WO1997003883A1 - Method and apparatus for use in de-packaging packaged goods - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for a process of recovering e.g. cigarettes from faulty flip-top packets includes a rotary sorter (II) operable on packets delivered thereto to unscramble them and deliver them in a common orientation for onward feeding on edge in a direction lengthwise of the packets to a slitter (III). The slitter makes a shallow lengthwise cut in each of the front and rear or major faces of each packet which is then conveyed to an impactor unit (IV). The latter functions to strike the slit packet causing it to burst open. The burst packet, cigarettes and packaging fragments are thereafter transported to a rotary, inclined screening drum (VI) having slats spaced apart sufficiently to pass cigarettes only, for the cigarettes to be separated from the packaging. The cuts made by the slitter are too shallow to cut into the product, i.e. cigarettes.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN DE-PACKAGING PACKAGED GOODS

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in de-packaging packaged goods.

Consumer productε are often marketed in packages or cartons, rather than loose. There is frequently a need to depackage the goods, however. For example, packaging and handling machines are extensively used and if they misfunction for any reason damaged packages may result. Of course, packages may suffer other mishaps which render them unsaleable or of reduced sale value, although their contents may be unaffected. There is a need for equipment which efficiently releases the contents from damaged packets or cartons, therefore, especially where the contents have a high intrinsic value.

The tobacco industry is one example where the need for efficient depackaging means is felt. At one time in this industry there was one minder per packaging machine. This minder had ample time to watch out for damaged packets, to collect them and then open them by hand to recover their contents, for instance cigarettes. Nowadays one minder may supervise several, e.g., five, packaging machines. It is no longer possible for this one minder to keep pace and to perform the tasks of detecting, collecting and recovering. The aid of an automatic depackaging facility has become highly desirable if not practically necessary.

An early proposal for the tobacco industry was a machine which slashed a cigarette packet, making numerous cuts lengthwise of the packet through its top surface. By bending the packet lengthwise about its opposite, unslashed surfaces, cigarette remnants could be extracted therefrom. The operation of such a depackaging machine is far from ideal because the cigarettes are shredded including filter tips which they may have. Contamination of the tobacco by filter tip material and packaging fragments is extremely difficult to rectify. Accordingly, the subsequent recovery of reusable tobacco poses a significant problem.

We have developed improved methods and apparatus for depackaging tobacco products enabling ready recovery of the tobacco. One such approach to a depackaging method and apparatus is disclosed in EP-A-0,118,289 and another is disclosed in GB-A-2,158,410. The disclosures of these prior publications are incorporated herein by this reference to them.

Both of our earlier, and our present, methods and apparatus are primarily meant for depackaging tobacco goods, although in principle they are applicable for depackaging other commodities such as tea, coffee and cocoa amongst beverages, foods and toiletries, or any other appropriate product.

The basis of our approach to depackaging, as disclosed in EP-A-0, 118,289, was to slit packages in two different directions at right angles. Such slitting of the packaging facilitates separation of the packaging fragments from the contents and minimises contamination thereof by said ragments.

When our earlier apparatus according to EP-A-0, 118,289 was used for opening packages of cigarettes, the packaged cigarettes were cut in half (normal to their length) and in this state were released from their packets. The tobacco could be recovered from the cigarette paper and filter tips by known tobacco-recovery systems, and then used for making up into new cigarettes. Where the cigarettes to be depackaged are in prime condition, it would be desirable to recover them undamaged, to save re-processing them. Recovery of cigarettes undamaged is impossible with our method and apparatus of EP-A-0, 118,289, and remanufacture is the only option. By applying the teachings of GB-A-2,158,410 to the depackaging of cigarettes, cigarettes could potentially be released unharmed from their packages.

