Method for introducing articles into packs

A packaging method comprising:

• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a first advancement path, articles to be packaged;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a second advancement path parallel to said first advancement path, packs to receive respective ones of the articles;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a third advancement path parallel to said first and said second advancement path and between said first and said second advancement path, informative sheets to be packaged with respective ones of the articles in respective ones of the packs, with said articles, said packs and said informative sheets being conveyed in synchrony with each other;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a fourth advancement path parallel to the first advancement path and on a side thereof opposite the third advancement path, first pusher elements in synchrony with said articles and said packs;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a fifth advancement path parallel to and directly vertically above the fourth advancement path, second pusher elements in synchrony and in vertical alignment with respective ones of said first pusher elements;
• during the conveying of said articles, said packs and said first pusher elements respectively along said first advancement path, said second advancement path and said fourth advancement path, moving said first pusher elements in a pushing direction transversely to said first advancement path, said second advancement path and said fourth advancement path so as to initially translate the first pusher elements from a first retracted position to a first advanced position so as to abut and push respective ones of the articles in the pushing direction sufficiently to insert the respective ones of the articles completely inside respective ones of the packs and so as to subsequently translate the first pusher elements in an other direction opposite the pushing direction so as to extract the first pusher elements from the packs;
• during the conveying of said articles, said packs, said informative sheets, said first pusher elements and said second pusher elements respectively along said first, second, third, fourth and fifth advancement path, moving said second pusher elements in said pushing direction and transversely to said fifth advancement path so as to initially translate the second pusher elements from a second retracted position, at which the second pusher elements are spaced in said pushing direction from respective ones of the packs and arranged above corresponding ones of said first pusher elements and project beyond ends of respective ones of said first pusher elements so as to be situated above respective ones of said articles, to a second advanced position so that:
• (i) the second pusher elements when moved to the second advanced position can abut the informative sheets before the first pusher elements abut the articles, (ii) the second pusher elements abut and push respective ones of the informative sheets in the pushing direction sufficiently to insert the respective ones of the informative sheets completely inside respective ones of the packs above respective ones of the articles and (iii) the second pusher elements are subsequently translated in the other direction opposite the pushing direction so as to extract the second pusher elements from the packs, whereby the second pusher elements, when translated by the respective second movement means, immediately abut and push respective ones of the sheets before the respective underlying first pusher elements, when translated by the respective first movement means, can abut and push the articles towards the packs, so that the inserting of the sheets and the articles into the packs is guaranteed without reciprocal contact.

A packaging method comprising:

• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a first advancement path, articles to be packaged;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a second advancement path parallel to said first advancement path, packs to receive respective ones of the articles;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a third advancement path parallel to said first and said second advancement path informative sheets to be packaged with respective ones of the articles in respective ones of the packs, with said articles, said packs and said informative sheets being conveyed in synchrony with each other;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a fourth advancement path parallel to the first advancement path and on a side thereof opposite the third advancement path, first pusher elements in synchrony with said articles and said packs;
• conveying in seriatim and continuously, along a fifth advancement path parallel to and directly vertically above the fourth advancement path, second pusher elements in synchrony and in vertical alignment with respective ones of said first pusher elements;
• during the conveying of said articles, said packs and said first pusher elements respectively along said first advancement path, said second advancement path and said fourth advancement path, moving said first pusher elements in a pushing direction transversely to said first advancement path, said second advancement path and said fourth advancement path so as to initially translate the first pusher elements from a first retracted position to a first advanced position so as to abut and push respective ones of the articles in the pushing direction sufficiently to insert the respective ones of the articles completely inside respective ones of the packs and so as to subsequently translate the first pusher elements in an other direction opposite the pushing direction so as to extract the first pusher elements from the packs;
• during the conveying of said articles, said packs, said informative sheets, said first pusher elements and said second pusher elements respectively along said first, second, third, fourth and fifth advancement path, moving said second pusher elements in said pushing direction and transversely to said fifth advancement path so as to initially translate the second pusher elements from a second retracted position, at which the second pusher elements are spaced in said pushing direction from respective ones of the packs and arranged above corresponding ones of said first pusher elements and project beyond ends of respective ones of said first pusher elements so as to be situated above respective ones of said articles, to a second advanced position so as to abut and push respective ones of the informative sheets in the pushing direction sufficiently to insert the respective ones of the informative sheets completely inside respective ones of the packs above respective ones of the articles and so as to subsequently translate the second pusher elements in the other direction opposite the pushing direction so as to extract the second pusher elements from the packs.