Apparatus for packing articles, such as bottles

Apparatus for packing articles such as bottles in units with the articles in each unit arranged in parallel rows, each row comprising a plurality of articles arranged side-by-side, said apparatus comprising:

• means for supporting articles for arrangement thereof in rows;
• means mounting said supporting means for movement in a predetermined path generally at right angles to the length of the rows on said supporting means, said supporting means being movable forward along said path from a rearward retracted position;
• a pusher for pushing rows of articles on said supporting means forward in said path generally at right angles to the length of the rows, said pusher being movable forward along said path from a rearward retracted position through a forward stroke and back through a return stroke to its retracted position;
• a guide movable forward and back with the pusher and spaced forward of the pusher a distance such as to provide a space for a row of articles therebetween, said guide also being movable relative to the pusher between a lowered operative position at the level of the rows and a raised position above the rows;
• means for feeding articles in single file one after another over said supporting means from one side of said path through said space when the pusher and guide are in their retracted position and the guide is lowered;
• means for arresting the feeding of the articles to provide a row of articles on said supporting means in said space in a first position in front of the pusher;
• means responsive to the arresting of feeding of the articles for driving the pusher and guide through a forward and return stroke whereby the pusher pushes the row of articles in front of the pusher forward to a second position and for simultaneously driving said supporting means forward through a predetermined forward stroke thereby to collate articles in rows on said supporting means;
• means for moving the guide to its raised position so that, on its return with the pusher, the guide clears the articles in said second position;
• presettable means for determining the number of rows of articles to be collated on said supporting means for a unit;
• and means responsive to said presettable means when it has determined the number of rows for a unit and the pusher and guide have been retracted and the guide lowered for retracting said supporting means to remove the support for the unit, the unit then being held against rearward movement by the guide.