APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HANDLING ARTICLES MOVING ONE BEHIND THE OTHER IN AT LEAST ONE ROW

The invention relates to an apparatus (10) and to a method for handling articles (2) moving one behind the other in at least one row (1). The apparatus (10) comprises at least one manipulator (5) for articles (2) and at least one transporting device (3), via which articles (2) following directly one after the other in the row (1) can be transported in the form of a closed formation (F), without, or more or less without, any spacing apart, into a gripping region (4) of the at least one manipulator (5). The at least one manipulator (5) is designed so that at least one article (2) is gripped with clamping action, and/or in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner, and separated off from the closed formation (F) transported into its gripping region (4) by means of the at least one transporting device (3), and so that the at least one article (2) is transferred into a target position (P) and/or a target orientation. For this purpose, the manipulator (5) is assigned at least two clamping and/or gripping elements (22) which are arranged opposite one another, in particular in pairs, and interact with one another, in particular in pairs in each case. At least one of two oppositely arranged clamping and/or gripping elements (22) of the at least one manipulator (5) corresponds, at least in part or in certain regions, with an outer contour at least on a contact surface and/or on the contact regions (24) of the at least one article (2) which is to be gripped in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner.