Abstract:
Receiver units ( 10, 90 ) for taking over objects ( 100, 101, 102 ) are moved past a take-over location (S 1 , S 2 ) and include an abutment ( 95 ) which limits the position of the object ( 100, 101, 102 ) which is fed in the feed direction (F). At least one holding element and/or braking element ( 45 ) acts in a direct or indirect manner on the objects to be taken over, for realising a defined product position, in particular so that the object ( 100, 101, 102 ) does not bend up or rebound from the abutment ( 95 ). In one variant, the holding element and/or braking element ( 45 ) brakes the object ( 100, 101, 102 ) by way of direct friction. In another variant, the object ( 100, 101, 102 ) to be taken over transmits its momentum onto an object ( 100, 101, 102 ) which is already held in the receiver unit ( 10, 90 ) by way of the holding element and/or braking element, and is braked by way of this.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention lies in the field of conveying and further processing flexible, two-dimensional (flat) objects, in particular printed products. It relates to a device and to a method for taking over and further processing such objects, in particular printed products such as e.g. newspapers, magazines, brochures, catalogues, part-products of such printed products, or supplements, brochures, CDs. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The further processing of printed products is carried out at ever increasing speeds. Moreover, more and more complex products are put together of several part-products and processed. Both of these, the high speeds and the complexity of the products, require a very accurate control of the product position at each point in time of the processing. 
     A process which occurs very often is the so-called insertion: one or more part-products (also called pre-products) are inserted into a folded outer product (also called main product). The part-products to be inserted may be printed products or also other objects, e.g. supplements, brochures, CDs. 
     The folded main product, for example, is transferred by a gripper conveyor to an insertion system, e.g. an insertion drum or a revolving system, before the insertion procedure. The insertion system has several receiver units in the form of pockets. The main products with the folded edge in front are inserted into these and are braked at the pocket base, acting as an abutment. The main product is subsequently opened and the further objects are inserted into the opened main product. 
     Moreover, from the CH application No. 00788/08 which has no prior publication, it is known to leave the folded main product in the gripper and to support it on the fold edge and on the side surfaces by way of co-moved abutments and additional support elements during the insertion procedure, i.e. for as long as the gripper needs to be opened for the purpose or receiving the further product. 
     With the known devices, the feed direction regularly runs in a different direction than the further conveying by the receiver units. For transfer, the singularised objects must be transferred into the moved receiver units within a very short time. For this reason, little space and time is available for the actual transfer. The objects are led with one edge in front, through an opening of the receiver unit, into this. Thereby, the objects are often subjected to very large (negative) accelerations and are stopped by a part of a receiver unit and aligned thereon. This part lying in the movement path of the fed objects, against which the leading edge runs, is hereinafter indicated as an abutment. The sudden braking at the abutment may lead to the newly fed object rebounding from the abutment and bouncing back opposite to the feed direction. Thereby, it may be laterally dislocated. If it consists of several objects, these may also mutually dislocate and/or rotate. The braking at the abutment may also lead to a bending-up or a sagging of the object depending on the flexibility or stability of the object. As a whole, too strong of braking at the abutment leads to undesired inaccuracies with regard to the position of the object. These may lead to errors in the further processing chain and should therefore be avoided. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore the object of the invention to specify a device and a method for taking over and further processing flexible, two-dimensional objects, in particular printed products, with which the mentioned disadvantages are avoided and a good control of the object position is ensured, also during and after large accelerations. 
     The device according to the invention comprises at least one receiver unit, which is movable along a closed revolving path, and at a take-over location is capable of receiving an object, which is fed from a feed station at a feed speed. The receiver unit forms an abutment for the object to be taken over, which limits the movement of the object in the feed direction. According to the invention, at least one holding element and/or braking element is present, which is co-moved with the receiver unit. This element, at least in the region of the take-over location, is capable of acting on the object at least in an indirect manner, and of braking the object before reaching the abutment, i.e. of reducing its speed with respect to the feed speed. 
     In a first variant of the invention, the holding elements and/or braking elements cooperate directly with the object to be taken over and at least partly absorb its kinetic energy. The directed kinetic energy at least partly is converted into undirected movement energy (thermal energy, friction), i.e. at least partly dissipated. One prevents the object from rebounding or being dislocated in an uncontrolled manner by way of the large damping of the object in the receiver compartment. Moreover, one prevents the object from getting squashed, bending up or sagging in the receiver unit or on the abutment. The position of the object may therefore be well controlled. 
