Pattern former for wrapped bakery products

Abstract

A pattern former for assembling wrapped bakery products into predetermined patterns includes a vacuum turntable comprising a perforated plate which is driven by a belt extending around the periphery of the vacuum turntable and actuated by a motor. A first transfer apparatus includes a pusher plate which moves groups of wrapped bakery products onto the vacuum turntable and which retracts to facilitate the formation of a subsequent group of wrapped bakery products as a previous group is being transferred to the vacuum turntable. A second transfer apparatus includes a pusher plate which moves assembled patterns of wrapped bakery products from the vacuum turntable into bakery trays and which is retractable to the facilitate the assembly of a subsequent pattern of wrapped bakery products as a previous pattern is being transferred to a bakery tray.

1 - 5 . (canceled)  
   
   
       6 . In a pattern former of the type having a vacuum turntable for receiving wrapped bakery products and for assembling the received wrapped bakery products into a predetermined pattern, the improvement comprising: 
 a transfer apparatus for moving predetermined patterns of wrapped bakery products from a turntable into bakery trays;    means for moving the pusher plate back and forth between a first location wherein the pusher plate engages the wrapped bakery products on the turntable and a second location wherein the bakery products are moved into the bakery tray; and    means for positioning the pusher plate in a vertical orientation during movement of patterns of wrapped bakery products into bakery trays under the action of the pusher plate and for pivoting the pusher plate into a horizontal orientation during return movement thereof.    
   
   
       7 . The improvement according to  claim 6  further including a second transfer apparatus including a second pusher plate for moving groups of wrapped bakery products onto the vacuum turntable; and 
 means for positioning the second pusher plate in a vertical orientation as the transfer plate moves groups of wrapped bakery products onto the turntable and for pivoting the second pusher plate into a horizontal orientation as the second pusher plate is moved away from the turntable.