Patent ID: 7467504

Claim:
A product packaging system comprising: a first conveyor, the first conveyor constructed and arranged to convey a plurality of product units along a conveyor surface, the product units being accumulated into a pattern of pack units, each pack unit comprising a set number of product units and having a length and a width; an indexing conveyor, the indexing conveyor being independent of the first conveyor, the indexing conveyor comprising a plurality of flight bars, each flight bar having an in-line separation distance at least as great as the length of a pack unit; a pack splitter having at least two pick-up heads, each pick-up head having a number of gripping members equal to the set number of product units, each pick-up head constructed and arranged to simultaneously transfer at least one pack unit from the conveyor surface to the indexing conveyor; a pad magazine, the pad magazine constructed and arranged to hold a plurality of substrates, the pad magazine further constructed and arranged to position each substrate onto the indexing conveyor, each pack unit being deposited on a single substrate by one of the pick-up heads; and an adhesive applicator for applying an adhesive to each of the substrates before the pack unit is deposited thereon, wherein the adhesive is an EVA hot melt adhesive having an open time of about 0.5 to about 5 seconds, and wherein the pack unit is deposited on the adhesive during the open time.