Patent Publication Number: US-6711878-B1

Title: Cartoner with intermediate transfer

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/584,335, filed May 31, 2000 now abandoned, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. This application discloses and claims only subject matter disclosed in said prior application Ser. No. 09/584,335, filed May 31, 2000 and names inventors named in said prior application. 
     Applicant claims the benefit of the filing date of applicant&#39;s prior filed provisional application, Ser. No. 60/136,888 filed Jun. 1, 1999 entitled “CARTONER WITH INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER”, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to cartoners and more particularly to cartoners for loading groups of articles in single tier or stacked tier format into cartons. 
     Apparatus and methods for grouping articles and inserting them into cartons in one or more layers or tiers are well known. For example, articles are fed in feed lanes at an angle toward a bucket conveyor. A device segregates a select number of articles in each lane to form a row of articles to be combined with other, like-formed rows from other lanes into a group. This group is transported downstream in a bucket and then inserted transversely from the bucket into an adjacent carton also moving downstream. Generally, bucket conveyors transport the formed groups in buckets in parallel with an adjacent carton conveyor, and the groups are sequentially transferred from the bucket conveyor, sometimes across an intermediate transfer conveyor, into the cartons. This is typically accomplished in the prior art by a barrel loader, for example, or by direct loading. Examples of such systems can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,959 and 5,241,806. 
     When it is desirable to load a carton with two tiers or two stacked groups, one atop another, it is known that two of the single level devices, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,959 or 5,241,806 can be combined. Typically, a partition or slip sheet is inserted over the first lower group at a location between the formation of such a lower group and the formation of a second upper group. The upper group is then formed on top of the partition and the two, stacked groups and intermediate partition are loaded into a carton, tall enough to accept both groups, in a fashion similar to single level or single group loading. Such two-tier or dual-layer systems are shown in prior art patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,666,789 and 5,692,361. Such systems use the same flight bars for forming and transporting rows of articles and groups thereof in both upper and lower levels of groups. That is, the same flight bars extend through and are operational in both upper and lower group forming stations. 
     These systems have at least two inherent design limitations of major operational significance. 
     First, there is a matter of changeover costs where different articles are to be handled. In such systems, the devices metering the articles and forming the rows are flight bars attached to and extending from the structure of the bucket conveyors. Wedges are formed on the end of the flight bars to handle articles of particular diameter or varying article counts. The width of the bars and/or spacing therebetween must be changed when articles of different diameter or different counts of articles are to be cartoned. This requires a changeover of the flight bars or “wedges” associated with each bucket of the bucket conveyor. Thus, the cost of changeover is, in part, a function of the number of buckets in the system and the down-time required to modify each one. 
     Accordingly, it has been one objective of the invention to reduce the number and cost of changeover parts, and the downtime necessary for any changeover in article size. 
     In another aspect of the inherent design of prior systems, and particularly in multiple layer systems, a partition or slip sheet is inserted by a sheet feeder into the moving line of grouped articles between the lower group forming apparatus located upstream, and the upper group forming apparatus located downstream. In that position, the sheet feeder and its attendant magazine are surrounded by the lower group forming apparatus, the adjacent infeed for the upper group, the upper group forming apparatus, and the bucket conveyor as well as perhaps the carton conveyor. This severely limits access to the sheet feeder and its associated magazine for resupply, maintenance and repair. Either access to the prior devices is limited, or the entire cartoner footprint must be unduly and expensively lengthened to provide an accessible area station for the feeder between major elements of lower and upper group forming operations. 
