US3636958A

US3636958A - Cigar handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3636958A
Application number: US60543A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert C Sundberg; William Carlson; Lampkin H Wood
Original assignee: Swisher International Inc
Current assignee: Swisher International Inc
Priority date: 1970-08-03
Filing date: 1970-08-03
Publication date: 1972-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-25
Also published as: NL7100117A; GB1256337A; DE2107417A1; SE368141B

Abstract

Cigars issuing three abreast from a pressing machine are split into three laterally spaced horizontal conveyors, collected into groups, fed through a head-punching apparatus, and thence fed towards a wrapping machine.

Description

finndher ell nl. 1451 ,llnn. 25, W7

[ CllGAR HANDLHNG APPARATUS {56] References Cited [72] Inventors: Robert C. Sundberg; William Carlson; UNITED STATES PATENTS mmplm Jackmvme, 3,6l0,254 10 1971 Shellenberg et al. ..131 79 [73] Assignee: .lno. llll. Swisher & Son, lne., Jacksonville, 3,209,761 l0/1965 Craig 1 a1 1/ 2 X Fla. 2,102,248 12/1937 Yeakel 198/190 X 1,955,959 4/1934 Harnischfeger Ct 411. 198/190 UX [221 Aug-3,197 2,800,! 33 7/1957 Sundberg ..131 254 [21] App]. No: 60,5413

Primary Examiner-Samuel Koren Assistant Examiner-11. F. Pitrelli [52] 11.1.8. C1. ..l3l/82, 131/25, 131/83 A, A j H Litfl 198/20 C, 198/190 [51 Int. Cl. v ..A24c01/38,A24f 13/24 [57] ABSTRACT [58] Field OlSQflT/Cll ..l31/92,82,83 A,25,254;

[93/20 C, 190 Cigars issuing three abreast from a pressing machine are split into three laterally spaced horizontal conveyors, collected into groups, fed through a head-punching apparatus, and thence fed towards a wrapping machine.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAMES I972 PRESET COUNTER SHEEI '4 BF 4 RAM B CHAIN PUSHER HEAD PUNCHER PLUNGER ClGAlll HANDlLllNG APPARATUS FlELD OF INVENTION Tobacco; Cigar and Cigarette making.

PRIOR ART Pietruska US. Pat. No. 3,225,774 Pressing Machines; Sundberg US. Pat. Nos. 2,800,133 and 2,854,986 l-lead Punchers; and Colton-Voice Cellophane Machines, e.g., lfath US. Pat. No. 2,044,947.

OBJECTS Until comparatively recent times, cigars, after being made on a machine and color sorted, were place in what are known in the trade as dummy boxes, wherein they were retained under compression which gave them a somewhat square shape. Also, during this time the cigar paste sets so that they could be handling without appreciable danger of damage. After remaining under compression for about 24 hours, the cigars, for example, 13 to a layer, were stacked into the hopper of a head punching machine (for example, see the Sundberg patents, supra). Rows of cigars ejected from the head puncher onto a walker" conveyor were fed to a banding and wrapping machine, for example, what is known as a C01- ton-Voice Cellophane machine; and the wrapped and banded cigars were finally packaged. Thus, although the making and wrapping processes were continuous, the dummy box step and the introduction of the cigars into the hopper of the head puncher were essentially batch process steps, so that the flow of cigars through the plant was continuous-batch-continuous.

The elimination of the dummy box step came about through the advent of cigar pressing machines, for example, see the Pietruska patent (supra). In one commercial form of the Pietruska machine, pressed cigars come off the output end in three columns, from which they were gathered and placed into the hoppers of the head punchers, the timing of the machines being such that one cigar pressing machine can feed three head punchers and three Cellophane machines. While one at tendant can operate a Cellophane machine and handle wrapped cigars issuing therefrom, additional labor was needed to transport the cigars from the presser and load the head punchers. Hence, the savings in the nearly-complete conver sion to continuous flow were not as great as anticipated.

The object now is to provide cigar handling machinery, including a novel conveying and feeding system between a presser and a head puncher, in which the handling of cigars, from the time they leave a pressing machine to the time they leave a Cellophane machine, is entirely automated.