     In a second variant of the invention, the braking effect is based mainly on a momentum transmission. A folded product already held in the receiver compartment thus serves for receiving a further product to be taken over. It is preferably held such that its fold edge is distanced to the abutment. The holding element and/or braking element serve for this. It fixes the product in the compartment, but in a manner such that it may still be displaced by way of an external action, without becoming damaged. Then, the further product transmits its momentum partly onto the already held product, on insertion. Both objects move together with a reduced speed in the feed direction or in the direction of the abutment. 
     Both invention variants may also be combined. For example, with an insertion drum, a braking element may be applied with the first product (e.g. main product), which brakes the first product by way of friction. With the further product (e.g. pre-product) which is to be inserted, one may apply a simple holding element, which fixes the first product in the receiver unit, but permits displacements in the feed region and thus a braking of the second product by way of momentum transmission. 
     The invention may be realised on the basis of known take-over devices, in particular revolving systems or drum systems with several receiver compartments in the form of pockets, which are movable along an infinite or circular path. For example, the invention may be designed on the basis of pocket conveyors or gripper conveyors, insertion drums, cutting drums and likewise. The receiver units may be pockets or compartments of an insertion drum, which are moved individually along an infinitely shaped conveyor path. The holding elements and/or braking elements are preferably connected to the receiver units, and are co-moved by way of these. Several feed units and several take-over locations for a main product and pre-product(s) may be present for realising an insertion function, but the invention may also be advantageously applied with a simple transfer between two conveyors or with a simple processing, e.g. on cutting an object. A further processing in the context of the invention therefore includes also a simple conveying. 
     The feed unit may obtain objects from a storage means, e.g. a stack, a winding or from a moved formation, i.e. imbricate formation, a flow of individual products, gripper flow, etc. The fed objects may be simple objects, e.g. simple printed products or goods samples, or more complex collections, e.g. a small stack of different printed products lying on one another. The feed direction as a rule is in the plane of the object, and the conveyor direction of the receiver units runs perpendicularly thereto. The abutment, i.e. the pocket base, is orientated essentially perpendicularly to the feed direction and to the conveyor direction (surface normal in the feed direction). 
     The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: moving at least one receiver unit along a closed movement path, past a take-over location; receiving the objects by the at least one receiver unit; co-moving at least one holding element and/or braking element at least in the region of the take-over location with the receiver unit; braking the fed object at least partly and at least indirectly by way of the holding element and/or braking element. The product to be taken over is either braked in a direct manner by the braking element, or it is braked in an indirect manner, by way of it transmitting its momentum partly to an already taken-over product, which is stored in displaceable manner in the receiver unit by a holding element. 
     Preferably, the holding element and/or the braking element is adapted to the receiver unit, to the product and its feed speed, such that the leading edge only just reaches the abutment, in particular with a speed lying below a certain limit, which may also be zero. This is achieved in particular by way of a suitable selection of the shape, position and/or mechanical characteristics, such as e.g. friction coefficient elasticity, of the holding element and/or the braking element. As a whole, the object is aligned in a gentle manner on the abutment. However, it is also possible for the object not to reach the abutment and, thus, for the abutment to no longer act as an abutment in the conventional sense (the abutment function would be restored without holding element and/or braking element). A rebounding and bending-up/sagging are avoided in any case, and the alignment may basically be effected in a different manner. 
     The holding element and/or braking element acts preferably on one of the main surfaces of the object, and not on the edges in the manner of an abutment. With the first variant of the invention, with regard to the holding element and/or braking element, it is more the braking effect (dissipation of the kinetic energy) which is at the forefront. With the second variant of the invention, the holding element and/or braking element chiefly serves for fixing the already taken-over object in the receiver unit, so that this may absorb the momentum of the further object. 
     In both variants of the invention, the holding element and/or the braking element cooperates preferably with a support surface for the object or with a further holding element and/or braking element. The support surface may be part of the receiver unit or may be provided in addition to this. 
     The holding and/or braking element consists, for example, of a material which is elastic per se, e.g. is compressible and/or has a shape elasticity. It may be designed, for example, as a cushion-like loop of a thin elastic material, in particular of plastic. It may also be the case of one or more leaf springs. With the second variant of the invention, it may be the case of grippers. 
