An apparatus for feeding groups of cones in an ordered and orientated arrangement to container boxes in a boxing plant to which at least two groups of cones of predetermined number are fed, characterised by comprising:
- (a) a first section (A) comprising a pair of parallel conveyors (13, 25, 26), said pair of conveyors driven by an intermittently operated geared motor-intermittent motion unit (59,) for moving container trays (12) carrying in cavity seats (21) groups of cones (11) of predetermined number, said container trays (12) being disposed transversely to the movement of said pair of conveyors (13) to lay side-by-side during their translational motion, and being rotatable (23, 24) cam means for causing each of said container trays to rotate to (29, 30, 31) an essentially horizontal plane parallel to that in which the groups of cones (11) are disposed;
- (b) a second section (b) in which said container trays (12) of one conveyor (13) of said pair of conveyors are arranged side by side and face respective container trays (12) of the other parallel conveyor (13) of said pair of conveyors so that the groups of cones of the one conveyor are in parallel alignment with and facing the groups of cones of the other conveyor, with tails of the cones pointing towards the center of said apparatus, each side of said second section (B) having transferring means (14, 33, 35) movable transversely to said conveyors (13) for transferring the groups of cones from said container trays (12) to a position above centrally positioned container boxes (17);
- (c) first collection means (15) for the groups of cones (11) transferred from said container trays (12), said first collection means (15) being essentially of the rack type (36, 37) and each is positioned to the side of said conveyors (13) towards the center of said second section (B), both of said first collection means being provided with actuators (39) which move said first collection means horizontally in opposite directions parallel to the movement of said conveyors so as to offset the cones present on one of said first collection means with respect to the cones present on the other of said first collection means;
- (d) second collection means (16) for receiving the groups of cones (11) transferred from said first collection means (15), said second collection means (16) being disposed centrally to said second section and consisting of flat blade elements (41), said flat blade elements of said second collection means can be opened out above the container boxes (17) after receiving the cones fed by said transfer means (14) from both sides upon both of said first collection means, and after the cones have been intercalated in a head-tail arrangement and have been divided and compacted into a number of identical matrices (44) of same dimensions as the underlying boxes (17) by an associated compactor means (18) with blades (43) which are transverse to said second section (B), said blades (43) of said compactor means being moved parallel to movement of said conveyors by at least one actuator (53).