     Accordingly, it has been a further objective of this invention to provide an improved cartoner for multi-level groups of articles with a sheet feeder having improved access without requiring undue length extension of the cartoner&#39;s footprint. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To these ends, the invention contemplates, in a preferred embodiment, a cartoner having an intermediate transfer conveyor separate and independent of an adjacent, longer bucket conveyor and extending alongside the bucket conveyor for so much length as required to select, receive and transfer select count rows of articles from respective article infeed lanes to the buckets of the bucket conveyor. The phrase “separate and independent” means not attached to or part of the buckets of the bucket conveyor, but constituting a distinct conveyor. Article selecting or row defining wedges or transfer guides are carried on the intermediate transfer conveyor. These transfer guides extend into article feed lanes, intersect articles, select a count of articles in each lane to form a group row and transfer the row into the buckets. While the guides are indexed with the buckets, they are separate and independent, i.e. distinct therefrom. The guides are thus operational to define select count rows, but at the same time, only a relative few guides are required when compared to the number of buckets desired or used, since the transfer conveyor extends through only a short run adjacent the much longer bucket conveyor. 
     This is due to the fact that the intermediate transfer conveyor need only be so long as to present a transfer guide to select rows, and then move the rows along until transferred to a bucket. Thereafter, the guide can be returned for subsequent row selections and transfers. There are, in this invention, no article selecting or group or row forming devices or flight bars carried on the buckets themselves. 
     Accordingly, when it is desired to changeover the apparatus to handle articles of differing diameter or count, it is only necessary to change the few transfer guides and not a device on every bucket of the bucket conveyor. Since the transfer conveyor carrying the transfer guides is very short, it will be appreciated that each guide will select respective rows of articles for more than one bucket on the bucket conveyor for the layer in question. Thus, the number of changeover parts, costs and downtime is significantly reduced, as are the number of product engaging parts in the system. 
     And where a multiple layer or dual layer system is contemplated, it is appreciated that a further separate and independent second transfer conveyor, totally distinct, spaced and elevated from the bucket conveyor different than the first transfer conveyor for the other level, is used. Thus, each level of articles is acted on by a separate and distinct intermediate transfer conveyor. The intermediate transfer conveyor and transfer guides for one group level have no function with any articles of the other group level for the same carton. There are instead two separate intermediate conveyors and with separate sets of guides. While each guide may be changed when articles of different diameters or count are to be cartoned, the total number of changeover parts and downtime is still significantly less than if wedges or bars on each bucket of the longer bucket conveyor had to be changed. 
     Moreover, where dual tier cartoning is provided according to the invention, the use of two separate intermediate transfers provides a further unique advantage. In the past, since the group forming devices, herein called “flight bars”, extended laterally from the buckets, a dead plate was provided thereunder. The junction of the dead plate with the adjacent infeed conveyor typically presents a “stumbling point” as the articles move from the infeed conveyor to the dead plate. When final cans in the lane are presented at the noted junction, without pressure from any upstream articles, their feed over junction is not positive. The articles are frequently fed partially or not at all onto the dead plate and can be spread or entirely missed by the flight bars. When the machine had to be cleared of all articles, pusher blocks or such devices were required to push the last articles from the infeed lanes positively onto the dead plate for pickup by flight bars and movement into the buckets. Otherwise there was no mechanism to move the last articles (not subject to pressure from upstream articles) laterally onto the dead plate and toward the buckets. Alternately, these last cans were removed by hand. 
     In this invention, the intermediate transfer for the lower tier does not extend into the area of group forming for the upper tier. Accordingly, there is no need to accommodate any space beside the bucket conveyor in the upper tier forming area for any flight bars from the lower tier. This means that a live conveyor can be placed directly next to the bucket conveyor for both the upper and lower tiers, without intervention of any dead plate. Accordingly, articles in the infeeds are positively conveyed and urged all the way into the buckets. There is no need for article pusher blocks or such to clear the infeed lanes by pushing the last articles in the lanes into the buckets. The cartoner can thus be run to empty without additional mechanisms for pushing the last articles over a dead plate into the buckets, or without manual intervention. 
     More particularly, in the previous art with a flight bar device extending from the bucket walls, the lower level could have a live conveyor next to the bucket conveyor. Conveyance of the last cans in the lane onto or over the dead plate was less than positive. 