     The holding element and/or braking element is preferably designed in a surfaced manner, in order to load the object as homogeneously as possible, so as to brake an object by way of friction or hold it in the receiver unit. Preferably, theholding element and/or braking element has a region with a curved surface. For this reason, an entry gap for the object or a part region thereof, said gap in a lateral view tapering in a V-shaped manner, is formed with the interaction with a support surface which as a rule is plane, or with a suitably designed counter-holder element and/or braking element. 
     The holding element and/or braking element, above all for the first variant, preferably has a direction-dependent friction coefficient, by which means the friction in the feed direction, i.e. towards the abutment, is smaller than the friction opposite to the feed direction. A rebounding at the abutment or a bouncing-back of the object is additionally further prevented by way of this. The holding element and/or braking element, for example, has a surface with projections or bristles. 
     The holding element and/or braking element is preferably controllable in a direct or indirect manner, in order to vary the friction between the object and the holding element and/or braking element. By way of this, and depending on the demands for example, the object may, for example, be displaced in the receiver element or firmly clamped therein such that when another object hits, it may absorb its momentum. 
     A positioning device is preferably present for positioning the taken-over object in the receiver compartment. This, with the second invention variant for example, serves for bringing an already taken-over project into a position in which it is distanced to the abutment. With both variants, the positioning device is for example applied in order to bring the product into a defined position for the further processing, e.g. for cutting or further transport. For example, a defined position of the product relative to the receiver unit, i.e. a certain distance to the abutment, may be realised by way of the positioning device. In another example, the complete receiver unit may be displaced relative to a co-moved conveyor element, so that the product assumes a nominal position relative to the conveyor element and may be taken over and conveyed further by it, in a well controllable manner. 
     The positioning device preferably comprises a mechanical cam guide which acts on the product or on the conveyor compartments. The positioning device may also be realised by way of a suitable shape of the revolving path of the receiver compartments, e.g. in curved sections and/or sections with a hanging conveying, one may use the centrifugal force or gravitational force in a targeted manner for positioning, as the case may be with the interaction of further abutments and/or holding elements. 
     The principle according to the invention may be applied in all devices, with which products are fed to receiver units with a large speed and are thereby braked, thus for example on introducing products into pockets or opened products, e.g. insertion devices or cutting devices. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Examples of the invention are represented in the drawings and are described hereinafter. There are shown in a purely schematic manner in: 
         FIGS. 1   a - f  a receiver unit in the form of a pocket of an insertion system in different, sectioned views and temporally staggered representation; 
         FIG. 1   g  an overview representation of an insertion system; 
         FIGS. 2   a - e  a further receiver unit in the form of a pocket of an insertion system, in various sectioned views and a temporally staggered representation; 
         FIGS. 3   a - f  the positioning of the received objects by a positioning device with a pocket according to  FIGS. 1   a - f  or  2   a - e;    
         FIGS. 4 and 5  a further device according to the invention, with conveyor elements in the form of grippers and receiver compartments which are co-moved with these, with holding element and/or braking elements, in different views. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1   a - f  show the course of the method steps by way of a first example of a device according to the invention, on the basis of an insertion drum  2  which is known per se (see  FIG. 1   g ). The insertion drum  2  is rotatable about a longitudinal axis L and has several receiver units  10  in the form of pockets  12 . The pockets  12  have two support surfaces  13 ,  14  which are arranged V-shaped to one another, and a pocket base  15 , which is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis L and acts as an abutment. Objects  100 , e.g. folded printed main products  101  or further folded or unfolded products  102 ,  103  are fed to the receiver units by way of different feed units  20 ,  21 ,  22 , at defined take-over locations S 1 , S 2 , S 2 . These are arranged next to one another, but distanced to one another in the axial direction of the drum  2 . The objects  100  are displaced in the direction of the longitudinal axis L by way of a displacement mechanism which is not shown in detail here, whilst the drum  2  rotates. They therefore describe a spiral path U about the longitudinal axis L. The main product  101 , which is introduced firstly at the take-over location S 1 , goes past the take-over locations S 2 , S 3  for the further products  102 ,  103  by way of the displacement and rotation of the drum. A complex collection  104  is created by way of insertion or lying on one another. This collection is removed at a removal station  30  and transported further, e.g. by way of a gripper conveyor. 
     Different section views of the pockets  12  perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L of the drum  2  are shown in  FIGS. 1   a - f . Opening functions or holding-open functions are realised by way of elements which are only present locally, such as e.g. the holding-open elements  16 ,  17  in  FIG. 1   c - e . The cross sections therefore differ from one another, and it is the case here of the same pocket  12 . The views correspond to different stages during the insertion. 
       FIG. 1   a  shows the pocket  12  at the first take-over location S 1 . Here, the main product  101 , with the fold edge  101   a  in front, is introduced into the pocket  12 . A first holding element and/or braking element  40  is arranged within the pockets, along the drum section, in which the take-over location S 1  is located. The holding element and/or braking element consists of a flexible material strip, which in the manner of a leaf spring is applied on one of the lateral support walls  12  in a cushion-like manner and is deformable relative to the support surface  13 . It has a structured outer side  41  which here is provided with bristles directed towards the pocket base  15 . The smallest distance d between the outer side  41  (including the bristles) and the oppositely lying support surface  14  is smaller than a typical product thickness b. By way of friction at the holding element and/or braking element  40 , the introduced product  101  therefore at least partly gives its kinetic energy to this and the other support surface  14  and reaches the abutment  15  with a reduced speed. The product  101  is prevented from rebounding at the abutment and thereby being moved opposite to feed direction F, by way of the structured outer side  41 . The product  101  therefore bears on the pocket base  15  after the introduction ( FIG. 1   b ). 
       FIG. 1   c  shows the cross section after displacing the product  101  in the axial direction. An opening procedure has taken place. In the region shown here, two holding-open elements  16 ,  17  in the form of a bent guide plate are present, which in each case project into the pocket in a collar-like manner. The product  101  in the region of its two outer edges  101   b ,  101   c  is positioned behind the holding-open elements  16 ,  17 . Two holding elements and/or braking elements  42 ,  43  are located on the sides of the holding-open elements  16 ,  17 , which face the support surfaces  13 ,  14 . These holding elements and/or braking elements likewise consist of a flexible material strip which is resilient against the respective holding-open element  16 ,  17 . The product  101  is thus pressed in a resilient manner against the support surface  13 ,  14  in the region of its two outer edges  101   b ,  101   c.    
     A positioning device which pushes the product  101  to the outside in the direction of the pocket opening (radial direction of the drum), is applied between  FIGS. 1   c  and  1   d . The positioning device for example comprises a stationary cam guide or revolving means, over which the fold edge  101   a  slides and which displaces the product  101  relative to the receiver compartment  10 . Alternatively, one may also use the gravity for displacing the product  101 , e.g. in the lower drum section. The fold  101   a  is therefore distanced from the abutment  15  within  FIG. 1   d . The second holding elements and/or braking elements  42 ,  43  serve for holding the product  101  in this position, thus open and distanced to the abutment. 
     The situation at the second feed location S 2  is shown in  FIG. 1   d . A further product  102 , here consisting of two part-products, is introduced into the pocket  12  or the opened main product  101 . It hits the fold region of the main product  101  and by way of this pushes the main product  101  downwards ( FIG. 1   e ). The product  102  is braked by way of the transmission of momentum onto the main product  101 . 
       FIG. 1   f  shows the situation at the removal station  30 , at which no holding-open elements  16 ,  17  and holding element and/or braking element  40 ,  42 ,  43  act. The inserted and closed product  104  is removed and conveyed further by way of grippers  32  for example. One may also carry out further feed steps according to  FIGS. 1   c - e , in front of the removal location  30 . 
       FIGS. 2   a - e  show a further example of an insertion procedure as well as of the design of pockets  12 , for example of an insertion system, e.g. of a drum or a revolving system. A transverse transport as with  FIGS. 1   a - g  is not compelling, but is possible. The pockets comprise two support surfaces  13 ,  14  and a base  15 , as with  FIGS. 1   a - f . A first holding element and/or braking element  40  in the form of a bent leaf spring with a structured outer surface  41  is attached on one of the support surfaces  13 . The holding element and/or braking element  40  may pivot completely onto the support surface  13  through a recess  18  in the support surface  13 , so that the pocket is completely opened and the holding element and/or braking element  40  becomes ineffective. This movement may be controlled in an active manner, here for example, by way of a cam guide (not shown), which cooperates with a control element  19  on the holding element and/or braking element  40 . The strength of the friction and thus the braking effect may be set by way of this. The control element  19  is locked with the support surface  13  in  FIGS. 2   b - e.    
