US3537227A

US3537227A - Automatically controlled wrapping machine,particularly for the cigarette field

Info

Publication number: US3537227A
Application number: US636311A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ariosto Seragnoli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-05-06
Filing date: 1967-05-05
Publication date: 1970-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 1987-11-03

Description

Nov. 3, 1970 AUTOMATICALLY Filed lay 5Q 1967 A. SERAGNOLI CONTROLLED WRAPPING MACHINE. PARTICULARLY FOR THE CIGARETTE FIELD 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 INVENTOR.

ijl lios a 'eragno Li Agent Nov. 3, 1970 A. SERAGNOLI 3,537,227

I AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED WRAPPING MACHINE, PARTICULARLY FOR THE CIGARETTE FIELD Filed Bay 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. BY Arl oslo sen-39m Li 3,537,227 AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED WRAPPING MACHINE, PARTICULARLY FOR THE CIGA- REI'I'E FIELD Ariosto Seragnoli, Via Bellinzone 31,

Bologna, Italy Filed May 5, 1967, Ser. No. 636,311

Claims priority, application Italy, May 6, 1966, 7 65,496/ 66 Int. Cl. B65b 57/06 US. Cl. 53-55 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with sheet material, particularly for wrapping cigarette packets with foil material, including a wrapping machine, a storage device, at least one feeding channel for the articles to be packaged and leading towards said storage device, a conveying channel leading towards said wrapping machine for conveying the articles towards said wrapping machine, said storage device being adapted alternatively to transfer said article from said feeding channel to said conveying channel, to collect and store the articles coming from said feeding channel and to deliver articles stored therein to said conveying channel, said wrapping machine having a plurality of control switches responsive to malfunctions of the operative parts thereof.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically wrapping articles, and is more particularly related to the wrapping with transparent sheet material, as cellophane, tin foil or other similar material, of cigarette packages and the like, More precisely, the invention is concerned with an apparatus, comprising an equipment which is arranged between the feeding of articles to be wrapped and the wrapping machine, which is capable of storing and/or delivering stored articles to said wrapping machine depending on the processing capability of said wrapping machine and on the feeding of said articles to be wrapped, respectively.

In such automatic wrapping apparatus it is a known feature that the processing capability of the wrapping machine is higher than the feeding capability of each single delivering machine, so that, with a view of better availing of the higher processing capability of the wrapping machine, a plurality of delivering machines have to be used for feeding the articles to be wrapped.

With the same view of better exploiting the higher processing capability of the wrapping machine it is a known feature to use an intermediary apparatus, which is capable to store and/ or to deliver the stored articles to said wrapping machine depending on the processing capability of said wrapping machine and on the feeding from the delivering machines of the articles to be wrapped, respectively.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in such an apparatus, in which the single units or delivering machines and the wrapping machines respectively are interconnected by the storing device the possibility to perform mutual controls and interlocking with an aim to further better the exploitrnent of said higher processing capability of the wrapping machine with respective delivering machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ap- United States Patent 3,537,227 Patented Nov. 3, 1970 paratus which is in a position to bring about the aforesaid object by means of an arrangement of the component member which is particularly simple, easy in manufacture, reliable in working, practical in its use and having a cost which is relatively low when considering the performances which such apparatus is capable to ensure as compared with the already known apparatus.

These and other objects are reached by an apparatus for automatically wrapping, particularly withtransparent foil material, as cellophane, tin foil or the like, articles, cigarette packages and the like, which is characterized in that it comprises at least one feeding channel for the articles to be wrapped, a conveying channel for conveying said articles to a wrapping machine and a device which is arranged between said feeding channels and said con veying channel, said device being capable of storing articles and delivering the same to said conveying channel depending on the processing capability of the wrapping machine and the feeding of said feeding channels respectively, control means being provided which are interlocked to said wrapping machine and said device to control said device so as to set the working condition of said device, as far as the stopping of the feeding through said channels respectively are concerned.

Further features and advantages may be made more apparent from the following disclosure of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, which is illustrated for examplification purposes only in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the electro-mechanical principle diagram of the apparatus and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show corresponding alternate arrangements of the machines forming the apparatus itself.

With reference to the electro-mechanical diagram shown in FIG. 1 the apparatus comprises a machine A for feeding the articles to be wrapped, the wrapping machine B for said articles and a vertical storage device C, from which the articles, which cannot be conveyed to the next wrapping machine, are stored in a vertical storage member 65, provided therefore, wherefrom they are delivered, when the transmission to the wrapping machine starts again.

Conveniently, such a device can be of the type which has been described in US. Pat. 3,450,246, based on application Ser. No. 636,491 having the same filing date and pertaining to the same applicant. Such machines have been shown by block diagrams, and have been confined in the drawings by thin dot-and-point line.