One problem previously encountered in attempting to accomplish the above objective is that, if the three columns of cigars issuing from a pressing machine are conveyed directly forward to head puncher and wrapping or Cellophane machines, the columns are sufficiently close together that there was insufficient room for the head puncher and wrapping machines, and for the attendants to work around them. One attempt to divide the cigars in the columns and to spread them laterally involved a so-called dealer, via which a first of three successive cigars was fed forwardly, a second was fed laterally in one direction, and a third was fed laterally in the opposite direction. However, this proved to be unduly complex and costly. According to this invention, the same ob jectives are accomplished in a much simpler manner.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, in which:

FlG. l is a plan view of the cigar handling apparatus, including the output end of a typical cigar pressing machine and three head punchers;

Fit 2 is a perspective view of the output end of a pressing machine, the forward conveyor and the two lateral conveyors;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the infeed and outfeed to and from a head puncher; and,

FIG. t is a diagram illustrating the control relationships of the cyclically-operating components.

Referring first to H655. l and 3, the output end of a Pietruska cigar pressing machine 12 delivers three abreast so that they form three series of cigars which will be designated 4a, 4b, dc, to differentiate them according to the series in which they reside. Throughout the specification, the suffix letters a, b and c will also be used to differentiate similar components according to which line or series they are in. These cigars are to be fed to one of three head punching machines 6a, 6b, tic, from whence they are fed to Colton-Voice Cellophane machines (not shown) in which they are wrapped, and usually banded also. While the head punching machines are shown in parallel positions in FllG. ll, it should be understood that they usually would be located in cascade or offset relationship so as to provide better access to them, and to provide more room for the Cellophane machines.

The details of the pressing machine It are not pertinent, except to note that the pressed cigars are gripped between spiced bars 8 on a chain conveyor, which bars spread as the chains pass over sprockets, and the cigars are ejected by pushers, not shown. Likewise, the details of the Cellophane machines are not relevant, other than that, in the present instance, cigars are fed to them by walker conveyors, i.e., those having two flat fixed bars upon which cigars rest, and one or more oscillating bars which lift the cigars up and move them along, step-by-step. A plunger feedls an endmost cigar off the end of this conveyor into the turret of the Cellophane machine. Assuming, for example, 13 cigars are to be simultaneously head-punched, a cycle counter provides a control signal each 13th stroke of the plunger. The subject matter of this invention starts with the provision of three platforms l0, l2 and 14 provided with riblike runners 116 which support the cigars ejected thereon and which reduce friction and facilitate sliding of the cigars thereover. l-lold-downs are provided to prevent the cigars from piling up or rotting under one another. Two cigars can reside at one time on the end platforms l0 and M and more, for example, four in number, on the middle platform; and when a new cigar is pushed onto a platform, the outermost one is crowded oh.

Referring now to the end column of cigars la and dc, when the outermost of these is crowded off a platform, it slides onto a lateral conveyor 20a or 20c, each of which are formed by a pair of rubber belts 22, shaped in cross section like O-rings, and spaced slightly apart to form a valley in which cigars rest. Lateral conveyors are continuously driven in opposite directions by motors 24in, 24c. At the: ends of the runs of lateral conveyors 20a or 201:, the cigars flu or Ac feed onto forwardly moving end conveyor 26a or 261:; and when the cigars 4b in the middle column are crowded off their platform l2, they slide onto a forwardly moving middle conveyor 26b.

Conveyors 2641,2t3b, 26c are essentially the same, except for length of run, and are constituted by three chains 23 (timing chains were found to be satisfactory) which run over conventional sprockets and are continuously driven by individual motors, not shown. The relative timings of the components are such that groups of cigars, generally indicated at 30a, 30b, 30c, accumulate at the

ends ofconveyors

26a, 26b, 26c.

