Patent ID: 8657101

Claim:
A conveying apparatus for articles, comprising: a first conveyor having an inlet section to receive articles to be conveyed and an outlet section for the articles, defining with said inlet section, a first conveying line (R) of said articles; and a second conveyor having a transfer section which can be selectively set in communication with a transfer section of said first conveyor, said transfer section of said first conveyor being interposed between said inlet section and said outlet section along said first conveying line (R); said first conveyor being selectively set in a first operative release configuration to release said articles at said outlet section and to at least one second operative release configuration to release said articles at its transfer section; and said second conveyor being selectively set in a first operative withdrawal configuration to withdraw said articles from said first conveyor at its transfer section and in at least one second operative inhibition configuration to inhibit such withdrawal, said second operative configuration of said first conveyor and said first operative configuration of said second conveyor defining a second conveying line (S) of said articles distinct from said first conveying line (R), wherein said first and second conveyors include star wheels peripherally provided with a plurality of gripping clamps selectively displaceable between a closed position on the relative articles and an open or release position from the articles, wherein each said star wheel comprises a fixed support structure, a rotating part rotatably mounted on said support structure and provided with said clamps, and cam means borne by said support structure at the relative said inlet sections, outlet sections and transfer sections, the cam means for interacting with said clamps to displace them between said open and closed positions, wherein at least one of said cam means is displaceable with respect to the relative said support structure between a forward interaction position with the relative said clamps and a retracted detachment position from the clamps, and wherein said cam means comprise two cams having an overlapping area of their profiles so as to maintain, in their forward position, a relative clamp of the plurality of gripping clamps always in the open position during the passage of said articles at relative said transfer section.