GB2099783A

GB2099783A - Forming groups of cigarettes

Info

Publication number: GB2099783A
Application number: GB8216200A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Molins Ltd
Current assignee: Mpac Group PLC
Priority date: 1981-06-06
Filing date: 1982-06-03
Publication date: 1982-12-15
Also published as: GB2099783B

Abstract

Groups of cigarettes C (notably wide collations with more than seven columns) are formed on a base plate 4 under a vaned hopper 2 by removing the two outer columns with auxiliary conveyors 14, which preferably engage the cigarettes slightly in advance of the inner columns engaged by a main conveyor 12. The auxiliary conveyors move at a slightly slower speed than the main conveyor 12 and convey the outer cigarettes along convergent guide walls 24, where the main conveyor can engage the entire compacted group. Each auxiliary conveyor 14 may comprise a toothed belt 16 with equi- spaced pushers 22 secured to it, the pushers entering the hopper 2 through a horizontal slot in each side wall 6. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Forming groups of cigarettes This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming groups of cigarettes.

Though the invention is applicable to other rodlike articles (including e.g. cigars and similar smoking articles), for the sake of convenience reference will hereafter only be made to cigarettes.

In a known technique for forming cigarettes into the desired groups or collations in which they are to be packed, cigarettes are fed from a hopper down vertical channels at the bottom of which they are directly extracted by a series of regularly spaced pushers mounted on a continuously moving conveyor. This principle has been adopted on Molins' HLP4 packing machines, and is described basically in U.S. Patent No.

2,621,840. While this principle is satisfactory for most collations, inciuding the common 3-row 20 cigarette collation, problems arise with some of the wider collations particularly those in which cigarettes are extracted from more than say seven channels, in that the pusher needs to be wide enough to engage all the cigarettes while disposed in a loosely spaced array beneath the hopper, yet narrow enough not to interfere with convergent side walls along which the compacted group are subsequently conveyed.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for forming groups of cigarettes arranged in a plurality of columns at least some of which contain more than one cigarette, comprising a horizontal elongated base, a hopper for passing horizontally lying cigarettes down a corresponding plurality of spaced vertical channels and onto the base, a first conveyor movable along part of the base of extract cigarettes from at least one of the two outer channels, a second conveyor movable along the base in timed relation with the first conveyor to extract cigarettes from the remaining channels and upright convergent guide means disposed along the base for reducing the width of each resulting group by convergence of the columns of cigarettes, whereby all the cigarettes in the group are brought into engagement with the second conveyor.

The first conveyor preferably engages the cigarettes ahead of the second conveyor; and its speed is advantageously less than that of the second conveyor.

The first conveyor may comprise a toothed belt having at least one pusher thereon. The toothed belt may be trained about two pulleys rotatable about vertical axes, preferably the downstream one of the pulleys being driven. There may be such a toothed belt disposed at each of the outer channels, and conveniently there may be three regularly spaced pushers on each toothed belt.

The horizontal base may include a raised portion extending under one or more of the channels to maintain the columns of cigarettes extracted from those channels in a nesting relationship with the cigarettes from the remaining channels.

The invention also extends to a method of forming groups of cigarettes in a plurality of columns at least some of which contain more than one cigarette, comprising passing horizontally lying cigarettes down a corresponding plurality of spaced channels and onto a horizontal base, extracting a group of cigarettes along the base, at least one of the two outer columns being extracted ahead of the remaining columns, and bringing the extracted columns of cigarettes into convergence to form the desired group of cigarettes.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention, and Figure 2 is an end view taken on the line Il-Il of Figure 1.

Referring first mainly to Figure 2, there is shown the lower part of a hopper 2 disposed above a horizontal base plate 4. The hopper is defined by outer side walls 6, and divided into eight vertical channels by narrow vanes 8.

A narrow slot 10 is formed along the length of the base plate 4 through which extends one of a plurality of regularly spaced pushers 12 (Figure 1) supported from underneath on a pair of chain conveyors (not shown). Two pushers 12 are shown in Figure 1, but in Figure 2 the pushers have been omitted to avoid confusion.

The arrangement so far described is known, being similar to that disclosed in the above mentioned U.S. Patent 2,621,840.

At each side of the hopper 2 there is a further conveyor 14 in the form of a toothed belt 1 6 trained about correspondingly toothed pulleys 1 8 and 20, each of the downstream pulleys 1 8 being driven. Securely mounted on each toothed belt 1 6 are three regularly spaced pushers 22. In passing through the hopper 2 successive pushers 22 on each belt 1 6 extend through a horizontal slot 23 in the respective side wall 6 and engage the three lowermost cigarettes C of that outer channel. A guide 1 7 in contact with the inside of each band 1 6 ensures that the pushers 22 remain vertical and parallel with the side walls 6.

