Oblique infeed system and locating wedge

摘要

An infeed system for a packaging machine directs a nested mass of articles in a downstream direction between two side rails. A locating-wedge affixed to one of the side rails moves the nested mass of articles to a position where a segment line of the nested mass is aligned with a lane divider. As a result, a group of articles in the nested mass is gently separated into a first group which moves along one side of the lane divider in a first lane and a second group which moves along the other side of the lane divider. The articles in the second group are directed into other lanes sequentially formed from the one side rail to the other side rail and are positioned relative to the lane dividers with locating wedges affixed to the lane dividers. Each of the locating wedges has a ramped surface for laterally moving a nested mass of articles into the proper position relative to an associated lane divider and has a side surface for allowing a group of the articles in the nested mass to move along the one side of the lane divider. The locating wedges may also have a plateau area for maintaining a nested mass of articles at the proper position as the articles travel in the downstream direction toward the lane divider.