Patent ID: 7430840

Claim:
A packing machine for packing a product in at least one sheet of packing material; the packing machine comprising: at least two conveyors, each of which comprises at least two pockets movably positioned relative to the conveyors, the conveyors being arranged along a path and each pocket configured for receiving and conveying at least one respective product; and a number of transfer stations for transferring the products and each of the transfer stations situated between each conveyor and a following conveyor in the path; wherein the pockets of each conveyor are divided into a first number (N 1 ) of groups, each of the groups comprising an equal second number (N 2 ), of at least two of the pockets; wherein at each transfer station, a transfer device simultaneously transfers a second number (N 2 ) of products from the respective pockets in a group of pockets on a releasing conveyor to the respective pockets in a group of pockets on a receiving conveyor; and wherein at least one conveyor comprises an actuating device for aligning, at least one transfer station, all the pockets in a group of pockets on the releasing conveyor, and all the pockets in a group of pockets on the receiving conveyor in a straight line by moving at least one pocket relative to the conveyor to which it is associated, so that the pocket is positioned in a given transfer position at the transfer station.