     There is yet a further advantage of the invention which arises from the use of intermediate transfers without group or row selecting and forming devices (flight bars) extending from the buckets. In particular, it will be appreciated that such flight bars extend laterally and move in a path beside the bucket-conveyor. Where barrel loaders are used to push groups of articles from the buckets into cartoners, the barrel loader pushers move along beside the buckets and extend through the buckets to push the groups. These pushers must be disposed adjacent the buckets but spaced apart therefrom a distance sufficient to clear the lateral extension of the flight bars. This requires the stroke of each barrel loader pusher to also extend a distance equal to the width or lateral extension of these flight bars, as well as its normal loading stroke. Otherwise, the moving flight bars would hit the pusher ends. 
     In this invention, the intermediate transfer conveyor terminates upstream of any barrel loader. The barrel loader can thus be placed immediately adjacent the bucket conveyor, there being no such laterally extending flight bars from the buckets. The pusher stroke of the barrel loader can thus be shorter, as compared to prior devices. It does not have to also extend a distance equal to that width of the path of any laterally extending flight bars. 
     This is an important advantage. It will be immediately appreciated that a smaller barrel loader can be used, resulting in a smaller equipment footprint, higher speeds due to shorter stroke length can be obtained, or a smoother operational loading profile can be utilized. These features may be combined or attained separately for particular installations. 
     The invention also contemplates a unique partition or slip sheet feeding operation. Preferably, a sheet feeder and its associated magazine is disposed at an upstream end of the bucket conveyor. Partitions are fed onto rails extending along in a machine direction above the elongated path of the forming lower group in the bucket conveyor. 
     The partitions are fed and transported so that on start up, when the first lower group is formed, a partition conveyed above it is lowered onto that group so the upper group can be formed thereon. A full load of upper and lower groups with intervening partition is thus assured for the first carton to be filled. This invention thus places the sheet feeder and magazine out at the upstream end of the bucket conveyor where it can be easily accessed, preferably near the carton magazine where an operator can tend both carton blank magazine loading and partition magazine loading for the sheet feeder. Access is open and the footprint of the cartoner need not be unduly extended. 
     This eliminates the requirement to place the sheet feeder and magazine in the area between the lower and upper group forming stations as in the prior art. The upper and lower group forming stations need not be separated, as in the old systems, thereby unduly increasing the cartoner&#39;s footprint. 
     Of course, it will be appreciated that the two aspects of this invention, i.e. the separate and independent transfer guide conveyors and the sheet feeder can be used together when desired, or independently of each other. For example, the independent transfer guide can be used in both single or dual tier cartoners, to the same advantage, even if a sheet feeder described herein is not used over the upstream end of the bucket conveyer. 
    
    
     These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and from the drawings in which: 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cartoner according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the article group forming and partition feeding aspects of the invention of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  4 — 4  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic elevational view of upper and lower groups of cans separated by a partition sheet for illustration purposes; 
     FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic elevational view of components of the partition feeder according to the invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of a transfer guide according to the invention; and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  8 — 8  of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A dual layer or double tier cartoner  30  is depicted in the FIGS. 1-4 and  6 . It will be appreciated that while the cartoner  30  has many uses, it finds particular application in loading cylindrical containers such as cans or glass or plastic bottles into cartons. These are referred to herein as “articles”. It will also be appreciated that a dual tier cartoner  30  can also be used to pack single layer tiers into cartons. 
     The overall function of this cartoner, in a stacked tier format, is to receive articles from lower and upper infeed conveyors  10 ,  20  to form stacked groups consisting of lower groups LG and upper groups UG of articles on a main bucket conveyor  14 . These stacked groups of articles are subsequently inserted by transverse movement into open sleeved cartons “C” which are carried downstream by a carton conveyor  41 , and which are subsequently closed and glued. The cartoner utilizes a unique combination of components, including infeed conveyors  10 ,  20  and intermediate transfer conveyors  11  and  25  which transfer articles to the main bucket conveyor  14 . 