At the end of the runs of

conveyors

26a, 26b 26:: are dams 32 against which the leading cigars in

groups

30a, 30b, 30c engage. Referring particularly to FIG. 3, dam 32 is fixed across the end of conveyor 26a, and it also slidably supports one side of a ram assembly indicated generally at Ma, 34b or Me, each of which assemblies includes a crosshead 36 and an air actuated piston 38. Each time piston 38 is extended until its head 36 engages a stop 39, it pushes cigars in a group Ella, 30b or 300 off the end of a

conveyor

26a, 26b or Zhc into a receiving station, indicated generally at Ma, ltlb, or dtlc, which is at the start of a pusher-conveyor i211, 412b or Alflc.

lEach pusher-conveyor includes an endless chain 44 with at tachrnents as so spaced as to accommodate a group of cigars predetermined in number, such as l3, between them. Chain M is normally stationary, but with each actuation by its driver (not shown) is advanced a predetermined distance, i.e., the distance required to advance a group of'cigars from receiving station 400 to the head puncher station 47a. Optionally, a holddown roller 41 may be used to prevent the cigars from buckling up when the pusher-conveyor advances, which advance is relatively rapid.

With each advance of pusher-

conveyor

42a, 42b, 42c, a group of cigars is moved to a

head punching station

47a, 47b or 47c beneath a clamp bar 48 of the

head puncher

6a, 6b or 60 whereupon the clamp bar lowers, locator nozzles 50 and hot rotating needles advance to hold and form holes in the cigar heads, and then retract. Then ,clamp bar raises and pusher-conveyor 42 advances so as to move the group of head-punched cigars forwardly from the head punching station and onto the walker-conveyor (not shown) which feeds the cigars to the Cellophane machine (also not shown). While this mechanism has been described as used to handle cigars from a Pietruska cigar pressing machine to three Colton- Voice Cellophane machines, it is adaptable for use in connection with other pressing and wrapping or packing machinery, and it can also be used with various types of head punchers.

FIG. 4 diagrammatically shows the chain of controls for the cyclically operating components. Operating with the plunger of the Cellophane machine is a preset counter. The lines designated A, B and C" indicate the succession of control signals from the preset counter. Assuming that the head puncher 6a is arranged to punch a bank of 13 cigars each cycle of operation, a preset counter is set to issue a control signal with every 13th stroke of the feed plunger. During the interval required for 13 strokes of the feed plunger, and due to the speeds of the presser 2, lateral conveyors a, 20c and the

forward conveyors

26a, 26b, 26c, a row of 13 cigars will have accumulated in groups of 30a, 30b and 30c. In actual practice (by temporary stoppage of the Cellophane machine or by temporarily disabling the preset counter) a row of considerably more than [3 cigars is accumulated in

groups

30a, 30b and 300; and if larger stoppage of the Cellophane machine is desired, and if the buildup of cigars on a conveyor,'such as 26b, becomes excessive, they can be diverted to a table 54a, 54b or 54c. With the 13th stroke of the infeed plunger, pusherconveyor 42a advances a group of 13 cigars to the head puncher, and the latter starts its cycle of operation and ram assembly 34:: moves forwardly to deposit a row of cigars into station 4011, and then the ram assembly immediately retracts. The succeeding l3 cigars accumulate against dam 32 while the head puncher completes its cycle of operation. When the next group of cigars is advanced to the head punch station, those cigars whose heads have been punched are advanced by the pusher-conveyor onto the walker (not shown).

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for handling cigars discharged from a presser, wherein normally three cigars abreast oriented end-to-end are discharged generally horizontally away therefrom in a direction transverse to their lengths, said apparatus comprising first, second and third horizontal platforms disposed sideby-side for receiving said cigars deposited thereon by said presser, said platforms having free edges disposed away from said presser and off of which a previously deposited cigar is forced when another cigar is deposited by said presser, first and second continuously running horizontal conveyors having input ends disposed adjacent the free edges of the first and third platforms for receiving cigars therefrom, said first and second conveyors running in opposite directions lengthwise of the cigars deposited thereon and having output ends which are remote from said platforms, third, fourth and fifth continuously running horizontal conveyors extending parallel to one another and having an input end respectively disposed for receiving cigars from the output end of the first horizontal conveyor, the second platform, and the output end of the second horizontal conveyor, each of said third, fourth and fifth conveyors havin associated with the output ends thereof a dam against w lCh a group of cigars normally accumulate,

means providing a receiving station laterally adjacent the output end of each of said dams,

a head puncher providing a head punch station along a path extending from each receiving station,

a ram for forcing groups of cigars from adjacent each dam to each respective receiving station,

pusher means for pushing groups of cigars along said path from each receiving station to each head punch station, and means for sequentially operating said ram, said pusher means, and said head puncher.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1, said platforms having ridges on the upper surface thereof extending in a direction transverse to the free edges thereof for reducing friction of cigars sliding thereacross.

