Patent ID: 6925784

Claim:
A flexible manufacturing system for producing and packaging consumer products into different packages, comprising: (a) one or more supplying means for providing said consumer products; (b) a multiplicity of packaging means for packaging said consumer products into different packages; (c) one or more conveying means for conveying said consumer products from said supplying means to said packaging means, said conveying means forming a continuous path linking said one or more supplying means with said multiplicity of packaging means, said continuous path comprising a multiplicity of receptors, wherein each of said receptors is capable of accepting, carrying, and discharging a consumer product; and (d) one or more stacking means for arranging said consumer products into separate stacks for packaging, said one or more stacking means being disposed vertically between said one or more supplying means and said multiplicity of packaging means, wherein said one or more stacking means comprises: (a) a first descending means disposed at the outmost vertical position of said stacking means, for receiving said pad-like products at a releasing station disposed at said continuous path of said releasing means, and for maintaining a horizontal orientation of said pad-like products; (b) a second descending means disposed adjacent below said first descending means, for maintaining said horizontal orientation of said pad-like products descending from said first descending means and for delivering said pad-like products into a pickup position; (c) a rotary drum disposed adjacent below said second descending means, for transferring the pad-like products from said pickup position to a stacking position; (d) a bar conveyor disposed adjacent said stacking position, for accumulating a stack of said pad-like products; and (e) an overhead conveyor disposed adjacent and perpendicularly to said bar conveyor for accumulating one or more said stack of said pad-like products and for supplying said one or more stack of said pad-like products to said packaging means for packaging into said package.