     The cartoner includes a main, or bucket conveyor  14 , having spaced, transverse, leading and trailing bucket walls such as at  28  and  29  in FIG.  2 . Although not shown in detail, leading and trailing bucket walls  28 ,  29  are mounted on separate, respective side-by-side mat, slat or flat top conveyors ( 14   a ,  14   b ,  14   c ) and the front to back width of a bucket between the walls  28 ,  29  is adjustable by a phase adjustment of these conveyors as is well known in the art. For each bucket, the trailing wall  29  is carried by outside conveyors  14   a  and  14   c , while the leading wall  28  is carried by conveyor  14   b . Adjustment of the phase of conveyor  14   b  with respect to conveyors  14   a ,  14   c  changes the front-to-back bucket dimension of each bucket to accommodate product variations in the size of groups to be loaded into cartons. 
     The main bucket conveyor  14  is supplied with a first or lower group of articles LG (in FIG. 5) by an intermediate transfer conveyor  10  at a first up-stream location. A partition or divider sheet  100  is fed for insertion between the upper and lower groups or tiers by an “Orbitrak” rotary placer or feeder  18  such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,301 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,545, incorporated herein by reference and made by applicant. Feeder  18  is supplied with partition sheets  100  from associated magazine  19 . Any suitable sheet or partition feeder can be used. 
     In this application, the partition feeder  18  is disposed upstream end and over the main bucket conveyor  14 . Partitions  100  are conveyed along guide rails  33  by bucket walls  29 , above a first or lower group LG of articles, and above bucket conveyor  14 , then laid thereon for receiving a second or upper group of articles UG (in FIG.  5 ). In the figures and for clarity, the lower group of articles LG is shown with the partition sheet  100  not shown thereover or thereon until viewed at the downstream end of the lower group run near where the partitions  100  are deposited on top of the lower group LG (FIGS. 1,  2  and  6 ) at a discharge station shown at the lefthand end of FIG.  6 . The main bucket conveyor  14  then receives an upper group of articles disposed on the partition  100  from an upper tier infeed conveyor  20  at a location downstream of the placement of the partition  100 , thereby forming a stacked article group as illustrated in FIG. 5. A carton conveyor  41 , which carries a series of open-ended cartons C, extends parallel and adjacent to the downstream portion of the main bucket conveyor  14 . Carton conveyor  41  has an upstream end  42  disposed adjacent the downstream end of the infeed transfer  25  but well downstream of the infeed transfer  11 . An elongated carton blank magazine is shown extending to the right upstream of carton conveyor  41  in FIG.  1 . 
     The cartoner also includes a barrel loader  75  adjacent bucket conveyor  14  and including a plurality of spaced pusher members  76  which are moved longitudinally in synchronism with the main bucket conveyor and carton conveyor, and are reciprocated transversely by means of a cam, all as well known in the industry. The pusher members each include a one piece head which engages a stacked article group carried by the bucket conveyor  14  and progressively forces this group transversely off the conveyor  14  and into an adjacent open carton sleeve “C” carried by the carton conveyor  41 . After the stacked groups (FIG. 5) have been inserted into the carton sleeves, the sleeves are glued and closed in a conventional manner. Barrel loader  75  can be any form of suitable barrel loader, well known in the industry. 
     In somewhat greater detail, the infeed conveyor apparatus  10  extends parallel to the upstream end of the main bucket conveyor  14  and is spaced from it. Infeed  10  includes one or more (not shown) conveyors (FIG. 3) moving in a machine direction MD under articles thereon to convey such articles downstream or in a direction with a downstream component. 
