US1873058A - Automatic feed for wrapping machines - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 23, 1932. E. 1.. SMITH I 1,873,053

AUTOMATIC FEED FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Original Filed May 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l fill *T ITJI H Aug. 23, 1932. E L, SMITH A 1,873,058

\ AUTOMATIC FEED FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Original Filed May 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2| l ii IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ELMER L. SMITH, or nonemmow, massacnusn'rrs, .assrenon 'ro PACKAGE m- CHINERY COMPANY, or srnmermnn, massacnusmrs, A conromrron or trassacnusnrrs AUTOMATIC FEED FOB WRAPPING MACHINES Original application filed May 15, 1930, Serial No. 452,682. Divided and this application filed August 28, 1931. Serial No. 559,900.

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding to a wrapping machine or other article treating devices a succession of articles such as cigars. Cigars are generally pressed in layers of fifteen or twenty-five and it is one object of this invention to permit these layers to be stacked manually in a magazine, fed from the magazine one layer at a time, and delivered to the wrapping machine in indi vidual succession. A further object of the invention is to prevent any displacement of the cigars during their transit fromthe magazine to the point at which they are delivered to the wrapping mechanism. A further object is to improve generally upon the type of cigar feeding mechanism illustrated and described in the application of Frederick Grover, filed May 12, 1930, Serial No. 451,688..

The present application is a division of apgg plication Serial. No. 452,682, filed May 15,

In accordance with these objects the invention consists generally in a magazine.

from which layers of cigars are forced bodily, one layer at a time, by a plunger. The cigars are received from the plunger upon an elevated table which descends after the de-v livery of a layer thereto, so that the layer of cigars is deposited upon a pair of parallel.

flat-backed chains, in this case composed of chains of the so-called silent type which have been found to be excellent for this purpose. The conveyer chains are continuously mov ing and. the cigars are held out of contact with the conveyer until they have been delivered fully into position above it. A second chain similar to the first extends above it so that the cigars are held against movement during their transit along the chains. At the end of the chains the cigars are delivered in single file to the wrapping mechanism in a manner described in application Serial No. 452,682, of which the present case is a division.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a cigar feeding machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

gig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; an a Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig.3.

The description of the machine-will start with the magazine in which the cigars are initially stacked by hand or by other suitable means. The machine is supported upon a frame 10 to which a magazine supporting. bracket 11 is secured. A plate 12 carried upon this bracket forms the bottom of acigar magazine, the ends of which are formed by upright pieces 13. The front plate 14 of t e magazine is held in place at an adjustable elevation by screws 15 passing through slots 16 in the front plate and into threaded holes in theuprights. The back 17 is made readily removable so that the cigars may be placed within the magazine in orderly layers. To facilitate the loading of the magazine a rear bracket 18 is secured to the bracket 11 and carries on its top' a loading table 19. This table as well as the rear upright members are preferably made adjustable to accommodate cigars of different dimensions.

To force the bottom layer of cigars out of the space between the plate 12 and the bottom of the front plate 14 a reciprocating plunger is provided. Upon supports 20 extending from the bracket 11 are ways 21 in which run rack slides 22 carrying a pusher carriage 23. A pusher plate 24 provided with a head 25 is secured to this carriage. To slide the carriage back and forth in the ways the rack slides 22 are provided with teeth 26 meshing with pinions 27 fast upon a shaft 28 which is journaled in bearings 29. A pinion 30 upon this shaft meshes with a rack 31 held in position by a guide 32 and pivoted at 33 to the end of a crank member 34 swung at 35 upon the frame. The crank is formed with a slideway 36 in which reciprocates a block 37 pivotally mounted upon a disk 38 secured to a shaft 39. The other end of this shaft is driven in any suitable manner'from the cooperating wrapping machine so that it retates in timed relation therewith.

