US3871257A

US3871257A - Web cutting device

Info

Publication number: US3871257A
Application number: US410157A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred Schmermund
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-10-31
Filing date: 1973-10-26
Publication date: 1975-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-03-18
Also published as: FR2204540B1; JPS4976696A; DE2350580C2; DE2350580A1; DD106978A5; GB1440927A; FR2204540A1; BE806333A

Abstract

A supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine is disclosed. The device includes mounting means for mounting the device on such a packaging machine and two web feed paths, each associated with a respective web feeder and with a respective rotary web cutter. The web feeders are alternately operable so that, when the reel from which a web fed along a first of the feed paths approaches the emptied condition, the respective other web feeder means is actuated and the first web feeder means is de-actuated. Each cutter comprises a first member rotatable relatively to a second member to bring mutually co-operable knife elements of the first and second members into co-operative action. The rotatable member of each cutter is a disc-shaped member provided with, preferably, four knife elements spaced at equal angular intervals around its periphery.

Description

United States Paten [191 Schmermund Mar. '18, 1975 WEB CUTTING DEVICE Primary Examiner--Willie G. Abercrombie [76] inventor: Alfred Schmermund 62 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion,

Kornerstrasse, 5820 Gevelsberg, Zmn & Macpeak Germany 57 BSTRACT [22] Filed: Oct. 26,1973 1 A supplementary device mountable on a packaging PP N05 410,157 machine is disclosed. The device includes mounting I means for mounting the device on such a packaging [30] Foreign Application Priority Data machine and two web feed paths, each associated with O t 31 1972 U dKin dom 50096/72 a respective web feeder and with a respective rotary c web cutter. The web feeders are alternately operable so that, when the reel from which a web fed along a [52] US. Cl 8833ll23845g, 883550837, 883563546 first of the feed paths approachesythe emptied c0ndi 5] l t Cl 823d 25/l6 156 tion, the respective other'web feeder means is actu- 83/303 5 285 334 ated and thefirst web feeder means is de-actuated. 1 0 care 83/349 Each cutter comprises a first member rotatable relatively to a second member to bring mutually co- 56 R f Ct d operable knife elements of the first and second mem' l e erences bers into co-operative action. The rotatable member UNlTED STATES PATENTS of each cutter is a disc-shaped member provided with, 2,768,690 10/1956 Roberts et al. 83/285 preferably, four knife elements spaced at equal angu- '\l;la l:timoto lar intervals around its periphery i e 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 WEB CUTTING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention-relates to a supplementary cutting device for use with a packaging machine for wrapping block-like articles in wrappers of material cut from blocks in one or more layers of wrapper, there is no provision for changing over the supply of wrapper from one reel to .another, for example when the first reel is aboutto expire. It may of course, be desired to switch over from a first reel to a second reel at times other than when the supply of wrapper'from the first reel is approaching its end, but the question of changing over does of course arise at the end of the capacity of a reel, particularly where it is desired to continue the operation ofthe packaging machine in a continuous production run involving the use of more wrapper than can be supplied from a single storage reel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine for wrapping block-like articles in wrappers of material cut from webs, the device comprising mounting means adapted to mount the device on such packaging machine, means defining a first feed path for a first web to such packaging machine, means defining a second feed path for a second web to such packaging machine, an individual cutter in each respective one of the feed paths, each cutter comprising a first member rotatable relatively to a second member to bring mutually co-operable knife elements of the first and second members into co-operative action, actuating means associated with each cutter to cause the respective cutter to perform a single cutting operation when a web is present between the respective co-operable knife elements and control means selectably to de-actuate first drive means provided to pass the first web along the first feed path and to actuate second drive means provided to pass the second web along the second feed path.