     Upper infeed  20  conveyor includes one or more conveyors. Five conveyors  44 - 48  are illustrated in the drawings (FIG. 4) for moving articles in a downstream direction or in a direction having a downstream component. The varied conveyors  44 - 48  may be operated together or separately and as desired to provide a desired article flow parameter. A similar number of conveyors can be used in lower group infeed apparatus  10 . 
     The intermediate transfer conveyor  11  comprised of conveyors  12 ,  13  is interposed between the infeed conveyor  10  and the bucket conveyor  14  to handle lower groups LG. Intermediate transfer conveyor  11  has an upstream end  21  and a downstream end  22  (FIG.  1 ). These transfer conveyors  12 ,  13  comprise an intermediate transfer conveyor  11  which is separate and independent of bucket conveyor  14 . 
     This intermediate transfer conveyor  11  thus terminates at an upstream location with respect to the position of the main bucket conveyor  14 , is positioned between the infeed conveyor  10  and the main bucket conveyor  14  and extends for a fraction of the length of that conveyor  14 . 
     A plurality of parallel lane guides  15 ,  16  (FIG. 2) respectively are disposed above the infeed conveyor  10  and transfer conveyors  12 ,  13 . Parallel spaced guides  15  extend for a distance parallel to the machine direction MD and infeed conveyor  10  and then continuing lane guides  16  angle inwardly toward the main bucket conveyor  14 . These guides  15 ,  16  function to form the articles into a series of parallel lanes of articles, with articles in each lane touching one after the other. 
     In the past, a series of rotatable star wheels have been disposed proximate the downstream ends of each of the lanes. These star wheels have functioned to slightly space the articles apart, one from the other, and to meter the movement of the articles so that the proper number is selected to be positioned in a row for insertion into each bucket of the bucket conveyor. In this invention, such star wheels are eliminated. 
     The main bucket conveyor  14  includes no flight bars, as have past cartoners, and includes no article engaging or selecting portion which extends outwardly beyond the lateral edge of the main bucket conveyor  14 . Instead, the operation of this portion of the cartoner  30  involves the selection and separation of cans by the intermediate transfer conveyors  11 ,  25  formed by transfer conveyors  12 ,  13  and  23 ,  24  respectively, and transfer guides or linear stars  50 ,  51  respectively thereon. 
     The intermediate transfer conveyors  12 ,  13  thus include a series of transfer guides  50  extending transversely of the linear transfer conveyors  12 ,  13 . They are preferably mounted on conveyor  13  and extend over conveyor  12 . Likewise, intermediate transfer  25  includes guides  51  mounted on transfer conveyor  24  extending over transfer conveyor  23 . 
     Thus, in contrast to prior cartoners without star wheels such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,959 or 5,241,806, the transfer guides or linear stars  50 ,  51  of this invention are separate and distinct from the bucket walls  28 ,  29  of the main bucket conveyor  14 . 
     Intermediate transfer conveyor  25  has an upstream end  37  and a downstream end  38  (FIG.  1 ). The selected rows of articles formed by the transfer conveyors  12 ,  13  and  23 ,  24  are simply moved transversely into the main buckets of the bucket conveyor  14  by the action of lane guides  16 ,  26  respectively and the underlying live conveyors. Of course, it will be appreciated that a single conveyor could be used in place of two conveyors  12 ,  13  or another single conveyor in place of conveyors  23 ,  24 . 
     It will be appreciated that the upper tier article infeed is similar to the lower tier infeed and has an intermediate transfer conveyor  25  comprised of transfer conveyor  23 ,  24  extending over a portion of the length of the bucket conveyor  14  and spaced downstream of the lower tier infeed and lower tier transfer conveyor  11 . Conveyors  23 ,  24  comprise the intermediate transfer conveyor  25  separate and independent of bucket conveyor  14  and of intermediate transfer conveyor  11 . Lane guides  26  and  27  are associated with the upper tier infeed conveyor  20 . Guides  26  preferably extend varying distances across the main bucket conveyor  14 , i.e., the upstream lane guide  26  extends approximately  80  percent across the width of the bucket conveyor  14 , while the remaining guides  26  extend progressively lesser distances until a last or downstream guide terminates at the edge of the bucket conveyor  14 . In all other respects, the upper tier infeed functions in a manner similar to the lower tier infeed. 