To the wrapping machine B a remote control switch is associated which serves for switching on the working of the machine and for interlocking the apparatus C, in the manner which will be hereinafter described and which may be determined from said above-mentioned patent.

As an example said switch 2 is shown to have three contact pairs 1-2, 3-4 and 56 which are normally open, of which the pair 1-2 serves for a self-energization through a plurality of microswitches linked to control means for said wrapping, as will be seen hereinafter, whilst the pairs 3-4 and 5-6 pertain to the contacts of the apparatus C, as will be seen. The switch t controls by its contacts 51', 6t the apparatus C, so as to bring it to deliver the articles from the delivering machine to the wrapping machine in such a manner as to make sure that when contacts 5t, 61! are open, the delivery of articles from the apparatus C to the machine B is stopped, whilst the delivery-of articles from the machine A to apparatus C is continued, the articles being sotred in the meantime in the vertical storing device, whilst when contacts t, 6t are closed, the delivery of articles to machine B is performed. Contacts 3t and 4t control moreover the driving motor of the packaging machine 13 which is connected only when contacts 31', 4t are open, said motor being not shown in the drawing.

To said wrapping machine B a relay r is furthermore associiated which has two movable contacts 1-2 and four fixed contacts 3-4 and 5-6.

Furthermore, the wrapping machine B is provided with two units a, b for feeding from the feeding bobbin, in a known manner of the foil wrapping material, as cellophane, tin foil and the like, a unit 0 for feeding from a feeding bobbin 2 of the tearing stripe opening the Wrapping of the packages, a unit d which will be described hereinafter and a unit e for driving the machine as far as the wrapping members are concerned, a unit 7 for driving the members aiming at wrapping or forming the package of a plurality of articles, a unit g for an additional feeding of articles, two units h and i for feeding, from a bobbin, ,the foil material for wrapping packages of a plurality of articles, a unit I for feeding the tearing stripe which serves for tearing open the wrapping of the package of articles, two units m, n for controlling the position of the wrapped articles in the feeding steps during the formation of the package, and two units 0, p for controlling the'number of objects which have been wrapped and which are aimed at forming the package itself.

In the unit a the cellophane band 1 passes through two guiding rollers 2 and 3. On the portion of the band 1, which extends between said two rollers 2, 3, a roller 4 is made to bear, which roller is loosely carried at the end of a lever 5 pivoted on the pin 6 so as to be able to oscillate, the other tail shaped set and 5' being designed to cooperate with the actuation member of a microswitch 7, having a movable contact 1 and two fixed contacts 2, 3. In case of a break in the feeding or when the bobbin, feeding band 1, is exhausted, the lever 5 turns around pin 6, so that its tail shaped end 5 actuates the actuation member of the micro-switch 7, switching the movable contact from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3. The band 1 is passed then through unit .b between the fixed guide 8 and the movable guide 9, which latter is capable of assuming an operative position, as shown in FIG. 1 in which it is retained by stop lever 10, which may be hand-operated, and may also assume an in-operative position. Said band 1 passes through said

guides

8, 9 and during the working of the machine and in the case of an accidental creasing, it operates on the actuation member of the micro-switch 11, switching its movable contact 1 on the fixed contacts 2, 3 from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3. p

The tear stripe or band 12 of unit c passes through two guiding

rolls

13, 14. On the portion of band 12 which extends between said

rollers

13, 14, a roller 15 is made to bear as a sensitive means, said roller 15 being loosely carried by the end of a lever 16, pivoted around pin 17, the other tail shaped end 16' of which is made to cooperate with the actuation member of a micro-switch 18 having a movable contact 1 and two fixed contacts 2, 3.

In case of break in the feeding of the band or stripe 12 or in case of exhaustion of the relative bobbin, the lever 16 turns around pin 17 bringing its tail 16' to operate the actuation member of the micro-switch 18- to have its movable contact out from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit d is essentially comprising a door 19 which may turn on the pins 20. Said door 19 is made of transparent material and works as a screen on the front part of the machine. When the operator for any reason connected with the machine, has to open said door, a member 21 secured to it strikes against the actuation member of a micro-switch 22, switching its movable contact 1 from the normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3, as far as the two fixed contacts 2, 3 are concerned.

