An apparatus and method for continuously transferring articles from a pickup station to a release station using a circular, continuously rotating turret is disclosed which includes a plurality of transfer arms carried in a circular motion wherein pickup heads carried by the transfer arms are converted from the circular motion to a straight-line motion during pick up of the articles to provide a case packing machine having high speed and reliable operation. In accordance with the general aspects of the invention, a first conveyor is disclosed for conveying the articles to a pickup station and a second conveyor is provided for delivering the articles away from a release station. One of the first and second conveyors includes an arcuate conveyor section disposed below a congruent path of the pickup heads. At least one of the pickup and release stations is advantageously located over the arcuate conveyor section whereby high speed operation requiring only a small amount of machine floor space is provided. When utilized as a case packing machine, both the pickup heads and grid heads, which define a plurality of guides through which the articles are released at the case packing station, are moved in a translatory motion during article pick up.
This is a CON of a copending application Ser. No. 09/418,619, flied Oct. 15, 1999, which is a CIP of application Ser. No. 09/301,394, filed Apr. 28, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,532, which is a CIP of application Ser. No. 09/137,327, filed Aug. 20, 1998, now abandoned, which is a CON of application Ser. No. 08/736,376, filed Oct. 24, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,249, which is a CIP of application Ser. No. 08/338,026, filed Nov. 10, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,282, and the above applications and patent disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