As the cigars are fed from the magazine by the plunger they are prevented from overtravel by an abutment 43 formed on the frame. 11 this position the cigars are re- 100 ceived upon table members 44 carried upon brackets 45 pivotally mounted at 46 (Fig. 4 to similar arms of a pair of identical be cranks 47 mounted on rock shafts 48. The other arms of these bell cranks are joined by a link 49 so that they move in unison and rovide a arallel motion for the table memers 44. ne. of the shafts 48 has fixed to it an arm50 (Fig. 2) provided at its end with a roll coactlng with a crown cam '51 secured to the shaft 39. The plates are thus caused to move in timed relation with the plunger which forces the layers of cigars from the magazine, and the cam 51 is so designed that the plates will remain in their'eleva-ted position during the entire outward movement of the plunger and will then descend to drop the layer of cigars upon the chain conveyer.

A pair of chains 55 having their upper run passing over a plate 56 to preserve accurate alignment pass at one end. around sprockets 57 secured on a. shaft 58. This shaft is carriedin brackets 59 adjustably mounted on studs 60 projecting from the frame, by means of lock nuts 61. At their other ends the chains pass around sprockets secured to a shaft driven in timed relation to the wraparound a s rocket 66 (Fig. 2) secure to a,

shaft 67. second sprocket 68 on this shaft is joined by a chain 69 with a sprocket driven from. the wrappin machine. The sprocket sizes are so chosen t at the upper chain moves at the same surface speed as the two lower chains. A tension roll 71 of the usual form is provided to maintain thechain 69 in proper condition. The upper run of the chain passes over a support plate 72 suitably mounted upon the frame, in order to revent it from coming in contact with ot er arts. Both the upper chain and the two ower chains are preferably made of the silent construction common in power drives; althou h this form of chain is utilized here primari neither for its ower transmission nor its s1- lent qualities, ut because the back of the chain is substantially flat and thus supports the cigars without the necessit of rovidinispecial backs for the links 0 the c ain.

5 previously mentioned, the machine is designed for use of cigars of different diameters and the magazine is made adjustable for this reason. A further capacity forchange is also provided for, so that the machine may accomodate either alternate layers of twelve and thirteen or regular layers of twenty-five cigars. For this purpose the frame 10 is split at 116 and 117. If it is desired to add a magazine of different width the frame extending to the right in Fig. 2 beyond the split 116 can be removed, a longer chain 55 substituted and the enlargement accommodated by the mere substitution of a wider plunger plate 24 and the wider magazine. It may also be desirable to operate the machine without a magazine, the cigars being fed either by hand or directly from a banding machine. In this case the frame may be taken apart along the line 117, a shorter chain substituted, and the bracket holding the shaft 58 bolted in place along the line 117 What I claim is:

1. A feeding devicefor cigars or similar articles which comprises a magazine, a plunger reciprocating beneath the ma azine to eject a layer of cigars therefrom, sliding racks connected with the plunger, pinions meshing with the racks, a gear rotatable with the pinions, a rack meshing with.the gear, a slotted arm stationarily pivoted at one end and pivoted to the last named rack at the other end, and a constantly rotatable crank carrying a member slidable in the slotted arm to impart motion to the plunger through the mechanism described.

2. A feeding device as claimed in claim 1.

having a vertically reciprocable table upon which the cigars are received from the magazine when the table is elevated, a constantly moving conveyer upon which the cigars are deposited when the table. descends, and mechanism for operating the table in timed relation with the plunger.

3. A feeding device for cigars or similar articles, which comprises a pair of continuously'runnin chain conveyers, one positioned above the ot er to form a feeding channel for a file of articles between them, the lower conveyer extending beyond the upper conveyer, a magazine positioned adjacent the exposed part of the lower conveyer, a plunger operable to deliver a layer of cigars from the magazine to an elevation above the conveyer, and a vertically reciprocable plate movable to an elevated position to receive a layer of cigars from the lunger and to a depressed position to deposit the layer upon the exposed part of the lower conveyer.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

ELMER L. SMITH.

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