According to one aspect, GB-A-2,158,410 taught a method of recovering packaged products from their packaging, particularly cigarettes from flip-top packets. Each packet was passed through a slitting station so that two lengthwise slits were made adjacent the corners between a rear face and the adjoining shallow sides. The packet then passed through a second slitting station, which cut a shallow slit through the rear face transversely to, and intersecting, the first two slits. This arrangement of slits served to detach one portion of the packet (containing the flip top) from the remainder of the packet so that the contents could be liberated. The first two, lengthwise slits could be either in the rear face itself, or in the two adjoining shallow sides adjacent to their corners with the rear face. The transversely-oriented third slit had, of course, to be in the rear face for the flip top portion to be detached. The apparatus of GB-A-2, 158,410 may handle several hundred packets per hour. It is impractical at such speeds to ensure that every packet is presented the right way up, so that the three slits are in or adjacent the rear face. Accordingly, GB-A-2, 158,410 disclosed slitting stations having duplicated cutters so that both the front and rear faces were slit, thus ensuring detachment of the flip top portions whichever way up the packets passed through the slitting stations.

Such duplication adds to the cost of a machine built according to GB-A-2, 158,410. More importantly, the more cutters the more difficult it is to ensure their cutting depths remain in adjustment, it being desired that the cutters only affect the packaging and not the contents.

While GB-A-2,158,410 was a decided improvement over EP-A-0, 118,289, there is still room for improvement. In particular, while a machine according to GB-A-2,158,410 may handle hundreds of packets per hour, the percentage recovery of tobacco product is less than desired, which ideally would be 100%. This in part has been attributed to the packets failing to open fully when screened to discharge their contents.

Another problem with the prior machine of GB-A- 2,158,410 lies in the difficulty of ensuring that the cutters only cut the packaging. If their cutting depths are too great, e.g. through mis-adjustment or loss of adjustment in use, then the released cigarettes will comprise a mixture of unharmed cigarettes and cut cigarettes. Such a mixture would have to be specially screened to separate it into cigarettes that can be repackaged and cigarettes damaged by the cutters, which need to be remade. Such a screening would be difficult and laborious.

In both EP-A-0,118,289 and GB-A-2, 158,410, separation of the cigarettes from the packet fragments normally commences when the slit packets fall under gravity down a chute leading to a slatted, rotary screening drum. Separation will continue in the drum. Separation can be initiated, if desired, by squeezing the slit packets as they leave the second slitting station. Regrettably, separation of cigarettes from packet fragments may occasionally be incomplete. Therefore, some cigarettes may be discharged from the earlier apparatuses along with the packet fragments, and hence will not be recovered for reuse. Percentage recovery will thus be less than desired. The present invention seeks to reduce or eliminate the drawbacks of the earlier methods and apparatuses discussed above.

According to the present invention, a minimum of one longitudinal slit is cut in each of the front and rear faces of each package to be opened, and no transverse slit is made. The longitudinal slits are located approximately equidistantly from the adjoining sides of the package. After slitting, each package is subjected to a rapidly applied impact. By so rapping, it is found that the packet is burst open, thus positively leading to complete separation of contents from package remnants.

Generally, only a single slit is cut in the front and rear faces. A plurality of slits could be made in each of these faces, but we see no pressing need for more than one. When the present invention is applied to opening packets of cigarettes, the risk of cigarettes being inadvertently cut is minimal. Variations of the depth of slitting, through mis-adjustment or loss of adjustment, will have no significant effect on the cigarettes. This is because transverse slitting is now omitted. Also, the slits are longitudinal and thus parallel to the cigarettes, and their location will ordinarily coincide with the V- shaped hollow between two cigarettes.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recovering packaged products from their packaging, comprising the steps of conveying randomly arranged packages towards a slitting station while aligning them into a common orientation and feeding them one-by-one in this orientation to the said station, passing each package through the slitting station and forming a longitudinal slit in each of a front and a rear face of the package, neither of the slits being deep enough to cut the products of the package, and then subjecting each package to a sudden blow so as to cause it to burst open, thereby to enable the products to be liberated readily from the burst package.

