June 13, 1961 H. POLICANSKY APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FILTER PLUGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6, 1957 June 13, 1961 H. POLICANSKY APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FILTER PLUGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6, 1957 United States Patent 2,988,402 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FILTER PLUGS Hyman Policansky, 344 Victoria Road, Salt River, *Cape Town, Union of South Africa Filed Aug. 6, 1957, Ser. No. 676,531 Claims priority, application Great Britain Aug. 28, 1956 4 Claims. (Cl. 302-2) This invention relates to apparatus for feeding filter plugs to machines for producing filter tip cigarettes in which for example double length filter plugs are interposed between the facing ends of a pair of cigarettes which are then abutted and wrapped and subsequently severed. It is the general practice in the production of filter tip cigarettes to employ a fluted drum which is fed with filter tip material in rod form for severing thereon into predetermined requisite lengths by knives during the rotation of the drum to a. delivery point where the plugs are fed into the assembling machine.

The present invention is concerned primarily with the delivery of the severed filter plugs to the point where they are ready for introduction to the cigarette assembly. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved and compact filter plug feed mechamsm.

According to the invention a method of feeding filter plugs for incorporation between two cigarettes is characterized in that the plugs are arranged end to end and guided in axial direction towards and into abutment with a stop by an airstream and each foremost plug laterally and successively deflected.

Preferably the cigarette plugs are fed to the escapement mechanism through a tubular member into which air is introduced under pressure, the escapement mechanism comprising a fluted wheel in combination With an obturating plate or stop disposed at the outlet end of the flute of the wheel which upon rotation releases filter plugs singly as the wheel is revolved.

According to another form of the invention the filter plugs are delivered from the fluted drum to a continuously driven twin belt conveyor which provides a longitudinal gap in which the filter plugs are disposed in axial line, and fed to escapement mechanism wherein the line of filter plugs wholly or in part is confined within a channel to which air under pressure is admitted to urge the filter plugs towards and against the obturating plate of the escapement mechanism.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect reference is directed to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional side view of an apparatus for feeding filter plugs according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line II-II of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end View of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 shows diagrammatically in front elevation an alternative form of the apparatus for feeding filter plugs to a filter plug cigarette assembly machine.

FIGURE 5 is a left-hand side view of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line VIVI of FIG- URE 4.

Referring firstly to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings illustrating one form of the invention 4 represents a fluted wheel the flutes 5 of which are each adapted to receive a single filter plug 6. The filter plugs are fed to the flutes in turn by means of a channel member 7 into which the filter plugs are fed from a hopper or other means and conveyed therealong by low pressure air stream introduced through an inlet pipe 8 attached to the channel member 7. The said stream is derived from a source of air at a pressure of between 2 and 5 lbs. per square inch. Channel member 7 is provided Patented June 13, 1961 with a cover plate 9 and it is preferred that the filter plugs. within the channel member rest upon a raised part 10% (Fig. 2). to allow the continuously moving air stream to contact as large a surface as possible of the plugs. The area of the channel through which the filter plugs are conveyed is therefore such as to provide a substantially free space around the filter plug. The air stream moves the plugs freely towards the fluted wheel, abutting one against the other in axial. alignment.

A stop. facing the far end of the fluted drum is smaller than the area of a flute so as to provide an exhaust for the stream of air to escape into the atmosphere. In the form. shown the stop 11 is formed as an extension of the cover plate. 9.

As each flute of the rotating fluted wheel arrives oppOsite the. chute a plug is shot into said flute by the air stream and abutted against the stop which holds it in the flute until the; flute moves out of the. influence of the; air' stream. The fluted wheel 4 is. narrower than the length of a plug so as to permit free movement of the wheel, past the column of plugs in the channel 7 the end one of which is urged against the one in the flute. Immediately after the two plugs clear each other the column moves forward and the front one is canied into the next flute by the air stream the process being continuously repeated, the structure constituting an escapement mechanism.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 4 5 and 6 of the drawings, cut lengths of filter plugs 1 are deposited on endless twin conveyor belts 2 from a fluted drum (not shown). Guides 3 extend along the whole length of the twin belts 2 and also along a stationary platform 4 at the forward end of the conveyor belts 2. After leaving the twin belts 2 the plugs 1 move onto the stationary table 4, and they pass under a top guide 5. A cover plate 6 is hingedly mounted at 7 over the side guides 3 in order to facilitate the opening of the channel thus formed between the conveyor belts 2, side guide 3, platform 4, top guide 5 and cover plate 6. Holes 8 are drilled in the cover plate 6 and a continuous stream of compressed air (2-5 lbs. per square inch) supplied through the nozzle 9 and the air passage 10 passes through the holes 8. This air stream urges the plugs 1 onward and against an escapement mechanism. As each filter plug 1 in turn comes to rest with its forward end against a stop 11 a hammer 12 pivoted at 13 and 0p erated intermittently by a cam 14 moves the leading filter plug positively into the chute 15 in which the filter plugs form a column as shown in Figure 4. Immediately after the removal of the plug by the downward movement of the hammer 12 the air stream from the cover plate 6 feeds the filter plugs forward on the platform 4 until the next plug after a short movement abuts the side of the hammer 12. When the hammer 12 on its return movement is clear of the line of filter plugs the next filter plug is pushed forward by the air stream until its forward end comes to rest against the stop 11 as before and the cycle is repeated.

The hammer 12 (FIGS. 4 and 5) and stop 11 in conjunction with the force applied to the line of filter plugs by the air stream constitutes in effect an escapement mechanism by means of which filter plugs are fed one at a time in succession to a filter tip cigarette assembling machine. Air is used at from 2 to 5 lbs. per square inch pressure although the pressure is by no means critical. The air stream may be derived directly from an air compressor and in consequence may pulsate. The device was found to work equally well with air up to 10 lbs. per square inch. The air chamber formed between the side guides and the top plate does not need to be air tight. The air stream not only blows the plugs towards the escapement mechanism but also sucks the oncoming plugs into the chamber if the escapement is working faster than the conveyors 2. The air stream positively ensures that the cut plugs are in position at the escapement mechanism (at the right moment even at high speed operation) the end pressure between the plug about to be displaced from the line by the hammer and the abutting plug is so little that there is no mutilation of plug ends by the rubbing of one plug end against the next plug end during its displacement.

What I claim is:

1. In a filter tip cigarette assembly machine a channel member having a channel for the passage of filter plugs, a rotatable fluted wheel having its flutes successively alignable with the channel of the channel member and disposed at one end of the channel member, a cover plate over the channel member and forming with the channel member a passage for filter plugs with free space around said plugs, said cover plate extending over said fluted wheel and terminating in a portion beyond the fluted wheel which acts as a stop for the filter plugs, and a low pressure air conduit communicating at an acute angle with the channel of the channel member at a point thereof remote firom said fluted wheel, whereby a series of filter plugs contiguously arranged end to end can be pneumatically moved in guided axial manner through said channel and against said stop and each foremost plug of the series deflected laterally in turn by said fluted wheel.

2. The construction of claim 1 in which the stop forming portion is of such dimensions that the air stream is exhausted adjacent the stop. a

3. The construction of claim 1 in which the flutes of the fluted wheel are of less length than an individual filter plug.

4. The construction of claim 1 in which the channel member has a longitudinal raised part along the bottom of the channel with which the filter plugs make contact in their travel in the channel member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,752,340 Hohn Apr. 1, 1930 2,541,517 Jecusco Feb. 13, 1951 2,765,829 DeBack et a1 Oct. 9, 1956 2,781,232 Smith Feb. 12, 1957