US2605909A - Cigarette tray dumping device - Google Patents

Description

g- 5, 1952 D. w. MOLINS EIYAL 1 2,605,909

CIGARETTE TRAY DUMPING DEVICE Filed April 25. 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet l Q Aug. 5, 1952 D. W. MOLINS ETAL CIGARETTE TRAY DUMPING DEVICE 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 25. 1949 Aug. 5, 1952 D. w. MOLINS El'AL 2,605,909

CIGARETTE TRVIAY DUMPING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 D. W.-MOLINS ETAL CIGARETTE TRAY DUMPING DEVICE Aug. 5, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 25, 1949 INVENfO/FJ K94 W V-Q' M g- 5, 1952 D. w. MOLINS ETAL CIGARETTE TRAY DUMPING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1949 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 M w? W Aug. 5, 1952 D. w. MOLlNS EI'AL CIGARETTE TRAY DUMPING DEVICE .7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed April 25. 1949 Patented Aug. 5, 1.952

S PATENT TRAY DUMPING DEVICE Desmond Walter Molins and Felix Frederic Ruau, Deptford, London, England, assignors to Molins -Machine Company Limited, London, England,

' a British company Application April 25, 1949, Serial No. 89,502 In Great Britain May 4, 1948 13 Claims. 1

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the packing or handling of cigarettes or'other rod shaped articles.

Apparatus constructed according to the invention-may be advantageously employed in all suitable cases where cigarettes or other rod-like articles are to' be transferred from atr'ay or the like into any kind of hopper or receptacle. For

example, the apparatus may be used for transferring either cigarette lengths or lengths of filter rod material into a hopper or the like for manufacturing filtertip cigarettea'for example as described inBritish Patent Specification No. 430,742. 'In the following descriptionlthe emphasis is on cigarettea'butit will be readily seen that .the

same general considerations apply to other rod shaped articles, thougha'filterrods or stubs, as they are often called, neednot behandled so delicately as cigarettes. "-"As the same general type .of tray may be used forvariousarticlesl the convenientterm .cigarette tray! will be used .throughout the specification.

Cigarettes issuing ,from :a cigarette. making .machine are frequently collected in trays, from whichtheyare subsequently transferred into the hopper of a cigarette packing. machine. In some cases, for example, theiciagrettes are'placed in thetrays; by hand, and may be'removed from a .tray by means oiJa flexible lifting-strip which .is arranged to lie in the tray beneaththe cigarettes .and which has its ends free so that they canbe lgrasped, and the flexible-strip. thus drawn tight around the stack of cigarettesin the :tray, so that the cigarettes may thus be lifted out of the tray.

.A traysuitable for use inthisway may consist of ga simple, Open-sided metal structure having a fiat bottom and-upright end walls, the width of .a

tray ,being approximately equal to the length of a cigarette. 1 l British Patent Specification No. 549,875 discloses, apparatus for automatically collecting cigarettes in trays which are arranged to move beneathand past a filling station at whichthey are automatically filled with cigarettes. The

trays in that case are of special construction and so designed that their contents can be discharged without the use of lifting strips.

It is an object of the invention to provide means whereby simple and inexpensive trays,

which can if desired befilled automatically-with cigarettes, may be employed in such a way that the cigarettes may be automatically discharged from the trays into the hopper of a packing machine, Without the. use of lifting strips.

I According to the invention there is provided apparatus for discharging the contents of cigarette trays, comprising a charger adapted to receive and accommodate a filled tray andpivotally mounted adjacent a cigarette hopper or. the. like, closure means adapted to close said charger whereby the filled tray is enclosed and secured within the charger, means to invert the charger by swinging it about its pivot from the tray receiving or loading position to a discharging position above the hopper, said closure means including a removable part which supports the mass of cigarettes in the charger when the latter is in the discharging position and which can be withdrawn to permit the cigarettes to fall into the hopper.