The products e.g. cigarettes can be liberated from the package fragments by screening. Thus, the burst packages can be fed to a screening means having apertures only large enough to pass the product to be recovered but too small to pass the packaging fragments. Separation of products from package fragments can occur while transporting then pneumatically to a chute, down which they fall under gravity into the screening means. Separation is completed in the screening e.g. a slatted drum.

According to the present invention, therefore, there is provided a method of recovering cigarettes from flip-top packets, comprising the steps of conveying randomly- arranged packets towards a slitting station while aligning them into a common orientation, feeding them one-by-one in this orientation to the said station, making a lengthwise slit in both a back face and a front face of each packet, the slits being too shallow to cut into the cigarettes within the packet, and then rapping the packet to burst the packet and enable the cigarettes to be liberated whole therefrom.

Also according to the invention, there is provided apparatus for recovering packaged products from their packaging, comprising means to convey randomly-arranged packages to a sorter which turns the packages into common orientation and discharges them one-by-one in this orientation, a feeder to receive the oriented packages and pass them onwards to a slitting station, the latter comprising two slitters operable to form at least two slits in each package, one in each of front and rear faces of the packages, means to convey the so-slit packages into an impactor unit into rapping contact with an impactor for bursting the packages open, and means to deliver the burst packages from the impactor unit to a separater which discharges the product separately from packaging fragments, the two slitters being arranged to cut through the packaging material only.

The separator can conveniently comprise a rotationally-drive slatted drum, wherein gaps between the slats defining the drum allow passage of the product, e.g. cigarettes, radially from the drum, but not the packaging fragments. The drum is preferably inclined so as to encourage packaging fragments retained therein to flow to a lower discharge end of the drum. Other screening means could be used instead, such as vibrating mesh screens. The choice will be governed inter alia by the type of product to be recovered. The slatted drum is presently preferred when retrieving tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars from packets. At least a preliminary or partial separation of the packaging fragments from the products can be obtained in the impactor or between it and the separator.

In a preferred embodiment for opening cigarette packets, the sorter delivers the packets to the feeder travelling end-first, disposed vertically on their sides. In this orientation they pass between a pair of horizontally-opposed slitter blades or wheels. The sorter could however deliver the packets end-first, in a supine orientation. In such a case the slitting station will receive the packets front or rear face uppermost, and they will be passed between a pair of vertically-opposed slitter blades or wheels.

In the preferred embodiment, the impactor is a rotary device, which will be described hereinafter. When a packet is struck by the impactor, it may burst open by separating into two parts. Often, however, a packet will burst open in the form of a fan, breaking at one end and spreading out into a V-form by bending about the other end. In either event, separation of the packet contents from the broken packet is assured.

Further details of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, in the following description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs la and lb schematically illustrate the package slitting operations performed as disclosed in EP-A- 0,118,289 and GB-A-2,158,410, respectively;

Fig 2 schematically illustrates the package slitting operations performed in practising the present invention; Fig 3 is a plan view of apparatus according to the present invention;

Fig 4 is an enlarged view of part of the apparatus shown in Fig 3; and

Fig 5 illustrates an impactor forming part of the apparatus shown in Fig 3.

A pre cursor step to the separation of package contents from their package involves slitting the package. Figs la, lb and Z schematically show a cigarette packet P of flip-top type provided with a flip-top T, with a top hinge H extending transversely across the rear face R of the packet. The packet P has a front face F, shallow sides S and ends E.

The cigarettes in such a packet P are disposed, usually, in one of two stacking arrays. In one such array, there are twenty cigarettes in three rows of 7, 7 and 6 cigarettes. In another array the packet has two groups of ten cigarettes, each consisting of two rows of five cigarettes.

