US3690327A

US3690327A - Apparatus for regulating the start and termination of delivery of components of rod-shaped articles in filter cigarette machines or the like

Info

Publication number: US3690327A
Application number: US22626A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bob Heitmann
Original assignee: Hauni Werke Koerber and Co KG
Current assignee: Koerber AG
Priority date: 1969-03-26
Filing date: 1970-03-25
Publication date: 1972-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-12
Also published as: DE1915339A1; GB1302721A

Abstract

A machine for the production and/or processing of tobaccocontaining rod-shaped articles, particularly a filter cigarette machine, wherein the feeding units which supply components of rod-shaped articles (such as filter plugs and adhesive-coated uniting bands) can be arrested only when the components therein are located in a predetermined position with reference to other moving parts of the machine. The feeding units can resume the delivery of respective components only in certain predetermined positions of the movable parts. This reduces the number of rejects and insures that each component can be properly assembled with other components or otherwise manipulated as soon as the respective feeding unit is started.

Description

United States Patent Heitmann 1 51 Sept. 12, 1972 [72] Inventor: Bob Heitmann, Hamburg, Germany [73] Assignee: Hauni-Werke Koerher & Co. KG,

Hamburg, Germany 22 Filed: March 25, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 22,626-

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 26, 1969 Germany ..P 19 15 339.0

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,067,754 12/1962 Pinkham et a1. ..131/21 R 3,404,689 10/ 1968 Schubert ..131/21 R 2,668,404 2/1954 Barefoot ..53/55 2,633,220 3/1953 Chase ..192/148 Primary ExaminerSamuel Koren Assistant Examiner-J. F. Pitrelli Attorney-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A machine for the production and/or processing of tobacco-containing rod-shaped articles, particularly a filter cigarette machine, wherein the feeding units which supply components of rod-shaped articles (such as filter plugs and adhesive-coated uniting bands) can be arrested only when the components therein are located in a predetermined position with reference to other moving parts of the machine. The feeding units can resume the delivery of respective components only in certain predetermined positions of the movable parts. This reduces the number of rejects and insures that each component can be properly assembled with other components or otherwise manipulated as soon as the respective feeding unit is started.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED 12 I97? 3. 6 90. 327

sum 1 or 2 lNVfNTOR: 30B HEITMAIVU ATTORNEY PATENTEDSEHZIQIZ 3.690.327

Wl ENTOR 50B HEN/UNI ATTORNEY APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE START AND TERMINATION OF DELIVERY OF COMPONENTS OF ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES IN FILTER CIGARETTE MACHINES OR THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for regulating the start and termination of delivery of components of rod-shaped articles in filter cigarette machines or the like. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for regulating or controlling the start and termination of delivery of such components in machines for the production and/or processing of plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, filter plugs or analogous articles which, either alone or with other articles, or components, form rod-shaped smokers products.

The feeding units which supply components in filter cigarette machines, cigarette rod making machines and similar producing or processing machines are normally started and arrested in response to engagement or disengagement of mechanical or electromagnetic clutches. When a conventional clutch receives a signal, it simply completes or interrupts the driving connection between a prime mover and the movable parts of the feeding unit. Problems arise in connection with the control of feeding units which are used to supply a continuous stream of components in a modern filter cigarette machine or the like wherein certain components, for example, filter plugs or adhesive-coated uniting bands, must be applied in synchronism with the supply and transport of other component or components and in synchronism with the speed of drums or other types of conveyors which move the components through the machine. Thus, when the supply of filter plugs is interrupted, there is no provision to insure that, on restarting, the feeding unit will begin to deliver filter plugs at an optimum instant for immediate transport of such plugs in synchronism with other components of filter cigarettes.

Attempts to utilize clawed or toothed clutches wherein the number of claws or teeth corresponds to the number of components which are transported per unit of time have met with limited success because, in the event of an emergency, the operator is still unable to disengage such a clutch at the exact moment when the components to be supplied by the feeding unit are in an optimum position for assembly with other components in response to renewed starting of the feeding unit. Thus, such a clutch might be capable of rapidly interrupting the drive for the feeding unit but there is no guarantee that the clutch will be engaged when the components in the feeding unit are in an optimum position with reference to the other components and/or the conveyors which receive components from the restarted feeding device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for regulating or controlling the start and termination of delivery of components by one or more feeding units which deliver plain cigarettes, filter plugs, uniting bands and/or other components in machines wherein the components are assembled and/or otherwise manipulated.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for controlling the start and termination of delivery of discrete components, such as a series of filter plugs or adhesive-coated uniting bands, in such a way that the termination of delivery and/or the resumption of delivery takes place only when the components in the feeding device or devices and/or the moving parts of the machine are in optimum positions for proper continuation of the assembling process or other operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the start and/or termination of delivery of one or more types of components can be effected only when the components to be fed and/or the moving part or parts of the machine are in optimum positions for resumption of an assembling process or other operation which results in the production and/or manipulation of rod shaped articles, such as filter plugs, plain cigarettes or filter tipped cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, how ever, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features andadvantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a filter cigarette machine which embodies the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a control assembly which is used in the machine of FIG. 1 to start and terminate the delivery of filter plugs;