The charger may comprise a fixed rear wall and the closure means may comprise a pivoted front wall having means to support a removable top wall which constitutes the said removable part. The said top wall may be slidable in slotted members carried by the said pivoted front wall; 1

Alternatively the removable top wall may be pivotally mounted for movement over and away from-the top of the charger, that is, into and out of the closure position.

The charger-may be swung about its pivot by mechanism set into operation by a press button or like control, the arrangement being such that the charger swings over to the discharging position and then returns to the tray receiving or loading position whereafter said mechanism 'ceases to operate until the button ispressed again. a

The pivoted top wall may be held in its operative position by a latch which is trippedwhen the charger arrives at the discharging position whereupon the top wall moves on its pivots under the influence Of a spring. Means may be provided for preventing the operation of the charger swinging mechanism to move the charger from the loading position until the top wall is latched in position.

Thepivoted front Wall of the charger may be held in the closed position by a latch and means may be provided for tripping the latch automatically asthe charger returns to the loading position so that the front wall can swing about its pivots to a wide-open position, for example, a position where the wall is substantially horizontal. Catches 'or the like may be provided on the pivoted front wall adapted to engage the tray and to carry it with the wall when the latter swings open about its pivots. This provision fa- 3 cilitates rapid operation of the charger when large quentities of cigarettes are being handled.

The pivoted top wall may comprise a series of flat springs or pressers adapted to move into contact with the cigarettes along the length of the charger to prevent displacement or rolling of the cigarettes as the charger swings over in its pivoting movement.

Apparatus according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the general arrangement of the apparatus which, in this example, is used for supplying cigarettes to the hopper of a cigarette packing machine.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a charger and its operating devices drawn to a larger scale and partly broken away at one end to show hidden parts.

Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of Figure 2 on the line I'IIeIII, some parts being omitted.

Figure 4. is a sectionof part of Figure 2 onthe line IV-IV.

Figure 5 is a top view of part of "Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 1 showing. details of aclutch device.

Figure 7 is asectional end elevation ofFigure 6, some parts beingomitted.

Figure 8 is a perspective view. of a cigarette tray, shown broken. 1

Figure 9 is a view generallysimilar to Fi ure 3 but looking at Figure 2 from the opposite .endand showing certain modifications.

Figure 10 shows a plan of a part shown in Figure 9, said part constituting a tray-engaging catch.

Figure 11 is a small scale view of a device used for aligning cigarettes dischargedinto the hopper ofFigure 1.

The apparatus is designed for use withtraysof neath a filling station at which they are filledwith cigarettes issuing from a cigaretternaking machine, the end walls are slotted or forked, as shown in Figure 8, to allow themto pass a downwardly extending guide which guides the ;cigarettes into the trays. The width of the sletin an end wall is, ofcourse, less than. the ,length ofa cigarette. r t The control of thechargermovernentslmaybe effected either electrically or mechanically and both methods are shown in the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, when atray I, Figure 1, has been filled with cigarettes, it. is placed in a charger, generally indicatedby the reference 2, which is designed to accommodate a tray and which is disposed adjacent a hopper, generally indicated bythe reference 3, of a cigarette packing machine;

The charger has a base 5 on which the tray 1 can rest, and a rear wall '5 fixed to the base so as to cover one side of the stack of cigarettes in the tray. A front wall 6 is pivoted at l'to the base so that it can be swung up" to cover the other side of the stack of cigarettes and swung down, as explained more particularly later, to openthe charger for receiving a filled tray. The pivoted I of cigarettes, as will be front Wall is preferably made of transparent ma terial so that the cigarettes can be seen. When the front wall is closed the ends of the cigarettes are all aligned, as the space between the front and rear walls is substantially the length of a cigarette. The front wall 6 is held in the closed position by fastening devices at each end of the charger, each device comprising a hook shaped latch 8 which, under the influence of a spring 9, snaps over a corresponding shaped part Ii], fixed to a lug extending from the charger base t, when the wall 6 is swung on its pivots l to close it. The latches 8 are fixed on a pivoted rod l i and provided with a long stirrup shaped lever or handle [2, shown broken in Figure 2, so that the fastening device may be unlatched with ease.