3. The combination claimed in claim 1, said first and second horizontal conveyors each comprising a pair of endless belts generally circular in cross-section and disposed adjacent one another to provide a trough for cradling said cigars.

4. Apparatus for handling cigars discharged from a presser, wherein cigars are discharged generally horizontally away therefrom in a direction transverse to their lengths, said apparatus comprising a platform for receiving said cigars deposited thereon by said presser, v

said platform having a free edge disposed away from said presser and off of which a previously deposited cigar is forced when another cigar is deposited by said presser,

continuously running horizontal conveyor means having an input end disposed adjacent the free edge of the platform for receiving cigars therefrom, and having associated with an output end thereof a dam against which a group of cigars normally accumulate,

means providing a receiving station laterally adjacent the output end of said dam,

a head puncher providing a head punch station along a path extending from the receiving station,

a ram for forcing groups of cigars from adjacent said dam to said receiving station,

pusher means for pushing groups of cigars along said path from said receiving station to said head punch station,

and means for sequentially operating said ram, said pusher means, and said head puncher.

5. The combination claimed in claim 4, said platform having ridges on the upper surface thereof extending in a direction transverse to the free edges thereof for reducing friction of cigars sliding thereacross.

Claims

1. Apparatus for handling cigars discharged from a presser, wherein normally three cigars abreast oriented end-to-end are discharged generally horizontally away therefrom in a direction transverse to their lengths, said apparatus comprising first, second and third horizontal platforms disposed side-byside for receiving said cigars deposited thereon by said presser, said platforms having free edges disposed away from said presser and off of which a previously deposited cigar is forced when another cigar is deposited by said presser, first and second continuously running horizontal conveyors having input ends disposed adjacent the free edges of the first and third platforms for receiving cigars therefrom, said first and second conveyors running in opposite directions lengthwise of the cigars deposited thereon and having output ends which are remote from said platforms, third, fourth and fifth continuously running horizontal conveyors extending parallel to one another and having an input end respectively disposed for receiving cigars from the output end of the first horizontal conveyor, the second platform, and the output end of the second horizontal conveyor, each of said third, fourth and fifth conveyors having associated with the output ends thereof a dam against which a group of cigars normally accumulate, means providing a receiving station laterally adjacent the output end of each of said dams, a head puncher providing a head punch station along a path extending from each receiving station, a ram for forcing groups of cigars from adjacent each dam to each respective receiving station, pusher means for pushing groups of cigars along said path from each receiving station to each head punch station, and means for sequentially operating said ram, said pusher means, and said head puncher.

3. The combination claimed in claim 1, said first and second horizontal conveyors each comprising a pair of endless belts generally circular in cross section and disposed adjacent one another to provide a trough for cradling said cigars.

4. Apparatus for handling cigars discharged from a presser, wherein cigars are discharged generally horizontally away therefrom in a direction transverse to their lengths, said apparatus comprising a platform for receiving said cigars deposited thereon by said presser, said platform having a free edge disposed away from said presser and off of which a previously deposited cigar is forced when another cigar is deposited by said presser, continuously running horizontal conveyor means having an input end disposed adjacent the free edge of the platform for receiving cigars therefrom, and having associated with an output end thereof a dam against which a group of cigars normally accumulate, means providing a receiving station laterally adjacent the output end of said dam, a head puncher providing a head punch station along a path extending from the receiving station, a ram for forcing groups of cigars from adjacent said dam to said receiving station, pusher means for pushing groups of cigars along said path from said receiving station to said head punch station, and means foR sequentially operating said ram, said pusher means, and said head puncher.