Such a device in the form of a packing device is known from DE-A-4.241.440. The known device comprises two conveyor belts on which products are transported sepa- rately at some mutual distance. At the end thereof the products drop into a product holder which is carried substantially transversely of the transporting direction of the products along the conveyor belts.

The known device has the drawback that the packing speed thereof is low. The known packing device is more- over unsuitable for packing fragile products such as biscuits because these can be easily damaged during the drop from the conveyor belt into the product holder.

The invention has for its object to provide a device of the type stated in the preamble which obviates these drawbacks.

For this purpose the device according to the inven- tion has the feature that the device is further provided with an insert plate and a follower plate arranged adja- cently of the insert plate, which plates are arranged in the line of the first transporting means and which are each movable substantially parallel to the transporting direction of the products for separate placing of the products in one of the product holders by moving each product separately to the product holder using the insert plate and bringing the follower plate into contact with

the product, wherein the insert plate subsequently moves off the product.

Through use of the insert plate and the follower plate co-acting therewith the products are each laid separately and carefully in the product holder, wherein the risk of damage, also at higher transporting speeds, is considerably reduced.

In a first preferred embodiment, the first trans- porting means are placed in a plane with a considerable horizontal component and the second transporting means are placed in a plane with a considerable vertical compo- nent.

In a further preferred embodiment the device is further provided with guide means which are adapted to co-act with the insert plate and the follower plate in order to guide each product during placing thereof in the product holder. The guide means preferably comprise at least one flexible strip which at least partially extends substantially parallel to the insert plate and the fol- lower plate and is arranged at a height thereabove. In this manner the movement of the products is controlled as closely as possible, so that still higher transporting and packing speeds are possible without damage occurring to the products.

In preference the first transporting means, the insert plate and the follower plate are mutually coupled such that they move synchronously in a fixed cycle. The device according to the invention hereby also operates extremely accurately at high speeds.

The invention also relates to an assembly of two or more devices according to the invention, which devices are placed substantially parallel to each other for substantially simultaneous placing of a plurality of products in one or more product holders.

The invention will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, in which: figure 1 is a perspective view of the device accord- ing to the invention;

figure 2 shows a part of the device of figure 1 in more detail; and figure 3 shows in schematic side view the part of the device of figure 2.

Figure 1 shows a device 1 according to the invention in combination with a supply device 2 for supplying the products for packing. Supply device 2 comprises a convey- or belt 3 on which products, in this example biscuits 4, are supplied in rows as seen transversely of the trans- porting direction. The transporting direction of biscuits 4 is indicated with arrow A. Using vacuum grippers 5, which are suspended in frame 6, biscuits 4 are placed per row on device 1.

Device 1 transports the biscuits separately in the direction of arrow B. Using second transporting means in the form of a further device 7 known in the field, prod- uct holders 8 for receiving biscuits 4 are supplied and discharged substantially vertically. The feed and outfeed direction of product holders 8 is indicated with arrow C.

Figure 2 shows a part of figure 1 in more detail.

Device 1 comprises carrier belts 9 and 11 for separately transporting biscuits 4 in substantially horizontal direction. Carrier belt 9 is provided for this purpose with spacer elements 10, while carrier belt 11 is provid- ed with spacer elements 12. The pitch between spacer elements 10 is preferably smaller than the pitch between spacer elements 12. Through co-action of carrier belts 9 and 11 biscuits 4 are transported from carrier belt 9 to selection plate 13. This latter is successively provided with a narrowed portion 14 and a recess 15. During trans- port over selection plate 13 broken or otherwise irregu- lar biscuits will fall via narrowed portion 14 or recess 15 into collecting bin 18 and therefore not be packed. An insert plate 16 is arranged in the line of selection plate 13. A follower plate 17 is arranged between insert plate 16 and selection plate 13. Both insert plate 16 and follower plate 17 are movable parallel to transporting direction B. The operation of insert plate 16 and follow-

er plate 17 will be discussed further with reference to figures 3A-3D.

Guide means 19 are provided to control the placing of separate biscuits 4 in product holders or trays 8.

Guide means 19 consist of two flexible strips which extend with a free zone substantially parallel to insert plate 16 and follower plate 17. The free zones of the guide strips are situated adjacently of each other in a plane running parallel to the transporting plane of the biscuits. By applying guide means which are sub-divided into strips the load on the biscuits is kept as low as possible. Insert plate 16, follower plate 17, the walls of tray 8 and guide strips 19 ensure that each biscuit 4 can move as far as possible only in the direction of arrow B. A"letterbox"is as it were created to receive each biscuit. The guide strips are placed in stationary position relative to the insert plate and the follower plate. In the shown preferred embodiment, guide strips 19 are mounted on device 7. A suitable material for the guide strips is for instance plastic. Guide strips 19 are situated at a distance above insert plate 16, this dis- tance roughly corresponding with the thickness of a biscuit.

Figures 3A-3D show schematically the operation of device 1 according to the invention on the basis of different positions thereof.

Figure 3A, like figure 3D, shows the position in which one biscuit 4 is situated on insert plate 16.

Directly in front of tray 8.

In figure 3B insert plate 16 moves the biscuit 4 placed thereon into tray 8 in the direction of arrow B.

Follower plate 17 also moves in the same direction, although not before insert plate 16 is in position, and provides for depositing of the biscuit in the tray.

Biscuit 4 is in this way pushed into the product holder in the correct position under the guidance of guide strips 19 and optionally the side walls (not shown) of the product holder.

Insert plate 16 is then moved away from under the biscuit in the direction of arrow D in figure 3C. Follow- er plate 17 is thereafter moved back in the direction of arrow D to a position in which follower plate 17 is situated under selection plate 13 (see figures 3A and 3D).

Using carrier belt 11 a following biscuit 4 is subsequently placed on insert plate 16 and the above described cycle begins again.

Device 7 is adapted to displace a product holder for each product over a distance which at least corresponds with the thickness of a product. The device 7 is prefera- bly suitable for stepwise displacement of the product holder under the control of detection means after detec- tion of the placing of a product in the product holder.

Such a device is known in the field and is therefore not described further in this context.

The product holders can be final packagings such as trays for biscuits as well as interim packagings such as are used for temporary storage of products.

In the device according to the invention the prod- ucts for packing are moved in one direction, wherein they retain as far as possible their speed of movement. The movement of the products moreover takes place in con- trolled manner through use of the guide means. The device according to the invention enables placing of products in the product holders at very high speeds. The products are moreover processed individually without there being any contact between the products.

The invention is not of course limited to the shown and described preferred embodiment. The invention is particularly not limited to the packing of biscuits but can be used for a wide variety of products. The device according to the invention is particularly suitable for placing products with a generally flat form in product holders. Examples hereof are all kinds of biscuits, chocolate, tea bags, CDs, records and so on.

It is further conceivable to place a plurality of devices according to the invention parallel to each other, so that multiple rows of products can be placed simultaneously in one or more product holders.