A framework, generally indicated by the reference l3, and of substantially rectangular shape is pivoted on pivots 3! on the same axis as the front wall pivots I and is located in advance of said wall. At its upper end the framework has an extension M which extends across the top of the charger and the filled tray carried therein so as to close the charger and prevent cigarettes from falling out when the charger is swungv over towards the hopper. The extension forms a slightly acute (e; g. interiorangle with the plane of the framework.

The charger isv fixed to a leverld which is integral with thebase 4 and pivoted at 16 so that thecharger can swing about the leverpivot.

Side guides H and I8, Figure 1, are provided at the mouth of the packing machine hopper 3 and are arranged toextend 'outwardlyto allow the charger to be swung intoinverted position between them.

The rectangular'framework leis held in the closed position, with its extension 14 covering the top of the charger, by .a hook shaped latch l9 whichis pivoted onthe rod: [1' to the: front Wall t and engages a roller or pin 291cm the framework' [3. The latchisheldin engaging position by a spring 21. One end of. an armv 2 2 ofa bell crank lever 23 is pivotally connected .to the latch i9 at 22. For this purpose. the. latch I9 is provided with apivoted plate 32 to which the spring is connected-and side p1ates 3'3..fixed to :the plate andconstituting a bracket provide a bearing for the pivot 24: The :other arm 25 of the lever is pivoted at: its end to a horizontal bar 26. The pivot 21 of the bell-crank lever is connected to the front wall 5 and a link '28- of the same length as-the second arm 25 of the bell-crank lever is also coupled to the-wall and the bar 26. An end of= the bar provided with a roller 29 projects beyond the right hand end of the charger and if this roller is pressed'endwise'the latchlS is raised to release the? framework. [3; Between the framework and the front wall there are provided bent leaf springs 33- which tendto swing the framework away from'the wall, and thus as soon as the latch l'9 is raised, the. framework swings'away from the wall. The extension ll of the framework, which constitutes a removable part for supporting the cigarettes when the charger is inverted, has attached thereto a number of cigarette engaging leaf springs '18, see Figure 5, which extendfrom one end of the charger to the other and provideanumber of pressing members which engage the upper row explained in' more detail later.

Other details of the apparatus will be referred to in the following description of its operation.

When a filled tray 1 is'pl'aced in the charger and the latter is closed by swinging up the pivoted front wall'B and the framework [3, the cigarettes withinthe charger are enclosed on all sides, and the'tray is secured against movement. When the charger is swung about thepivot l6 and inverted over the hopper 3, it will be seen that the mass of cigarettes which formerly rested on the bottom of the tray are now supported by the extension M of the'framework referred to above, which,.in the discharging position, forms the base of the charger.

The tray I is shown more clearly in Figure 8, and it will be seen that at the top it has small lugs I9 which serve to space traysapart when they are supported on bars passing through the hooks,

.in order that trays may .be conveyed about a factory. The lugs at the rear of the'tray when it is positioned in the charger are also utilised to hold the tray in the charger when the latter is inverted and the extension [4 removed to allow the cigarettes to fall into the hopper 3. The lugs pass through holes or slots 83, Figure 2, in the rear wall 5 of the charger, and as the tray cannot fall out, except by a downward movement, which the'lugs prevent, the tray is securely held. The tray is located lengthwise of the charger by guides 86, Figures 2 and 3, fixed to the front wall and which pass between the hooks of the tray.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the charger is operated by a one-revolution clutch device which is shown in detail in Figures 6 and 7 In Figure 1 a shaft 34, the m'ainshaft of the packing machine, is coupled by the gear-train shown toa crank shaft 35 by means of a clutch device, generally indicated by the reference 35. As will be'seen from Figure 7, a sprocket wheel 31, which is the last member of the aforesaid gear train, is bolted to a ratchet wheel 38. Coaxial with the sprocket wheel and ratchet wheel is a clutch body 39 in which is pivoted a rocking pawl tooth 46 which has a cylindrical shank 4! which is journalled ina hole in the clutch body. At one end of the shank is the pawl tooth 40 and at the other end is a stop lever 42. It will be seen that if the pawl is moved in an anti-clockwise direction, Figure 6, it will engage theratchet wheel 38 and as the latter is constantly running in the direction of the arrow, Figure 6, the pawl and clutch body will be rotated.