The unit e for the driving of the wrapping machine B for wrapping the single articles, comprises a driving pulley 23 which by means of a belt 24, transmits the drive to the reduction pulley 25. The transmission wheel 26 is mounted so as to be rotatably rigid with said shaft, but to be able to elastically slide in axial direction. Said transmission wheel 26 is rotatably connected with said pulley 25 by the connecting pin 27. In the case in which the transmission couple between pulley 25 and wheel 26 accidentally increases, which may have for instance its reason in grippings of tre articles, said wheel 26 is axially shifted for instance in virtue of the coupling by means of inclined pins, against an elastic resistance, so that an action is brought on the actuation member of the microswitch 28 switching its movable contact 1 with respect to the fixed contacts 2, 3 from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit 1 for the driving of the machine as far as the members for wrapping or forming the packages from a plurality of articles are concerned, derives its motion from the previously mentioned pulley 23 and the shaft of the corresponding reduction pulley (which is not shown in FIG. 1) on which a transmission wheel 29 is provided, which is quite similar to the transmission wheel 26 of unit e. In case of an accidental increase of the transmission couple between said reduction pulley and the wheel 29, which may have its reason for instance in the dropping of the articles in the step of their wrapping to form the package, said wheel 29 is axially shifted against a resisting elastic action, and it operates the actuation member of a micro-switch 30 switching its movable contact 1 with respect to the fixed contact 23, from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit g is provided for feeding articles in the case there is a waste among the articles fed for the formation of the package. The rotatable feeding disc 31 passes below the additional hopper 32 and in the case in one of its position, the articles is absent because it has been previously discarded since it has been found to be faulty, said disc brings article dropped from said hopper in said position, where an article is lacking. Said hopper 32 is provided with a sensitive member 33 which is able to sense the presence of articles in the hopper itself. Said sensitive member cooperates with the actuation member of a micro-switch 34 and in the case that in the hopper articles are lacking, it actuates said micro-switch 34, switching its movable contact 1 with respect to the fixed contacts 2, 3 from its normal position 1-2 to the position 13.

The unit h which is provided for feeding wrapping materials for wrapping a plurality of articles in packages, comprises a bobbin 35 through which the band 36 is made to pass from plane 37 below the sensitive member 38 which is mounted for oscillatingaround the shaft 39 having bearings 40 fixed to said plane 37. In said plane 37 a window 41 is provided within which the sensitive member 38 is brought to fall if the feeding of band 36 is interrupted or the bobbin of said band is exhausted. In this manner said sensitive member operates on the actuation member of the micro-switch 42 switching the movable contact 1 of said micro-switch with respect to its fixed contacts 2, 3 from the normal position 12 to the position 1-3. The band 36 is furthermore made to pass in the unit i between the roller 43 and the actuation member of a micro-switch 44. In case of an accidental creasing of said band, the actuation member of micro-switch 44 is shifted, switching the movable contact 1 of said micro-switch with respect to its fixed contacts 2, 3, from the normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3. The tear or stripe 45 of unit 1 passes through two guiding

rollers

46, 47. On the portion of band 45 which extends between said two

rollers

46, 47, an arm 48 is made to bear as a sensitive member, the arm pertaining to an arm element 49, pivoted on pin 50 so as to oscillate, said pin being carried by the fixed bearing 51. The other arm 52 of said element 49 is made to cooperate with the actuation member of a micro-switch 53, having a movable contact 1 and two fixed contacts 2, 3. If the stripe is interrupted or the stripe bobbin is exhausted the oscillating element 49, turns around pin 50 bringing the arm 52 to operate the actuation member of micro-switch 53 thus switching the movable contact 1 with respect to the fixed contacts 2 and 3, from the normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit m comprises a brush member 54 for controlling the position of the wrapped articles in a feeding step of said articles 13 to form the package. Said brush member 54 is provided with a portion having the shape of a tail 54, which is designed for cooperation with the actuation member of a micro-switch 55 having a movable contact 1 and two fixed contacts 2, 3. When grippings of the fed articles occur, the brush 54 is lifted as shown in FIG. 1 and the tail 54' releases an actuation member of micro-switch 55 switching the movable contact from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit n comprises in turn a pushing member 56 which when grippings of the fed articles occur, during the formation of a package, operates on the actuation member of a micro-switch 57, switching its movable contact 1 from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit 0 which is provided for controlling the number of articles designed for forming a package, comprises a brush member 58, having a lateral extension 59.

-In case in which the pre-established number of articles for the formation of a package is not complete, i.e. in the case in which an article is lacking in the feeding channel 60, said brush member 58 is lowered, bringing the extension 59 to operate on an actuation member of a microswitch 61, switching its movable contact 1 from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

The unit p is provided with a cam 62 designed to cyclically operate on the actuation member of a microswitch 63, switching its movable contact 1 from its normal position 1-2 to the position 1-3.

On the electrical feeding line 64, which for instance is energized with a voltage of 24 v., and which is in series connection with the contact 3-1 of relay r, a micro-switch P is inserted, which may be hand-operated by means of push-buttons, and which has contacts 1, 2 normally in closed position.

As may be seen from the electro-mechanical diagram of FIG. 1, the micro-switches of said units from a to n are all series connected between each other, the contacts 6-2 of relay r being connected to the line 64, and to the self-energizing contacts 2-1 of the remote control switch 1. The micro-switches of the units 0, p are conversely series connected between each other and to said line 64, as well as to the bobbin of relay r.

