A carrier for receiving and restraining a container against rotation during an automated filling and capping operation includes an array of modular container housings. A bumper is disposed below the housing and projects outwardly to cushion the carrier against impact. The bumper is supported by a base. Structure extends from the housing through the bumper and into the base to secure the carrier. One housing module includes a recess having container abutment surfaces and angled surfaces at the opening to guide a container into engagement with the abutments. One housing module includes a recess having ribs separated by relief vents to relieve air pressure as a container is loaded into the carrier. One housing module includes a container holder having a pair of upright supports separated by side openings. The bumper and the base each including a weight positioned at a selected location to uphold the filled container.

An automated method and system for a conveyor holding system for holding vials of a multi-vial order in a holding pattern until all vials of the order have been filled by an automatic pill counter. The system uses RFID information to divert vials off the conveyor into the conveyor holding loop if all vials of the multi-vial order have not been filled. The system is adapted to divert the vials of the multi-vial order out of the holding loop when all vials of the multi-vial order have been filled.

Conveying equipment for holding and transporting a container, including a support base for a container and holding devices movable along respective gripping directions (D1, D2) between a retracted position and an advanced position. Each holding device includes a plurality of restraining bodies placed one above the other, wherein each restraining body of a respective holding device is separated from an underlying restraining body by a separating volume. Each restraining body includes a contact element adapted to be resiliently deformed and configured to conform at least partially to a portion of the outer surface of a container. Restraining bodies of a first holding device are at least partially received, at least in the respective advanced position, in respective separating volumes of a second holding device.

A gripping member for container retaining and transport equipment including a plurality of gripping bodies having respective contact surfaces configured to contact a container and a connection body connected to the plurality of gripping bodies and connecting the gripping bodies to each other and is deformable between a storage configuration and a gripping configuration, in the storage configuration the connection body is in a undeformed condition and arranges the gripping bodies parallel to respective first directions and with the respective contact surfaces not facing each other; in the gripping configuration the connection body is in a reversibly deformed condition and elongated in directions contained in a single reference plane and wherein the gripping bodies are parallel to respective second directions not contained in the single reference plane, with respective contact surfaces facing each other.

A movement system for container-holding devices including at least one movement mechanism configured to be associated with a respective retaining device, wherein each movement mechanism includes a slide slidingly mounted on a rail and movable along a respective radial gripping direction, an actuation body having a drive portion connected to the slide, an actuation portion configured to receive an actuation force from a linear actuator, and a transmission portion interposed between the actuation portion and the drive portion. The transmission portion is rotatably hinged about a transmission axis (X1) perpendicular to the radial gripping direction. The drive portion is connected to the slide so that a translation in the radial direction of the drive portion causes a corresponding translation of the slide in the same radial direction and a translation in the axial direction of the drive portion does not cause any translation of the slide.

A device for selecting and discarding pucks (2,3) for holding bottles (1) with a support and travel plane (110), a plurality of teeth (120) where the teeth (120) are arranged in the plane (110) to form a routing path towards a discarding path (OUT2) for discarding empty pucks (2) without a bottle (1) and a routing path towards an exit path (OUT3) for outputting full pucks (3) containing a bottle (1).

A support for transporting containers in a microwave inspection device, including a supporting body which can be moved along a feed path and at least two receiving seats connected to the top of the supporting body to be moved along said feed path, wherein said supporting body has two or more supporting portions (S1, S2) which are at least partly separated from each other by one or more openings and each carrying at least one respective receiving seat, said supporting portions (S1, S2) being connected or integral with each other in a lower region of the supporting body.

The present invention is characterized to include a cylindrical cam that is provided to correspond to a moving path and possesses an engaging groove, the moving path moving in an uncoupled state with each of a plurality of carriers to which an object to be conveyed is respectively installed and the plurality of carriers being in states where a set of a plurality of first carriers and a set of a plurality of second carriers are alternately lined up, and a drive source that drives the cylindrical cam, wherein a first cylindrical cam and a second cylindrical cam, as the cylindrical cam, are respectively provided to correspond to a predetermined position in the moving path, the first cylindrical cam possessing an engaging groove with which only the first carriers are engageable and the second cylindrical cam possessing an engaging groove with which only the second carriers are engageable, a first drive source that drives the first cylindrical cam and a second drive source that drives the second cylindrical cam are included as the drive source, the engaging grooves of the first cylindrical cam and the second cylindrical cam are helical grooves that possess a first groove part and a second groove part, the second groove part being continuous with the first groove part, being positioned on a downstream side in a conveying direction with respect to the first groove part and having a pitch different from the pitch of the first groove part, and the second cylindrical cam rotates to move the second carrier that reached the first groove part when an interval of the first carriers is changed by the set of the plurality of the first carriers moving past the first groove part to reach the second groove part by a rotation of the first cylindrical cam.

A laboratory sample distribution system is provided comprising a number of sample container carriers and a number of transport modules, wherein each transport module comprises: a transport surface, wherein the transport modules are arrangeable adjacent to one another in a row-direction and in a column-direction such that the transport surfaces of the transport modules together form a common transport surface, and controllable drive means being arranged below the transport surface and being adapted to move sample container carriers on top of the transport surface, wherein at least some transport modules of the number of transport modules are movable transport modules being adapted to be moved during operation of the laboratory sample distribution system such that a gap is formed between transport modules arranged in row-direction and/or column-direction or that a gap is closed between transport modules arranged in row-direction and/or column-direction.

A machine for automatically positioning objects is disclosed. The machine has one inlet conveyor to transport objects in a lying position; a detector system to identify the orientation and/or shape of the objects; a robotic collection device to collect and position the objects according to information received by the detector system; a transfer conveyor having transfer fasteners arranged in fixed positions along a periphery of the transfer conveyor defining a closed loop around a tilted axis; an outlet conveyor to receive and transport the objects in an upright position; and a transfer fastener seat for the objects at each transfer fastener. The conveyor moves the fasteners seats because of the movement of the transfer conveyor between an upper receiving position, in which the object is held in a lying position, and a lower delivery position, in which the object is held in an upright position. The transfer conveyor and the outlet conveyor are synchronized.