Patent ID: 7740123

Claim:
Packaging device for grouping product items to a bundle of layered rows of said product items, comprising: a supply line comprising a main conveyor belt constituently carrying and supplying a stream of product items in a defined orientation along an infeed main path to a transfer position; an elevator means comprising a plurality of stack-forming receptacles each receiving a grouped row of a specified number of said product items in a chopped manner from the transfer position of said supply line at an input end of the elevator means, wherein the elevator means is adapted to successively displace the stacked grouped rows of product items in a side-by-side relationship orthogonally to the infeed main path to an output end of the elevator means; and an outfeed unit engaging with the elevator means, commonly removing a specified number of stacked grouped rows of said product items in the side-by-side relationship from the output end of the elevator means to form said bundle of product items; wherein the outfeed unit further comprises a plurality of first pusher blades being equidistantly attached to an endless conveyor belt and successively engaging the elevator means at the output end to take over and remove the specified number of layered or stacked grouped rows of the product items from the elevator means; wherein the outfeed unit further comprises second pusher blades each forming a compartment together with each of said first pusher blades for accommodating said specified number of layered or stacked grouped rows of the product items during removal from the elevator means; wherein the first and second pusher blades comprise mutual distance (d), adjustable to adapt same to the specific number of product items grouped in one row; wherein the first and second pusher blades are each attached to first and second endless conveyor belts which are arranged in a colinear configuration on a common drive unit and which are displaceable relative to each other to adapt the mutual distance (d) between each of the first and second pusher blade.