In accordance with our EP-A-0,118,289 (Fig la) two longitudinally-extending slits SI, S2 are cut along lines 1, 2 into the rear face R, and then the packet is cut in two along a plane transverse to slits SI, S2 as indicated by lines Ll, 2 and 3. Transverse cut S3 is, of course, the full depth of the packet. In accordance with our GB-A-2, 158,410 (Fig lb) two shallow longitudinally-extending slits SI, S2 are again cut into the rear face R. Once more, the packet P is slit transversely at S3, along line Ll. In this case, slit S3 is a shallow cut, like slits SI, S2, and does not extend through the full depth of the packet P. By this means a part A of the packet P, containing the flip-top T, is detached from the remainder of the packet. This should enable the cigarettes to be released.

If a packet P is slit in the manner shown in Fig la, inevitably the cigarettes are cut in two. Thus they cannot be recovered whole and will have to be re-made.

If a packet P is slit in the manner shown in Fig lb, the cigarettes can be recovered whole. However, some may well be damaged, necessitating them to be separated (a difficult task) and re-made. Cigarettes will be damaged if the transverse slit S3 is too deep, and/or if the slits SI, S2 are too deep and/or improperly located.

In accordance with this invention, only longitudinal slits SI and S2 are made. These are shallow cuts formed in the front F and rear R faces of the packet P. No transverse slit is formed. Now, the packet P is no longer opened by detaching a part A containing the flip top T. Rather, the packet is burst open by rapping it by means of an impactor described hereafter. Bursting the packet P open permits the cigarettes to be released whole for reuse. Omission of a transverse slit removes one potential source of damage to the cigarettes. The risk of damaging cigarettes by slits SI, S2 being too deep can become negligible if slit lines 1 and 2 are set such that slits SI and S2 are coincident with the V-shaped hollows or valleys between contiguous pairs of cigarettes, as shown in Fig 2. The preferred depackaging apparatus is a machine as shown in Fig 3 to which attention is now drawn.

Depackaging machine 10 includes a receiving hopper with an infeed elevator or conveyor I of any convenient type for conveying damaged cigarette packets of flip-top type to a sorter II. Desirably the elevator I runs at constant speed, is speed controllable, and has transverse vanes for positively making packets towards the sorter II. Beneficially, there are means to inhibit packs bunching together, for example a rotary brush (not shown) positioned above the conveying surface II of the elevator I to knock back packs bunched together and riding one on top of another. The sorter device establishes an even flow of packages, all aligned in a common direction, for feeding to a slitting station III described in more detail hereafter.

At station III, two slits are made in a lengthwise direction, one in each of the front and rear faces of the packets. After the slitting, the packets are then fed into an impactor unit IV which bursts the packets to enable the cigarettes to be readily freed and recovered whole. Packets leave the impactor unit IV via a duct and cyclone V down which they fall into an inclined slatted drum screening means VI. The screening means VI is responsible for finally separating the cigarettes from the packaging remnants. The latter are discharged in the direction of arrow A at a bottom end VI-A of the screening means VI. The cigarettes alone pass through the slatted wall of the screening means VI. Beneath the screening means VI, is a collector or conveyor for gathering the released cigarettes and for conveying them in the direction of arrow B for discharge from the machine 10. The discharged cigarettes are then repackaged or processed as required by the manufacturer. Packet remnants are fed in the direction of arrow A to a collector station VII. As station VII, the remnants are for example packed into bags for disposal. Station VII can now comprise a commercial twin chamber bagger, and conveniently the remnants are compressed by some 5:1 in the interests of efficiency.

Packets P delivered by the elevator I drop into the sorter II and are randomly oriented as received by the sorter. The purpose of the sorter II is to unscramble the randomly-oriented packets and to feed them all in a uniform orientation to the slitting station III. The sorter II and slitting station III are shown in more detail in Fig. 4. The sorter is a carousel which has an inclined turntable 12 which receives incoming packets from the elevator I. The turntable 12, being inclined, has a low side 12a and a high side 12b. It rotates at a constant, though variable speed. Packets drop onto the table 12 adjacent its low side 12a and are carried by the rotating table 12 to its high side 12b. Here, the packets are deposited on a rotating ring 13. Ring 13 is located closely within a stationary sidewall 14 of the sorter II. Packets reaching the base 13 will be moved along the side wall 14 as the ring 13 rotates and ultimately will issue from the sorter II via an exit area 15.

