Importance

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Abstract

A cookie tray loading machine (5) constructed and arranged to divert a single file lane of cookies (12) moved along an infeed conveyor belt (9) into a plurality of separate and generally parallel lanes (34) of cookies, which are formed as rows (44) of cookies on a plurality of alignment belt assemblies (36) and spaced apart from each preceding row of cookies, each row of cookies being placed onto a tray loading conveyor belt (46) and moved toward a tray loading station (60) for placement directly into a packaging tray (62), is disclosed. The loading machine includes a sweep arm diverter assembly (20) having a sweep arm diverter (21) directly driven by a sweep arm servomotor (23), a first lane alignment arm assembly (26) and a second and opposed lane alignment arm assembly (30) for aligning the cookies into the separate lanes of cookies, and an alignment belt assembly (36) for each lane of cookies. Each alignment belt assembly includes an alignment belt cookie sensor (37), an alignment belt (38), and an alignment belt servomotor (40) for directly driving each alignment belt separately from the others. Each row of cookies formed on the cookie tray loading machine is placed by the tray loading conveyor belt directly into the packaging tray, the packaging tray being positioned on a packaging tray indexing conveyor (65) at the tray loading station. Thereafter, in response to the receipt of a row of cookies, the tray indexing conveyor carries the packaging tray a distance sufficient to allow for the next row of cookies to be placed directly into the packaging tray.

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First Claim