Patent ID: 7370456

Claim:
A packaging object supplying apparatus for supplying packaging objects to a packaging unit for packaging in a predetermined fashion, comprising: a packaging object combining portion for forming a combination of the packaging objects by combining two or more different kinds of the packaging objects in a predetermined quantity thereof in a predetermined arrangement; and a packaging object introducing portion for introducing the packaging objects combined by the packaging object combining portion to the packaging unit, wherein said apparatus supplies two kinds of the packaging objects to the packaging unit by combining the packaging objects in a predetermined arrangement, wherein the packaging object combining portion includes a first introduction line for introducing a first packaging object and a second introduction line for introducing a second packaging object, and the first packaging object introduced from the first introduction line and the second packaging object introduced from the second introduction line are introduced to the packaging object introduction portion according to the predetermined arrangement so as to form a combination of the first and second packaging objects, wherein the packaging object combining portion comprises sorting means for sorting the first packaging object introduced from the first introduction line and the second packaging object introduced from the second introduction line so that the first and the second packaging objects are introduced to the packaging object introduction portion in accordance with the predetermined arrangement, said apparatus further comprising: a packaging object falling chute through which the first and the second packaging objects that are sorted by the sorting means fall in an order set by the sorting means; and packaging object transporting means for transporting the first and the second packaging objects falling through the packaging object falling chute to the packaging unit, wherein the packaging object transporting means comprises packaging object holding means for holding each of the first and the second packaging objects, wherein the packaging object transporting means includes: a first transporting failure detecting means detecting a failure of the packaging object in the packaging object transporting means and a second transporting failure detecting means for detecting a packaging object placed on two packaging objects held by the packaging object holding means.