A reverse vending machine includes a transport device for lifting an object in the reverse vending machine. The transport device includes a conveyor device for lifting the object from a lower level position to a higher level position in the reverse vending machine, and an object supporting device. The object supporting device is arranged substantially parallel to the conveyor device and arranged in such a way as to allow the object to be held between the conveyor device and the object supporting device during the lifting of the object.

Provided is a production line for treatments of container products having an upstream conveyor loaded with products into a multi-lane flow, moving the products along a stream direction through successive treatment workstations with one comprising a multi-lane treatment module along the upstream conveyor, a distribution surface located at an end of the upstream conveyor feeding the distribution surface with a multi-lane flow of products, a downstream conveyor located at an output of the distribution surface, transversally moving the products along a single-lane flow, a transfer means longitudinally transferring relative a row of the products from the distribution surface to the transversal downstream conveyor, wherein the distribution surface is orientated longitudinally along the stream direction and is aligned with the upstream conveyor. Also provided is a conveying device, a production method, and use of a distribution surface for converting a multi-lane flow of products into at a single-lane flow of products.

An operating device for placing or retrieving bottle-like piece goods onto or from storage places of a picking device is provided. The operating device includes a gripping jaw assembly having two profile-rod shaped gripping jaws with opposite lying inner surfaces extending in a first horizontal direction corresponding to a direction for placing and retrieving piece goods. The gripping jaws are configured so that the distance of the inner surfaces from each other tapers in the downward direction at least in sections and the bottle-like piece goods can be lifted from below. The operating device also includes an actuation unit coupled to the gripping jaw assembly for moving the gripping jaw assembly in the first horizontal direction.

Article picking and treating apparatus The present invention provides an apparatus for picking and treating articles simultaneously, said picking and treating each being operated at a first and a second conveying line.

The invention relates to a device (1) for inverting the base (21) of a container (2), comprising: means for inverting the base (11), and at least one tool (12) for holding the container (2), each holding tool (12) having a retaining member (121), characterized in that the retaining member (121) has a bearing end (1211) that is brought to bear against a container (2), and in that each holding tool (12) also comprises: a centering member (122) mounted inside the retaining member (121), the centering member (122) being moveable inside the retaining member (121).

An apparatus and system with a compact footprint and floor space requirements, reduced changeover time for product tooling changeover, reduced labor, smaller initial capital investments, and reduced waste while increasing overall machine uptime/usage, productivity, quality/repeatability, and reducing spare parts inventory and maintenance. This apparatus and system is a Scallop Feeder Bowl and Delivery System for Necked Bottles and like objects. The main function of this design is to build a machine with completely interchangeable pieces for multiple parts handling including first interchangeable upper parts with an upper scallop and a pre-scallop section has interchangeable sections allow for multiple parts with easy changeover and second an interchangeable lower and supporting parts with a lower scallop and a series of custom drop funnel sections.

A system for assembling layers of packages and for forming transport and storage units from the layers. A grouping station has a grouping table for arranging and grouping the packages in a predefined layer arrangement. A package delivery feeds the packages to the grouping table in a conveying direction. The package delivery has two row conveyors for transporting at least one row of packages each on either side of the grouping table. A transfer unit transfers the packages from the row conveyors to the grouping table by sliding them in a respective sliding direction over a slide-over buffer region between each row conveyor and the grouping table, in order to form the layer of packages. A layer stacker then slides the layer of packages from the grouping table over onto a plate provided in the layer stacker, while maintaining the layer arrangement, in order to form the transport and storage unit.

The present invention relates to a device for transferring products, comprising a means for fetching the products in a line in a first direction, at least one output conveyor, in a transverse direction with respect to said first direction, and a tool for transferring said products in groups. The transfer tool has only two degrees of freedom of movement in a horizontal plane, in said first direction and in said transverse direction. The invention relates also to a corresponding method for transferring products.

The invention relates to a spacing star wheel for transporting and transferring containers, comprising a plurality of gripping elements for gripping one container each and a curve guide, where the spacing star wheel is configured such that, during operation, the gripping elements, guided by the curve guide, revolve around the axis of rotation of the spacing star wheel along a curved path. By activating at least one curve guide segment, the shape of the curve guide can be adjusted such that the spacing distance between two adjacent gripping elements in the region of the curve guide segment changes.

A container transport device for transporting containers in a container handling system includes a chassis for supporting the container transport device on a track. The chassis is equipped with a frame on which at least one tray for transporting the containers is provided in a vertically adjustable manner. The at least one tray has a transport surface with multiple transport elements arranged in a substantially parallel manner for temporarily storing and conveying containers in rows, and each transport element is drivable in a controlled and/or closed-loop manner independently of one another in two different conveying directions.