Patent ID: 7621109

Claim:
A system for loading product into a carton comprising: a carrier conveyor having a plurality of carriers, each carrier including a pair of cantilevered arms and a pair of opposing sidewalls, each sidewall of the pair of opposing sidewalls attached to a respective cantilevered arm of the pair of cantilevered arms, and each carrier of the plurality of carriers accommodating and transporting at least one product between the pair of opposing sidewalls and a bottom; a carton chain transporting a plurality of cartons adjacent to the carrier conveyor, the plurality of cartons each having horizontally aligned openings, the plurality of carriers synchronized with the plurality of cartons; each carrier including a slide, moving at least one cantilevered arm along the slide to reciprocate the sidewalls of each carrier relative to each other prior to extending the carrier into the carton; a mechanism for inserting and withdrawing each carrier and the at least one product together horizontally into the horizontally aligned openings of each carton of the plurality of cartons, each carrier inserted into a corresponding carton as the plurality of carriers travel across the carrier conveyor; and a stripper extendable between the carrier and the carton and generally perpendicularly to the carrier, the stripper for maintaining the at least one product in the carton as the carrier is withdrawn from the carton, wherein the stripper contacts the at least one product at the horizontally aligned openings of each carton and is spaced above and apart from an edge of the carrier.