articles from said tray at said unloading station,
wherein said unloading station comprises a conveyor device configured to receive the discrete rows unloaded from the tray, and
wherein said inlet station and said outlet station are aligned along an axis parallel to said inverting axis, said unloading station being arranged laterally to the inlet station or the outlet station, in a position axially opposite said inlet station and/or said outlet station with respect to said inverting axis.