FIG. 2a illustrates portions of two transfer conveyors in the plug feeding unit of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a second control assembly which is used in the machine of FIG. 1 to regulate the start and termination of delivery of adhesive-coated uniting bands; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view as seen in the direction of arrows from the line lV-IV of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The processing apparatus 1 for rod-shaped articles which is shown in FIG. 1 is a filter cigarette machine of the type MAX" produced by Hauni-Werke, Korber & Co. KG, of Hamburg-Bergedorf, Western Germany.

The machine comprises a feeding unit 2 for filter rod sections of double unit length (hereinafter called filter plugs), a feeding unit 3 for adhesive-coated uniting bands, and a feeding unit 4 for pairs of coaxial cigarette rod sections (hereinafter called cigarettes or plain cigarettes) or unit length. The feeding unit 4 receives such cigarettes from a cigarette rod making machine, for example, a machine known as Garant and also produced by Hauni-Werke. The feeding units 2 and 4 deliver the respective rod-shaped components to an assembly conveyor 8 here shown as a drum which serves to assemble each pair of coaxial cigarettes (delivered by conveyors or drums 6, 7) and a filter plug into a group of three coaxial rod-shaped components wherein the plug is located in the gap between the adjoining cigarettes. Thus, the drum 8 is a moving part of a receiving means which receives filter plugs from the feeding unit 2 and pairs of plain cigarettes from the feeding unit 4 and manipulates such components to assemble groups of coaxial components. The drum 6 has peripheral flutes each of which receives from the cigarette rod making machine a single cigarette whereby such cigarettes form two rows which travel sideways. The purpose of the drum 7 (which comprises two relatively movable rotary elements) is to place each cigarette of one row into axial alignment with a cigarette of the other row and to deliver the thus aligned pairs of cigarettes into successive flutes of the assembly drum 8.

The feeding unit 2 receives filter rod sections of six times unit length from a magazine or hopper 9 and includes a so-called cutting conveyor or drum 11 whose flutes carry the rod sections of six times unit length past two revolving coaxial disk-shaped cutters 11a which subdivide each rod into three coaxial plugs of double unit length. The numeral 12 denotes a set of co-operating shuffling drums which convert the three rows of filter plugs delivered by the drum 11 into a single row wherein the filter plugs travel sideways and are carried by intermediate conveyors or drums 14, 15 toward the transfer station between the feeding unit 2 and the assembly drum 8.

The feeding unit 3 for adhesive-coated uniting bands comprises a reel or bobbin 16 for a supply of convoluted web or tape 18 of cork, cigarette paper or the like, an advancing device 19 which draws the web 18 off the reel 16 and feeds it toward a suction drum 23, a suitable paster 21 which coats the underside of the web 18 with a film of adhesive, and a rotary cutter 22 which is provided with radial blades serving to sever the leading end of the web 18 on the suction drum 23 to form a succession of adhesive-coated uniting bands. Such bands are attached to groups of cigarettes and filter plugs in the flutes of a transfer conveyor or drum which receives the groups from the assembly drum 8 and delivers them into successive flutes of a wrapping conveyor or drum 24. The transfer drum 20 is the moving part of a receiving means which receives groups from the assembly drum 8 and uniting bands from the suction drum 23 and manipulates such components for delivery to the wrapping drum 24. The wrapping drum 24 is provided with and/or co-operates with means for convoluting each uniting band around the respective filter plug and the inner end portions of the respective plain cigarettes to convert each such group into a filter cigarette of double unit length. The filter cigarettes of double unit length are then delivered into successive flutes of a testing conveyor or drum 26 which is provided or co-operates with means for determining the resistance which the filter cigarettes offer to the flow of a gaseous testing fluid. The thus tested filter cigarettes are then delivered into the flutes of a cutting drum 27 co-operating with a disk-shaped rotary cutter 27a which severs each filter cigarette midway across the convoluted uniting band to form pairs of filter cigarettes of unit length. An inverting conveyor or drum 28 thereupon inverts one filter cigarette of each pair end-for-end so that the filter plugs of all cigarettes face in the same direction. The conveyors or drums 29 thereupon transport such filter cigarettes of unit length to storage or to a further processing station, for example, to a tray filling device or directly to a packing machine.

