APPARATUS FOR GROUPING ARTICLES

摘要

TITLE OF THE INVENTION: APPARATUS FOR GROUPING ARTICLES This apparatus is constructed for grouping articles such as cookies in stacks of a predetermined number. A wheel (12) having serrated teeth (21) picks off articles from the base of an infeed chute (10) and places them on edge on a pair of inclined rails (11). The articles are held to the wheel (12) by vacuum and are separated from the wheel by wedge members (14) positioned adjacent the rails (11). A stack of articles builds on the rails (11) and is slid into a conveyor bucket (19). After each predetermined number of articles is removed from the chute (10), a gate (20) is actuated to hold the column of articles in the chute (10) out of contact with the teeth (21) to allow for advancement of the bucket conveyor (15). 1365/ar - 1