The

contact pair

1, 3 of said relay r is arranged as a self-energizing pair of contacts of said relay r through said hand-operated micro-switch P.

The device C comprises a vertical storage hopper 65. To said hopper 65 a sensitive member 66 is associated, which is designed for cooperation with the actuation member of a micro-switch 67 having a movable contact 1 and two fixed contacts 2, 3. Said sensitive member is arranged so as to sense and signal the filling of the storage hopper device and when the level of the stored articles in said hopper device has reaches the height where said sensitive member is placed, this latter operates through said microswitch on the machine A stopping it. The working of the apparatus according to this embodiment is the following:

When the wrapping machine B is started, the remote control switch t is excited by means of interlocking circuit which is not shown (possibly for instance in the manner which has been disclosed in said application filed on the same date of the same applicant). Said switch t is kept energized through the pair of contacts 1-2, as is shown for instance in FIG. 1. As a matter of fact, all series connected micro-switches of the units from a to n are closed under normal conditions, whilst the relay r is deenergized so that the movable contact 2 is in the position 2-6. Said relay r is de-energized since during the normal working of the apparatus the position of the brush 58 of unit c is such as to leave the corresponding micro-switch 61 in the position of opened contacts 1-2.

In the case one of the accidental conditions disclosed with reference to units from a to n occurs, the switch t falls and the machine B is stopped and through the same switch 1 the device C is controlled as far as its working is concerned, in a manner which does not pertain to the present invention, but which could be the manner disclosed in the said application of the same applicant.

In the case in which this apparatus C is controlled so as to store articles in the hopper-storage device 65, and the wrapping machine B is kept in stopped condition, when the level of the articles reach the sensitive member 66 in said hopper device 65, the microswitch 67 is operated, and the switching of its movable contact from the position 1-2 to the position 1-3 causes the machine A to be also stopped.

Furthermore in the case in which that accidental condition disclosed with reference in unit 0 occurs, the micro-switch 61 is switched from its open contact position 1-2 to the closed contact position 1-3, so that the cyclical rotation of cam 62 of unit p which continuously closes and opens the switch 63 in specific moments of the cycle and which is driven by the driving members of the wrapping machine, causes relay r to be energized which by the opening of the contacts 2-6, causes the switch t to fall with the same consequences on the working as previously disclosed. 'By means of the contact 1-3, said relay r remains self-energized through the button microswitch P, so that, when the reason which has caused energization of relay r to occur has disappeared, this button P is actuated, de-energizing said relay r so that the apparatus is brought to its starting working conditions.

In FIGS. 2-3 and 4 practical examples of the combination of machines A and B and device C form altogether the apparatus in question, have been shown.

In FIG. 2 two feeding machines A-A have been shown, in which the convey channels reach device C on the opposite sides whilst the convey channel from said device C to the wrapping machine B is arranged according to a parallel path to the channel conveying to the device C machine A. The example of FIG. 3 shows a single machine A with two convey channels on one single side of the device C while on the other side of said device C the convey channel reaching the wrapping machine B is arranged.

In FIG. 4 a device C is shown with three convey channels from three delivering machines A, A'-A" and a convey machine reaching the wrapping machine B.

With reference to the three disclosed examples, arrows near the device C show the working condition of the three essential machines, which form the apparatus.

Although some preferred embodiments have been described and illustrated, it is obvious that many modifications and changes may be devised. Hence the right is reserved to all such modifications and changes as properly come within the inventive concept.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for automatically wrapping articles with sheet material, particularly for wrapping cigarette packets with foil material, including a wrapping machine, a storage device, at least one feeding channel for the articles to be packaged and leading towards said storage device, a conveying channel leading from said storage device to said wrapping machine for conveying the articles to said wrapping machine, said storage device being adapted alternatively to transfer said articles from said feeding channel to said conveying channel, to collect and store the articles coming from said feeding channel and to deliver articles stored therein to said conveying channel, said wrapping'machine having a plurality of operative parts including wrapperfeeding means, article feed ing means and package forming means and a plurality of control switches respectively responsive to malfunction of said operative parts; the improvement which comprises a relay controlling the operation of said storage device and having anop erating coil, and electric circuit means connecting the operating coil of said relay with said plurality of control switches to operate said relay to stop delivery of said articles from said storage device to said wrapping machine upon the operation of any of said con- 8 trol switches in response to malfunction of any of said operative parts of said wrapping machine.

, References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,609,802 12/1926 EkstrOni et al. 1 53-59 X 1,915,550 6/1933 Schmitt 53-55 10 TRAVIS S. McGEH-EE, Primary Examiner