Abstract:
An apparatus and a method for compiling flat objects, wherein a gripper conveyor is used, the grippers of which either act directly as support elements or contact surfaces for the products to be compiled, thereby constituting a receiving unit, or interact with a separate support element to form a receiving unit. The use of a gripper conveyor having a controllable opening state and a controllable orientation of the gripper jaws of the individual grippers, and/or a controllable orientation of the separate support elements, has the advantage that the orientation of the contact surfaces and the clamping function within a receiving unit can be set independently of the adjoining receiving units. In this way, greater flexibility is attained.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention lies in the field of conveying technology and relates to a device and to a method for collating two-dimensional objects. The invention may in particular be applied for forming stacks of products lying on one another; such a stack formation for example is a step with the manufacture of printed products which consists of several part printed products and other products such as e.g. CDs, product samples and other things, e.g. newspapers, magazines, brochures, books and likewise. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    The collation of printed products is understood by the man skilled in the art as the placing of different printed products onto one another, into stacks. Usually, the same printed products lie on one another in the same sequence in all stacks. The stacks may however, as the case may be, also differ from one another by way of the fact that individual printed products are absent in individual stacks. The printed products are for example individual, unfolded or folded sheets or signatures which are folded several times. The printed products which are collated into a stack differ from one another with respect to their printed content, but may however also differ with regard to their shape. 
         [0005]    Known devices for collating printed products comprise a plurality of conveyer compartments which are moved along a conveying path. Usually, several feed units are arranged along a collation and stretch along the conveying path, and these are designed for feeding printed products of a single type. The exits of the feed units which are directed towards the conveyor compartments are essentially arranged one after the other in a row, whose direction corresponds to the conveying direction of the compartments along the collation stretch. In each case, one compartment is aligned onto, in each case, one feed exit during the feed steps. The feed units are for example feeders, reel stations or on-line connections to devices, in which the printed products to be collated are created or processed. 
         [0006]    In collation devices, in which the printed products are fed to the compartments essentially perpendicularly to the conveying direction, usually the compartments are stationary during the feed steps and the printed products are pushed or thrown from the side into the compartments which are directed onto the feed exits. Between successive feed steps, the printed products with the compartments are displaced by the distance between consecutive feed exits (or by an integer fraction of this distance), in a manner such that the compartments aligned onto the exits are replaced by compartments following these. The compartments of such a device are usually arranged in a manner such that the printed products lay therein horizontally or in a slightly sloping manner. Disadvantages exist in the necessary intermittent stop- and go operation of the conveying means for the compartments. 
         [0007]    Collation devices with compartments moving in an essentially continuous manner in the collation direction do not have these disadvantages. The printed products, however, must be essentially equally aligned with the collation direction and must be pushed or thrown into the compartments in a manner which is exactly synchronised with these compartments, wherein their speed is also to be adapted to the conveying speed of the compartments, for feeding the printed products to continuously moving compartments without any problem. The compartments, for example, are formed by a conveyor belt with separating walls which are arranged transversely and, as the case may be, also longitudinally to the belt length, wherein in each case two adjacent transverse walls delimit a compartment. The fed printed products are stacked in a lying manner on the conveyor belt in these compartments. Further known collation devices with continuously conveyed compartments have V-shaped or L-shaped compartments, in which the fed printed products stand on an edge and lean on a compartment wall, as a rest surface/support surface, which leads or trails in the collation direction. 
         [0008]    A collation device with compartments which are L-shaped in the longitudinal section in the conveying direction and which are moved through the collation region by a conveying member along a closed revolving path, is known from WO 2007/085101. The longer compartment wall which is orientated essentially horizontally in the collation region, serves as a rest surface for the objects, and the shorter compartment wall which is essentially vertically orientated in the collation region, serves as an abutment, on which the leading edges of the objects are aligned. The compartments are arranged in a pivotable manner relative to the conveying member. Their pivot position is controlled such that the orientation of the rest surface in space remains constant independent of the shape of the conveying path, and specifically with a slight inclination in the conveying direction. In this manner, it is possible for the stacks to remain lying in the rest surfaces without them being actively held, even with a change of the conveying direction, e.g. in curved sections of the conveying path. 
