An order management apparatus executes reception processing to receive at least one order, the number of pieces of the articles to be issued out and delivery destinations of the articles to be issued out; determination processing to determine likelihood of conflict on a specific delivery shelf before the issuing-out operation based on whether, while the issuing-out operation is completed since the specific delivery to store the articles has been transported to a first working station, an instruction on the issuing-out operation for the articles to be issued out from the specific delivery shelf at the second working station occurs; and setting processing to set the number of pieces of the articles to be issued out to be stored within the specific delivery shelf or between the specific delivery shelf and another delivery shelf based on the determination on the likelihood of the conflict on the specific delivery shelf.

The subject of the invention is a positioning device for positioning products while at the same time conveying products one after another on a conveyor in a conveying plane and along a conveying direction. This device comprising a plurality of orientation devices each comprising at least one pusher mounted with the ability to move on a guide, said guide being situated on the side of the conveyor and defining a closed circulation loop at least a portion of which lies along the conveying direction, the at least one pusher being able to act on a product by pushing it in order to cause it to pivot through a predetermined angle about an axis perpendicular to the conveying plane, said orientation devices being capable of moving independently of one another on said guide. The invention also relates to a corresponding method.

The invention is based on a device for aligning products (14), more particularly products moved by means of a transport device (12), more particularly to form rows and/or groups of the products (14) running transverse to a main transport direction (16) of the transport device (12), having at least one aligning unit (18) having at least one alignment element (20, 22, 24) that can be introduced into a gap that exists, more particularly along the main transport direction (16), between at least two of the products (14) in order to align the products (14), and having at least one straightening drive unit (26), more particularly a linear drive unit, at least to drive the at least one alignment element (20, 22, 24), said straightening drive unit having at least one movement element (28, 30, 32) that can be driven in an individually speed—and/or position-controlled manner, on which movement element the at least one alignment element (20, 22, 24; 20, 22, 24) is arranged. The invention proposes that the at least one alignment unit (20, 22, 24) can be actively moved relative to the at least one movement element (28, 30, 32) by means of an interaction with an activation unit (40) of the alignment unit (18), said activation unit more particularly having a different design from a further movement element (34, 36, 38) of the alignment drive unit (26), or that the alignment unit is arranged in an at least substantially non-movable manner on the at least one movement element (28, 30, 32).

A sortation conveyor is provided that can include a switch assembly that includes a switch plate, a divert plate, and a bridge plate. The switch plate includes a switch member that defines a switch guide path and a switch that can be mounted on the switch member. Further, the divert plate includes a divert member that defines a divert guide path on a first side and a non-divert guide path on a second side of the divert member. Furthermore, the bridge plate includes a bridge member that defines a first bridge guide path and a second bridge guide path. In some examples, the bridge plate is positioned between the switch plate and the divert plate so that the first bridge guide path connects the switch guide path to the divert guide path and the second bridge guide path connects the switch guide path to the non-divert guide path.

Disclosed is a conveying device including an upstream conveying unit for receiving products from at least one upstream station, an accumulation surface along which the upstream conveying unit circulates, a loading unit for moving the products from the upstream conveying unit to the accumulation surface, a downstream conveying unit for clearing the products, and an unloading unit for moving the products from the accumulation surface to the downstream conveying unit. The downstream conveying unit includes a plurality of independent moving unit receiving the products in receiving zones which are successively distributed from the edge of the accumulation surface opposite the edge along which the upstream conveying unit extends. Also disclosed is a corresponding method.

Apparatus includes a conveyor and pusher elements, mounted on carriages predisposed slidably on support rods fixed transversely to belts of the conveyor to displace the articles transversely to an advancement direction thereof. Idler rollers are below the carriages. First and second sliding pathways, alternating in sliding the rollers, are of such a shape that when the rollers pass along the first sliding pathway, the carriages maintain a stationary position on the support rods and when the rollers pass along the second sliding pathway, the carriages translate along the support rods so that the pusher elements translate transversely to displace and push the articles transversely. A switching device abuts the rollers and deviates them so that the rollers can be inserted and slide in either the first or the second sliding pathway.

An article packaging machine and method or turning article packs, the article packaging machine having a turner station for turning article packs moving though the packaging machine. The packaging machine includes a main conveyor extending longitudinally from an upstream end to a downstream end and through the turning station. Article packs are carried by the main conveyor spaced and sequentially in the downstream direction through the turner station. The turner station includes flight drive assembly having multiple flight assemblies. The flight assemblies are driven above upper cam plates in the upstream direction, and below lower cam plates in the downstream direction. The flight assemblies include turner rods that are moved toward the main conveyor to contact the article pack in at least two points. The turner rods progressively move toward the main conveyor center line until the distal ends of the turner rods are moved past the article pack side walls and the pack is turned 90 degrees.

A conveying apparatus includes a circulation track and a plurality of travelers movable along the circulation track under a control of a controller for conveying articles. If no preceding article-conveying traveler exists on the front side of one of the travelers planned for receiving and conveying the article detected by a detection section, the planned traveler serves as a no-article conveying traveler, and the other traveler located adjacent the planned traveler serves as an article conveying traveler.

A conveying apparatus includes a circulation track and a plurality of travelers movable along the circulation track under a control of a controller for conveying articles. If no preceding article-conveying traveler exists on the front side of one of the travelers planned for receiving and conveying the article detected by a detection section, the planned traveler serves as a no-article conveying traveler, and the other traveler located adjacent the planned traveler serves as an article conveying traveler.

Apparatus includes a conveyor and pusher elements, mounted on carriages predisposed slidably on support rods fixed transversely to belts of the conveyor to displace the articles transversely to an advancement direction thereof. Idler rollers are below the carriages. First and second sliding pathways, alternating in sliding the rollers, are of such a shape that when the rollers pass along the first sliding pathway, the carriages maintain a stationary position on the support rods and when the rollers pass along the second sliding pathway, the carriages translate along the support rods so that the pusher elements translate transversely to displace and push the articles transversely. A switching device abuts the rollers and deviates them so that the rollers can be inserted and slide in either the first or the second sliding pathway.