The machine of FIG. 1 further comprises two control assemblies 13, 17 including feed starting and terminating devices and respectively arranged to control the feeding units 2, 3 to initiate or terminate the delivery of filter plugs and uniting bands. These control assemblies include clutches which will be described hereinafter following a short description of operation of the filter cigarette machine 1.

Each flute of the drum 6 in the feeding unit 4 receives from the cigarette rod making machine a single plain cigarette of unit length. The cigarettes in successive flutes of the drum are staggered axially with reference to each other so that they form two rows. The rotary elements of the drum 7 thereupon shift the cigarettes of one row with reference to the cigarettes of the other row so that the flutes of the assembly drum 8 receive pairs of axially aligned plain cigarettes which move sideways toward the transfer station between the drums 8 and 15. The cigarettes of each pair of axially aligned cigarettes are separated from each other by a gap whose width at least equals the length of a filter plug of double unit length; such gaps can be formed during travel of cigarettes with the drum 8 or on one of the drums 6, 7.

The hopper 9 supplies filter rod sections of six times unit length into successive flutes of the drum 11 whereby such sections travel past the cutters 11a and are subdivided into three filter plugs each. Such filter plugs are thereupon shuffled during travel with the drums 12 so that they form a single row of plugs which are transported by the drums 14, 15 toward the aforementioned transfer station and into the gaps between successive pairs of plain cigarettes in the flutes of the assembly drum 8.

The advancing device 19 draws the web 18 off the reel 16 and the underside of the web is coated with adhesive during travel along the paster 21. The suction drum 23 co-operates with the cutter 22 to form a succession of uniting bands which are caused to adhere to the filter plugs of successive groups in the flutes of the transfer drum 20; the latter receives such groups from the flutes of the assembly drum 8. The length of each uniting band at least equals the circumferential length of a filter plug. The uniting bands which adhere to the filter plugs of the groups moving with the transfer drum 20 are thereupon transferred onto the wrapping drum 24 where the bands are converted into tubes which surround the respective filter plugs and the adjoining end portions of the respective plain cigarettes to form therewith filter cigarettes of double unit length. The filter cigarettes of double unit length are tested with a fluid on the drum 26 and severed on the drum 27 to yield pairs of filter cigarettes of unit length. One filter cigarette of each such pair is inverted on the drum 28 and the filter cigarettes are thereupon transported by drums 29, e.g., to a tray filling station.

FIG. 2 shows in greater detail a portion of the feeding unit 2 and the construction of the clutch in the control assembly 13. This clutch is an electromagnetic clutch of the clutch and gear type wherein a clutch element or output element 38a slides on a feathered shaft 38b and can move its teeth into engagement with or away from the teeth of an input element or driver gear 38c. The gear 38c rotates the shaft 38b in response to pivoting of a clutching lever 31 which is biased by a spring 39 tending to maintain the clutch element 380 in engagement with the driver gear 38c. The number of teeth on the clutch element 38a and gear 38c corresponds to the number of flutes for filter plugs FP provided on the drum 14. The clutch of the control assembly 13 can be disengaged in response to energization of a disengaging relay 32 whose armature 32a can pivot the clutching lever 31 against the opposition of the spring 39. A normally open switch 33 serves as a means for energizing the disengaging relay 32 and a normally closed switch 34 can be opened to effect deenergization of the relay 32 and to thus effect reengagement of the clutch. A disk 41 of a timer Z is rotated by the drive for the filter cigarette machine 1 so that its speed is synchronized with that of the machine. The disk 41 is provided with radially extending equidistant projections or lobes 42 which travel past a contactless electronic switch 37 of conventional design. The switch 37 serves as a means for generating pulses at a frequency which is a function of rotational speed of the disk 41, i.e., a function of operating speed of the machine 1. Such pulses are transmitted to an amplifier 36. The leads 43 connect the amplifier 36, the pulse generator 37 and relay 32 with a suitable source of electrical energy. The flutes T of the transfer drum 14 are shown in FIG. 2a. The distance between the centers of these flutes is the same as that between the centers of flutes on the transfer drum which receives filter plugs from the drum 14.

