Apparatus for charging trays having a surrounding flange with articles ordered in groups

Claim 1

Apparatus for charging trays with articles ordered in groups, each tray having a surrounding flange and openings in the tray bottom slightly eccentric to the centers of the individual articles when contained therein, which apparatus comprises a first support for receiving a number of articles, conveyor means to feed the articles onto said first support, a chute box located in communication with said first support, said chute box conforming in shape to the shape of the trays to be filled and having a removable bottom, means to feed a predetermined number of articles from said first support to said chute box, a second support adapted to receive trays to be filled and located under the bottom of said chute box, said second support having openings therein corresponding to the openings of the trays when received thereon, a plurality of vertically displaceable supporting rods arranged to pass through said second support and the openings in the bottom of said tray when received on said support, means for vertically displacing said rods between a first position where said articles are deposited on said rods and a second position where said Articles are deposited in said tray, and means for quickly and entirely removing said removably bottom from said chute box whereby said articles are dropped substantially simultaneously onto said rods while said rods are in said first position.