Depending upon the design ofa particular packaging machine, a supplementary device may be constructed either to replace the support means provided in the machine as originally designed to support a reel or wrapping material or other source of a continuous length of wrapping material, or may be constructed to be fitted to the packaging machine in addition to such support means. In the former case, the supplementary device is preferably provided with two spaced support means each arranged to accommodate a source of wrapper material, for example in the form ofa reel, while in the latter case only one such support means need be provided, since in this case it is possible still to utilise the support means ofthe machine itselfin conjunction with the supplementary device.

Guide means in the form of transfer bridge members, guide strips or the like are preferably provided at positions along the respective feed paths for the first and second webs, the guide means being locatable in any appropriate position in relation to the cutters.

Depending upon the requirements in any particular case, the supplementary device may so be used in conjunction with a packaging machine that only the cutters of the supplementary device are employed, so that any additional cutters provided in the packaging machine webs. Of course, only one web at a time is fed towards the packaging machine, but normally a second web will be stationary at part of the other feed path, to be ready to come into action when the web currently being employed is about to expire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of supplementary device of this invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a section in a vertical plane through the embodiment, and also shows a substantial part of a packaging machine intended for the wrapping of cigarette blocks in lengths of wrapping material cut from webs, for example to form cigarette packages of the American type;

FIG. 2 shows a freewheel arrangement of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in detail;

FIG. 3 shows a detail of the left-hand rotary cutter of the supplementary device shown in FIG. 1, indicating in particular the manner of co-operation between the rack member and the pinion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. I, the central lower portion of the Figure represents components of a packaging machine with which the supplementary device is employed, in this case the supplementary device having the general configuration of an inverted U, placed over the illustrated components of the packaging machine.

Dealing initially with the components of the packaging machine itself, a pair of rollers 15, which are driven in operation, define therebetween a nip through which a web to be fed towards a cigarette block to be wrapped in the web is passed. Below the rollers 15 is a rotary cutter comprising a knife element 16 rotatable relatively to a stationary member 17, the

members

16 and 17 being provided with mutually co-operable cutting means in the form of cutting edges extending transversely to the direction of passage of the web through the cutter. In FIG. 1, the direction of passage of the web at this position is vertically downward. 16a denotes a position of the knife element 16 which is reached after a small degree of rotation from the position in which co-operative action with the stationary member 17 is obtained. Below the cutter of the machine there is provided a suction belt arrangement, comprising a conveyor belt 23 permeable to air, having a left-hand run which passes downwardly over the outside surface of a wall of a suction chamber 24, the wall being provided with apertures therethrough to communicate the internal surface of the conveyor belt with the suction chamber. The reference numeral 25 denotes lateral guides for the conveyor belt 23'. Upper and lower guide rollers, at least one of which is driven, support the conveyor belts 23 for its circulating movement.

D denotes the top, and E the bottom, of a cut length of wrapping material about to be utilised for packaging a cigarette block shown at P. 27 denotes a conveyor belt, 29 a guide piece, and 28 a pushing dog attached to the guide piece 29 and constrained to move in a right-to-left direction in FIG. 1, the guide piece 29 being arranged to travel in U-shaped rails (not shown). The rails prevent the guide piece 29 from lateral tilting. The arrangement of the pushing dog 28 and the associated components may be similar to that disclosed in either of my prior United Kingdom Pat. Nos. 920,311 and 959,804. The conveyor belt 27 may of course, if desired, be replaced by a conveyor chain. Reference numerals 30 to 33 denote guide members defining the intended path of travel of the cigarette block P before and after its insertion into a cavity produced by bending over the length of wrapper material DE. Of course, a plurality of pushing dogs 28 are situated at spaced intervals along the conveyor belt or chain 27.

Turning now to the components of the supplementary device itself, in the illustrated case the left and right-hand parts of the inverted U formed by the supplementary device are symmetrical, so that only the left-hand half need be explained in detail. The components of the right-hand half of the supplementary device correspond individually to those of the left-hand half, 100 having been added to the reference numerals in the right-hand half.