     As noted the front to back width of the main bucket walls  28 ,  29  can be independently adjusted by a phase adjustment of the conveyors as described. In order to change over to a different number or diameter of cans, i.e., from 3 can rows to 4 can rows, it is only required to adjust the phase of the conveyors ( 14   a ,  14   b ,  14   c ) of the main bucket conveyor so as to adjust the bucket width between walls  28 ,  29  and to replace a relatively small number of transfer guides or linear stars  50 ,  51  on the infeed transfer conveyors  12 ,  13  and  23 ,  24 . Since these conveyors extend over only a small portion of the length of the main bucket conveyor  14 , the changeover parts are reduced in number and cost as opposed to having to change projections from each bucket of the entire conveyor  14 . 
     The guides  50  each include a tapered section which has a pointed end or “forward hook”  53  extending forwardly and angularly from the main portion of the transverse linear star  50 . This pointed end is adapted to enter between the last article of a selected series or row and the first article of the next series or row to be selected. The guides  50  are longitudinally spaced a distance equal to the spacing of the pairs of transverse bucket walls defining the forward and leading walls  28 ,  29  of the buckets of the main bucket conveyor  14 . Thus, adjacent guides  50  select a proper number of articles in a series to form a row of articles which fit in a downstream direction into a bucket of the main bucket conveyor  14 . As the linear guides  50  move down stream, the forward tapered edge of the guide  50  accelerates the articles in front of the guide to separate them from the articles on the back side  54  of the guide, a distance greater than the combined separation of adjacent leading and trailing bucket walls  28 ,  29  on the main bucket conveyor  14 . Because of the configuration of the guides  50 , the articles engage the backside  54  of the guides to control upstream article flow before the preceding row of articles is accelerated. As a result, article speed is controlled without generating any surges or back pressure on the articles behind the guides  50  in the infeed lanes. The series or rows of articles selected by the guides  50  are forced transversely into the buckets by the action of the guides and in combination with the angulated lane guides  16  and the pressure of downstream rows. Of course, transfer guides  51  in the downstream intermediate transfer  25  are constructed and operate in a similar fashion for forming the upper group of articles UG. 
     In more detail, the pointed end  53  of the transfer guides  50 ,  51  is determined to smoothly separate rows of cans in the infeed lanes and smoothly control the speed of the incoming cans. For any given configuration of infeed angle, load length and bucket pitch, the forward hook of the guide  50  and the angle of its backside  54  are determined for optimum flow control. This is selected such that a trailing guide  50  must intercept the upstream articles in the infeed lane before the selected, separated row moves or are released around the radius  55  of the backside  54  of the preceding guide  50 . If it does not, the article in the infeed lanes can surge forwardly before the insertion of the guide  50 . When the articles surge, they take up the space which was to be the gap between the serial rows. Later guide insertion causes changes in infeed flow and surges in articles back upstream. 
     The “hook forward” approach of guides  50  helps to accelerate the articles after and while the backside  54  controls flow of the remaining upstream articles. The gap between rows (and between buckets) is created by the acceleration of articles longitudinally and forwardly in front of the guide  50  after the guide&#39;s backside  54  controls the incoming articles. The upstream control is asserted by the backside  54  before the lead article in the preceding row reaches the radius bend or transition  55  from the angled backside  54  to the perpendicular portion  56  (to flow or machine direction MD) of the backside of the downstream guide  50 . 
