Patent ID: 6913135

Claim:
A method of forming groups of products, the method comprising the steps of: feeding a substantially continuous input succession ( 2 ) of said products ( 3 ) to an input ( 6 ) of an endless conveyor ( 13 ), which comprises a single flexible elongated conveying member ( 16 ) and extends through said input ( 6 ) and an output ( 8 ), which define, on the conveyor ( 13 ), a conveying branch ( 14 ) and a return branch ( 15 ) of respective lengths; coupling, at said input ( 6 ), the products ( 3 ) to relevant product-holder units ( 35 ), which are carried by the flexible elongated conveying member ( 16 ) and are equally spaced along the conveyor flexible elongated conveying member ( 16 ); maintaining each product ( 3 ) coupled to the same product-holder unit ( 35 ) from said input ( 6 ) to said output ( 8 ) and along the entire conveying branch ( 14 ); separating, at said output ( 8 ), the products ( 3 ) from the product-holder units ( 35 ); imparting to said conveyor ( 13 ) a variable first traveling speed to generate, at said input ( 6 ), a succession of equally spaced on-line gaps ( 11 ), each corresponding to a relative vacant product-holder unit ( 35 ), and to define, along said conveying branch ( 14 ), a succession of groups ( 10 ) of products ( 3 ), each separated from each adjacent said group ( 10 ) by a said on-line gap ( 11 ); and varying the lengths of said conveying and return branches ( 14 , 15 ) in complementary manner to impart to said conveyor ( 13 ) a constant second speed at said output ( 8 ).