Conveyor systems

Claim 2

A cigarette making system comprising a number of cigarette making machines, a number of cigarette packing machines and a conveyor system comprising a number of delivery conveyors each of which is arranged to permanently deliver cigarettes to one of said packing machines from any of said making machines, each making machine being arranged to deliver cigarettes upwards into a stack carried by a horizontal overhead conveyor which conveys the cigarettes to a horizontally movable assembly including a chute down which the cigarettes can be delivered onto any one of the delivery conveyors, depending upon the position of the assembly, the delivery conveyors being horizontally spaced apart.

Claim 3

A cigarette making system comprising a number of cigarette making machines, a similar number of cigarette packing machines and a similar number of parallel horizontally spaced delivery conveyors, each delivery conveyor being arranged to deliver cigarettes permanently to one packer, and each maker having a conveyor for delivering cigarettes upwards into a horizonTal stack carried by a horizontal overhead conveyor which extends transversely in relation to the delivery conveyors and terminates in a horizontally movable assembly including a chute down which the cigarettes can be delivered on to any one of the delivery conveyors, depending upon the position of the movable assembly, each chute having a twist so that the cigarettes lie across the delivery conveyor, having lain previously across the horizontal overhead conveyor.

Claim 4

A cigarette making system comprising a number of cigarette making machines, a similar number of cigarette packing machines and a similar number of parallel horizontally spaced delivery conveyors, each delivery conveyor being arranged to deliver cigarettes permanently to one packer, and each maker having a conveyor for delivering cigarettes upwards into a horizonTal stack carried by a horizontal overhead conveyor which extends transversely in relation to the delivery conveyors and terminates in a horizontally movable assembly including a chute down which the cigarettes can be delivered on to any one of the delivery conveyors, depending upon the position of the movable assembly, each chute having a twist so that the cigarettes lie across the delivery conveyor, having lain previously across the horizontal overhead conveyor.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 1 in which the horizontal overhead conveyor comprising a band of which the return run passes through a band reservoir comprises pulleys which cause the band to move along a zig-zag path of variable length.

Claim 6

A cigarette making system comprising a. a plurality of cigarette making machines and a plurality of cigarette packing machines, b. a first set of a plurality of conveyors having input and output ends, the input ends of the conveyors of said first set being connected to said cigarette making machines and each of said conveyors of said first set being arranged for feeding cigarettes along a separate one of a first set of paths, c. a second set of a plurality of conveyors having input and output ends, the output ends of the conveyors of said second set being connected to said cigarette packing machines and each of said conveyors of said second set being arranged for feeding cigarettes along a separate one of a second set of paths, and d. means associated with each conveyor in one of said sets for selectively moving and connecting one of said ends of each of the conveyors of said one set with any one of said conveyors of the other set, e. whereby cigarettes may be fed selectively from any one of the conveyors of said first set to any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 7

A cigarette making system comprising a. a plurality of cigarette making machines and a plurality of cigarette packing machines, b. a first set of a plurality of conveyors having input and output ends, the input ends of the conveyors of said first set being connected to said cigarette making machines and each of said conveyors of said first set being arranged for feeding cigarettes along a separate one of a first set of paths, c. a second set of a plurality of conveyors having input and output ends, the output ends of the conveyors of said second set being connected to said cigarette packing machines and each of said conveyors of said second set being arranged for feeding cigarettes along a separate one of a second set of paths, and d. means associated with each conveyor in one of said sets for selectively moving and connecting one of said ends of each of the conveyors of said one set with any one of said conveyors of the other set, e. whereby cigarettes may be fed selectively from any one of the conveyors of said first set to any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 8

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 4 wherein said first and second sets of paths are transverse to each other.

Claim 9

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 4 wherein said connecting means associated with each conveyor of said one set comprises means for extending or shortening the length of each of the conveyors of said one set, whereby one end of each of the conveyors of said one set may be moved and brought into association with any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 10

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 6 in which each conveyor of said one set comprises a continuous band.

Claim 11

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 7 in which said continuous band in each conveyor of said one set has a feed run and a return run, said conveyor further comprising a band reservoir through which said return run passes, said band reservoir comprising pulleys arranged to cause the return run to move along a zig-zag path, at least some of said pulleys being movable transversely of said band, whereby the length of said zig-zag path may be varied.

Claim 12

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 4 wherein said connecting means is associated with each conveyor of said first set for selectively moving and connecting the output end of any one of the conveyors of said first set with any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 13

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 9 wherein each conveyor of said first set comprises an overhead horizontal conveyor and means for conveying cigarettes upwardly from said cigarette making machines to said horizontal overhead conveyor, said connecting means comprising a movable chute adapted for positioning over any one of said conveyors of the other set for receiving cigarettes from said horizontal overhead conveyor and delivering said cigarettes onto a selected conveyor of the other set.

Claim 14

In a cigarette making system a plurality of cigarette making machines and a plurality of cigarette packing machines, two sets of conveyors for feeding cigarettes, each of the conveyors of both sets having input and output ends, said cigarette making machines being connected to the input ends of one set Of conveyors and said cigarette packing machines being connected to the output ends of the other set of conveyors, each of the conveyors of said one set being adapted to convey cigarettes from a cigarette making machine along a first set of paths and each of the conveyors of said other set being adapted to convey cigarettes along a second set of paths to a cigarette packing machine, said first and second sets of paths being transverse to each other, and means associated with each conveyor of said one set for selectively moving and connecting one of said ends of each conveyor of said one set with any one of the conveyors of said second set, whereby cigarettes may be fed selectively from any one of the conveyors of said first set to any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 15

In a cigarette making system a plurality of cigarette making machines and a plurality of cigarette packing machines, two sets of conveyors for feeding cigarettes, each of the conveyors of both sets having input and output ends, said cigarette making machines being connected to the input ends of one set Of conveyors and said cigarette packing machines being connected to the output ends of the other set of conveyors, each of the conveyors of said one set being adapted to convey cigarettes from a cigarette making machine along a first set of paths and each of the conveyors of said other set being adapted to convey cigarettes along a second set of paths to a cigarette packing machine, said first and second sets of paths being transverse to each other, and means associated with each conveyor of said one set for selectively moving and connecting one of said ends of each conveyor of said one set with any one of the conveyors of said second set, whereby cigarettes may be fed selectively from any one of the conveyors of said first set to any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 16

A cigarette making system as defined in claim 11 wherein said connecting means associated with each conveyor of said one set comprises means for extending or shortening the length of each of the conveyors of said one set, whereby one end of each of the conveyors of said one set may be moved and brought into association with any one of the conveyors of said second set.

Claim 17

A cigarette making conveyor system as defined in claim 12 in which each conveyor of said one set comprises a continuous band.

Claim 18

A cigarette making conveyor system as defined in claim 13 in which said continuous band in each conveyor of said one set has a feed run and a return run, said conveyor further comprising a band reservoir through which said return run passes, said band reservoir comprising pulleys arranged to cause the return run to move along a zig-zag path, at least some of said pulleys being movable transversely of said band, whereby the length of said zig-zag path may be varied.