EP2647576B2 - Apparatus and method for producing cigarette packets - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for producing packs for cigarettes, in particular of the hinge-lid type, with a folding turret which is driven in particular in a cyclically rotating manner and which has pockets distributed over the circumference for receiving a blank for a pack and the contents of the pack, the blank being Transport is folded on the folding turret, according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding method according to the preamble of claim 5.

The invention relates to the manufacture of packs for cigarettes, in particular of the hinge-lid type. A characteristic of the production of such packs is the folding of fold tabs from a corresponding blank made of packaging material along fold lines and the subsequent joining of fold tabs by means of glue. The folding tabs can be folded on a so-called folding turret, which has pockets for one blank and the contents of the pack. The folding turret is rotated so that the pouches pass through various stations to form the pack, with the blank being folded around the pack contents. Such devices are, for example, from US 4,202,151A , EP 1035021 A1 and DE 3941844 A1 known. The pack is preferably discharged from the folding turret completely folded and then closed. As a rule, the last step is the gluing and gluing of folding flaps in the area of the narrow side walls after the folding turret.

In particular, the invention deals with the production of packs with special formats, for example packs with smaller dimensions or with packs that have special pack contents, for example pack contents with smaller dimensions than the actual pack. the

Such special packs cannot always be produced satisfactorily on the known devices and with the known methods.

To solve this problem, a device according to the invention has the features of claim 1 and a method according to the invention has the features of claim 5. Further developments result from the dependent claims.

To solve this problem, a device according to the invention has the features of claim 1.

Particularly in the case of a two-lane construction of the folding turret, this solution ensures that the corresponding folding flaps, in particular the cover corner flaps of the blank, are held securely in the folded position until they are held in position by corresponding folding of other folding flaps.

In this case too, it is preferably provided that the folding elements of two adjacent pockets can be actuated independently of the folding turret by means of a common drive, in particular a preferably actively rotatable cam. The folding members can be assigned to the pockets in the area of the side walls of the packs and can be moved into the pockets to fold corner flaps of the blanks over to form a lid of the pack.

Further details of the invention and advantageous configurations thereof can be found in the dependent claims and the rest of the description as well as the drawing.

• Fig. 1 : einen teilweise gefalteten Zuschnitt für eine Packung für Zigaretten in räumlicher Darstellung,
• Fig. 2 : einen Faltrevolver zum Herstellen von Packungen für Zigaretten in Draufsicht,
• Fig. 3 : eine Einzelheit III des Faltrevolvers in vergrößerter Darstellung,
• Fig. 4 : einen Vertikalschnitt durch den Faltrevolver entlang Schnittlinie IV - IV in Fig. 3 ,
• Fig. 5 : einen Vertikalschnitt durch den Faltrevolver entlang Schnittlinie V - V in Fig. 3,
• Fig. 6 : eine schematische Darstellung der Funktionsweise von Faltorganen im Bereich der Taschen des Faltrevolvers als Draufsicht,
• Fig. 7 : eine schematische Darstellung der Funktionsweise von weiteren Faltorganen im Bereich der Taschen des Faltrevolvers als Draufsicht, und
• Fig. 8 : einen Vertikalschnitt durch den Faltrevolver entlang Schnittlinie VIII - VIII in Fig. 7 .

The invention is described below with reference to the drawings. In this show:

• 1 : a spatial representation of a partially folded blank for a packet of cigarettes,
• 2 : a top view of a folding turret for making packs for cigarettes,
• 3 : a detail III of the folding revolver in an enlarged view,
• 4 : a vertical section through the folding turret along section line IV - IV in 3 ,
• figure 5 : a vertical section through the folding turret along section line V - V in 3 ,
• 6 : a schematic representation of the function of folding elements in the area of the pockets of the folding turret as a plan view,
• 7 : a schematic representation of the functioning of further folding elements in the area of the pockets of the folding turret as a plan view, and
• 8 : a vertical section through the folding turret along section line VIII - VIII in 7 .

The invention relates to a folding turret 10 used in the manufacture of packs for cigarettes.

In the present exemplary embodiment, these are packs of the hinge-lid type, ie a pack with a box part and a lid pivotably mounted on the box part. The pack is formed from a blank 11 of packaging material such as paper or thin cardboard by folding along fold lines formed in the blank 11. Correspondingly, the blank 11 has fold tabs which are separated from one another by fold lines and form corresponding areas of the pack. Since the structure of a blank 11 for hinge-lid packs is largely standardized, the individual areas will not be described and only any special features will be discussed.

Of course, the invention described below can also be used with other types of packs.