At the side of the frame 43 of the packing machine is a plunger 44 slidable in a bush 45 fixed to the frame. When the plunger is pressed, as one presses an electric switch, the plunger presses against an arm 46 of a bell-crank lever pivoted at 41. The other arm 48 of the bell crank lever is thereby moved out of the path of an abutment 49 on the pawl stop lever 42. The pawl 40, then swings anti-clockwise, under the action of a spring 59, and the clutch body starts to rotate, and as it is fixed by a key 5| to the crank shaft 35 the latter is rotated and a crank arm 52 fixed to the shaft drives a connecting rod' 53.

Referring now to Figure 2, where the shaft 35, arm 52 and rod 53 are also shown but with the rod broken and the arm and shaft higher up than their true position, the upper end of the connecting rod is pivoted to a toothed quadrant 54 pivoted at 55 to the frame 43. The quadrant engages with a gear wheel 56, fixed to the shaft which forms the pivot [6 of the lever i5, and thus as the crank shaft rotates, the charger is swung to and fro, that is from the position shown in Figure 1, which is the tray receiving or loading position,to a discharging position over the hopper 3 and back again. After the crank shaftstarts 6 to rotate, the arm 48 will of course fall back to the position shown in Figure 6 as the pressure on the plunger 44 is relaxed, and when the clutch body has made one revolution the arm 48 will strike the abutment 49 and disengage the tooth 40 from the ratchet wheel 38. A collar having a lug I0 is fixed to the shaft 35 so that the lug forms a stop to locate the stop lever 42 in the disengaged position.

device partly shown in Figures. 2 and 3 and also shown in Figures 6 and 7. This device comprises a pivoted lever 51 which is engaged by an arm 58, Figure 2, of a bell-crank lever pivoted on the charger at 81.. The other arm 88 of the bell-crank lever is pressed upwards by a spring 89 and is engaged by a lug fixed to the framework [3.

,When the framework is latched, the lever 51 presses against a pin 59 fixed at one end of a double-armed lever 6!! pivoted to the frame 3 at 6|. The other end of the lever 60 is pivoted at B2 to a sl'idable bar 63 which is guided at its free end in a slotted block 64, also fixed to the frame 43. The bar 63 has a notch 65 in it of the same shape as a notch in the block 64 and when the two notches are aligned the arm 48 of the bell-crank lever can pass and the pivoting movement of the stop lever 42 to allow the pawl 43 to engage can take place. A spring 36 returns the bar 63 tothe stop position when the pivoted lever 5'! is free of the arm 58 on the charger, that is, when the framework l3 of the charger is unlatched.

As the loaded charger is a fairly heavy mass, provision isv made for balancing it as far as possible about the axis of rotation It. For this purpose an arm 51 fixed to the gear wheel 56 extends upwards, Figure 2, and to its end is attached a strong spring '58 whose other end (not shown) is anchored to the machine frame.

As the charger commences to swing upwards from the-position shown in Figure 2, the spring assists the gearing. In due course, after the arm 61 has rotated through 90", the centre of gravity of the moving mass passes over the axis It and thereafter the spring tends to resist the movement. In this way the load on the gearing is kept fairly uniform and a smooth movement results. Moreover, as will be seen from Figure 2, the crank is on a dead centre at each end of the movement, so that the charger starts to move slowly and finishes its movement slowly. Further the arrangement gives sufiicient time for the cigarettes to discharge into the hopper 3 as there is scarcely any return movement of the charger for a considerable angle of crank movement.