     More particularly, when the articles in the selected row just downstream of a first guide  50  engage and pass the radius of the backside  54  of a second downstream guide  50  (i.e. that area where the incline transitions into a surface perpendicular to machine direction) they “surge” or accelerate forwardly. If the upstream article flow is not controlled at this time, the entire infeeding lane can surge forwardly, resulting in a jerky infeed and resulting in undesirable back pressure when the next transfer guide  50  is inserted. Accordingly, it is important to intercept the following articles before the selected row surges or accelerates forwardly to maintain a consistent, constant and smooth infeed flow. 
     Stated in another way, as long as the supply articles are flowing at a constant velocity and are held by the inclined backside  54  of the guide  50 , the infeed is maintained at a constant rate. When the lead article of a selected row gets to the backside radius  55 , however, its velocity and that of the articles behind it changes and generally accelerates. If the succeeding articles feeding in are not restrained by the backside of the transfer guide, they too will surge into the selected row before a gap is formed. Subsequent guide insertion to form a gap then can cause a backward surge, and jerky motion in the article flow, producing noise, article damage or inconsistent flow. 
     In cartoning articles, such as cans or containers of beverages and the like, it is popular to package such cans in different configuration. These may be, for example, a  12  pack flat of four rows of three cans, a  15  pack flat of five rows of three cans, an  18  pack flat of  6  rows of three cans, or a  24  pack flat of six rows of four cans. It is also useful to produce a  24  pack, which constitutes upper and lower groups of cans, each having four rows of three cans, or a  30  pack which constitutes upper and lower groups of cans, each having five rows of three cans. These and other configurations can be cartoned on the cartoner  30  of this invention. 
     In making a transfer guide  50  then for the cartoner  30 , herein, all these noted configurations can be produced by picking off or selecting row counts of either three cans each, or of four cans each, either in a single level operation or in a stacked or multiple tier configuration. 
     The parameters for determining the length of the pointed ends  53  of the transfer guides or other guide features include the angle of approach of the angled infeed lanes to the machine direction (which is preferably  24 ″) the pitch of the buckets on bucket conveyor  14 , (which is preferably  12 ″, where there is preferably one bucket per  12 ″ of conveyor length) and the can diameter (which is preferably about  2   9/16 ″). Of course, these specific parameters are by way of example only, other values for the parameters might apply. With this information and in this example, a transfer guide  50  is provided for rows of three cans where the length of the pointed portion  53  is sufficient to engage the front end can of the infeed lane before the previously selected three cans are released from the angled backside  54  of the preceding transfer guide. In addition, the angle of the backside  54  of the transfer guide is selected to produce a constant or steady speed for the cans in the infeed lanes prior to their selection, as they are fed forwardly and as the transfer guides move downstream. 
     As shown in the drawing and in yet more detail within the above machine parameters, a transfer guide  50 ,  51  is configured for rows of 3 cans each. In such guides, the angle of the forward face  60  is about 77° from the machine direction, the angle of the rear face  54  is about 58° from the perpendicular to the machine direction. The radius  55  where the rear face  54  transitions into the vertical rear face portion  56  is about 45 mm. 
     If a transfer guide  50 ,  51  was configured for rows of four cans each, the noted dimensions would be somewhat different when provided for a cartoner  10  of the above machine parameters. In this instance, the forward face  60  of the guide  50  would be about 85° from the machine direction, the angled rear face  54  of the guide  50  would be about 30° from a perpendicular to the machine direction. The rear face  56  of this guide  50 , unlike that of the guide  50  for three cans, is angled slightly rearwardly from a perpendicular to the machine direction so it lies about 83° from the machine direction starting with its end nearest the rearward angled face inclining rearwardly with respect to the machine direction. The radius  55  of the curved surface joining the rear angled face  54  and the approximately perpendicular face  56  (83°) is 45 mm. These angles are approximations within about 1.0 degree of tolerance. 