1 shows a partially folded blank 11. Support tabs 12, which are formed above bottom wall 13 in the area of box side walls 14, 15, represent a special feature. The box side walls 14, 15 are formed, as usual, from longitudinal folding tabs 16, 17, which are connected to one another in an overlapping position to form the respective box side wall 14, 15. Internal longitudinal folding tabs 16, which connect to the box rear wall 18, have the Support tabs 12, whereas external longitudinal folding tabs 17 are closed in connection with the box front wall 19 and cover the supporting tabs 12 in the inner longitudinal folding tab 16.

In the present case, the support tabs 12 are formed by several punching cuts in the longitudinal folding tabs 16, so that the support tabs 12 can be folded or pivoted into the box part of the pack. In this folded position according to 1 the support tabs 12 form a support element as a support or stop for a pack content 20 of the pack. The pack content 20 accordingly has a lower height than the pack. In this way, non-standard pack contents 20 can be packaged in a standard hinged lid pack. The deviation from the norm does not have to be limited to the length or height of the pack contents 20, but can also exist with regard to the width or depth.

In the present case, the support flaps 12 are folded in such a way that they are directed transversely to the corresponding longitudinal folding flaps 16 , 17 . It is also possible to proceed in such a way that the support flaps 12 are folded over a little further. At least the support flaps 12 must be folded at an angle to the plane of the corresponding longitudinal folding flaps 16, 17, so that the upper edges 37 of the support flaps 12 can be used as a support surface for the pack contents.

In principle, other types of support elements or other arrangements of such means are also known in the prior art, which can be used in a corresponding manner to support the pack contents 20 . The invention also relates to such solutions.

In the manufacture of packs with a blank 11 according to 1 a special folding turret 10 is used, which in 2 is shown. The blanks 11 are removed from a blanking apparatus (not shown) and introduced into pockets 21 of the folding turret 10 from above. In the process, the folding flaps of the blank 11 are erected so that the blank 11 is in the in 1 shown configuration is, so with erected longitudinal folding tabs 16 and transverse bottom wall 13 and box front wall 19. This is done in an in 2 insertion station denoted by I. The folding turret 10 is then moved on by one station, so that further blanks 11 can be fed into the next pockets 21 in the insertion station I. In the case of the folding turret 10 shown in the drawing, the same rotation takes place in cycles. However, it is also conceivable that a continuously rotating folding turret 10 is used.

During the subsequent transport of the blank 11 in the pockets 21 along the circumference of the folding turret 10, further folding steps are carried out, which are essentially known from the prior art and which, for reasons of simplification, will not be discussed in detail unless they are specific represent.

In position II of the folding turret 10, the supporting members or supporting tabs 12 of the blanks 11 are folded. This is done using special folding elements 22. The positioning of the folding elements 22 on the pockets 21 results from FIG 3 . Accordingly, the folding members 22 are pivotally mounted on both sides of the pockets 21 on the same. Each folding member 22 is arcuate and pivotally mounted on a vertical axis 23 . The folding members 22 have two legs connected to one another. A free end 24 of the folding elements 22 can be moved into the pocket 21 in order to erect or fold the supporting elements or supporting tabs 12 into the position according to FIG 1 . To actuate the folding elements 22, a connecting rod 25 is provided in each case, which is moved via a drive and is coupled to another free end of the folding elements 22.

Furthermore, the free end 24 of the folding elements 22 is dimensioned in such a way that the contents of the pack 20 are not only supported in the area of a single cigarette, but over several adjacent rows. 4 shows that for this purpose the free end 24 is widened or widened, so that the pack contents 20 are supported in the area of several cigarettes. It can also be seen that the folding elements are moved into the pocket 21 through a recess 36 in a wall thereof.

The folding elements 22 are actuated in station II during a brief standstill of the folding turret 10. For this reason, the drive for the folding elements 22 is designed independently of the drive of the folding turret. This is described below. It goes without saying, of course, that the drive for the folding elements 22 can be coupled to the drive for the folding turret 10 . Then, of course, the folding elements 22 can only be moved during the rotation of the folding turret 10 . Of course, the folding turret 10 can also be designed to rotate continuously.

Furthermore, the folding elements 22 are actuated before the pack contents 20 are introduced into the pockets 21 . This takes place in station III. There, the contents of the pack 20 in the form of a block of cigarettes are first brought together with a collar 26 or the collar 26 is placed on the contents of the pack 20 . Package content 20 and collar 26 are then inserted together into open panel 11 in pocket 21 . The support tabs 12 and the folding members 22 serve as a stop for the pack contents 20 so that the support members or support tabs 12 are not adversely affected by the pack contents 20 . The contents of the pack 20 are supported by the support flaps 12 and by the folding members 22 which are arranged or aligned substantially flush with a top or upper edge 37 of the support flaps 12 . Only after the pack contents 20 have been fed in are the folding members 22 moved out of the pockets 21 again.