As a further safeguard, in case the weight of the charger should drag the crank and clutch body in advance of the driving ratchet wheel 38, ratchet stop device is fitted, also shown in Figures 6 and 7.

The stop device comprises a further pawl 69 pivoted to the clutch body at H and urged towards engagement with a ratchet wheel 12 by a spring'l3 but, in the position shown in Figure 6, temporarily held out of engagement by a cam face 74 on the arm 46 of the bell-crank lever.

As soon as the clutch body starts to move, the pawl 69 clears the cam face 14 and-springs into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel '12, long before there is any overrunm'ng load due to the weight of the charger, and as the wheel 72 is fixed to the wheel 38 the pawl 69 charger is inverted-over theh'opper.

7 locks-the. clutch bofdyto: the ratchet wheels so 'thEtjfOl/Blllll'l is impossible. Theca'mxlfitrips the pawlrfid' just, before: the end:- of? the crank shaft revolutionqand theapaivlris thus held:out*of engagement :Withthe, ratchet wheel I2 s'o astoaavoid "clicking in. the intervals belwveen cranksshaft operation, r

' In order'to ensure that the.cliltchlboidys39acome pletes its revolution so as to; restore. the clutch parts. to' the position shownin".Eigure';v flian'd. to secure efiectiverestorlation of: the pawl" tooth" 40 to: its completely disengaged: position .the: eclntch body is? slightly. unbalanced by beingheavier at theiright hand; side of Figure 6.. This fmay be done-zby a: counter weightfatxthat" side :or by di'illto move.

In view of" the overhang of thefcharg er from its pivot,- two :devices are provided to H counteract undue movement -'or "vibration during operation. O'iie is a 'bracket T5 'fiX'edto the machine frame to: stiff-en the charger while :lt is" being loaded andiforr'ning areaction surface against which the shock of ioading'and-clos'ing by an operator may be taken without stresson the pivotland other parts: The second device is a' plate "Z'Bifixed to the free end of the charger'which runs into a slot 'll', Figure '1, in the guide l7, when the The plate it checks vibration due to the shock as the framework L3 snaps open about its. pivots under the pressure'of the springs-3E1, for-as the charger comes into position over the hopper 3', the roller 29 on the end" of the bar 256 ispressed by a ca'm'face 8| on the guide i? to release the latch la and allow the'framework to spring open.

The extension I i; which constitutes'a removable part of the closure means cf' thecharger, supports the cigarettes when the charger is. inverted until the framework 13 springs open, when the extension is removed from. beneath. the cigarett'es. quickly as theframework' swings on its pivots under the influence of the bent l'eafsprings- 3.9.

This removal is effected extremely Of course, whentheextension is withdrawniit carries with it the cigarette: engaging leaf springs difference in time hetwe'en the falling of therear and front ends of the cigarettes,

It will be observed, however, that even with this arrangementit is essential that-the: movement of the extension to uncover, the cigarettes should be as rapidaapossible;otherwisethe ends of the cigarettes at-ithe' rearwall inf the charger will begin to fall before the frontrends' are free to do so, and 'thism-ay'. cause thehci'garettesto fall askew.

- Therefore the leaf springs 3fi'used are" very strong and. the framework swings open very smartly. To reduce; theshock as the framework finishes its openingmovemenaithe open position of the frameworkv is determined by pins."82' on the framework which move in slotted quadrants or links 83 pivotedto the front Wall, andithe-pins comprisev spring washers or the like 84' whereby there iiszsufiicient friction between the pins and links'to'slow down. the movement towardsits end when the force of theleaf springs is nearly exhausted.

