Tray loader

A method of loading cookies and the like each having a substantially flat bottom surface and an opposed irregularly shaped upper surface in edge standing horizontal stacks into a cell of a container comprising

• moving cookies while resting on their flat bottom surfaces in series toward an upwardly facing elongated semi-cylindrical cell of a rotatable turret,
• as each cookie approaches the cell reorienting the cookie from a horizontal attitude to an edge standing attitude with its irregularly shaped surface leading its flat surface and aligning the cookie with the cell of the turret substantially without making contact between the cookie and the cookie previously positioned in the cell,
• pushing against the flat surface of the cookie to move the cookie into the cell and to push the other cookies in the cell further into the cell, and
• after a predetermined number of cookies have been deposited in the cell, rotating the turret until the cell approaches a downwardly facing attitude and dumping the cookies from the cell of the turret to the cell of a container positioned below the turret and as the turret is rotated moving another similarly shaped cell of the turret to an upwardly facing attitude to repeat the loading process,
• supporting the first cookie deposited in a cell in an edge standing attitude with a lead finger located in the cell and progressively moving the lead finger away from the one end of the cell as additional cookies are deposited in the cell, and
• simultaneously moving the lead finger located in the other cell in the opposite direction toward the one end of its cell.

The method of loading cookies and the like in a receptacle comprising

• moving a plurality of cookies with a substantially flat bottom surface and an irregular top surface in a horizontal as-baked attitude in series along a predetermined path toward a loading station,
• reorienting each of the cookies to an edge standing attitude with the irregular top surface leading the substantially flat bottom surface and aligning each cookie with one open end of an elongated loading cavity at the loading station while maintaining the cookies spaced apart from one another as they are reoriented and until they are aligned with the loading cavity,
• pushing against the flat surface of each cookie to move each cookie through the open end of the loading cavity,
• moving a lead finger through the loading cavity away from the open end of the loading cavity as the cookies are pushed into the loading cavity to maintain the first cookie in an edge standing attitude, and
• after a predetermined number of cookies have been deposited in the loading cavity, inverting the loading cavity to deposit the cookies into a receptacle.

Apparatus for loading cookies and the like each having a substantially flat bottom surface and an irregularly shaped upper surface in a receptacle comprising

• a loading turret rotatable about an approximately horizontal axis, said turret including at least two elongated loading cells extending longitudinally of said turret,
• surface conveyor means for moving cookies in a horizontal as-baked attitude resting on their bottom surfaces along a path in series toward said turret,
• a loading wheel between said surface conveyor means and said turret and rotatable about a horizontal axis extending across the path and having at least one slot for receiving a cookie from said conveyor means in an approximately horizontal attitude and for reorienting the cookie to an edge standing attitude with the irregularly shaped surface leading the flat bottom surface,
• means for urging the cookie from said loading wheel toward alignment with a loading cell of said turret as the cookie moves into an edge standing attitude,
• said loading wheel including an outer surface for engaging the flat bottom surface of the cookie and pushing the cookie into the loading cell of said turret,
• each of said loading cells including a lead finger movable along the length of the loading cell for holding the first cookie delivered to the loading cell in an edge standing attitude, and
• drive means for operating said surface conveyor means, said loading wheel, said lead fingers and said turret in timed relationship.