         [0009]    A further collation device is known from WO 2008/058405, with which the walls of all compartments are defined by continuous belts which run around deflection means. By way of the zigzag-like deflection along the conveying path, the belts open out a plurality of compartments which are L-shaped in section and which are directly consecutive to one another without interruption. The orientations of the side walls of adjacent compartments may be set in dependence on one another, by way of changing the position of the deflection means (rollers, rods). The long side wall, for example, is inclined relative to the conveying path or to the conveying member, and the short side wall is orientated in an essentially vertical manner, so that an oblique rest surface and an abutment which projects upwards from this are formed. In an alternative configuration, the two side walls are orientated parallel to the conveying path and may enclose a stack between them. By way of this, it is possible to convey the stack also with a rest surface which is arranged in a steep manner or above the stack (upside down). The orientation of the side walls of adjacent compartments, however, may not be selected independently of another, since the belts run over the mentioned common deflection means, so that the angle of inclination of the rest surface and the opening angle between the side walls are coupled to one another. 
         [0010]    A further collating conveyor is known from DE-A 31 45 491. It comprises a plurality of grippers, wherein the rest surface which is assigned to a gripper, for supporting the laid-on products, is formed by the upwardly pointing gripper jaw of the gripper leading in the conveying direction. With this, the inclination angle of the rest surface and the opening angle of the grippers are likewise not independent of one another. The inclination is moreover opposite to the conveying direction. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    It is the object of the invention, to provide a collation device and a corresponding method, with which device or with which method the objects may be reliably received, aligned and conveyed, wherein it is desirable to be able to hold the collated objects as a stack independently of the orientation of the compartments. 
         [0012]    The device according to the invention serves for collating two-dimensional objects, in particular printed products and other products, and for the further conveying of the collated objects as stacks. It comprises a plurality of receiver units which are movable in a conveying direction along a closed conveying path defined by a conveying member. Moreover, a plurality of support elements are present, which at least in a collation region of the conveying path define a rest surface inclined in the conveying direction, on which the objects may be deposited and align themselves due to the inclination. The receiver units, according to the invention, comprise grippers with a first and second gripper jaw, which in a manner known per se, may assume a clamping position and an open position. The grippers, at least in the collation region, are arranged and moved relative to the support elements, such that they may firmly hold stacks formed on the support elements and convey them further in the held condition, by way of closure of the grippers. The grippers optionally, at least in the collation region, form an abutment for the objects lying on the rest surface, on which abutment the objects are aligned, in particular on account of gravity. The grippers and the support elements may be controlled such that within a receiver unit, the orientation of the rest surface relative to the conveying path and/or an opening angle between the first and the second gripper jaw may be set independently of adjacent receiver units. Preferably, the grippers for this are connected to the conveying member and controllable, wherein this connection and control are of a manner such that the orientation of the grippers relative to the conveying path, and/or an opening angle between the first and second gripper jaw, may be set independently of adjacent grippers. 
         [0013]    The operating method according to the invention comprises the following steps: moving the receiver units in the conveying direction along the closed conveying path; feeding individual objects one after the other to the receiver units in the collation region of the conveying path; laying the objects onto the rest surfaces of the receiver units for forming stacks; closing the grippers after forming the stack and further conveying the stack by the grippers. 
         [0014]    The invention is based on the idea of using a gripper conveyor known per se and having grippers, whose orientation and opening condition may be controlled independently of one another, for collating flat objects or for the stack formation and for the subsequent conveying of the stacks. This idea differs fundamentally from the initially described known concepts in the field of collation. With these concepts, the compartments are always applied with large-surfaced rest surfaces and rigid compartment walls or compartment walls which are variable in their orientation as the case may be. In contrast, the invention has the following advantages: 
         [0015]    In principle, one may apply known gripper conveyors which are modified by way of suitable support elements, so that the objects in the collation region, in which the grippers are still open, are securely supported, in particular from below. The stacks of objects, after the collation and by way of closing the grippers, may be reliably held and conveyed further also over longer stretches without displacements within the stack. Therefore, in contrast to the state of the art, it is not necessary to transfer the stacks into grippers for the further conveying. The stacks may be gripped directly at the location of their completion. Since the grippers may be individually activated, defect stacks may be ejected out in a simple manner, e.g. by way of the gripper being opened with upside down conveying. The stack transfer to an optionally present conveying-away device is effected in an extremely controlled manner, since the orientation of the grippers and the point in time of the opening may be set in a very accurate manner. As with the devices according to WO 2007/085101 or WO 2008/058405, one may realise constant orientations of the rest surface in the collation region, even with a bent conveying path, but in the present case in a significantly simpler manner and with an increased flexibility. 
