US2534954A

US2534954A - Cigarette turning device

Info

Publication number: US2534954A
Application number: US57928A
Authority: US
Inventors: John T Dalton
Original assignee: American Tobacco Co
Current assignee: Brown and Williamson Holdings Inc
Priority date: 1948-11-02
Filing date: 1948-11-02
Publication date: 1950-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1967-12-19

Description

Dec. 19, 1950 J. T. DALTON CIGARETTE TURNING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 2, .1948

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INVENTOR Joly v 7 DALTON BY WWW 014M rm J Mafia flow/M ATTORNEY Dec. 19, 1950 4. 1', DALTON 2,534,954

CIGARETTE TURNING DEVICE Filed NOV. 2, 1948 INVENTOR Jaw/v 7'1) ro/v ATTORNEY iatented Dec. 19,1959

CIGARETTE TURNING DEVICE John T. Dalton, Durham, N. 0., assignor to The American Tobacco Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 2,1948, Serial No. 57,928

(Cl. l98--31) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of cigarettes and more particularly to improvements in cigarette making machines employed in the manufacture of tipped cigarettes.

In the manufacture of cigarettes, tobacco is delivered in uniform amounts from a tobacco feeder to a cigarette making machine. The tobacco so fed is passed through a tubular member, the cigarette paper placed around it and sealed and the product then cut to a predetermined length to produce cigarettes. The completed cigarettes at the outlet of the cigarette making machine are fed across the front of the machine on a belt where they are inspected and placed in containers to be carried to the packaging machines.

In the manufacture of tipped cigarettes, the tipping material of double the size of the tip is placed on the cigarette before severing at intervals equal to the length of two cigarettes. The cigarette is then severed both at a point intermediate of adjacent sections of the tipping material and in the middle of each section of the tipping material. As a result, the tipped cigarettes are delivered from the cigarette making machine with alternate cigarettes reversed, that is, the tip on one cigarette is at the forward end and the tip on the next cigarette is at the rear end. Heretofore, it has been the practice to provide two transverse belts to deliver the cigarettes across the front of the machine for inspection, Suitable means are provided for feeding each alternate cigarette to the inner belt and the next cigarette is fed to the outer belt. This results in the cigarettes traveling along the transverse belts to the operator or inspector in reversed positions. In removing the cigarettes, it is thus necessary for the operator to reverse those taken from one of the belts before placing them in the container so that the cigarettes Will be delivered to the packaging machine with the tubes of all of the cigarettes at the same end.

In the present invention I provide means for turning the cigarettes delivered to one of the transverse belts so that all of the cigarettes pass the operator with the tubes in the same relative position thereby avoiding the necessity of turning the cigarettes taken from one of the belts. To accomplish this, I deliver each alternate cigarette to the inner belt as heretofore and then deliver the next cigarette to a channel formed adjacent the periphery of a rotary disc. The cigarettes travel around this disc a distance a little more than 180 so that the position of the tip is reversed and are then delivered to the second belt. The cigarettes are thus delivered to the operator on both of the belts with the tips at the same ends and the operator is thus able to place them in the containers for transportation to the cigarette packaging machines without reversing the cigarettes on either belt.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this show- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the cigarette turning device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view on line 4-6 of Fig, 1.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral i designates a belt by means of which the formed and severed cigarettes are delivered from the cigarette making machine (not shown). As is well known, the cigarette passes to the belt I from the tube of the cigarette making machine past a cutter (not shown) which severs the tubular cigarette body at proper intervals to deliver the cigarettes of the desired length. The

belt 1 travels over pulleys, one of which is shown at 2 and one of which is driven in any suitable manner. In manufacturing tipped cigarettes, the tipping material of double length is placed on the paper at intervals equal to the length of two cigarettes. The cutter severs the tubular body at a point intermediate between two strips of the tipping material and also at the center of the tipping material so that as the cigarettes emerge from the machine, the position of the tips is reversed. The cigarettes are conveyed across the front of the machine over a table (not shown) on belts 3 and t. It has heretofore been customary to provide a device for removing each alternate cigarette from the belt 5 to the

belts

3 and 4. One of such devices is shown in alignment with the belt 3. As shown (see Fig. 2) it consists of a hub 5 having a plurality of arms or blades 6. The hub is mounted on a suitable shaft 1 and is driven in any suitable manner. The speed of rotation is such that one of the arms 6 passes transversely over the belt as each alternate cigarette moves along the belt i to deliver it to the belt 3. A plurality of such cigarettes C is shown on belt 3 with the tip T inwardly or away from the front of the table.

