Patent ID: 8286409

Claim:
A container grouping and packing arrangement comprising: a container pick-up area and a plurality of container gripping devices being configured to grip a plurality of containers in said pick-up area; a plurality of movement arrangements being operatively connected to said gripping devices and being configured to move said gripping devices between a plurality of positions; said plurality of movement arrangements being configured to adjust the positions of each of said gripping devices in at least one direction perpendicular or essentially perpendicular to the vertical, rotational axes of containers to: (A) rearrange a first group of gripped containers from a first positional pattern of containers relative to one another to a second positional pattern different than said first positional pattern, and (B) rearrange a second group of gripped containers from a first positional pattern to a third positional pattern different than said first positional pattern and said second positional pattern; and said container gripping devices being configured to be moved to place groups of positioned containers in a delivery area and/or in at least one package.