         [0016]    The support elements, as with the state of the art, may be an integral constituent of the receiver units and therefore are co-moved along the entire conveying path. Since, according to the invention, grippers are applied as receiver units, the support elements may be an integral constituent of the grippers or be connected to the gripper in a fixed or articulated manner e.g. in the form of a rigid or flexible continuation. In an advantageous further formation of the invention, the support elements are formed by one of the gripper jaws which are extended compared to the other gripper jaw. The extended gripper jaw is then arranged in the collation region, preferably in an essentially lying manner, thus horizontally or with only a small inclination, and the other gripper jaw preferably projects upwards. The gripper, simultaneously with the rest surface, thus forms an abutment for the leading product edges. 
         [0017]    The support elements may, however, also be formed by way of separate elements which for example are only moved synchronously with the grippers in the collation region and then removed again as soon as the grippers, by way of transition into the clamping position, securely firmly hold the finished stacks and convey them further. This has the advantage that a conventional gripper conveyor may be applied, which is only supplemented in the collation region by a support element conveyor. 
         [0018]    The grippers are controlled such that they are open in the collation region and are closed after completion of the stack formation. The support elements are arranged such that they receive the products in an essentially lying manner in the collation region. The gripper is arranged relative to the support element such that it may hold the products lying on the rest surface between its two gripper jaws, by way of closure. It optionally also acts as an abutment for the alignment of the products. 
         [0019]    The gripper jaw may be designed in a relative narrow manner transversely to the conveying direction, i.e. e.g. narrower than the product width in the respective direction. This renders it possible to laterally align the products already during the feeding, so that they are exactly aligned with respect to the support surface of the gripper. Suitable aligning elements may be arranged at a distance to one another on both sides of the movement path of the grippers, wherein the grippers run through between the aligning elements. Such an arrangement of the aligning elements is not possible with the state of the art for reasons of space, since the compartments are wider. 
         [0020]    The realisation of the receiver units by way of grippers has the further advantage that the conveying path is not limited to stretches which are straight in a plan view, but that they may have a ground view with direction changes. This is because, different to the devices known from the state of the art on the basis of deflected belts (e.g. according to WO 2008/058405) or rigid compartments, grippers may be led along infinite spatial curves, also those with a small radius of curvature. A plan view with differently orientated and/or arcuate sections, e.g. U-shaped or L-shaped ones, has the advantage that the complete installation may be adapted to existing factory buildings. One may accommodate more feed stations (feeders) in an existing room, than with installations which are limited to a straight plan view or straight collation region. Also two or more collation regions may be present, in which the conveying direction is different, e.g. runs anti-parallel or at 90° to one another. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    Examples of the invention are represented in the drawings and are described hereinafter. In a purely schematic manner are shown in: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  a collation device with support elements which are an integral consistent of the grippers; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  a variant of the collation device according to  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 3 and 4  details of the collation device according to  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  a collation device with support elements which are separate from the grippers, 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  a view of the collation device according to  FIG. 5  along the line A-A; 
           [0027]      FIGS. 7   a - c  part views of a collation device with support elements, which are an integral constituent of the grippers, in different momentary glimpses, with the product transfer to a conveying-away device; 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  a plan view of the device of  FIG. 7   b  on the conveying surface of the conveying-away device 
           [0029]      FIGS. 9 and 10  views of collation devices with a non-linear plan view. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]      FIG. 1  shows a collation device  1  according to the invention, with a plurality of receiver units  10  which are moved along a closed conveying path U. The receiver units  10  are moved by way of a conveyor member  2 , here a chain, along the conveying path U which is defined by straight and curved channel pieces  3  and deflections  4 . The conveying path U here by way of example has two parallel path pieces U 1 , U 3  which are connected to one another by way of circular transition pieces U 2 , U 4 . Products  100  or products stacks  110  are transported along the upper path piece U 1  and the deflection region U 2  which is on the right in the drawing, whilst the lower path piece U 3  and the left deflection region U 4  serves for leading back the empty receiver units  10  or grippers  12 . Feed devices  30  for individual objects  100  are arranged above a part of the upper path piece U 1 . A collation region Z of the conveying path U is defined by way of this. The exits of the feed devices  30  lie in this collation region one after the other in a row essentially parallel to the conveying path U. A conveying-away device  40  for stacks  110  as well as a transfer device  50 , with which the stacks  110  are taken from the receiver units  10  and are transferred to the conveying-away device  40 , are located in the right deflection region U 2 . 