A web 136 passes through the nip between a pair of driven feed rollers 1, and from there between transfer bridge members or guide strips 9 and 10 to a cutter having a first member in the form of a rotatable disc member and carrying four cutting edges indicated at a, h, c and d in FIG. 3, each of which is selectively cooperable with a stationary cutting edge formed on a second member or stationary knife element 2. From the rotary cutter 2, 3 the web passes between further guide means 37, 36 and 35, to reach the rollers of the packaging machine.

Thus, the pair of feed rollers l constitute first web feeder means for feeding a first web along the first web feed path defined by the guide strip 9 and 10. Similarly, the pair of feed rollers 101 constitute second web feeder means for feeding a second web along the second web feed path defined by the

guide strips

109 and 110. Each of these web feeder means is coupled via a respective electro-magnetically operable clutch (not shown) to suitable drive means. The electromagnetically operable clutches are so connected in an electrical control circuit that either one or the other, but not both, web feeder means is coupled to the drive means at any one time. The change-over from the situation in which, say the first web feeder is coupled via its clutch to the drive means, to the situation in which the second web feeder is so coupled, is effected by any suitable two-way switch or control unit. The control circuit for alternately energising one or other of the electromagnetic clutches may be ofa kind well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore such switch means will not be described in detail. The switch or control means to cause actuation ofa selected one of the first and second web feeder means and to cause de-actuation of the respective other one of the web feeder means may be manually operable, and/or may be automatically responsive to sensing means which senses when one of the respective supply reels (not shown) from which the webs are supplied is approaching is emptied condition.

a locating plate 4 of square configuration, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. A loosely rotatable roller 5 is in contact with the top surface in FIG. 3 of the plate 4, and is mounted on one end of an indexing member in the form of a lever 6, which is in turn pivotally mounted at 7 relatively to a support (not shown). The lever 6 is provided with an extension beyond the pivotal mounting 7, on which a tension spring 8 acts to urge the righthand part of the lever-6 downwardly, and thus to urge the roller 5 into contact with the upper surface of the plate 4. To the rotatable member of the cutter there is also connected a pinion 34, which has teeth around only a portion of its circumference, as shown in FIG. 3, the teeth being in mesh with a linear elongate rack member 12 passing through a guide sleeve 14. Projecting from the rack member 12 is a locking bolt 20 having a square head engageable in a recess of a locking lever 19 pivoted to the guide sleeve 14 at 18. Numeral 21 denotes a pivotal mounting at which an actuating rod 22 extending substantially horizontally is pivoted to the locking lever 19. The actuating rod 22 is urged, by means of a compression spring 23 acting towards the right on an abutment flange of the actuating rod 22, towards the right, to urge the locking lever 19 in an anticlockwise sense about its pivotal mounting 18, and thereby to maintain the recess in the locking lever 19 in engagement with the head of the locking bolt 20. This engagement prevents the rack member 12 from being raised under the tension of a tension spring 13 acting between a projection on the rack member 12 and an anchorage on a stationary support of the device which is shown only schematically in FIG. 1. An electro-magnetic arrangement M1 is provided to draw the rack member 12 vertically downwardly when desired, against the tension of the tension spring 13. Similarly, a further electro-magnetic arrangement M2 is provided to draw the actuating rod 20 in a leftward direction in FIG. 1 against the force of the compression spring 23, to release the engagement of the locking lever 19 with the locking bolt 20.

A freewheel arrangement 11 is associated with the rack and pinion drive, this arrangement being shown in FIG. 2. In the view of FIG. 2, the freewheel arrangement 11 is only effective to transmit drive from the pinion 34 (FIG. 3) to the rotatable member of the cutter when the pinion is driven in the clockwise sense, i.e. when the rack member 12 is moved upwardly (in the direction of the arrow 0) in FIGS. 2 and 3. When the rack member 12 is moved in the opposite direction (the direction of the arrow shown in broken lines at U in FIG. 2), the freewheel 11 transmits no drive from the pinion to the rotatable member of the cutter, and the roller 5 keeps the rotatable member from executing any rotary movement.