If the alternate cigarette were delivered to the belt 4 by a similar device, the tip would be reversed, To provide means for turning the cigarette, I deliver it from the belt I to mechanism whereby it is carried through a path of 180. This mechanism comprises a disc 8 which is rotatabl mounted on a shaft 9. The shaft 9 may be driven in any suitable manner, As shown, it is provided with a bevel gear l meshing with a bevel gear ll arranged on a horizontal shaft [2. Shaft I2 is mounted in bearings formed in brackets it. The end of the shaft may be provided with a sprocket M which receives a chain [5 passing over sprocket E5 on the shaft 1. A stationary flange ll extends around the disc from the point where the cigarettes are delivered from the belt 5 slightly more than 180 to the edge of the belt 4. As shown, the portion i8 of this flange is slightly spaced from the edge of the disc. Another stationary guide member [9 is arranged over the disc substantially parallel to the end portion [8 of the flang ll and extends across the belt 4.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. The cigarettes, after severing, are fed from the cigarette making machine on the belt 1 with the tips reversed. The device 5 travels at such speed, timed to the speed of the belt I, that each alternate cigarette is delivered to the belt 3 with its tip T at the rear. If the remainin cigarettes were delivered to the belt 4 by a similar removing device, the tips would be reversed. However, as the belt I reaches the point where its path is intersected by the disc 8, the cigarettes are fed into the trough between the flange 20 of the disc and the outer guide IT. The cigarettes travel around on the disc as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings until they reach the point where their travel with the disc is impeded by the guide 19. The cigarettes are then fed transversely of the belt l assumin the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings with their tips at the inner ends. The belts 3 and (5 pass over the operating table (not shown) where the cigarettes are removed by the operator and inspected and placed in containers to be carried to the packaging machines.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for delivering cigarettes from a cigarette making machine and reversin alternate cigarettes comprisin a belt to which the cigarettes are initially delivered, a pair of belts traveling at right angles to the first belt, a rotatable device arranged over the first mentioned belt in alignment with one of said pair of belts to deliver alternate cigarettes thereto, a rotating disc intersecting the path of the first belt beyond the rotatable device to which the other alternate cigarettes are delivered, and a guide extending across the disc and terminating over the second pair of belts to deliver cigarettes from the disc to the second of the pair of belts with the ends of such cigarettes reversed.

2. Apparatus for delivering cigarettes from a cigarette making machine and reversing alternate cigarettes comprising a belt to which the cigarettes are initially delivered, a pair of belts traveling at right angles to the first belt, a rotatable device arranged over the first mentioned belt in alignment with one of said pair of belts to deliver alternate cigarettes thereto, a rotating disc intersecting the path of the first belt beyond the rotatable device to which the other alternate cigarettes are delivered, the disc being provided with a flange, and a guide arranged adjacent the disc to form a trough between it and the flange, said guide terminating over the second of the pair of belts to deliver cigarettes from the disc to the second belt with the ends of the cigarettes reversed.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein a second guide extends from a point in the path of the flange substantially parallel to the end of the first guide over the second of the pair of belts.

JOHN T. DALTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 971,999 Hodge Oct. 4, 1910 1,988,518 Rundell Jan. 22, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 123,451 Germany June 25, 1931 232,861 Germany Nov. 21, 1909 243,268 Germany Aug. 13, 1911 256,436 Germany Jan. 7, 1912 447,705 Great Britain May 25, 1936 473,786 Great Britain Oct. 20, 1937