The operation of the structure shown in FIG. 2 is as follows:

In normal operation, the transfer drum 15 delivers filter plugs FP (FIG. 2a) into the gaps between successive pairs of axially aligned plain cigarettes in the flutes of the assembly drum 8. If the feed of filter plugs F P is to be interrupted for one or more reasons, for example, due to termination of feed of plain cigarettes by the unit 4, the operator or an automatic detector closes the switch .33 which produces an operation-terminating signal by completing a path for the flow of electric currentbetween fixed contacts 44 whereby the circuit of the winding of the disengaging relay 32 is completed by way of one of the leads 43, amplifier 36, conductor 46, contacts 44, conductor 47, a normally closed relay switch 49a, conductor 48, winding of the relay 32, conductor 48a, and the other lead 43. The amplifier 36 is designed to constitute a storing device for electrical signals in that it completes the just mentioned circuit only when a lobe 42 of the disk 41 moves past the signal generator 37, i.e., in a predetermined angular position of a movable part of the feeding unit 2 (namely, the drum 14). The shaft 38b drives all movable parts of the feeding unit 2. Thus, when the clutch element 38a is disengaged from the driver gear 380, the filter plugs in the feeding unit 2 are arrested in a predetermined position with reference to the moving part 8 of the machine 1.

The energization of relay 32 results in immediate stoppage of the transfer drum 14 because the lever 31 then moves the clutch element 380 away from the driver gear 380. When the relay 32 is energized, it opens the switch 49a and simultaneously closes a switch 49 in a holding circuit which maintains the relay 32 in energized condition by way of the normally closed switch 34.

When the disturbance is eliminated, i.e., when the machine 1 is ready for operation, the operator opens the switch 34 which thereby produces an operationstarting signal serving to effect a deenergization of the relay 32 and to thus reengage the clutch element 38a with the driver gear 380. Such reengagement takes place in the exact angular position of the rotating drum 8 in which the latter's flutes can receive filter plugs F P from the adjacent transfer drum 15. This is due to the fact that the distribution of teeth on the clutch element 380 and driver gear 380 corresponds to distribution of flutes T and that the driver gear 38c rotates in synchronism with the drum 8. It will be seen that the clutch of the control assembly 13 can be disengaged only when the filter plugs FP in the feeding device 2 assume a predetermined position with reference to the.

moving part (drum) 8 of the machine, and can be reengaged only when the part 8 of the machine 1 assumes a predetermined optimum position, namely, when the freshly started transfer drum 15 can immediately deliver filter plugs FP into successive flutes of the drum 8. The switch 34 can be opened by hand or by a detector which senses the presence or absence of plain cigarettes in the flutes of the drum 8. The clutch of the control assembly 13 constitutes a combined starting and arresting means for the feeding unit 2.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the details of a mechanical clutch in the control assembly 17 for the feeding unit 3 which supplied uniting bands. The clutch normally drives an advancing roll 51 of the advancing device 19. The web 18 passes between the driven advancing roll 51 and a counterroll or idler roll 52 which is biased toward the roll 51 (or vice versa). When the clutch of the control assembly 17 is engaged, the rolls 51, 52 cooperate to draw the web 18 off the reel 16. The clutch is mounted in walls 53 and 54 which form part of the frame of the machine 1. A disengaging relay 57 is mounted on a domed cover member 56 which is affixed to the wall 54, and the armature 58 of the relay 57 is moved axially to pivot a bell crank lever 61 when the circuit of the relay winding is completed. The armature 58 extends into the interior of the cover 56, and the lever 61 is tumable on a pivot pin 59 which is mounted on the output element 63 of the clutch. The arm 161 of the lever 61 carries a blade 62 and is attached to one end of a spring 64 which tends to maintain it in the position shown in FIG. 3 in which the arm 261 of the lever 61 is located in the path of movement of the armature 58. The output shaft 66 of the clutch is fixedly connected to the output element 63 by a nut 82 and is rotatable in an antifriction bearing 67. The shaft 66 is further fixedly connected with the roll 51 of the advancing device 19. The driving or input element 71 or the clutch comprises an annulus of gear teeth 72 which are driven by a transmission (not shown) of the machine 1 so that the input element 71 rotates at a speed which is synchronized with the operating speed of the machine. The input element 71 is further provided with four equidistant projections or lobes 73. A

stationary part 74 of the clutch resembles a ring and is also provided with four projections or lobes 76. A locking pawl 77 has an elongated slot 78 (see FIG. 4)

for a pivot pin 79 which is mounted on the output element 63. A spring 81 biases the pawl 77 to the position shown in FIG. 4. In such position, the pawl 77 straddles a portion 61a of the arm 16] of lever 61.

