Patent ID: 7073656

Claim:
Method for removing holes from patterns of nested product comprising: conveying at least a first stream of a plurality of individual generally cylindrical shaped products in a first nested pattern having three columns and a multiplicity of rows extending parallel to a conveyance direction, with the columns being perpendicular to the conveyance direction, with the generally cylindrical shaped products having a maximum diameter parallel to the conveyance direction, with the first nested pattern potentially having holes in the first nested pattern; guiding the first stream from the first nested pattern into a narrowing section having a narrowed width perpendicular to the conveyance direction less than one and a half times the maximum diameter; guiding the first stream from the narrowing section into an expanded section having an expanded width perpendicular to the conveyance direction greater than two times the maximum diameter; and guiding the first stream from the expanded section into a final nested pattern having two columns, with the final nested pattern being free of holes.