         [0031]    The collation device  1 , according to the invention, is based on a gripper conveyor with a plurality of grippers  12 , which here represent the receiver units  10 . The grippers  12  have two gripper jaws  14 ,  16  whose position relative to one another (open/clamping position) as well as their orientation in space or relative to the conveying path U may be set individually or independently of the adjacent gripper by way of suitable control means. Here, the grippers are opened at an opening location S 1  in front of the collation region Z, are moved in the opened condition through the collation region Z and at the end of the collation region Z are closed again at a closure location S 2 . In the collation region Z, the individual products are fed one after the other, so that stacks  110  are formed and are transported by the grippers  12 . At a further opening location S 3 , the grippers  12  are opened for the purpose of transfer of the stacks  110  to the transfer device and subsequently are closed at a further closure location S 4 , in order in the closed, empty condition, to be moved along the lower path piece U 3 . Moreover, the gripper orientation is changed in the region around the opening/closure locations S 1 , S 2 . 
         [0032]    In the example of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first gripper jaws  14  closer to the conveying member  2  are extended compared to the second gripper jaws  16 . Their length corresponds roughly to the maximal length of the fed products  100 , measured in the conveying direction F. The grippers  12  are orientated relative to the conveying path U such that the extended gripper jaws  14  in the collation region Z run essentially horizontally, or inclined at an angle of approx. 30-40° in the conveying direction F. In the collation region Z, the shorter gripper jaws  16  project essentially vertically upwards. The extended gripper jaws  14  therefore define an essentially horizontal or, for the purpose of aligning the products  100 , slightly inclined rest surface  22  for the products  100  fed by the feed devices  30 . The shorter gripper jaws  16  are orientated such that they do not block the product feed in the collation region Z, but they may function as an abutment for the leading product edges. The abutment, as is shown here, may also be realised by another shape of the first gripper jaw  14  (abutment edge  18 ). 
         [0033]    The distance of two consecutive grippers  12 , the length of the two gripper jaws  14 ,  16  and their orientations here are selected such that in the collation region Z, the gripper jaws  14 ,  16  of adjacent grippers are adjacent to one another in an essentially gapless manner and define a quasi continuous zigzag-like area. By way of this, one prevents the products from inadvertently getting into the gaps between the grippers  12  and disturbing the operation. Preferably, the distance of the grippers may be adapted to the size of the products. The long gripper jaw may for example be flexible, in order to be able to compensate distance changes, e.g. by way of sagging. Alternatively, the long gripper jaw or an element attached thereto (e.g. the second gripper part  14   b  shown in  FIG. 8 ) may be exchangeable. 
         [0034]    The transfer device  50  in the form of a transfer wheel grips the product stacks  110  by way of transfer elements  52 , e.g. grippers, clamping elements, at the side edges and transfers these to the conveying-away device  40 . This comprises two conveyor belts  42  which are driven in opposite directions and which enclose a gap-like conveying channel  46 . The stacks  110  approach the transfer device  50  from the top and are taken over by this tangentially to the initial conveying path U and are moved further, tangentially to the movement path of the transfer elements  52 . 