The operation of the clutch 17 is as follows:

The dimensions of the web advancing device 19 are selected in such a way that each revolution of the driven advancing roll 51 results in forward transport of a length of web 18 which equals the combined length of four uniting bands. Thus, the length which is transported by the rolls 51, 52 in response to a complete revolution of the roll 51 is severed by the blades of the cutter 22 to yield four uniting bands of unit length. Were the length of the web 18 which is withdrawn and moved past the rolls 51, 52 less than four times unit length, one of the uniting bands obtained from such length would be shorter than necessary. Consequently, a filter cigarette of double unit length embodying such a short uniting band would be defective because of a leak at the point where the axially extending marginal portions of the convoluted band would fail to overlap. To avoid the formation of unsatisfactory uniting bands, the clutch of the control assembly 17 is designed in such a way that it can mechanically store a disengaging signal for an interval of time which is long enough to insure that the rolls 51, 52 of the advancing device 19 transport an optimum length of the web 18, namely, a length which suffices to yield four uniting bands of requisite length. Thus, the clutch insures that the feeding unit 3 is arrested at a time when a predetermined length of the web 18 assumes a predetermined (optimum) position with reference to the moving part 20 of the machine 1.

In normal operation, the input element 71 of the clutch rotates on antifriction bearings 68, 69 in response to transmission of torque from the aforementioned transmission to the gear including the teeth 72 on the input element 71. The portion 61a of the arm 161 of lever 61 abuts against a lobe 73 of the input element 71 and is rotated to drive the output element 63 which in turn rotates the shaft 66 and hence the advancing roll 51.

If the person in charge wishes to interrupt the feed of uniting bands, or if a detector detects a flaw in the operation of the machine 1, the relay 57 is energized and the armature 58 is moved axially to engage the arm 261 of the lever 61. However, the latter cannot pivot on the pin 59 because the portion 61a of its arm 161 is locked by the pawl 77 in a manner as shown in FIG. 4. All the armature 58 can do in immediate response to energization of the relay 57 is to move the locking pawl 77 radially outwardly, as viewed in FIG. 4, to the extent determined by the length of the slot 78. Such slight radial displacement suffices to move the pallet 177 of the pawl 77 into the space between two adjoining lobes 76 on the stationary element 74 of the clutch. The direction of rotation of the lever 61 and locking pawl 77 is indicated in FIG. 4 by arrow A. When the pallet 177 reaches the phantom-line position 177' of FIG. 4-, it strikes against the adjacent lobe 76 and causes the pawl 77 to pivot against the opposition of the spring 81 so as to release the portion 61a and to permit further pivoting of the lever 61 under the action of the armature 58. Such pivotal movement of the lever 61 takes place suddenly whereby the blade 62 penetrates into the space between the adjoining teeth of an internal gear 83 provided on the stationary element 74. The gear 83 comprises a large number of closely adjacent teeth with narrow tooth spaces therebetween. The blade 62 co-operates with the adjoining teeth of the internal gear 83 to arrest the output element 63 in an accurately determined angular position in which the rolls 51, 52 have completed the transport of a length of web 18 which equals the combined length of four uniting bands. Thus, the clutch of FIGS. 3 and 4 insures stoppage of the web 18 in a position in which the drum 23 and cutter 22 can co-operate to form uniting bands of optimum length as soon as the feeding unit 3 is restarted. The length of the web 18 between the drum 20 and the nip between the advancing rolls 51, 52 is a whole multiple of the length of a uniting band whenever the driven clutch element 63 is arrested in response to entry of the blade 62 into a space between the teeth of the internal gear 83. The

parts

62, 83 constitute a quickly reacting brake for the output element 63 in that they insure practically instantaneous stoppage of the element 63 when the pallet 177 of the locking pawl 77 engages one of the stationary lobes 76.

