Patent ID: 7128205

Claim:
A turn-around device for packets ( 2 ), each of which is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped and is bounded by two first surfaces ( 4 ) parallel one to the other, and by two second surfaces ( 6 ) parallel one to the other and perpendicular to the two first surfaces ( 4 ); the device ( 1 ) comprising a turn-around station ( 16 ); a first conveyor ( 7 ) for feeding said packets ( 2 ) successively to said turn-around station ( 16 ) in a first direction ( 15 ) and with a first surface ( 4 ) of each packet facing forwards; a second conveyor ( 17 ) operated synchronously with said first conveyor ( 7 ) and for extracting said packets ( 2 ) from said turn-around station ( 16 ) with a second surface ( 6 ) of each packet facing forwards, and in a second direction ( 29 ) crosswise to said first direction ( 15 ); wherein said second conveyor ( 17 ) is a gripper conveyor travelling through said turn-around station ( 16 ) at a given speed (V 2 ) and in said second direction ( 29 ), and comprising a number of grippers ( 28 ), each of which defines a pocket ( 36 ) for a relative packet ( 2 ), and closes gradually onto the relative packet ( 2 ) to control its position as it is extracted from the turn-around station ( 16 ) with said second surface ( 6 ) facing forwards; a third conveyor ( 37 ) travelling through said turn-around station ( 16 ) with said second conveyor ( 17 ) and at a speed (V 3 ) greater than that of the second conveyor ( 17 ); wherein said second and said third conveyor ( 17 , 37 ) travel respectively along a first and a second path (P 1 , P 2 ) having at least one common portion (C) extending downstream from said turn-around station ( 16 ); and wherein said third conveyor ( 37 ) engages each said packet ( 2 ) along said common portion (C), and extracts it from the respective said gripper ( 28 ) with said second surface ( 6 ) facing forwards; and a fourth conveyor ( 52 ) tangent to said third conveyor ( 37 ) at a transfer station ( 51 ) located downstream from said common path portion (C); wherein said fourth conveyor ( 52 ) is a pocket conveyor for successively receiving said packets ( 2 ) from said third conveyor ( 37 ) at said transfer station ( 51 ).