In the further stations IV to VII, the folding of the blank 11 is completed, in particular the lid of the pack and the front of the pack are folded. In station VII, the blank 11, which has been completely folded down to the outer longitudinal folding tabs 17, is then removed from the folding turret 10 and fed to a gluing station (not shown), in which glue is applied to the longitudinal folding tabs 17 from below. Then the longitudinal folding tabs 17 are folded into the plane of the side walls and connected to the inner longitudinal folding tabs 16 .

The details of the drive of the folding elements 22 result from FIG figure 5 and 6 . As already described, the folding members 22 are pivoted about the vertical axis 23 . To actuate the folding elements 22, the connecting rods 25 are attached in an articulated manner to a free end of the folding elements 22 in order to be able to pivot the folding elements 22 about the axes 23. Another end of the connecting rods 25 is journalled on a connecting beam 27 which is movable to operate the folding members 22, as in FIG 6 shown. The connecting support 27 is an essentially plate-like element which is arranged underneath the folding turret 10 and is mounted on it via pivoting levers 28 . In the present case, three pivoting levers 28 are provided. To connect the connecting rods 25 to the connecting support, pin-like projections 29 are arranged on the underside of the connecting support.

In order to generate an approximately linear reciprocating movement of the connecting support 27 for actuating the folding elements 22, a stationary cam 30 is provided, in which the connecting support 27 is guided via cam rollers 31. By pivoting the curve 30, as in 6 indicated, the connecting support 27 can be displaced, which leads to the actuation of the folding members 22. Alternatively, the curve 30 can also be stationary and the movement of the connecting carrier 27 can be controlled by a corresponding course of the curve 30 .

The movement of the connection carrier 27 is decoupled from the rotation of the folding turret 10, so that the connection carrier 27 and thus also the folding elements 22 can also be actuated when the folding turret 10 is stationary. As mentioned above, the drive of the folding elements 22 can also be coupled to the drive of the folding turret 10 .

Another special feature is that the folding turret 10 is designed for a two-lane mode of operation. Correspondingly, the pockets 21 are arranged in pairs and aligned parallel to one another within a pair of pockets. The four folding members 22 of each pair of pockets are each connected via a connecting rod 25 to a common connecting support 27, which thus ensures the simultaneous movement of the four folding members 22.

It goes without saying that the described invention can of course also be used in a folding turret 10 designed as a single lane.

A solution according to the invention is in 7 and 8th shown. This solution relates to the folding of the lid corner flaps 32 of the blank 11. Normally, the lid corner flaps 32--also called "dust flaps"--are folded by stationary folding elements arranged on the circumference of the folding turret 10 after the pack contents 20 have been pushed in and during the further rotation of the folding turret 10 is held in this position by a switch on the periphery of the folding turret 10 until the lid of the package 10 is folded to the extent that the lid corner flaps 32 are held in position. However, the solution described below has the advantage that the lid corner flaps 32 can also be folded if the pack or blank 11 only has very short lid corner flaps 32 due to a special format and/or the folding turret 10 has two lanes, as in the present case is trained. In these cases, this can result in the cover corner flaps 32 no longer being able to be caught by the switch and held in position. This then leads to an uncontrolled opening of the lid corner flaps 32 after folding. To clarify this problem, in 7 The working area of a conventional switch is shown as a dot-dash line. It follows from this that not all of the cover corner flaps 32 could be caught by such a switch.

Folding elements 33 are used, which are mounted laterally in the area of the pockets 21 . Construction and drive of the folding members 33 are similar to the solution described above. The folding members 33 are designed like hooks and are pivotably mounted on an axis 34 . The folding elements 33 are in turn actuated via connecting rods 25 which are coupled to a connecting carrier 27 which is guided in a curve 30 via cam rollers 31 . By pivoting the curve 30, the connection carrier 27 can be moved back and forth to actuate the folding elements 33. The alternatives for designing the drive described at the outset also apply here.

The folding members 33 are actuated after the pack contents 20 have been pushed into the pockets 21 in position III of the folding turret 10 . The folding members 33 grasp the lid corner flaps 32 and place them against an end wall of the pack contents 20. The folding of the lid is completed as the stations progress. A cover end wall 34 is erected by means of a switch 35 and placed against the folded cover corner flaps 32 . During this erecting operation, the folding members 33 are gradually withdrawn from the lid corner flaps 32. The movement of the folding turret 10 and the folding members 33 is superimposed accordingly. In order to enable the folding elements 33 to be pulled out between the top corner flaps 23 and the lid end wall 34, the folding elements 33 are flattened so that they become narrower towards a free end with which the folding element 33 comes into contact with the lid corner flaps 32. In this way, the folding member 33 can be gradually moved out between the end wall 34 of the lid and the corner flaps 32 of the lid without the folding of the lid being impaired or impeded.