     Of course, variations in the machine and article parameters, noted above, or in the number of articles per row or in the number of rows for these or other machine parameters may change these angles as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The upper infeed  20  is substantially identical with the lower infeed  10  except that the ends of the lane guides  26  extend varying distances across the bucket conveyor as noted above. The upstream lane guide  26  preferably extends a substantial portion of the distance across the bucket conveyor  14  while each of the remaining guides  26  extend progressively lesser distances thereacross with the downstream guide  26  terminating at the inner edge of the bucket conveyor  14 . The upper tier feed functions in the same manner as the lower tier feed. 
     After loading, the cartons C are conveyed downstream, where they are conventionally closed and glued as appropriate (FIG.  1 ). 
     The cartoner  30  differs substantially from prior known cartoners and provides many advantages over the prior cartoners. In the first place, the cartoner  30  does not utilize flight bars attached to the buckets of conveyor  14 , but instead uses intermediate transfer guides  50 ,  51  mounted on two separate intermediate transfer conveyors  11  and  25 . These are not attached to the main bucket conveyor  14  and provide advantages not provided by earlier cartoners in terms of being more flexible, less costly to adjust for different pack configurations, and further as described herein. 
     In addition, the configuration of the transfer guides  50 ,  51  with the forward hooks differs from the shape or the ends of flight bars in certain prior cartoners which include, for example, an elongated rectilinear body with an angled front end which slopes from its leading edge to its trailing edge. The configuration of the guides  50 ,  51  causes the article to be separated in a different manner which provides smoother operation without changes in infeed flow and upstream surges. 
     Additionally, because it does not employ flight bars extending from the bucket walls  28 ,  29  of the main bucket conveyor  14 , the cartoner  30  permits use of a shorter stroke by the barrel loader  75 . This can result in a smoother insertion of cans into the carton sleeves, higher speeds, smaller footprint or space or a combination of these advantages. 
     Moreover, elimination of the rotatable star wheels from one form of prior cartoner provides a simpler, shorter, less costly cartoner. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 1,  2  and  6 , the sheet feeder  18  is preferable disposed at and over the upstream end of bucket conveyor  14 . The feeder  18  receives partitions  100  from magazine  19  and places them flat on rails  33  extending downstream in a machine direction MD. These rails define a path for the partition above the path through which a lower group LG (FIG. 5) of articles is formed and transported within the buckets of conveyor  14 . For clarity, in each of FIGS. 1 and 2, the partitions are not shown until they appear just under the forming upper group UG in FIGS. 1 and 2. The partitions  100  are preferably shifted off rails  33  onto the respective top ends of articles in the lower group LG at a position proximate or between the downstream end  22  of intermediate transfer  11  and the upstream end  37  of intermediate transfer  25 . 
     Preferably, the partitions  100  are pushed along the rails  33  by the upper ends of trailing walls  29  of the buckets therebelow or by any other suitable sheet feeding means. The path of movement of partitions  100  before they are laid or deposited on the lower groups LG, is just above the groups as they are carried by buckets of conveyor  14 . This partition path is thus elongated in a machine direction above conveyor  14  from its upstream end. 
     The feeder  18  and magazine  19 , however, are not disposed in a position which is confined or obstructed by either the conveyor  14 , infeed  10 , infeed  20 , the intermediate transfers  11 ,  25  or the carton conveyor  41 . Accordingly, access to both feeder  18  and magazine  19  is facilitated and the infeeds  10 ,  20  and intermediate transfers  11 ,  25  can be disposed close together without regard for creating space for the partition feeder  18  or its magazine  19 . A single operator can manage filling of both the carton blank magazine and nearby partition magazine  19 . 
     Of course, it will be appreciated that the invention contemplates both single and dual tier cartoning, the separate and independent intermediate transfer guides serving a single layer, or another set thereof serving an additional layer where it is desired to load stacked articles into cartons as described. 
     Moreover, it will be appreciated that the intermediate transfer described herein and the partition feeder herein can be used in many applications independently of each other. 
     These and other advantages and modifications will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention and applicant intends to be bound only by the claims appended hereto.