Patent ID: 8689530

Claim:
A method for the introduction of packs in the form of bags ( 10 ) into a carton ( 14 ) as a container, involving the creation of an ordered formation of the bags ( 10 ) inside the carton ( 14 ), the bags ( 10 ) being fed on a feed conveyor ( 15 ) one after the other or in groups to a packing station ( 16 ) and being introduced into the carton ( 14 ) that is open on at least one side, with the carton ( 14 ), for the purpose of introducing the bags ( 10 ), being moved into a relative position corresponding to the formation of the bags ( 10 ) to be produced, comprising: a) providing at least two handling devices, namely two robots ( 21 , 61 ) of matching configuration, the robots ( 21 , 61 ) being controlled with regard to their movements in such a way that one of the robots ( 21 , 61 ) is assigned to the packing station ( 16 ) and another of the robots ( 61 , 21 ) is assigned to a carton station ( 42 ) at about the same time; b) gripping the carton ( 14 ) using a holding head ( 25 ) on the robot ( 21 , 61 ), with the holding head ( 24 ) having holding devices in the vicinity of a bottom ( 26 ) or in the vicinity of carton bottom edges and in the vicinity of edges or rims of an open carton ( 14 ) lying opposite, and with the holding head ( 25 ) having a U-shaped configuration when viewed from the side, with the holding devices in the vicinity of the bottom ( 26 ) being executed as folding legs ( 36 ) which are pivotable against the carton ( 14 ) as the carton ( 14 ) is taken up by the holding head ( 25 ); c) holding the carton ( 14 ) ready in the vicinity of the packing station ( 16 ) by means of a robot ( 21 , 61 ) as a handling device in such a way that the open side of the carton ( 14 ) faces towards a filling device for the bags ( 10 ); d) retaining the bags ( 10 ) on a support or platform for introduction into the carton ( 14 ), with the carton ( 14 ) being positioned with the open side adjacent to the support or platform; and e) introducing the bags ( 10 ) into the carton ( 14 ) by means of a pusher ( 56 ), which is capable of back-and-forth movement, as an additional aid, with the pusher ( 56 ) pushing the bags ( 10 ) from the support or platform into the carton ( 14 ).