Patent ID: 8235201

Claim:
An apparatus for nesting objects in a substantially staggered arrangement, the objects being received from an object feed in a plurality of groups in substantially parallel rows extending along a feed direction, the nesting apparatus comprising: a flight bar drive; a flight bar assembly including a flight bar extending laterally across the feed direction and driven by the flight bar drive through a nesting zone in the feed direction, the flight bar pushing the plurality of groups through the nesting zone, the flight bar assembly including at least one spacer extending forward of the flight bar when in the nesting zone for contacting an object in one of the groups to push the one group forward of others of the groups, the spacer being slidable laterally along the flight bar as the flight bar moves through the nesting zone, the spacer maintaining contact with the object in the one of the groups as the spacer slides laterally, the spacer having a lateral width approximately equaling a width of one of the objects, the spacer extending forward of the flight bar a length approximately equal to one-half of the width of one of the objects; and at least one guide extending along one side of the nesting zone, the guide having a contact surface for moving at least one of the groups of objects laterally within the nesting zone while the flight bar pushes all of the groups through the nesting zone, wherein the flight bar, the spacer on the flight bar, and the guide are configured with respect to the objects so as to cooperate in nesting the objects into a substantially staggered arrangement during travel through the nesting zone.