Flexible tissue handling apparatus

A tissue transfer for receiving tissue clips and for selectively transferring said clips selectively into flat cartons or into boutique cartons and comprising:

• a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets, each bucket in said plurality including a floor and a respective channel disposed in each of said floors, and said buckets being carried in a machine direction;
• said clips being elongated and being received in respective ones of said buckets with elongated edges oriented in parallel with said machine direction such that said clips span respective channels in said bucket floors,
• opposed turning members for selectively turning said clips with their elongated edges aligned transversely to said machine direction, such that said clips fall into said channels when said clips are to be placed into flat cartons,
• said turning members aligning said clips in said respective channels,
• forming apparatus operably associated in proximity with said buckets for selectively bending said clips at least partially into said respective channels when said clips are to be placed into boutique cartons, and
• means for transferring said clips transversely from said bucket into respective cartons.

A tissue handling apparatus for receiving tissue clips and for configuring said clips selectively for insertion into flat or boutique cartons, said apparatus comprising:

• a transfer bucket conveyor having a plurality of respective buckets thereon for conveyance in a machine direction,
• said buckets each having a bucket floor and a respective channel disposed in each of said floors transversely to the machine direction,
• said clips having a length and a shorter width,
• said channel having a width in a machine direction shorter than the clip length and greater than the clip width,
• said clips being initially deposited in said buckets with the clip length aligned in the machine direction, such that respective clips span the channels in the respective buckets, and
• opposed pushers selectively operable to move into said channels and to turn said clips to drop them into said channels when said clips are to be transferred endwise transversely into flat cartons,
• said pushers being selectively inoperative when said clips are to be configured for insertion sideways into boutique cartons.

A tissue handling and cartoning apparatus for selectively loading flat cartons and boutique cartons with clips of tissues;

• a plurality of movable buckets, each having a bucket floor for receiving tissue clips and transporting tissue clips in a machine direction into a cartoner;
• a respective transverse channel defined in each of said floors;
• said channels each having a respective channel floor;
• said tissue clips having a length longer than their width, said channel having a width in the machine direction, which is wider than the width of said clips but shorter than the length of said clips wherein said clips are received in said buckets with their elongated length spanning said channel and oriented in the machine direction;
• pusher apparatus for selectively turning said clips and guiding them while dropping them onto said channel floors, respectively when said clips are to be inserted in flat cartons;
• and
• apparatus for confining said clips for insertion into cartons;
• said confining apparatus comprising a tamp for bending an intermediate portion of a clip spanning said channel at least partially into said channel when said clips are to be loaded into a boutique carton.

A tissue handling transfer apparatus for receiving tissue clips in a machine direction and for selectively transferring and positioning said clips suitable for flat or boutique packaging in containers, said handling transfer apparatus comprising:

• a bucket conveyor comprising a plurality of bi-level product buckets for receiving and transferring tissue clips having a predetermined length and width, in a machine direction, toward containers;
• said product buckets each having a flat upper level at least as long as and as wide as the length of the tissue clips, and a lower level comprised of a full-width transverse channel in said upper level from one side of each bucket to the other and whose width is greater than the width of the tissue clips but less than the length of the tissue clips;
• wherein said tissue clips are received on the upper level of said buckets with the length of said clips oriented in the machine direction spanning said transverse channel;
• and
• further including apparatus for selectively turning said clips 90 degrees for positioning and orienting said clips on the lower level within said transverse channel for packaging flat packs of tissues, and for selectively leaving said clips unturned on the upper level spanning said transverse channel for packaging boutique packs of tissues.