US1997532A - Cigarette feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

April 9, 1935. w. EJMCLINS a CIGARETTE FEEDING'MECHANISM S Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June so 19:53

April 9, 1935. w. E. MOLINS CIGARETTE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed J n? 30, 1953 s SheetsSh eet 2 Ap i 1935. i w. E. MOLINS O IGARETTE FEEDI NG MECHANI SM Filed June 30, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1b Patented Apr. 9, 1935 a UNITED; STATES PATEN CIGARETTE FEEDING MECHANISM Walter Everett Molins,'Deptford, London,

9 England Application June 30, 1933, Serial No. 678,490 r In Great Britain July 11, 1932 2 Claims. This invention relatesfto cigarette making machines, .and has for its object to provide a,

device for delivering cigarettes from a continuous rodcigarette machine in two or more rows on to aconveyoror conveyors which convey them rettes in the proportion of six cigarettesto seven,

to a packingmachine. a i

For example, in some 1wellfknown' types of packing, the cigarettes arepacked into. the pack,- ages in quantities'of twenty, and in three'layers consisting, for instance, of two rows of seven and one row-of six cigarettes; 1

Where it is proposed to transfer, cigarettes from the cigarette delivery band,direct into a cigarette packing machine, it1will be understood that it would be convenient for the cigarettes to be delivered in three rows on to, the, cigarette catcher band, one of such rows to contain ciga:

cigarettes in each of the other twowows.

According to the present invention there is provided, a cigarette delivery device for thewpurpose specified, comprising, a rotatable drum for each row furnished with deflecting blades-on its periphery which are arranged to sweep the,

cigarettes on to the band, each drum having a number of blades equal to, or a multipleof, the

number of cigarettes in the corresponding layer of the packet.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: g V A Figure 1 is a front elevation of the delivery end of a cigarette making machine showing the invention applied thereto. l I

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1. v Figure 3 is a sectional end elevation of Figure 1 taken in the direction of the arrow A, and for the sake of clearness, only the 4 are shown. 7

'Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1, and drawn to a larger scale, and also showing the relative position of the deflecting blades on the drumv 2, 3and'4.- l

Figure 5 is a diagram similar-to Figure 3, but

blades on drum I showing details omitted from that view.

Referring to the drawings-"the cigarettes are cut from the rod by an apparatus located atthe' right-hand end of Figure "1, but not shownon the drawings; and are discharged to a continuously moving tape or belt I. having a uniform speed, which belt, together with the roller l2 separates the cut cigarettes from one another so that they are equi-distantly spaced apart from one another. The separate cigarettes travel OFFICE along the tape or. belt and are swept therefrom by one of the deflector drums =2, 3 or 4 as-hereinafter explained. The cigarettes are defiected onto a travelling belt 5 which carries them in the direction of the arrow tothe bed of the pack ing machine. A i H In the-preseht'case the cigarette, packets are to contain twenty cigarettes consisting of top and bottom rows of seven cigarettes with 'a row of six cigarettes between, and therefore, the dedeflector plates 6 distributed in the following ble ofbeing adjusted angularly and axialiyupon the 'shaft 8 for the purpose of setting the apparatus, the drums being lockedin positioniby screws 9.

When the drums rotate, the vanes sweep the cigarettes from the tape l on to the belt 5, and during this. movement the cigarettes pass between top springs 9a and bottom springs I ilvwhich assist inmaintaining the alignment and checking the speed so that the cigarettes fallen to thebelt '5 in proper formation, These springs are of par ticular importance Where it is desired to pack maybe delivered on .to thebelt 5. without being turnedover during this movement.

The bIades'G are' preferably disposed about the drums in such a manner that the first cigarette of a particular batchito be packed is discharged onto the belt 5 by a blade on the drum 4, the next cigarettes of square ornon-circular shape asthese cigarette by a blade on the central drum 3 and I V the next by'a blade on the drum 2, this sequence being repeated throughout theworkingof' the machine, with the exception that during each revolution of the drums, the central drum 3 will miss one cigarette, sinceit hasonlysix blades to the seven blades on each of the drums 2 and l.

The majority'of the blades are, therefore, spaced f apart on the drums in themanner shown in the: upper part of "Figure 3,- that is, with two empty grooves between each pair-of blades, but inlthe case of the centre drum 3 onlysix blades are used; I

10 flector drums are provided with a total of twenty leaving,,therefore, four grooves-between one pair.