In the 8 The construction of the drive for the folding elements 33 shown is essentially analogous to the construction according to FIG Figures 3 to 5 . A connecting carrier 27 is mounted pivotably on the folding turret 10 via pivoting levers 28 . On the one hand, the connecting support is guided in a curve 30 via cam rollers 31 . On the other hand, the connecting support 27 is connected to the folding members 33 via the connecting rods 25 . A special feature in the present case can be seen in the fact that the two folding elements 33 arranged between the adjacent pockets 21 can be actuated by a common connecting rod 25 which is coupled to both folding elements 33 . <b>List of reference characters:</b> 10 folding revolver 36 recess 11 cutting 37 edge 12 support flaps 13 bottom wall 14 box sidewall 15 box sidewall 16 longitudinal folding flaps 17 longitudinal folding flaps 18 box back wall 19 box front wall 20 package contents 21 pocket 22 folding organ 23 axis 24 End 25 connecting rod 26 collar 27 connection carrier 28 swing lever 29 head Start 30 Curve 31 cam follower 32 Lid corner flaps 33 folding organ 34 cover bulkhead 35 soft

Claims (6)

1. Apparatus for producing packs for cigarettes, in particular of the hinge lid type, comprising a folding turret (10) which is rotationally driven in particular in a clocked manner and has pockets (21), which are distributed over the circumference, for receiving a blank (11) for a pack and for receiving a pack contents (20), wherein the blank (11) is folded while being transported on the folding turret (10), wherein the pockets (21) are assigned folding members (33) for folding lid corner tabs (32) of the respective blank (11) and for holding the folded lid corner tabs (32) in the folded position during rotation of the folding turret (10), characterized in that the folding members (33) are arranged on the folding turret (10) so as to rotate together, wherein each pocket (21) is assigned more than one, in particular two, folding members (33) for folding in each case at least one lid corner tab (32) of a blank (11) after feeding a pack contents (20) into the respective pocket (21), and in that the folding members (33) are movable by a free end into the pockets (21), wherein the folding members (33) have a curved design at least in the region of the free end, and wherein the folding members (33) have a decreasing dimension towards the free end in such a manner that the folding members (33) can be pivoted out between the folded-over lid corner tabs (32) and a lid end wall (34) of the blank (11) that is subsequently to be gradually folded onto the lid corner tabs (32).
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the folding members (33) of more than one, preferably two adjacent, pockets (21) are actuable independently of the folding turret (10) by means of a common drive, in particular a preferably actively rotatable cam (30).
3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the folding members (33) are assigned in the region of side walls of the packs to the pockets (21) and can be moved into the pockets (21) in order to fold over the lid corner tabs (32) of the blanks (11) to form a lid of the pack, wherein in particular the folding turret (10) is designed for a two-track manner of operation and every two adjacent pockets (21) are arranged parallel to one another.
4. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or either of the other preceding claims, characterized in that the folding members (33) can be moved by a free end into the pockets (21), wherein the folding members (33) have a curved design at least in the region of the free end, and wherein the folding members (33) have a decreasing width towards the free end in such a manner that the folding members (33) can be moved out, in particular pivoted out, between the folded-over lid corner tabs (32) and a folding tab of the blank (11), in particular a lid end wall (34), that is subsequently to be gradually folded onto the lid corner tabs (32).
5. Method for producing packs for cigarettes, in particular of the hinge lid type, wherein blanks (11) for the packs are inserted into pockets (21) of a folding turret (10), which is rotationally driven in particular in a clocked manner, and are folded around a pack contents (20), characterized in that lid corner tabs (32) of the blanks (11) are folded against an end wall of the pack contents (20) by folding members (33) arranged on the folding turret (10) so as to rotate together, wherein the folding members (33) have a curved design at least in the region of the free end, and wherein the folding members (33) have a decreasing width dimension towards the free end, and in that, after the folding of the folding tabs (32), the folding members (33) hold said folding tabs in the folded position while the folding turret (10) is rotated further, and in that, by means of a distributing guide (35), a lid end wall (34) of the pack is set upright and placed against the folded lid corner tabs (32) while the folding members (33) are gradually pivoted out between lid end wall (34) and lid corner tabs (32), wherein, in order to make it possible to pull out the folding members (33) between lid corner tabs (23) and lid end wall (34), the folding members (33) have a flattened form such that they become narrower towards the free end, by means of which the folding member (33) comes into contact with the lid corner tabs (32).
6. Method according to Claim 5, characterized in that the lid end wall (34) is gradually folded against the folded-over lid corner tabs (32) by a distributing guide, which is arranged in a fixed position on the circumference of the folding turret (10), while the folding turret is rotationally driven.

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