     Second holding elements and braking elements  50  in the form of small grippers are attached at the opening of the pocket  12  and may be pivoted into the pocket  12  in opposite directions. Again for example a (non-represented) cam guide serves for this, and cooperates with a control element  51  on the holding element and braking element  50 . The holding elements and braking elements  50 , on the one hand serve as holding-open elements, and on the other hand for fixing an already received product in the pocket  12 , so that this may receive a further product and may brake it by way of momentum transmission. The function is explained hereinafter. 
     A situation corresponding to  FIG. 1   a  is shown in  FIG. 2   a . The feed direction F is directed to the drum  1 . The first holding element and/or braking element  40  is pivoted into its active position, i.e. projects from the lateral support surface  13  and narrows the pocket  12  in the region close to the base. The product  101  was braked by the first holding element and/or braking element  40  and bears on the pocket base  15 . The second holding elements and/or braking elements  50  are pivoted outwards and are ineffective. In  FIG. 2   b , the product  101  was opened and is held open by way of the second holding elements and/or braking elements  50  which are now pivoted inwards. The product is pressed slightly against the support surface  13 ,  14  by way of the second holding elements and/or braking elements  50 , in particular their cushion-like flexible coatings  44 . The first holding element and/or braking element  40  is pivoted into its inactive position. The product  101  is lifted from the compartment base between  FIGS. 2   b  and  2   c . For this, the clamping effect of the second holding element and/or braking element  50  is slightly reduced as the case may be. Now, in  FIG. 2 , a further product  102  is introduced, hits the folded main products  101  and catches this. Both products are moved further with a lower speed than the feed speed due to the momentum transmission, and hit the pocket base ( FIG. 2   d ). A part of the kinetic energy which is transmitted onto the main product  101  dissipates on the second holding element and/or braking element  50 . The product  104  may be removed ( FIG. 2   e ) after the pivoting-away of the holding elements  50  and the closure of the inserted products  101 ,  102 . Further insertion steps (displacement away from the abutment, fixation, insertion) may be carried out before the removal. 
     The following procedure is advantageous for putting together a more complex product, which consists of a folded main product and several further products with a different weight: Sequential insertion of the further products one after the other, instead of a one-off insertion of the package of the further products. With regard to the sequential insertion, it is firstly the lighter and then the heavier products which are to be inserted, because the heavier products have a greater momentum given the same feed speed, and are better braked by the already taken-over products, if these already have a larger mass. 
       FIGS. 3   a - f  show a possibility of how a positioning device  60  for the receiver units  10  according to  FIGS. 1   a - f  may be designed. The movement path U′ of the receiver units  10  is represented in an extended manner, but however may have any shape. The same principle may also be applied to compartments according to  FIGS. 2   a - e . It is the case of a simple guide cam  61  which has a guide surface and acts on the fold edges  101   a  in a certain region of the revolving path of the receiver units  10 . The fold edges  101   a  slide on the guide surface of the cam  61  and by way of this are displaced relative to the pocket base  15 . The products  101  for this project in the direction of the pocket base  15  beyond the receiver units  10 , or the base  15  and the side surfaces  13 ,  15  have recesses (not shown here), into which the cam  61  engages, for example in a meshing manner. Revolving means, e.g. belts are also possible. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  show a further example of a device with the holding element and/or braking elements according to the invention. The device corresponds essentially to the insertion device as has been described in the CH application No. 00788/08 which has no prior publication. The purpose of the insertion device is the insertion of products  102 , which may be individual ones or also a composition of several products, into a folded main product  101 . Thereby, the main products  101  are led up by way of a gripper conveyor  80 . During the insertion procedure, the gripper  81  is opened, the product however not removed therefrom, but only additionally supported. The combined product after the insertion is conveyed further by the same gripper  81 , which is then closed again. 
     The device here is only described in as much as this is necessary for the understanding of the invention on which this application is based. 