The cigaretteengaging leaf springs la'function. in the following. manner. The cigarette trays are filled evenly and to a uniform height by apparatus attached to a. cigarette makingmachinejbut in. the subsequent handling, before the trays reach the charger, the level is likely to be disturbed. The operator roughly smoothes the top or the. cigarettes, but itis imperative that during the charger movement the cigarettes should be .preventedas far as possible from moving about in the tray. With the cigarettefengaging leaf springs mentioned, undue movement is prevented because/each springgmoves down into contact withthe cigarettesbeneath it as the framework closes, and the springs slip over afixed angle 85, Figure 3, on. the front wall until-they are free of the bar and free to extend' to -their normal shape as far as the cigarettes will-permit. Thus each inch or two oflength of theltray" is covered by an independent spring and all the cigarettes are restrained against movement.

Owing to the provision of the side guides I! and 18 at the mouthof the'hopper, between which the inverted charger isdisposed when in thedischarging position, it ispossible to start-returning the charger to itsoriginal'positionas soon as the extension of the framework is-withdrawn, since any cigarettes which may'leave the charger after the latter has startedto move upwardly and away will be guided intothe hopper by the said guides. Thus the crank cl-rive mechanism'previously described is-quite satisfactory-forthe purpose;

As the cigarettes in the charger-are aligned with the rear wall'5, andsome clearance is necessary-between the exterior face of this: wall and the neighboring face of' the hopper back wall when the charger is in the discharging position, it is necessary to shift the'cigarettes'backwards into contact with the said ho-pper'wallafter the charger has left the hopper. The. necessary movement may be noted from Figure'3as the face of the hopper wall is coincident with the face of the frame part'mark'ed 531 To facilitate said movement of the cigarettes the front Wall of the hopper 3 may be-constructed as shown in Figure 11. The lower part Di-of the front wall is fixed and to it there is pivoted at I02 a hinged wall H13. This normallyv stays'in the chain-line position because of the weight of a handle I04, but when the'charger has emptied a mass of cigarettes, represented by a chain-line rectangle me, the pivoted wallis swung inward by the handle to the full-line position to move said cigarettes back into contact with the rear wall 166 of the hopper. I

The charger returns to the receiving position withthe framework l3 in the open positiomand as the charger comes to rest, the: pivoted front wall .6 maybe. opened. by manipu lation'of the handle 12, the empty tray removed .and -afull onepl'acedxin the charger, and the operation can be repeated as soonas the front wall and-frame- ,9. work I3 are latched, when it is possible to press the plunger 44 to engage the clutch. H

The manual operation of the stirrup I2, that is a mere pressing down onthe bar, disengages the latches 8, and as the centre of gravity of the front wall structure is to theright .(Figure 3) of "the 7 in Figure 9, whichshows only the essentials-of the charger for the purpose of understanding-the operation of saiddevice. The charger is shown in full lines in the condition it is'in. when just about to move upwards, though the tray. is omitted. The left hand latch 8 is shorterithan in the previous case and is pinned to the rod II. The right hand latch is also pinned to therod and comprises a lever H5 having a fixed pin I I6 at its free end.- A striking bar or cam plate H1 is pivoted at H8 to a bracket H9 fixed to the machine frame; A spring I29 holds the cam plate against a stop surface I2I. The cam plate is so shaped and positioned that as the charger returns to its initial position the pin H6 contacts with the upper face of the bar II! and the latch lever H5 is caused to rotate on its axis; that is the rod H is rotated and both latches 8 are disengaged. I The front wall structure therefore turns on its pivots and falls down to a horizontal position as shown in chain-lines. The structure is rather heavy,- and to avoid shock 'or injury to the parts a shock-absorbing device is provided to receive the structure. This device-consists of a plate I22 pivoted at I23 and provided with rollers I24 each of whichruns up the side members I30 of the framework I 3 as the charger front wall turns on its pivots. The framework I3 is of course open as the charger returns to its initial position, and the rollers I24 are so disposed that the side members of the framework do not foul them but move smoothly into contact, though the rollers could be lower down than is shown without materially affecting the shock-absorbing action.

