Patent ID: 7861496

Claim:
A packaging machine for arranging articles into groups and packaging the groups of articles into cartons, said packaging machine comprising: at least one infeed lane extending in a downstream direction toward workstations of the packaging machine, the infeed lane being defined between a pair of spaced upstanding plates and being sized to confine articles in an abutting single file configuration as the articles move along the infeed lane; a conveyor disposed beneath the infeed lane for supporting the articles and moving the articles progressively along the infeed lane; a trailing article pusher assembly adjacent the infeed lane; the trailing article pusher assembly including an elongated flexible pusher element and a drive mechanism configured to advance the elongated flexible pusher element into the infeed lane between the upstanding plates and to extend the pusher element progressively along the infeed lane behind a trailing article of the abutting articles in the lane to push the trialing article and articles downstream thereof toward and through workstations of the packaging machine, the pusher element comprises an elongated chain; and wherein the elongated chain is flexible in one lateral direction and generally inflexible beyond a substantially straight configuration of the elongated chain in the opposite lateral direction.