Method and apparatus for feeding blanks to package sliced product

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR POSITIONING SUPPORTING MEMBERS TO RECEIVE UNITS OF PRODUCT, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: SPACING UNITS OF PRODUCT ON A FIRST CONTINUOUSLY MOVING CONVEYOR MEANS; MAINTAINING A SECOND CONTINUOUSLY MOVING CONVEYOR MEANS SPACED BELOW AN END OF SAID FIRST MEANS; MAINTAINING GROUPS OF SUPPORTING MEMBERS AT EACH SIDE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS ADJACENT SAID END, SAID GROUPS OF SUPPORTING MEMBERS DISPOSED AT A SLIGHT ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL WITH THE MAJOR SURFACES OF SUCH MEMBERS DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY; VACUUM GRIPPING THE FORWARDMOST SUPPORTING MEMBER ALTERNATELY FROM SAID GROUPS; WITHDRAWING SUCCESSIVELY GRIPPED MEMBERS ALTERNATELY FROM SAID GROUPS IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID ANGLE; TURNING EACH WITHDRAWN MEMBER SO AS TO DISPOSE IT SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN THE VACUUM GRIP THEREON; TRANSPORTING A HORIZONTALLY TURNED MEMBER, WHILE SO GRIPPED, IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST MEANS FROM ONE SIDE TO A POINT BELOW THE END THEREOF AND JUST ABOVE SAID SECOND MEANS; RELEASING THE VACUUM GRIP ON SAID MEMBER; DEPOSITING PRODUCT FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS ONTO SAID MEMBER TO CAUSE THE LATTER TO BE CARRIED AWAY FROM SAID POINT ON THE SECOND CONVEYOR, MEANS; AND THEREAFTER TRANSPORTING THE SUCCEEDING SUPPORTING MEMBER TO SAID POINT TRANSVERSELY FROM THE SIDE OPPOSITE SAID ONE SIDE.