An induction station for conveying packages in a storage facility is provided. The induction station includes a plurality of parallel feed conveyors including at least first and second conveyors, and one or more buffer conveyors including at least a third conveyor for conveying the packages from the first and second conveyors to the third conveyor. The induction station further includes sensors for measuring a height, a weight, a length, and a width of each package. The induction station further includes sensors for detecting each package as one of a first package type or a second package type. The induction station further includes a controller to control a first, a second speed, and a third speed of the first through third conveyors, respectively, based on the detected package type of each package and at least one of the weight, height, length, and width of each package.

A method of conveying articles includes moving a first plurality of articles in a first input lane and a moving second plurality of articles in a second input lane in a downstream direction to a lane combiner, and operating the lane combiner to combine the first plurality of articles and the second plurality of articles into a combined plurality of articles in an output lane. The operating the lane combiner includes engaging a first article from the first plurality of articles with a first combiner wheel, engaging a second article from the second plurality of articles with a second combiner wheel that is out of phase with the first combiner wheel, rotating the first combiner wheel and the second combiner wheel to move the first article and then the second article into the output lane, the combined plurality of articles includes the first article and the second article in sequence.

A method of arranging articles. The method can comprise moving a bucket in a machine direction on a conveyor assembly. The bucket can comprise a receiving space. The method further can comprise loading a plurality of articles into an arrangement of articles in the receiving space as the bucket moves in the machine direction. The arrangement of articles can comprise at least a first article and a second article of the plurality of articles. The method also can comprise elevating at least the first article with respect to the second article in the receiving space of the bucket, and compacting the arrangement of articles in the bucket.

The disclosure relates to a method and to a device for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, in which the products are conveyed as product portions along a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent to each other, to a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, wherein, between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors of the product transfer device, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, the product portions delivered via the product conveying section are distributed to the transfer conveyors by means of a redistributing device in such a manner that during occurrence of a conveying gap between two product portions conveyed on the product conveying section, the redistributing device is switched from a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the speed of the product portions on conveying sections of different lengths of the transfer conveyors being influenced by means of a synchronizer in such a manner that at the end of a feed cycle of a packaging unit, which comprises packaging containers disposed in columns and rows of a packaging container matrix of the packaging unit and is moved forward in a clocked manner along a packaging conveying section perpendicular to the product conveying sections, the product portions are transferred from a transfer position into the packaging containers.

A conveying system is disclosed. The conveying system may have a first conveying apparatus that conveys a first article to a first location. The conveying system may also have a second conveying apparatus that conveys a second article to a second location. The conveying system may have a frame, a chute connected to the frame, and a third conveying apparatus. The chute may convey the first article received from the first conveying apparatus to a discharge location. The third conveying apparatus, disposed below the chute, may convey the second article received from the second conveying apparatus to the discharge location. The chute may be movable relative to the to the third conveying apparatus, such that the first or second article may be selectively conveyed to the discharge location via the chute or third conveying apparatus, depending on the position of the chute relative to the third conveying apparatus.

A method of conveying articles includes moving a first plurality of articles in a first input lane and a moving second plurality of articles in a second input lane in a downstream direction to a lane combiner, and operating the lane combiner to combine the first plurality of articles and the second plurality of articles into a combined plurality of articles in an output lane. The operating the lane combiner includes engaging a first article from the first plurality of articles with a first combiner wheel, engaging a second article from the second plurality of articles with a second combiner wheel that is out of phase with the first combiner wheel, rotating the first combiner wheel and the second combiner wheel to move the first article and then the second article into the output lane, the combined plurality of articles includes the first article and the second article in sequence.

The present invention relates to a method for forming a batch of products on a conveying line, upstream of a packaging station of said batch, said batch containing products of at least two different types, specifically type A and type B, said conveying line including a conveyor arranged in the longitudinal direction, and designed to move the products in parallel rows towards the packaging station, and at least one accumulation surface arranged adjacent to and flush with said conveyor. This method includes formation of at least one row of A products on the conveyor and transverse cyclical transfer by lots of B products from said accumulation surface to the conveyor. The present invention also relates to a specially designed device for implement a method according to the invention.

A flowline system for processing food products includes a feeding conveyor provided for conveying the food products to be processed, a plurality of workstations are arranged along the feeding conveyor, a diverting means are associated with each of the plurality of workstations for diverting food products from the feeding conveyor to the workstations, and a takeaway conveyor assembly is provided. Each workstation comprises a release mechanism configured to receive a food product after being processed and to transfer the processed food product onto the takeaway conveyor assembly. A control unit is provided to allocate a slot length on the takeaway conveyor assembly in accordance to a length of the processed food product.

A filling plant for handling bottles as required, has at least one bottle handling device, a first supply line which supplies a first bottle type and at least one further supply line which provides a first further bottle type, the first further bottle type differing in shape and/or size from the first bottle type. In order to increase the flexibility, to reduce the inventory and nevertheless to meet the requirements for mass production, the filling plant also has a sorter which is configured to remove bottles selectively and arbitrarily from each of the supply lines, to line up the bottles in a predetermined order on a forward section and to deliver them to the bottle handling device in the predetermined order. The predetermined order can be chosen freely.

A conveying system is disclosed. The conveying system may have a first conveying apparatus that conveys a first article to a first location. The conveying system may also have a second conveying apparatus that conveys a second article to a second location. The conveying system may have a frame, a chute connected to the frame, and a third conveying apparatus. The chute may convey the first article received from the first conveying apparatus to a discharge location. The third conveying apparatus, disposed below the chute, may convey the second article received from the second conveying apparatus to the discharge location. The chute may be movable relative to the to the third conveying apparatus, such that the first or second article may be selectively conveyed to the discharge location via the chute or third conveying apparatus, depending on the position of the chute relative to the third conveying apparatus.