' flcient to allow one cigarette to move into posi-' It will be seen that at each of blades. 1

The left-hand drum No. 4 is as shown in'Figure 3 and hasan extra blade 4%, whilst the righthand drum 2 is somewhat similarly arranged except that the extra blade 2% on drum '2 is located next to the blade Ed on drum 2 as shown in Figure 5. Thus in Figure the blades on. drum 2 are shown in dotted lines, those on drum 3 in line lines, and those on drum 4 in thick black lines.

By this arrangement the delivery of cigarettes to each of the rows is consecutive in order to keep each row filled and to prevent the formation of large gaps in the rows which would occur if each drum swept its complement of cigarettes on to the band in the form of a group of successive cigar ettes. I

rotation of the three drums six cigarettes in each row will be swept by the evenly spaced blades 6a in groups of three, one cigarette for each row. The extra cigarettes the two outside rows, that is, the se 30 V cu't-ofl", the shaft 8 and drums turn through an enth-cigarette in each of these two rows are swept 'off by the seventh blades 2% and 4th on drums 2 and 5, respectively. The timing of the blades asjpreviously stated may be seen in Figure 5, the relative speeds oi rotation of the'shait 8 and drums 2, 3 and 4 to the cigarettes delivered by the belt i to the deflecting positions being such that for each cigarette delivered from the angle of 18 or onetwentieth of a complete rotation and during such period the tape i advances acigarette from one drum position to the next.

'The belt l, the roller 52 and the shaft 8 are all in Figures i and 5 where the blades of all three drumsare indicated; In actual operation, the cigarettes are delivered in'axial alignment by the belt i at definitely spaced intervals, as will be more clearly seen in Figure 2. The drums are so timed that there will be a cigarette opposite each of the drums 2, 3 and 4 at approximately the same time, and these will be swept by the blades 60!, the blades 6d being so set that the blade on the drum '2 meets the flrstoigarette slightly in advance of the corresponding blade Gel on drum 3, I

and that inturn, is slightly in advance of the blade Ed on drum 4. This slight delay in time enables the cigarettes to come into their correct position so that theblacles on the drums 3 and 4.

meet them approximately about their middle. In

other words, the displacements between the blades Ed on drums 2 and hand between drums 3 and direspectively, are only sufficient to allow for the'time taken by the cigarettes totravel to the proper-positions i After the first group of cigarettes has been deflected by the blades 6d, three more cigarettes have come into position and are deflected by the blades 66. Again, the blades 6 6g, Eh and Ea deflect threecigarettes at a time. After the cigarettes have been deflected by the blades 5a, it will be noticed that a blade Eb is provided on drum, 2

closeto the blade Ea on drum 2. The spacing of this blade 61) from blade 6a. on drum? is only suition opposite the blade $1), and this cigarette is then immediately deflected. After this cigarette is deflected, the cigarettes move on, but there are no deflecting blades until we reach the blade 5?) on drum 4. This blade immediately deflects one cigarette, while the othertwo drums 2 and 3 do not deflect any. Immediately after this blade 51) on drum l has deflected this one cigarette, the cigarettes move on, and owing to the fact that the'blades 8d are immediately following, the cigarettes can only move a distance from one drum to the next, so that they are all swept practically simultaneously again by the blades 8d. 1

'It will be seen from this description of the operation that :theblades 661, 6c, 6], 69/, 6h and 6a, operate to sweep three cigarettes'at a time, whereas, the seventh cigarette of the rows deflected by drums 2 and 3 are done at separate times by the blades ill? on drums 2 and t respectively.

' Alternatively, the. blades maybe arranged on V the drums so as to deliver the cigarettes ready for packing with the row containing six either at the right or left as well. as in the middleas above described, and further, that thearran'ge inent of the deflectors may be followed to give any required number in any of the rows, the sole requirementbeing that the total number of blades shall be equal to the number of cigarettes contained in one packet or a multiple thereof.

,It will beiirlderstood that any suitable means may be provided for receiving the cigarettes and maintaining them in separate groupasuchiheans entirely depending on the type or" packing which is used. Such meansdo not form any part of the present invention. l

What I claimasmy invention-and desireto of cigarettes to be delivered to the appertaining row of cigarettes during one cycle of each set, and all the deflecting elements having the same peripheral speed, the number of deflecting ele-' ments in one. set being different fromthe number of deflecting elements in at least one other on the machine, a cigarette delivery clevice'for delivering axially moving cigarettes laterally in at least two'rows'the said cigarette delivering device having a plurality ofsets of'rotating deflecting elements supportedfor movement-transversely across the path of the cigarettes, the" sets being arranged to rotate in synchronism'and in cycles, and the number of deflecting elements in the numberin at least one other set.

WALTEREVERETT- norms;

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