Cigarette packer hopper automatic feeding device

Claim 2

An automatic cigarette packer hopper feeding device comprising a feed conveyor, a tray of cigarettes supported by said feed conveyor, a container to receive a tray of cigarettes, an elevator means for picking up a tray full of cigarettes from said feed conveyor and deliverying said full tray in a substantially rectilinear direct path to an empty container, means for overturning said container with said tray full of cigarettes therein to empty the contents of the tray into the packer hopper, a discharge conveyor, means for extracting the empty tray from the container and transferring it to the discharge conveyor, ejector means for transferring empty trays from the discharge conveyor to a discharge area and means to position said empty container to receive a tray full of cigarettes.

Claim 3

The structure of claim 1 wherein the means to overturn said container comprises two bar supports coupled to support two containers and mounted on carriages slidable along parallel guides, each bar support being provided at the ends with a pair of plates, a pair of helical tension springs coupled to urge said bar supports close to each other in opposition to the action of a cam coupled radially to an actuating shaft, said pair of plates being coupled to rollers which follow an alternately pre-established transversing and over-turning path to discharge the cigarettes into the hopper and present the containers, in turn, to the tray elevator and lowering mechanisms.

Claim 4

The structure of claim 2 wherein said cam supports a semi-circular profile and is provided with a relatively large flat area to guide alternately and cyclically said bar supports between a position of maximum interspacing in which a pair of containers discharges the contents of full trays into the hopper while another pair of containers are aligned with the elevator means to receive from it a pair of trays full of cigarettes; and a position of minimum interspacing in which the containers with the empty trays are moved crosswise away from the hopper and towards the center of the cam and, subsequently, brought, through over-turning, into alignment with the lowering means which picks up the empty trays from the containers which are again moved outward by the cam rotation, in alignment with the elevator to receive from it new full trays while the trays of the filled containers discharge into the hopper.

Claim 5

The structure of claim 3 wherein a micro-switch is periodically actuated by an end of said pairs of plates when a pair of containers is over-turned in the area of the hopper while another pair of containers is aligned with the lowering means to actuate a pair of pneumatic cylinders which open articulated means for closing the open end of the full trays inserted into the containers.

Claim 6

The structure of claim 4 wherein said tray articulated closing means comprises a bridge member hinged to four rocker levers and two connecting rods integral, respectively, with wings which close the open end of the trays, said bridge member carrying a rod on which is slidably mounted a block, a spring interposed between said block and said bridge, rods pivotally coupled to a block and said rocker levers to hold a pair of wing members normally closed, pneumatic cylinders coupled to open said wings when said cylinders are actuated to move said block upward in opposition to the action of said spring to cause the outward extension of said rods which open the tray closing wings.

Claim 7

The structure of claim 5 comprising a cam coupled to said drive shaft and having a substantially circular profile and supporting two interspaced peripheral notches which divide said cam into two sectors, respectively, of 90* and 270*, and switch means controlled by said cam coupled to a motor to drive said drive shaft.

Claim 8

The structure of claim 6 wherein the beginning of the container overturning cycle as determined by the 270* rotation of said drive shaft is controlled by a photo-electric cell circuit when the cigarette trays have been introduced into the containers; and the termination of the cycle is determined by one of said peripherical notches coupled to said switch means.

Claim 9

The structure of claim 7 wherein the initiation of the 90* rotation of said drive shaft occurs immediately after the extraction of the empty trays from the containers in alignment with the lowering means, a micro-switch coupled to initiate the 90* rotation of said drive shaft actuated as soon as the empty trays have been extracted from the containers and the termination of the 90* rotation of said drive shaft is determined by the other of said peripherical notch coupled to said switch means.

Claim 10

The structure of claim 8 wherein said elevator means comprises a bracket having ends provided with grooved rollers slidable along vertical guides, a push roller in the area of the center line of said bracket slidable along vertical guides, said bracket being engaged with endless chains stretched between drive pinions and driven pinions, the upward and downward sliding of said bracket being operated by a self-braking and reversing geared motor.

Claim 11

The structure of claim 9 wherein said elevator means receives full trays from a feed conveyor comprising two endless chains stretched between drive and driven pinions, said chains having links to which are fastened interspaced wings which defines the spaces for accommodating full trays, said feed conveyor being actuated by a self-braking geared motor.

Claim 12

The structure of claim 10 wherein said containers are provided with retaining teeth elastically urged by a spring to clamp the trays filled with cigarettes within the containers while said cigarettes undergo a leveling action by oblique plates.

Claim 13

The structure of claim 11 wherein said lowering means comprises a bracket, grooved rollers coupled to the ends of said bracket and slidable along vertical guides, each of said ends being engaged with an endless chain stretched between drive pinions and driven pinions, the upward and downward sliding of said bracket along said guides being operated by a self-braking and reversing geared motor.

Claim 14

The structure of claim 12 wherein said bracket supports a first tooth positioned to engage a second tooth which urges said first tooth from a clamping position to hook an empty tray which must be extracted from a container.

Claim 15

The structure of claim 13 wherein said lowering means is associated with an ejector which transfers the empty trays, by lateral push, from said bracket to an unloading platform, said ejector being actuated by a pneumatic cylinder.