Cookie tray loading machine

A cookie tray loading machine for loading cookies into cookie trays, the tray loading machine including a framework having a longitudinal centerline, an infeed conveyor belt supported on the framework for moving cookies in a single file lane thereon toward a downstream cookie tray loading station at which the cookie trays are positioned, the infeed conveyor belt having a longitudinal centerline, and an infeed alignment arm for aligning the single file lane of cookies thereon, said machine comprising:

• means for selectively diverting selected ones of the cookies from the single file lane of cookies across the infeed conveyor belt into at least two separate lanes of cookies moving toward the tray loading station;
• means for forming the cookies within said at least two separate lanes of cookies into a series of generally aligned rows of cookies formed laterally across said lanes of cookies;
• means for phasing said rows of cookies apart from one another as the rows of cookies move downstream toward the cookie tray loading station;
• and
• means for loading said rows of cookies, respectively directly into the cookie trays, said means for loading comprising:
• an elongate tray loading conveyor belt fixedly supported on the framework of the machine downstream of the infeed conveyor, said conveyor belt moving toward the cookie tray loading station and onto which the rows of cookies are transferred, and having a discharge end positioned at the cookie tray loading station;
• and
• a cookie tray indexing conveyor supported on the framework at the cookie tray loading station with respect to the discharge end of said conveyor belt for carrying empty cookie trays thereon;
• wherein said tray loading conveyor belt is constructed and arranged to pass the respective rows of cookies off of the discharge end thereof and directly into the cookie trays;
• and wherein said tray indexing conveyor is constructed and arranged to index the cookie trays with respect to the discharge end of said conveyor belt in response to the placement of each separate row of cookies, respectively into the cookie trays.

A cookie tray loading machine, the machine including a framework having a longitudinal centerline, an infeed conveyor supported on the framework and carrying a series of spaced cookies in a single file lane thereon toward a downstream cookie tray loading station formed as a part of the machine, and a plurality of cookie trays at the cookie tray loading station, the infeed conveyor having a longitudinal centerline and an infeed alignment arm for aligning the cookies along the infeed conveyor, said machine comprising:

• a sweep arm diverter constructed and arranged to selectively divert selected ones of the cookies from the single file lane of cookies into at least two separate and generally parallel lanes of cookies, said sweep arm diverter being supported on the framework of the machine above and spaced from the single file lane of cookies on the infeed conveyor belt;
• a detector positioned on the framework with respect to said diverter for detecting the passage of cookies moving toward said diverter;
• the diverter having an elongate sweep arm constructed and arranged to be swept through an arc transversely with respect to the single file lane of cookies in response to the detection of the cookies by said detector, and to momentarily strike the selected ones of said cookies for moving the selected ones of the cookies laterally across the infeed conveyor with respect to the single file lane of cookies;
• an alignment belt assembly supported on the framework downstream of said diverter constructed and arranged to form the cookies within said at least two separate lanes of cookies into a series of generally aligned rows of cookies formed across said at least two separate lanes of cookies;
• means for phasing said rows of cookies so that said rows of cookies so formed are spaced apart from each preceding row of cookies;
• and
• means for loading the rows of cookies directly into the cookie trays.

An apparatus for loading cookies into a cookie tray, comprising:

• an infeed conveyor advancing a single file lane of cookies along a path of travel toward a downstream cookie tray;
• means for selectively diverting at least some of the cookies of the single file lane of cookies into at least two longitudinally extending lanes of cookies;
• means for forming the cookies within said at least two lanes of cookies into generally aligned rows of cookies extending across said at least two lanes of cookies;
• said means for forming the cookies into rows of cookies across said at least two lanes of cookies comprising:
• an endless alignment belt for each of said at least two lanes of cookies, said alignment belts being parallel to one another and positioned intermediate said infeed conveyor belt and said means for loading the cookies directly into said cookie trays;
• each of said alignment belts including a servomotor constructed and arranged to independently drive its respective alignment belt each said servomotor including an encoder constructed and arranged to emit a servomotor drive position signal;
• a detector positioned above each said alignment belt, each said detector being constructed and arranged to detect the presence of a cookie on its the respective alignment belt and to emit a detection signal in response to detecting a cookie thereon;
• a computer, said computer being constructed and arranged to receive said servomotor drive position signals and said detection signals, and to emit a control signal to each of said servomotors in response thereto to selectively vary the speed of the respective alignment belts independently of one another in accordance with a preprogrammed series of instructions stored within said computer to form a row of cookies on said alignment belts;
• means for spacing each row of cookies so formed from each preceding row of cookies so formed;
• and
• means for loading the cookies of each of said rows of cookies directly into the cookie trays.