         [0035]    The collation device  1  according to  FIG. 2 , with regard to its essential elements, corresponds to that of  FIG. 1 . The two upper and lower path pieces U 1 , U 3  are likewise designed parallel to one another and here in a straight manner. The conveying direction F is anti-clockwise in contrast to  FIG. 1 . The path pieces U 1 , U 2 , U 3 , and U 4  are run through in this sequence, i.e. the curved path piece U 2  is at the left in the drawing and the further curved path piece U 4 , in whose region the transfer device  50  is also located, is at the right in the drawing. Accordingly, the grippers  12  have an arrangement which is mirrored to  FIG. 1 . The collation region Z here, as with  FIG. 1 , is located in the upper path piece U 1 . The products  100  are grouped into stacks  110  and as stacks  110  are moved almost along the complete conveying path U up to the transfer device  50 . This arrangement has the advantage that a greater stretch is available for the collation region Z and that defect stacks in the lower region U 3  are conveyed upside-down and may thus be ejected by way of opening individual grippers  12 . 
         [0036]    The collation devices  1  which are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  moreover permit a “repair” function, i.e. a repair of product stacks which have been collated in a faulty manner. Hereby, individual stacks, by way of selective non-opening of the grippers  12 , are not transferred to the transfer device  50  and thus run anew through the collation stretch Z. Faulty products may then be added. Such a repair run-through is triggered by a control device, after a monitoring device has detected a defect stack. Alternatively or additionally, an ejection device may be present, which ejects the defect stack, e.g. by way of the gripper being opened, when a defect is ascertained. 
         [0037]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show details of the revolving path U of the device  11  of  FIG. 2  in the region U 1  ( FIG. 3 ) or U 3  ( FIG. 4 ). In the case of  FIG. 3 , the grippers  12  are opened, and the products  100  lie on the rest surface  22  which is formed by the extended gripper jaw  14 . This gripper jaw  14  is inclined in the conveying direction F relative to the revolving path U 1 . With this, the products  100  with their leading edges  102  are aligned on an abutment  18  which is formed by the extended gripper jaw  14 . As already described, the outer edges of the gripper jaws  14 ,  16  of neighbouring grippers  12  are adjacent to one another, so that a quasi-continuous surface is formed in the collation region Z. 
         [0038]    In  FIG. 4 , the grippers are closed and orientated such that the product stacks  110  are conveyed in a position, in which the products  100  are orientated largely parallel to the revolving path U. The products  100  are additionally supported from below by a support device  60  with, for example, a low-friction support surface  62  or co-running support belts. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  shows a further embodiment of the invention, with which the rest surfaces  22  are formed by separate support elements  20  which are independent of the grippers  12 . The grippers  12  are part of a, for example, conventional gripper conveyor and here have two essentially equally long gripper jaws  14 ,  16 . The opening condition of the grippers  12  and their orientation relative to their conveying path U is set by way of control cams which are not represented here. A part of the conveying path U acts as a collation region Z. The grippers before this are opened at an opening location S 1  and thereafter are closed at a closure location S 2 . 
         [0040]    The support elements  20  are part of a support element conveyor  70  which is independent of the gripper conveyor. This support element conveyor comprises a support element conveyor member  72 , with which the support elements  20  are moved along a closed support element conveying path U s . The support element conveying path U s , at least in the collation region Z, runs parallel to the conveying path U of the grippers  12  and is deflected by way of deflections  74 , of which only one is represented here. The support elements  20  have the shape of compartments which are L-shaped in a lateral view, wherein the long limb  23  of the L consists of several segments which are connected to one another in a movable manner. By way of this, the support elements  20  may be led around the deflections  74  in a space-saving manner. The upper side of the long limb  23  acts as a support surface  22 , and the region, in which the two limbs  23 ,  24  of the L-shaped support elements  20  meet one another, which is to say the shorter limb  24 , acts as an abutment  18  for aligning the products  100 . 
         [0041]    The support elements  20  are moved synchronously to the grippers  12  in the collation region Z. Thereby, the abutment  18  is arranged flush with the gripper jaw. Moreover, the long limb  23  is inclined in the conveying direction. The products  100  are, therefore, aligned to the gripper jaw by way of the abutment  18  and may be gripped by way of closure of the grippers  12 . After the closure location S 2 , the product stacks  110  may be held by the grippers  12  alone, and the conveying path U s  of the support elements may take a different path than that of the grippers  12 . Here, the free ends of the products  100 , as with  FIG. 2 , are supported by a support device  60  with a support surface  62  which runs parallel to the conveying path U and which here is arranged in the region of the left defection  4 . 