The control cricuit for controlling the selective energisation of the electro-magnetically operable actuating means M1, M2 and M101, M102 to cause stepwise rotation of the rotatable members on which the knife elements 3, 103 are mounted will not be described in detail since the construction of a suitable control circuit is well within the technical capacity of one skilled in the art. However, such a control circuit is arranged to periodically energise the electro-magnetic arrangement M2 to initiate a working stroke of the rack. After the resulting incision has been made in the web, the

electro-magnetic arrangement M1 is energised to cause the rack to be retracted to its latched position in engagement with the locking lever 19. Thus, while the rotary cutter 2, 3 is operating during the feedof a web 1 along the left-hand feed path in FIG. 1, the electromagnetic actuating means M1 and M2 are periodically energised and de-energised in alternation with one an other. The electro-magnetic devices M101 and M102 are controlled, during the feed of a web along the righthand feed path in FIG. 1, in a manner analogous to that which has been described above in respect of the electro-magnetic arrangements M1 and M2. The respective control circuits controlling M1, M2 and M101, M102 are alternately enabled to control the respective

rotary cutters

3, 2 and 102, 102 in response to the actuation of the switch means controlling the alternate actuation of the web feeders associated with the corresponding feed paths.

If desired, 2, 3, 5 or a different number of cutting edges may be provided on the rotatable member of each cutter. Furthermore, the co-operable

stationary cutter parts

2, 102 may be replaced by freely rotatable circular cylindrical rollers having flat external surfaces.

In use of the cutters, each cutting edge rotates to the position previously occupied by the next cutting edge along the periphery, and in this manner a single cut is obtained, without any snipping contributing to the spoiling ofthe clean cutting edge.'Furthermore, the cut involves a sudden impact of the appropriate cutting edge with the web, so that the cutting action takes place quickly. This may also be the case when a cutter of the kind disclosed in my United Kingdom Pat. No. 1,069,123 is used.

When the supplementary device described above has been fitted to a packaging machine, it is convenient to continue to utilise the cutter of the packaging machine as the main cutter, and to arrange the distance from A to C, which is equal to the distance from B to C, each distancebeing measured along the appropriate feed path, to be slightly shorter, for example 1 to 2 mil- 7 limetres shorter, than the desired cut web length, so

that when for example web 136 is about to expire and the cutter 2, 3 is actuated, the cutter member 16 of the main cutter continuing to rotate without interruption, then the trailing edge of the web portion cut off by the cutter 2, 3 will have just passed the stationary knife element 17 of the main cutter when the rotatable knife element 16 reaches the knife element 17. In this manner, snipping of the web by the main cutter situated in the packaging machine may be avoided, thereby avoiding any spoiling of the clean cut made by the cutter 2, 3 in the supplementary device.

Although, in the preferred embodiment the means for switching from one web feeder to the other is electrically operable, equivalent means which are are purely mechanical may be utilised.

I claim:

1. A supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine for wrapping block-like articles in wrappers of material cut from webs, the device comprising, in combination: I

mounting means adapted to mount said device on such packaging machine;

first guide means to define a first web feed path for a first web to such packaging machine;

second guide means to define a second web feed path for a second web to such packaging machine;

first web feeder means selectably operable to feed a first web along said first feed path;