If the person in charge wishes to restart the feeding unit 3, i.e., to start the withdrawal of web 18 from the reel 16, the relay 57 is deenergized so that the armature 58 returns to the retracted position of FIG, 3 under the action of a customary return spring, not shown. The spring 64 immediately pivots the lever 61 toward the position shown in FIG. 3 so that the portion 61a of the arm 161 moves into the space between two successive lobes 73 on the input element 71. The output element 63 begins to turn and to rotate the shaft 66 and the roll 51 as soon as the part 61a is engaged and entrained by the oncoming lobe 73. The lobes 73 determine the exact instant of restarting of the roll 51, and such restarting takes place when the movable parts of the machine 1 are in an optimum position for the production of satisfactory filter cigarettes. Thus, each of the uniting bands will have an optimum length and each such band will be applied to the adjacent groups consisting of two plain cigarettes and a filter plug in an optimum position for proper wrapping on the drum 24.

The quickly reacting brake including the

parts

62, 83 shown in FIG. 3 insures that the advancing roll 51 is arrested in immediate response to disengagement of the clutch 63, 71, 74 in the control assembly 17. This is particularly desirable when the output elements of the clutch exhibit the tendency of continuing their movement, for example, due to inertia, when the clutch is disengaged. The signal storing device of the control assembly 17 includes the pallet 177 of the lever 77 and the lobes 76 of the stationary clutch element 74. These parts insure that a signal produced in response to energization of the relay 57 is stored if it is produced prematurely, namely, at a moment when the components (uniting bands) supplied by the feeding unit 3 to the drum 20 are not in an optimum position with reference to this drum. Thus, the signal storing device forms part of the clutch and therefore occupies little room in the control assembly 17.

An important advantage of the improved apparatus is that the control assemblies 13 and 17 are relatively simple but are nevertheless capable of insuring interruption of delivery of uniting bands, filter plugs or other components of rod-shaped tobacco containing articles in an optimum position of such articles with reference to the moving parts (8, of the respective receiving means, and that the resumption of operation of the feeding units 2 and 3 can be effected at the time when the moving parts of the receiving means are in an optimum position for reception of components from the feeding means. Proper timing of termination and resumption of operation of the feeding units insures that the various components are properly assembled and otherwise processed as soon as the feeding units resume their operation so that the number of rejects is reduced to a minimum, not only because the various components are fed to the respective receiving means at a proper time but also because certain components, such as the uniting bands, are formed in the apparatus with a view to insure that each thereof is immediately suited for further processing.

7 Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of my contribution to the art and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended 1. In an apparatus for assembling and/or processing components of cigarettes, packs or analogous smokers products, a combination comprising receiving and manipulating means including at least one continuously moving first conveyor; feeding means operative to supply components to said receiving means and including at least one second conveyor; normally engaged clutch means for moving said second conveyor in synchronism with said first conveyor so that said feeding means can supply components to said receiving means; and control means actuatable to engage and disengage said clutch means to thereby respectively start and terminate the movement of said second conveyor in dependency on the position of said first conveyor relative to said second conveyor and in dependency on the position of said second conveyor relative to said first conveyor.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means further comprises braking means arranged to arrest said second conveyor in response to disengagement of said clutch.

3. A combination as defined in claim I, wherein said feeding means is arranged to supply uniting bands.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said V feeding means is arranged to supply filter plugs.

5. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said second conveyor is arranged to supply said components to said first conveyor at a predetermined first transfer station and further comprising second feeding means for supplying to said first conveyor components of a second type at a second transfer station, one of said transfer stations being located upstream of the other transfer station as considered in the direction of movement of said first conveyor.

6. A combination defined in claim 1, wherein said control means comprises means for producing clutch actuating signals an means for storing said signals until one of said conveyors assumes said position relative to the other of said conveyors.

7. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said means for producing signals is operated by hand.

8. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said means for producing signals is responsive to changes in the operating condition of said apparatus.

9. A combination as defined in claim 6, wherein said means for producing signals is responsive to changes in the operation of said feeding means.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for assembling and/or processing components of cigarettes, packs or analogous smokers'' products, a combination comprising receiving and manipulating means including at least one continuously moving first conveyor; feeding means operative to supply components to said receiving means and including at least one second conveyor; normally engaged clutch means for moving said second conveyor in synchronism with said first conveyor so that said feeding means can supply components to said receiving means; and control means actuatable to engage and disengage said clutch means to thereby respectively start and terminate the movement of said second conveyor in dependency on the position of said first conveyor relative to said second conveyor and in dependency on the position of said second conveyor relative to said first conveyor.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said feeding means is arranged to supply uniting bands.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said feeding means is arranged to supply filter plugs.

6. A combination defined in claim 1, wherein said control means comprises means for producing clutch actuating signals and means for storing said signals until one of said conveyors assumes said position relative to the other of said conveyors.