         [0042]    This variant has the advantage that one may use a conventional gripper conveyor. This may also be part of an extensive conveyor installation. An additional circulation with the support elements  20  is only envisaged in the collation region. The collating and conveying function may therefore be realised with existing installations without much more additional effort with regard to design. 
         [0043]      FIG. 6  shows a plan view of the collation device of  FIG. 5  along the line A-A. One recognises that the support element conveyor  70  comprises two parallel conveyor members  72  for support elements  20  which in each case are arranged laterally of the path plane E of the grippers  12 . In each case two support elements  20  support the products  100  in the open grippers  12  therefore in the region of their side edges. 
         [0044]      FIGS. 7   a - c  show a part view of a collation device  1  in the region of the product transfer to a conveying-away device  40 , at different points in time.  FIG. 8  shows a view of the device in the direction which is marked at x in  FIG. 7   b.    
         [0045]    The collation device  1  in principle is constructed as in one of the  FIGS. 1-4 , i.e. it comprises a gripper  12  with differently long gripper jaws  14 ,  16 . The longer gripper jaw  14  serves as a rest surface  22  for the products  100  or product stack  110 . The shorter gripper jaw  16  serves for firmly clamping the products  100  against the other gripper jaw  14 . Here, schematically only a single product  100  is represented, but it may also be the case of stacks  110 . 
         [0046]    As  FIG. 8  shows, the long gripper jaw  14  consists of two parts  14   a ,  14   b . A first part  14   a  which as a rule is rigid, is connected to the other gripper jaw  16  in an articulated manner. The abutment  18  is also formed on it. A second part  14   b  is arranged on the end of the first part  14   a  which is away from the joint. The connection may be rigid or flexible. In the present case, the connection is rigid, but the second gripper part  14   b  is two-dimensional and is designed intrinsically flexible or supple. The two gripper parts  14   a ,  14   b  are only connected to one another via a narrow material bridge  14   c , so that two lateral recesses  15  are formed between the two gripper parts  14   a ,  14   b , and the function of these recesses is explained further below. The angle between the two gripper parts  14   a ,  14   b  or the bending may also be varied in a controlled manner when required. 
         [0047]    The grippers  12  in the present case run along a revolving path U. They are connected at equal distances via levers  19  to the conveyor member  2  running along a parallel revolving path U′. The levers  19  have the function of being able to change the distances of the grippers  12  in curved parts of the revolving path U. Here, the product release region is envisaged in the curved part of the revolving path U. Successive products  100  which have been conveyed still in a partly overlapping manner in the straight part, are therefore pulled apart without much effort by way of the path curvature. 
         [0048]    A support surface  62  which is orientated parallel to the revolving path U, is provided in the straight path part. Thanks to its flexibility, the second gripper part  14   b  adapts to the orientation of the support surface  62 , so that the products  100  are guided or supported by both sides before the transfer. 
         [0049]    The revolving path U runs onto the conveyor plane of the conveying-away device  40  at an angle. The conveying-away device  40  as with  FIG. 1  or  2  comprises one or more conveyor belts  42 , onto which the products  100  or stacks  110  are deposited and then released by way of opening the grippers  12 . The deposited products  100  are subsequently accelerated by an acceleration element  44 , e.g. by a cam driven by a motor, in the conveying-away direction W, as well as press against the rest, here a further conveyor belt, and transported away. 
         [0050]    With the described collation devices  1 , increasingly one creates more complex formations, for example product stacks  110  with several individual products  100 , which e.g. may comprise also thicker printed products, goods samples, CDs or other non-printed products. With such stacks  110 , it is essential that the individual products  100  do not mutually dislocate on transfer to the conveying-away device  40 . This is because such displacement may upset the procedure in stations arranged downstream, e.g. on film-wrapping. The transfer devices  50  which are represented in  FIGS. 1 and 2  engage a product stack  110  from both sides. The transfer however takes place at one point, specifically where the paths of the grippers  12  and the transfer elements  52  meet one another tangentially. 