The packets drop onto the turntable 12 from the elevator I in disarray. Some will come to rest on one major face, others on their sides and still others on their ends. The sorter II rearranges and discharges the packets all in a common attitude and orientation. As discharged, the packets are on their sides and moving end first, and their major front and rear faces are vertically disposed. The first step in so orienting the packets is to place them all with one of their major faces contacting the ring 13. Any upstanding packet e.g. Pl is tipped off the ring to fall back on the turntable 12. Means to tip such packets as Pl comprise a stationary curved arm 22. Arm 22 is spaced above the ring 13 by a distance allowing packets lying flat on the ring to pass beneath the arm 22. Should any packet "piggy-back" on another, the arm 22 will sweep that packet off, and it will drop back onto the turntable. Arm 22 is conveniently attached to the side wall 14.

The packets P must not only lie front (or rear) face down on the ring 13; it is required that they be oriented such that their longest dimension is tangential to the ring. In other words, they must be advanced around the fixed wall 14 on the ring with one of their ends leading. Thanks to the cooperation between the rotating turntable 12, the ring 13 and the stationary wall 14, most packets will adopt this required orientation of their own accord as they move onto the ring. A few packets, P2 , may come to rest on the ring at right angles to the desired orientation. Such packets P2 overhang the inner edge 23 of ring 13. The sorter II is provided with means for dislodging such improperly-oriented packets. To this end, there is a stationary encroaching wall 25, and the arm 22 has a depending free end 24 disposed somewhat inside the inner edge of the ring 13. Overhanging packets P2 will be tipped off the ring when they engage the wall 25 or the end 24, and hence will fall back onto the turntable 12.

Packets which are dislodged from the ring 13 will, in due course, be restored to the ring by the rotating turntable.

Packets which successfully pass the arm 22 and its free end 24 will all be advancing around the fixed wall 14 end first, and they will all be supine on the ring 13, lying on their front (or rear) faces F, R. The final step of orienting these packets involves turning them on their sides so their major faces F, R are vertical. This is accomplished by advancing the packages P along an inclined or helical ramp 26, aided by air jets, not shown. The packets are advanced along the ramp 26 by the thrust of those packets upstream being driven around the wall 14 by the rotating ring 13.

Thanks to the sorter II, packets are delivered to the exit 15, and then to the slitting station III, upright, on their sides S, with their ends E foremost. A stationary guide wall 27 assists in the process of delivering the packets in this orientation to the slitting station.

The speeds of rotation of the turntable 12 and ring 13 will be determined by trial and error, depending upon the size of the sorter II and the number of packets which it is desired to process per minute. By way of illustrative example: a sorter II having a turntable of the order of lm diameter, which is to deliver 450 packets per minute to the slitting station, may have the turntable 12 rotating at e.g. 60 rpm. The ring 13 will usually rotate at a lesser speed, e.g. 37 rpm. It is emphasised that these speeds are not limiting and that they will need optimising according to circumstances.

Packets leaving the exit 15 of the sorter II enter the slitting station III. Associated with this station are two continuously-running conveyors 31, 32 which together, and with guide wall 27, define a conveying nip 33. Nip 33 receives the packets P and conveys them positively towards and past slitters of the slitting station III. Each conveyor 31, 32 comprises respective endless conveyor bands 34, 36 trained about pulley wheels 38, 40. The bands 34, 36 are constituted by plural-strand belts, for instance four in number disposed one above another. Appropriate ones of pulley wheels 38, 40 are positionally- adjustable to set the nip 33 to suit the packet dimensions, and thus assure adequate frictional grip and positive, non- slipping advance of packets from the exit 15, through and out of the slitting station III. One pulley wheel of each conveyor 31, 32 is coupled to an associated drive motor, not shown. A single motor could, however, power the drive pulley wheels of both conveyors.