Beneath the plate is a dashpot device I25 only part of which is shown. a This checks the falling movement of the structure and makes the movement gentle. plate I22 to the frame 43 and draws the plate I22 back to its up position when the front wall is latched again. On the next movement of the charger to the discharging position the pin H6 turns the cam plate H'I about its pivot against the pressure of the spring I20.

To automatically remove an empty tray from the charger base, the guides 86 previously described are modified as shown in Figures 9 and where they are numbered I86 and then form extractors. They comprise bent springs I21 which, on the charger wall closing movement when the guides pass through the tray hooks, catch in a depression I28 in the tray member. Thus when the charger wall swings on its pivots and falls down to the horizontal as above described, the springs I2'I drag the tray I with them as shown in chain-line in Figure 9, but the tray is easily removed by pulling as the springs slide along the depressions I23.

Charger loading with these modifications is performed as follows. As the charger returns to its loading position the framework I3 is A spring I26 connects the already open and the front wall automatically opens as described above and under control of the shock absorber falls until it is horizontal. The attendant can immediately put in a full tray .and then remove the empty one with one hand while returning the front wall and closing the framework I3 with the other. This device considerably eases the work of the attendant whenlarge quantities of cigarettes are being handled by the apparatus.

Normally the output of a'packing machine is so great that the dischargeof a tray has to be'repeated'at veryshort intervals (e. g. 45 seconds), but in some circumstances it might be desirable to provide detecting devices which set the charger mechanism into operation when the level of cigarettes in the hopper falls below a predetermined'level so that the operator is free to attend to'something else after loading the charger and closing the wall and framework.

In an "alternative arrangement the charger is swung to and fro by an electric motor 9|, Figure 2, which'is geared by a Worm 92 to a wormwheel 93 on the crank shaft 35. At the right handside of the apparatus, Figure 2, there is located a switch 94' which is in series with the motor circuit, and this switch is engaged by an abutment on the charger frame so as to switch off the motor as the charger returns to the receiving position. A further switch 95 in parallel with the first switch is engaged by one arm-96 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 91 to thecharger. The other arm 98 of the bell crank lever is pressed by aspring 99 and engaged by a lug- I00 fixed to the framework I3. When the framework is latched, the switch is closed and the motor can start when a press button (not shown) is pressed. The control is thus similar to that employed with the one revolution clutch previously described.

In a simpler construction the removable top wall is arranged differently. Fixed to the top of the pivoted side wall of the charger are two slotted members, one at each end, which when the side 'wall is swung up lie horizontally across the top of the charger and are arranged to rest upon .the outwardly projecting abutments on the end walls of the tray in the charger. when the pivoted side wall is swung up as aforesaid and secured, the tray is secured between the base of the charger and the two slotted members and is thus held against movement. The top of the charger is closed by means of a removable part which consists of a slidable plate whose ends fit into the slots of the slotted members and which is thus held in position but can be withdrawn by sliding lengthwise of the charger. The charger is pivoted to the lever I5 instead of being integral therewith and sprung so that it can assume the correct position over the hopper for discharge of the cigarettes. It does not appear to be necessary to illustrate this simpler construction, as that fully described herein is very eflicient and quicker in operation than the simple construction referred to.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for discharging the contents of cigarette trays, comprising a charger adapted to receive and accommodate a filled tray and pivotally mounted adjacent a cigarette hopper or the like, closure means adapted to close said charger whereby the filled tray is enclosed and secured within the charger, means to invert the charger Thus by swinging it about its :pivot from the. tray receiving 'or loading position to"axdischarging position above the hopper, said closure means in-v eluding. a removable part which supports the mass of cigarettes in the charger when the latter is in the dischargingpositionfiandiwhich can bewithdrawn to permit the cigarettesitotfa'll into the hopper.

