The disclosure relates to a container comprising a plurality of portion packets of a product for oral use.

An automated packing system, which may include a transfer station is described. In an example implementation, system may include an item-consolidation area that receives items, a carton receiving area that receives a carton, and a structure that holds the item-consolidation area vertically higher than the carton-receiving area. The system may also include a passage between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area. The passage that may allow the items to pass from the item-consolidation area and the carton in the carton-receiving area. The system may include an actuation mechanism that controls movement of the items between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area.

A tray for receiving sausages is provided. The tray includes cells which are adapted to substantially match the shape of sausages or other soft materials. The tray may be vacuum sealed to cause a relatively uniform top surface suitable for stacking. The tray may be sealed without pre-freezing the sausages and without causing significant deformation to said sausages upon thawing. The tray may be loaded in an automated manner without the use of robotic arms placing individual sausages into the tray.

The packaging system forms a transportable container for bulk goods having stretch wrap that is spirally wrapped about a bottom support and bulk goods to define the transportable container. The stretch wrap contacts at least a portion of the bulk goods to squeeze and lock together the bulk goods. During filling, the bottom support of the transportable container lowers as the transportable container is formed to accommodate additional bulk goods. The stretch wrap is prestretched from a non-stretched state to a stretched state prior to disposing the wrap about a slip frame former in the stretched state. The wrap returns to its non-stretched state as it is disengaged from the slip frame former to squeeze and lock together the bulk goods disposed therein. The packaging system results in a transportable container that is optimally packed and shaped for the efficient filling of a truck for shipping.

Systems and methods for manufacturing and inserting a pre-determined number of material-filled pouches into containers are disclosed. A system includes a pouch providing system comprising a plurality of lanes, wherein each one of the plurality of lanes includes a pouch making machine and a hold-back structure. The system also includes a conveyor system structured and arranged to move a plurality of containers into alignment with the plurality of lanes. The system further includes a controller structured and arranged to control the hold-back structure in each one of the plurality of lanes such that the pre-determined pouches are inserted into the plurality of containers when the plurality of containers are aligned with the plurality of lanes.

The present disclosure relates to a method for positioning portion packets of a product for oral use into a container by means of a compartment unit. The compartment unit comprises a plurality of compartments with a respective discharge opening. The method comprises: a) positioning the compartment unit at a first distance (dl) from a bottom wall of the container with the discharge openings facing a storage volume of the container, b) introducing at least one portion packet into i-th compartment of the compartment unit, the portion packet thereby assuming a first three-dimensional orientation with the at least one portion packet being in contact with the bottom wall of the container and at least partly remaining in the i-th compartment, wherein i is an integer going from 1 to n, n being the number of compartments to be loaded, n?2, c) moving the compartment unit in relation to the container thereby causing reconfiguration of each portion packet to a second three-dimensional orientation being different from the first three-dimensional orientation. The disclosure further relates to a device for positioning portion packets of a product for oral use into a container. The disclosure also relates to a container comprising a plurality of portion packets of a product for oral use.

A beverage carton packing system includes an End of Arm Tool (EoAT). The EoAT is configured to lift one end and pull a beverage carton, package, or other container from a stack of cartons. Once pulled, the EoAT is configured to grab an opposite side of the carton and remove the carton from the stack. The EoAT is mounted to an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) via a robot arm. Through the EoAT, the robot arm is able to stack mixed pallets of the cartons on the AGV. The AGV has a funnel-shaped packing chamber where the mixed pallet is stacked and a stretch wrapper for stretch wrapping the mixed pallet.

A box-packing apparatus that reduces inefficiency attributable to the box-replacement process includes a first conveyance unit and a second conveyance unit. The first conveyance unit conveys articles. The second conveyance unit conveys the articles transferred from the first conveyance unit and feeds them into a box waiting downstream. When the second conveyance unit feeds a predetermined number of the articles into the box, the second conveyance unit retains the articles transferred from the first conveyance unit without feeding them into the box. Furthermore, in the box packing apparatus, the second conveyance unit may perform a back-feed operation when it retains the articles transferred from the first conveyance unit.

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Methods and systems for packaging a plurality of objects are disclosed. The system includes a base tray having a first end and a second end, an object reservoir positioned at the first end, a dispensing guide positioned at the second end, and a column guide disposed between the reservoir and the dispensing guide. The column guide is configured to convey objects from the reservoir to the dispensing guide using gravitational forces via a plurality of longitudinally extending guiding columns. A tilt tray having a front edge and a back edge is positioned above the column guide. The tilt tray has a front edge and a back edge, and is anchored to pivot between a forward-engaged position and a backward-engaged position. When the tilt tray is in the backward-engaged position, the back edge is positioned to prevent object movement along the column guide, while the front edge is positioned to allow object movement along the column guide and into the dispensing guide. When the tilt tray is in the forward-engaged position, the front edge is positioned to prevent object movement along the column guide and into the dispensing guide, while the back edge is positioned to allow objects to pass underneath the back edge. The system is sized and configured for packaging golf balls in interchangeable object containers.