The slitting station III has two laterally-opposed slitters in the form of driven rotary slitting blades or wheels 42, 44. These blades 42, 44 are motor driven in contrarotation. the gap between them is adjustable, as are their heights relative to a substrate over which the packets are advanced by the conveyors 31, 32. the gap adjustment governs the depth of the slits formed in the faces F, R of the packets. The height adjustment is to locate the slits in the v-shaped hollows between neighbouring cigarettes, as has been mentioned already.

In the slitting station, there are two cutting blades. Accordingly, one slit is formed in each of the major faces F, R of the packets. If desired, the blades 42, 44 could consist of multiple blades so as to produce more than one lengthwise-extending slit in each face F, R. However, the resulting machine complexity does not appear essential.

After the cutting blades 42, 44 have slit the front and rear faces F, R of a packet, it is advanced by the conveyors 31, 32 into the impactor unit IV. This unit is shown in Fig. 5.

Referring primarily to Fig 5, the impactor unit IV is shown to comprise a generally drum-shaped casing 50 with an inlet port 52 and a tangentially-arranged exit port 54. The conveyors 31, 32 transport packets into the inlet port 52 at a rate of some 450 per minute. The actual rate will depend on the output of the sorter II. Inside the casing 50 is a wire rotor cage 56 driven in the direction of arrow C by a motor 58. The rotor cage 56 is fabricated most conveniently from round bar, some 6.3 mm diameter. It comprises a cage made of two rings 60, 62 affixed to a driven rotationally-journalled base plate, not shown. The rings are interconnected by 6.3 mm bars 64, numbering eight in this instance. The casing 50 has a nominal ID of 50.8 cm and the rotor cage a nominal OD OF 49.5 CM. The cage is rotated at speeds of the order of 1600-2500 rpm, e.g. 2000 rpm. Routine trial and error can be employed to optimise the speed of rotation of the rotor cage 56.

The illustrated rotor cage 56 is circular in plan view. It could take different shapes, however. Thus, its form in plan view could be square or some other generally regular geometrical or polygonal shape, e.g. octagonal. Rings 60, 62 will be shaped accordingly.

In use, packets entering the casing 50 via inlet 52 will be struck at least once by one of the bars 64, with a force sufficient to burst open the packets as noted hereinbefore. The burst packets, plus any cigarettes liberated therefrom, will be swept to the exit port 54 by the rotating cage, aided by air draught incidentally created by the cage 56.

The exit 54 is connected to a conduit 66 of nominal ID 15 cm which leads to a cyclone separator 68. Thanks to the incidental air flow of low velocity created by the cage 56, packets and cigarettes are moved along the duct 66 to the cyclone separator. Solid materials (cigarettes, packet fragments, etc) are separated from the air flow in the cyclone separator 68. They drop through the separator 68 and enter the screening means VI.

Liberation of cigarettes from the packets commences in the impactor unit V and proceeds as they pass along duct 66 and fall under gravity through the cyclone separator 68.

The latter delivers the cigarettes and packet fragments into the open top end of the downwardly sloping screening means VI. Separation of the cigarettes is completed in the screening means VI. This screening means is a cylindrically-shaped, slatted drum 70. The drum rotates about its inclined longitudinal axis. The wall of the drum is defined by longitudinal slats spaced apart sufficiently to pass cigarettes but too closely to pass the packet remnants. The said remnants are thus retained within the drum and slowly migrate towards the lower end. The remnants ultimately issue as waste from this end of the drum, in the direction of arrow A. Meanwhile, cigarettes passing through the wall of the drum fall e.g. onto a conveyor for discharge in the direction of arrow B.

The foregoing description has been directed to a cigarette recovering machine installation. The principles of operation of the method has been explained and it will be understood that these principles may be embodied in machine installations for recovering other commodities from packages thereof without damage to the commodities.