         [0051]      FIGS. 7   a - c  and  8  show a variant of a transfer device  50 , which is integrated into the deflection  4  of the conveyor member  2  which functions as a transfer region, for the grippers  12 , and permits a very reliable transfer also of more complex product stacks  110 . It comprises a plurality of transfer elements  52  which are moved along a circular path U T  running parallel to the conveying path U. The transfer elements  52  comprise levers  53  which are pivotable on a drive means, e.g. a wheel, and which at their free end comprise a transverse rod  54  orientated perpendicularly to the revolving path U T . As  FIG. 8  shows, the transfer device  50  here comprises two drive means which are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner to the plane E and transfer elements  52  which are attached thereon. The transverse rods  54 , in each case, of two transfer elements  52  lying opposite one another are moved through the recesses  15  between the two gripper parts  14   a ,  14   b  before and with the product transfer. They press the product  100  or the product stack  110  against the conveyor rest of the conveying-away device  40  before, during and after the opening of the grippers. After gripping the products  100  by way of the acceleration element  44 , the lever  53  is pivoted upwards. This transfer device  50  has the advantage that the position of the products  100  or of the stacks  110  at every point in time is held and secured against displacement either by way of the grippers  12  in combination with the support surface  62 , and/or by way of the transverse rods  54  in combination with the conveyor rest and/or by way of the conveying-away device  40  per se. The transfer elements  52  accompany the products  100  over a certain stretch and hold these together, with the transfer. Thus one achieves a reliable transfer of the products  100 . 
         [0052]    The transfer elements  52  may, for example, also be deactivated in a controlled manner. This is important, for example, with a repair run-through, when the products are not to be released from the grippers  12 . 
         [0053]    The described procedures and functions are monitored and controlled by a control unit which is not represented here in more detail. The control unit, apart from suitable sensorics/electronics, may also comprise stationary and/or changeable control cams and/or activation elements which cooperate with suitable control elements on the moved components (grippers, support elements, transfer elements). Moreover, for example suitable drives are present, which are controlled by the control unit. 
         [0054]      FIGS. 9 and 10  show two examples for collation devices  1  with a ground plan which is not linear in a plan view. The conveying path U in the case of  FIG. 9  has a U-shaped plan view, and with  FIG. 10  the plan view is L-shaped. In a lateral view, the movement path may be designed as in  FIG. 1  or  2 , i.e. the receiver compartments  10  are moved in the arrow direction (conveying direction F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) in the upper part of the conveying path U and opposite to the arrow direction in the lower part. Both arrangements permit a large quantity of feed stations  30  to be accommodated in a limited space. 
         [0055]    In the example of  FIG. 9 , the conveying path U has a U-shaped plan view with a first linear region U 1  with a conveying direction F 1 , with a second linear region U 5  with a conveying direction F 2  and with a third linear region U 7  with a conveying direction F 3 . The conveying directions F 1  and F 3  are opposite to one another and the conveying direction F 2  runs perpendicularly to this. The linear regions are connected to one another by way of arcuate sections U 4  and U 6 . In the first and third linear region U 1  and U 7  respectively, the first and second collation regions Z 1 , Z 2  are realised in each case with a plurality of feed devices  30 . The conveying-away device  40 , as the case may be with an additional transfer device  50 , is located at the outermost end of the left limb. It is achieved after a complete passage of the regions U 1 , U 4 -U 7  and the respective rear sections of the conveying path which are not visible here. 
         [0056]    The grippers are opened before entry into the first collation region Z 1 . They are preferably closed before the first curved section U 4 , so that the collated objects  100  or object stacks  110  do not dislocate by way of centrifugal forces. They are opened again, at the latest, before entry into the second collation region Z 2  and are closed at its end before running through the rear conveying path region. 
         [0057]    The installation of  FIG. 10  has two linear conveying path sections U 1 , U 5  which are connected to one another by way of an arcuate section U 4 . The conveying directions F 1 , F 2  in the linear regions U 1 , U 5 , are offset by 90° to one another. In the first and second linear region U 1  and U 5  respectively, the first and second collation regions Z 1 , Z 2  are in each case realised with a plurality of feed devices  30 .