The spacing between successive main pushers 1 2 is, for example, 254 mm, whereas the spacing between successive pushers 22 is 240 mm.

However, the speed of the pushers 22 is proportionally less than that of the main pushers 12, in such a manner that each time a pair of pushers 22 appears at the hopper 2 a main pusher 12 also arrives.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described, referring also to additional parts of the apparatus.

In the position shown in Figure 1, a pusher 22 at each side of the hopper 2 is about to extract a column of three cigarettes from the respective outer channels of the hopper. At this point the two pushers 22 are about 6 mm ahead of the corresponding main pusher 12. The pusher 12 is shaped so as to extract three cigarettes from each of the six inner channels, except for the third and sixth channels from each of which only two cigarettes are extracted. The cigarettes in these two channels are maintained one half cigarette diameter higher than those from the other channels by means of a raised portion 26 formed on the base plate 4.

As the two pushers 22 start extracting the outer columns of cigarettes, the leading ends of the cigarettes meet a convergent part 24 of the side walls 6 bringing the outer columns into contact with the next adjacent (second and seventh) columns of cigarettes.

The main pusher 12 now extracts the inner six columns, catching up the pushers 22, so that when the pusher 12 reaches the chain-dotted position shown at 1 2A the cigarettes in the outer columns are in line with those in the inner columns.

At this point the cigarettes in the group are more closely compacted and nested, and so are of a reduced width, enabling the pusher 12 to come into contact also with the outer columns. As the pusher 12 thus moves the entire cigarette group along the base plate 4, the pushers 22 begin lagging behind the pusher 12, so that at the chain-dotted position of the pushers shown at 22A they start to rotate about the driven pulleys 18 without interfering with the outer columns of cigarettes.

In order to maintain the pushers 22 vertical during extracting of the outer columns of cigarettes, each band 16 slides against a steadying guide 17.

The securement of each of the pushers 22 to the band 16 may need a mechanical fastener which projects into the profile of the teeth inside the band 16. To avoid interference of such fastener with the teeth on the pulleys 18 and 20 there is provided a corresponding cut-out 28 in each of the pulleys; and the diameter of the pulleys 18 and 20 are so arranged, in relation to the length of the band 16, that the pulleys always assume the same angular position relative to each of the pushers 22 passing around the pulleys, so that the cut-outs 28 receive the fasteners of the pushers 22.

It will be seen that the apparatus described enables wide collations of cigarettes to be formed, in this example collations of 22 cigarettes. Such collations could not be formed with the type of mechanism known heretofore, since the width of the pusher would be too great to allow the cigarette collation to be brought to the required narrow nesting width. It will be apparent that various other collations of cigarettes can also be provided by the present invention.

Claims

1. Apparatus for forming groups of cigarettes arranged in a plurality of columns, at least some of which contain more than one cigarette, comprising a horizontal elongated base, a hopper for passing horizontally lying cigarettes down a corresponding plurality of spaced vertical channels and onto the base, a first conveyor movable along part of the base to extract cigarettes from at least one of the two outer channels, a second conveyor movable along the base in timed relation with the first conveyor to extract cigarettes from the remaining channels, and upright convergent guide means disposed along the base for reducing the width of each resulting group by convergence of the columns of cigarettes, whereby all the cigarettes in the group are brought into engagement with the second conveyor.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the first conveyor engages the cigarettes slightly ahead of the second conveyor and in which the speed of the first conveyor is less than that of the second conveyor.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the first conveyor comprises a toothed belt having at least one pusher thereon, the toothed belt being trained about two pulleys rotatable about vertical axes of which the downstream pulleys are driven.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which there is a toothed belt at each outer channel of the hopper, each belt having three pushers thereon.

5. Apparatus according to any one preceding claim in which said horizontal base includes a raised portion extending under one or more of the channels to maintain the columns of cigarettes extracted from those channels in a nesting relationship with the cigarettes from the remaining channels.

6. A method of forming groups of cigarettes in a plurality of columns at least some of which contain more than one cigarette, comprising passing horizontally lying cigarettes down a corresponding plurality of spaced channels and onto a horizontal base, extracting a group of cigarettes along the base, at least one of the two outer columns being extracted ahead of the remaining columns, and bringing the extracted columns of cigarettes into convergence to form the desired group of cigarettes.

7. Apparatus for forming groups of cigarettes substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of forming groups of cigarettes substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.