Device and method for channeling containers

A method for channeling upright containers, which are loosely queued in a row, into a transport device, the method comprising:

• a) providing a rotatable separating device, a stationary accumulating device arranged downstream of the separating device, and a conveyor belt extending at least from an area in front of the separating device to the accumulating device, wherein the accumulating device comprises a plurality of holding positions defined by stoppers arranged in a row in a transport direction, the stoppers individually extendable in a direction transverse to the transport direction to hold the containers, and wherein the accumulating device further comprises a plurality of sensors each of the sensors arranged in an area of one of the holding positions or between two of the holding positions;
• b) separating the loosely queued containers in the transport direction by means of the rotatable separating device;
• c) moving the separated upright containers in the transport direction by means of the conveyor belt on which the separated containers stand;
• and
• d) sequentially filling the holding positions of the accumulating device with the separated containers, starting from the one of the desired holding positions arranged farthest from the separating device, wherein the step of sequentially filling the holding positions comprises the steps of
• d1) sensing by a predetermined one of the sensors a position of a predetermined one of the separated containers, and individually extending on the basis of the sensing result a predetermined one of the stoppers;
• and
• d2) repeating step d1) until all desired holding positions have been sequentially filled with the desired number of containers.