A merge conveying system configured to receive packages from two or more upstream conveyors and merge the packages to a downstream conveyor. The merge conveying system includes a buffer guard rail configured to reduce package jams within the merge conveyor by providing a temporary overflow path for packages.

A method for feeding articles includes the steps of: feeding transversally, by a first conveyor, a succession of parallel rows of articles to a transfer area; moving longitudinally, using a second conveyor, a succession of rows of articles from the transfer area; sending at least one row of articles, coming from the first conveyor, to a storage unit whilst the row of articles is fed transversely, preferably perpendicularly, to the row; transferring the row of articles inside the storage unit, positioning the row of articles in a longitudinal direction at an outfeed section of the storage unit; extracting longitudinally portions in sequence of the row, portions formed preferably by one or more articles, from the storage unit and feeding the portions of row to the transfer area.

In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

A method of controlling an accumulation conveyor is provided. For each of a plurality of zones of the accumulation conveyor, the presence of an object is detected with a sensor associated with the zone. A long object mode is entered when the object is detected by the sensor in the zone and by the sensor in the upstream adjacent zone. When in the long object mode, instead of outputting a signal representative of whether the sensor is blocked or clear, a signal is output representing the drive state of the drive unit associated with the zone. In the long object mode, the drive unit of the upstream adjacent one of the zones receives the signal and matches the drive state.

In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

An apparatus for the orientation and alignment of plastic preforms provided with collars having greater dimensions than the preform body, includes a device for feeding the preforms at a first end of an unloading and conveyance surface that includes a conveyor device for conveying the preforms from the first end towards a second end, the conveyor device includes a slot formed by a pair of longitudinal movement bodies which move the preforms along a direction of longitudinal extension of the slot. The conveyor device includes at least one conveyor element which forms a resting surface for the preforms and is adapted to move the preforms arranged on the resting surface along a movement direction, which is opposite to the conveyance direction, in order to move the preforms not received by the slot from the second end toward the first end.