     The device comprises a plurality of receiver units  90 , which are moved essentially along a circular path about a rotation axis D. The device is based on a drive wheel  110 , which consists in each case of two part wheels  110   a ,  110   b , in each case with a plurality of spokes  111 . The part wheels  110   a ,  110   b  have a common axis, the rotation axis D, and are distanced to one another and designed in a roughly mirror-imaged manner. The receiver units  90  are formed by the interaction of several surfaced support elements  91 ,  92  which may be moved with respect to one another. In each case, two support elements  91 ,  92  are attached on the spokes  111 , in each case of a part wheel  110   a ,  110   b , and may be pivoted about axes A 1 , A 2 , which run perpendicularly to the spoke  111  (here perpendicularly to the drawing plane or in the peripheral direction of the wheel  110 ). The condition in which the support elements  91 ,  92  are in their active position and support a product, is shown in  FIG. 5  by way of unbroken lines. The inactive position of the support elements  91 ,  92  is shown with dashed lines. The support elements  91 ,  92  in  FIG. 4  are largely in their active position (in the anticlockwise direction from approx. “4 o&#39;clock” to “1 o&#39;clock”) or are pivoted out of this (“1 o&#39;clock” to “12 o&#39;clock”) 
     The support elements  91  arranged further inwards, in each case comprise a surfaced support wall  93  and a U-shaped element  94  at the end which is distant to the pivot axis A 1 . A receiver compartment  90  is realised in a temporary manner by way of the interaction of the two opposite support elements  91 . A product  100  is supported by the bases of the U-shaped elements  94  and by the two support walls  93 . An additional supporting function and holding-open function is achieved by the further support elements  92 . 
     The inner support elements  91 , furthermore, comprise a holding element and/or braking element  45  in the form of a loop of an elastic material. The loop may also be separated through at its apex point for increasing the flexibility. The holding elements and/or braking elements  45  are opposite the support wall  93  and are firmly connected to the U-shaped element  94 . 
     The device according to the invention cooperates with a gripper conveyor  80 . Its grippers  81  are moved along a closed revolving path U″. This runs within the device  1  and in this region at least partly along a circular arc segment with the middle point D. The path of the grippers  81  is therefore at least partly parallel to the path of the receiver compartments  10 , for example in the region represented in  FIG. 4 . 
     The function is explained hereinafter: 
     Products  100 , here folded main products  101 , are conveyed by the gripper conveyor  80 . Whilst a product  101  is held by a gripper  81 , the outer support elements  92  cooperating with one another run in between the product parts, in the lower part of the movement path U″, which is not represented here. They therefore keep the product  101  open. The inner support elements  91  are pivoted in roughly simultaneously. The inner support elements  91  assume a position, in which their bases  95  have a defined distance to the gripped product edge  101   a  (situation approx at “3 o&#39;clock”). The product  101  is opened in this position and the upper product part lies on the outer support elements  92 . The holding elements and/or braking elements  45  press the upper product part against the outer support elements  92 . The gripper  81  is opened. The gripper  81 , receiver units  10  and the product  101  in this relative position are moved synchronously by about 45° up to the take-over location S 1  (at approx. “2 o&#39;clock”). A further product  102  is inserted in the feed direction F, which runs perpendicularly to the base  95  and to the movement direction of the receiver units  10 . It pulls the product  101 , which is already arranged in the receiver unit  10  and the open gripper  81 , inwards. The new product  102  is braked by way of momentum transmission and to a lesser extent by way of friction between the holding element and/or braking element  45 , the leading product part and the support element  92 . The fold edges of both products  101 ,  102  now come to bear on the base  95  acting as an abutment (at approx. “1 o&#39;clock”). 
     The base  95 , and thus the fold edge  101   a , here are located above the lowest point  82  of the gripper  81 . This position does not necessarily correspond to the nominal position of the edge  101   a  to be gripped, relative to the gripper  81 . The products  101  are positioned again in a correct manner to the gripper  81  by way of cam-controlled lifting of the inner support elements  91  relative to the gripper  81  (between “2 o&#39;clock” and “1 o&#39;clock”). The gripper  81  is subsequently closed. The support elements  91 ,  92  which are now no longer necessary for supporting, are pivoted away to the top or to the bottom, so that the gripper conveyor  80  may be led out of the inner region between the two part wheels  110   a ,  110   b.