second web feeder means selectably operable to feed a second web along said second feed path; first cutter means disposed in said first path; second cutter means disposed in said second path; said first and said second cutter means each comprising a generally disc-shaped member rotatably displaceable relatively to a second member to bring mutually co-operable knife elements of said. first and said second members into co-operative action, said generally disc-shaped member of each said cutter means having a plurality of individual ones of said knife elements spaced around the periphery thereof; means to urge said rotatable member into an orientation relative to said member in which each said knife element of said rotatable member is spaced from the associated one of said feed paths, said urging means comprising a respective polygonal plate member connected to each said rotatable member and having a plurality of flat sides each in correspondence with a respective one of said knife elements on the associated one of said rotatable members, said urging means additionally comprising a respective indexing member resiliently urged against the periphery of said polygonal plate member; actuatormeans operatively associated with each said cutter means to cause the respective one of said cutter means to perform a single web cutting operation'on each actuation by said associated actuator means, said actuating means comprising means to counteract said urging means thereby to cause said rotatablemember to be rotatably displaced such that ,a respective single one of said knife elements co-operates with said second member to make an incision through said web, and interaction between said 'polygonalplate member, on being rotatably displaced, and said respective indexing member causing the latter to be displaced and permitting said respective indexing member to be resiliently urged against the next succeeding flat side of said polygonal plate member after each incision through said web has been made; and

control means to cause actuation of a selected one of said first and said second feeder means and to cause deactuation of the respective other one of said feeder means.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein each said actuator means comprises a respective rack and pinion device, said pinion being coupled to said rotatable member, whereby each stroke displacement of said rack in a predetermined direction causes said rotatable member to be rotated through a step displacement in a first direction.

3. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising a freewheel mechanism connected between said pinion and the respective said rotatable member whereby said rack member is retractable with the respective one of said rotatable members being disengaged from said rack member.

4. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising respective spring means to resiliently urge each said rack member in said predetermined direction, and respective latching means selectably operable to restrain said rack member from being displaced by said spring A 8 ther portion immediately upstream of said common portion, said further portions including an acute angle therebetween.

Claims

1. A supplementary device mountable on a packaging machine for wrapping block-like articles in wrappers of material cut from webs, the device comprising, in combination: mounting means adapted to mount said device on such packaging machine; first guide means to define a first web feed path for a first web to such packaging machine; second guide means to define a second web feed path for a second web to such packaging machine; first web feeder means selectably operable to feed a first web along said first feed path; second web feeder means selectably operable to feed a second web along said second feed path; first cutter means disposed in said first path; second cutter means disposed in said second path; said first and said second cutter means each comprising a generally disc-shaped member rotatably displaceable relatively to a second member to bring mutually co-operable knife elements of said first and said second members into co-operative action, said generally disc-shaped member of each said cutter means having a plurality of individual ones of said knife elements spaced around the periphery thereof; means to urge said rotatable member into an orientation relative to said member in which each said knife element of said rotatable member is spaced from the associated one of said feed paths, said urging means comprising a respective polygonal plate member connected to each said rotatable member and having a plurality of flat sides each in correspondence with a respective one of said knife elements on the associated one of said rotatable members, said urging means additionally comprising a respective indexing member resiliently urged against the periphery of said polygonal plate member; actuator means operatively associated with each said cutter means to cause the respective one of said cutter means to perform a single web cutting operation on each actuation by said associated actuator means, said actuating mEans comprising means to counteract said urging means thereby to cause said rotatable member to be rotatably displaced such that a respective single one of said knife elements co-operates with said second member to make an incision through said web, and interaction between said polygonal plate member, on being rotatably displaced, and said respective indexing member causing the latter to be displaced and permitting said respective indexing member to be resiliently urged against the next succeeding flat side of said polygonal plate member after each incision through said web has been made; and control means to cause actuation of a selected one of said first and said second feeder means and to cause deactuation of the respective other one of said feeder means.

4. A device as defined in claim 2, comprising respective spring means to resiliently urge each said rack member in said predetermined direction, and respective latching means selectably operable to restrain said rack member from being displaced by said spring means, said latching means being releasable to cause said rack to be displaced through a stroke displacement in said predetermined direction by said spring means.

5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said two feed paths has a portion in common and a further portion immediately upstream of said common portion, said further portions including an acute angle therebetween.