Method and device for feeding articles

A device for feeding articles, comprising

• a first conveyor configured for feeding a first succession of rows of articles being parallel to one another, to a transfer area along a first path transversal to the rows of articles;
• a second conveyor, configured for moving away a second succession of the rows of articles from the transfer area along a second path parallel to the rows of articles;
• a third conveyor active in the transfer area for transferring each of the rows of articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor,
• a storage unit for storing parallel rows of articles into which the rows of articles are introduced along an infeed direction which is transversal to the rows;
• a fourth conveyor positioned between the first conveyor and the storage unit and configured to feed transversely the rows of articles from the first conveyor to the storage unit, and
• the storage unit comprising at least one transfer conveyor configured to transfer at least one of the rows of articles inside the storage unit, arranging said at least one of the rows of articles in alignment with the second path at an outfeed section of the storage unit, and at least one extraction conveyor positioned at the outfeed section of the storage unit to extract portions in sequence of said at least one of the rows of articles from the storage unit and feeding said portions to the transfer area along said second path.

A method for feeding articles comprising the steps of:

• feeding, using a first conveyor, a first succession of rows of articles being parallel to one another, to a transfer area, wherein said rows of articles are fed by said first conveyor along a first path transversal to the rows of articles;
• moving away, using a second conveyor, a second succession of the rows of articles from the transfer area along a second path parallel to the rows of articles;
• transferring, using a third conveyor, each of the rows of articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor;
• sending at least one of the rows of articles, coming from the first conveyor, to a storage unit whilst the at least one of the rows of articles is fed transversely to the at least one of the rows of articles
• transferring the at least one of the rows of articles inside the storage unit, and positioning said at least one of the rows of articles aligned with the second path at an outfeed section of the storage unit;
• extracting from the storage unit portions in sequence of said at least one of the rows of articles, the portions formed by one or more of the articles in the at least one of the rows of articles, and feeding said portions to the transfer area along said second path;
• wherein said step of sending at least one of the rows of articles to the storage unit is carried out using a fourth conveyor positioned between the first conveyor and the storage unit and configured to bypass said transfer area, said fourth conveyor defining a third feed path passing above or below the transfer area.