For certain markets, cigarettes are packed in packets which are wider than their lengths (the latter being considered lengthwise of the cigarettes). Such packets may contain an internal tray holding the cigarettes. The present apparatus can be readily adapted to liberate cigarettes from packets of this kind.

Claims

1. A method of recovering packaged products from their packaging, comprising the steps of conveying randomly-arranged packages towards a slitting station while aligning them into a common orientation and feeding them one-by-one in this orientation to the said station, passing each package through the slitting station and forming a longitudinal slit in each of a front and a rear face of the package, neither of the slits being deep enough to cut the product contained by the package, and then subjecting each package to a sudden blow so as to cause it to burst open, thereby to enable the product to be liberated readily from the burst package.

2. A method of recovering cigarettes packaged in flip-top packets comprising the steps of conveying randomly-arranged packets towards a slitting station while aligning them into a common orientation, feeding them one- by-one in this orientation to the said station, making a lengthwise slit in both a front face and a back face of each packet, the slits being too shallow to cut into the packaged product, i.e. cigarettes within the packet, and then rapping the packet to burst the packet and enable the cigarettes to be liberated whole therefrom.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the two slits formed in the said faces extend along or adjacent the midline of each packet.

4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, comprising feeding the slit packages to a screening meanε having apertures large enough to pass the product to be recovered but too small to pass packaging remnants.

5. A method according to claim 4, comprising allowing the product, packaging portions, burst packages and packaging portions thereof to fall under gravity to the screening means, to activate or accelerate separation of the product.

6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the blow or rap delivered to the package is obtained by projecting the slit packages into a rapidly rotating wire cage.

7. A method of recovering packaged products, e.g. cigarettes from their packets, substantially as herein described with regard to Figs 2 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

8. Apparatus for recovering packaged products from their packaging, e.g. cigarettes from their packets, comprising means to convey randomly-arranged packages to a sorter which turns the packages into a common orientation and delivers them one-by-one in this orientation, a feeder to receive the oriented packages and pass them onwards to a slitting station, the latter comprising two slitters each of front and rear faces of the package, means to convey the so-slit packages into an impactor unit into rapping contact with an impactor for bursting the packages open, and means to deliver the burst packages from the impactor unit to a separator which discharges the product separately from packaging fragments, the two slitters being arranged to cut through the packaging material only.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the impactor unit comprises a casing having an inlet and an outlet for packages conveyed thereto, and a rotationally- driven wire cage therein which serves as the impactor.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the wire cage comprises two spaced-apart rings interconnected at intervals about their peripheries by a plurality of striker bars.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the outlet is connected to a duct leading to the separator, and in use air flow incidentally generated by the rotationally-driven cage carries packages, products thereof and packaging fragments along the duct to the separator.

12. Apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the separator comprises a rotationally-driven slatted drum wherein gaps between the slats allow passage of the product, but not the packaging fragments, the drum preferably being inclined to encourage packaging fragments retained therein to flow to a lower, discharge end thereof.

13. Apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 12, having a chute or cyclone to conduct the slit packages from the impactor unit to the separator, the chute or cyclone being effective to encourage separation of packinging material from the product as the packages drop under gravity into the separator.

14. Apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 13, wherein the sorter is operable to discharge packets in an orientation wherein they travel to the feeder, and thence to the slitting station, upstanding on their sides, ends foremost.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the slitting station comprises two cutter wheels laterally spaced apart relative to the path of movement of packages past said slitter, for slitting the said faces of the packages longitudinally thereof.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cutting wheels are adjustable for depth of cut.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the cutting wheels are vertically adjustable to set the position of the slits widthwise of the said faces of the packages.

18. Apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 17, wherein the feeder and conveying means are provided by confronting conveyor bands which define a common conveying path extending from the sorter, through the slitting station and to the impactor unit.

19. Apparatus for recovering products from their packaging, e.g. cigarettes from their packets, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.