2. Apparatus asclaimedin claim .lzincluding mechanism for swinging the chargerabout fits pivot, and manually operable'control means .for initiating operation of'said niechanism'to'swing' the charger from the loading to the discharging position andba'c'k to the loading position 'onieac'h operationiof'said control means.

3. Apparatusas claimedin claim 2' comprising means for preventing the. operationot the charger. swinging mechanism to move: the charger from the loadingipositioniuntil the top wall is in'position;

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein thecharger comprises a fixed frear'wall .andfthe closure means comprises a pivoted iront walliand means for supportingaremovable to'p' walliconstitutin said're'movabl'e part.

'5. Apparatus as claimed in claim a wherein'the pivoted 'front Wallis 'held in the closed position bya latch and means is iprovided ior automatically tripping the 'lat'ch as 'thech'arger returns to the loading position so that the front wall'can swing open, for example by-gravity.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim i-coinprisin'g catches on the pivoted iron't wall adapted to engage the trayand to carry'it with the wall when the latter swings open on return to theloading position. I I v '7. Apparatus: as claimed in claim 4 wherein the top Wallis provided with a seri'es-of flat springs or pressers adapted to move into contact with the cigarettes along the length of th'e'charger for the purpose described, 7

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim l including means pivotally'mounting'the removable top wall for-movement over and away from the top of the charger, that is, into and out of the closure position.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claiin'B wherein the pivoted top wall is held in the closure'position by a latch which is tripped when the charger arrives at the discharging position whereupon the I2 topv wall moves on. its ipivots underithe influence ofaspring. 2

10. Apparatus :i or .rdischarging the contents. of cigarette' trays, comprising :a zchargertadapted ato receive; and accommodate 'a filled'tray and'pivotally mounted adjacent a-cigarette hopper i-or." the like, -closure means adapted to zclose'sai'dcharger whereby. the ..fi11ed.tr;ay is nclosed andrisecured within the "charger; -means to invert the charger by swinging it about "its pivot -.from the :trayCreceivin'gi or loading position to-Jtafl'cigarette 'cdisa charging -positioniabove:the :h'opper', s'aid closure meanslincludingrai-movable part which supports the mass. :oicigarettes tin? the charger when lthe latter';is;the zdischarging':position land which canuthen hewithdravvn )to 'p'ermi't th cigarettes toiialliiromthenharger, means operable to return the charger to. :theltra-y receiving position; and guidesiproivided atithe mouthof the hopper be' tweenwhich the charger is swung into the :discharging i position and arranged so as to. direct cigarettes-into the hopper from th'e chargeras the latter is moving: away from the hopper.

v11.:."Apparat'us asclaimed in claim '10',w hereinsaid iguidfes comprise side guides at the mouth or thethop.per,.:iandIa rear guide constituting an'ex- I tension :o'f'the irear Wall of th'e hopper, and mayable .lrn'eans atitheifront oi the hopper to position and align cigarettes .agains't said rear guide.

. 12; Apparatus for-discharging the contents of cigarette .trays,- comprising: a' charger adapted to receive and accommodate a filled tray and pivotally." mounted. adjacent i a cigarette hopperor the like',-:clfosurelmeans;a'daptedito close saidcharger whereby: the T filled tray is enclosed: and secured within -rthe' charger; and"means to invert the charger by swinging fit about its pivotfromthe tray'receiving oroloadihg position to a cigarette dischargingrposition.ab ovelthe hopper.

13. Apparatus asgclaimed 'infclai m 12 wherein thesaidxmeans operable .to return the charger to "the tray receiving rp'ositio'n are arranged to operate"automatically'to;returnithe .charger after the :me'ansvto swing the charger ab'out its pivot from-the tray receiving position has brought tlie chargertolthe dischargingposition.

' DESMOND'WA'LTERiMOLINSJ FELIX FREDERICRUAU.

No references" cited.

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