Patent ID: 7958987

Claim:
A method for transferring articles from a first machine to a second machine which packs the articles in relative containers, actuation of which involves the use of a closed-ring transport line, interposed between the machines, for removably receiving and moving trays, each tray affording at least a seating shaped to complementarily receive an article, and a use of at least two stores, namely a first store and a second store for receiving the trays, the first store being associated to a first station located at a start of an outward branch of the line and the second store being associated to a second station located downstream of the first station in an advancement direction of the outward branch, the first store containing a predetermined number of trays at least before activation of the method, the method comprising: a preliminary aspect which includes following preliminary stages: intermittent positioning of trays in the first station with the trays coming either from a return branch of the line or collected from the first store; inserting at least an article in the seating of each tray located in the first station; transporting each tray containing the article via the line to the second station; transferring the trays from the second station to the second store up until the second store is partially filled up to a predetermined level; and an operative aspect, following the preceding preliminary aspect, which comprises following operating stages: activating the second machine; transporting, via the line, each tray from the first station to a third station, passing through the second station, with the third station being associated to a second transporter of the second machine, which second transporter carries the containers; picking-up at least an article from each tray positioned in the third station and location thereof in a corresponding container of the second transporter, with successive transport, via the line, of the tray when emptied of the article, from the third station to the first station along the return branch of the line; using the empty trays, in a timed relation with an arrival thereof carried on the line upstream of the first station, alternatively to the trays situated in the first store, for filling the empty trays carried on the line with corresponding articles collected from the first transporter; repeating said operating stages.