Patent ID: 7661249

Claim:
A device for picking up articles from a supply station and depositing the articles in corresponding blisters of a blister strip, wherein the device comprises: at least a group of depression-activated gripping units, each of which units is shaped to a specific format for receiving and retaining a corresponding article having predetermined lie and orientation; connecting organs for connecting the gripping units to an operating head in which the gripping units are positioned in relation to a positioning of the corresponding blisters afforded in the blister strip; organs for moving the operating head in outward and return runs, respectively between the supply station of the articles and a release station of the articles in the corresponding blisters of the blister strip; enabling organs being activated in phase-relation with the moving organs, for activating the gripping units in the supply station, which gripping units collect a number of articles equal to a number of the gripping units, and for deactivating the gripping units in the release station with a disengagement of the articles from the gripping units and a falling of the articles into the corresponding blisters of the blister strip; conveyor organs for interposing between a relative operating head and the blister strip, prior to filling of the blisters, for guiding the articles released by the gripping units to assume a predetermined orientation on a horizontal plane, which orientation matches an orientation of relative underlying blisters of the blister strip; and wherein the conveyor organs are associated to activating means, which define, for the conveyor organs, a lowered work position, in which the lower outlet sections are immediately above the blisters, and a raised rest position, in which the lower outlet sections are distanced from the blisters.