Compensating store device in systems for directly feeding cigarettes from cigarette manufacturing machine or machines to the hopper of the cigarette packeting machine

Claim 2

Apparatus for compensating operating unbalances of machines for producing and packeting cigarettes, comprising: a compensating storage cylinder having means for intermittently rotating it about a vertical axis to provide a regular succession of stops of the cylinder, the cylinder having vertically and radially extending cigarette-storing compartments distributed about the cylinder's circumference, each compartment having a generally open top and a generally open bottom and being dimensioned to permit horizontally disposed cigarettes in a cigarette pile one cigarette thick to perform sliding movements downwardly into, along and from the compartment; cigarette support means for selectively enabling such movements of the cigarettes in synchronism with the stops of the cylinder; a conveyor system, including, a cigarette-feeding conveyor movable for feeding a stream of individual cigarettes from a cigarette-producing machine to a first fixed location adjacent the top of the cylinder upon a first type of operating unbalance between the producing machine and a cigarette packeting machine, and a cigarette-withdrawing conveyor for withdrawing a stream of individual cigarettes from a second fixed location at the bottom of the cylinder and feeding it to the packeting machine on a second type of operating unbalance between the machines, the second fixed location being vertically below the first fixed location; means for selectively actuating the conveyors while also actuating the cigarette support means in response to either type of unbalance and during the same; a transfer system interposed between each conveyor and the cylinder and comprising a pair of transfer channel units, one at each fixed location, each transfer channel unit comprising a vertical fixed channel and a channel movable between a vertical and an inclined position, the channels of each unit being disposed in sequence, one with the other, between the respective conveyor and a point at an end of each successive cylinder compartment disposed between the fixed locations during each stop; and transfer control means for, sequentially, holding the movable channels of both transfer channel units in their inclined position during the rotating of the cylinder to prevent said sliding movements, and holding the movable channel of one transfer unit in its vertical position during a stop of the cylinder, to insure the sliding movements of the cigarettes into the compartments during the first type of unbalance and from the compartments during the second type of unbalance.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the transfer channel unit interposed between the cylinder and the cigarette-feeding conveyor has the movable channel thereof between said conveyor and the respective fixed channel.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the transfer channel unit interposed between the cylinder and the cigarette-withdrawing conveyor has the movable channel thereof between said conveyor and the respective fixed channel.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the transfer control means comprises a pair of electromagnets, one for each transfer channel unit, and switches controlled by the cylinder-rotating means for selectively energizing either electromagnet, depending on the type of unbalance to move the respective movable channel into its inclined position.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the cylinder-rotating means comprises primary gear means for rotating the cylinder in opposite rotary directions during the two types of unbalance, and secondary gear means for unidirectionally controlling the switches.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the secondary gear means is disposed also unidirectionally to drive the cigarette support means.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the cylinder has a flexible horizontal rod at the bottom of each compartment for generally closing the same, the transfer control means including means for flexing the rods of successive compartments disposed between the fixed locations during successive stops, during the second type of unbalance, to open the bottom for the sliding movements of cigarettes from the compartments.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the cigarette support means comprise spaced-apart horizontal rods, and means for moving one of the rods downwardly into, through and from each successive one of the compartment, enabling a corresponding cigarette pile to perform the sliding downward movement thereof.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 8 including conveyor chain means selectively driven by the means for rotating the cylinder to stop the rods during the moving of the cylinder and to move the rods, while holding them in a position normal to the vertical cylinder axis, during the stops of the cylinder.

Claim 11

A compensating storage unit for compensating operating unbalances of manufacturing and packeting machines in a plant for producing cigarette packets, which plant comprises a system for directly feeding a stream of individual cigarettes, disposed transversally of the stream, from at least one manufacturing machine to a packeting machine, the unit comprising; a cylindrical body having its cylinder axis vertically disposed and having radially extending cigarette-storing compartments parallel to said vertical axis, each compartment having an open top and an open bottom and being dimensioned to permit cigarettes to be horizontally disposed in a cigarette pile one cigarette thick in the compartment between the top and the bottom, an upper cigarette infeeding channel and a lower cigarette withdrawing channel respectively positioned above and below said cylindrical body in the area thereof including said open tops and open bottoms of said compartments, said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels being vertically aligned one relative to the other, a movable device having uniformly spaced apart rigid cantilever rods to take successive ones of said rods, perpendicularly to the vertical axis of the cylindrical body, into and along one of the radially disposed cigarette-storing compartments which is in vertical alignment with and between said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels, and intercepting means for stopping a stream of individual cigarettes along said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels, relative to the open top and open bottom of said one cigarette-storing compartment, in synchronism with transitions of individual successive cigarette-storing compartments between said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels; a bidirectional continuous movement source controlled by cigarette manufacturing and packeting machines; a kinematic movement transmission connected to said bidirectional continuous movement source; an intermittent movement transmission device connected to said kinematic transmission to transmit an intermittent movement to said cylindrical body for rotating it about its vertical axis; control means for deriving from the bidirectional continuous movement source a unidirectional continuous movement, said control means being connected to said kinematic transmission to transmit the unidirectional continuous movement to said movable device and rods to determine and to accompany groups of cigarettes, as portions of the stream of individual cigarettes, in said one of the compartments; and movable sections of said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels independent of said movable device, providing parts of said intercepting means, and controlled by the manufacturing and packeting machines to stop the flowing of the individual cigarette stream along said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels during and in synchronism with each step of the intermittent rotational movement of the cylindrical body.

Claim 12

A compensating storage unit for compensating operating unbalances of manufacturing and packeting machines in a plant for producing cigarette packets, which plant comprises a system for directly feeding a stream of individual cigarettes, disposed transversally of the stream, from at least one manufacturing machine to a packeting machine, the unit comprising; a cylindrical body having its cylinder axis vertically disposed and having radially extending cigarette-storing compartments parallel to said vertical axis, each compartment having an open top and an open bottom and being dimensioned to permit cigarettes to be horizontally disposed in a cigarette pile one cigarette thick in the compartment between the top and the bottom, an upper cigarette infeeding channel and a lower cigarette withdrawing channel respectively positioned above and below said cylindrical body in the area thereof including said open tops and open bottoms of said compartments, said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels being vertically aligned one relative to the other, a movable device having uniformly spaced apart rigid cantilever rods to take successive ones of said rods, perpendicularly to the vertical axis of the cylindrical body, into and along one of the radially disposed cigarette-storing compartments which is in vertical alignment with and between said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels, and intercepting means for stopping a stream of individual cigarettes along said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels, relative to the open top and open bottom of said one cigarette-storing compartment, in synchronism with transitions of individual successive cigarette-storing compartments between said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels; a bidirectional continuous movement source controlled by cigarette manufacturing and packeting machines; a kinematic movement transmission connected to said bidirectional continuous movement source; an intermittent movement transmission device connected to said kinematic transmission to transmit an intermittent movement to said cylindrical body for rotating it about its vertical axis; control means for deriving from the bidirectional continuous movement source a unidirectional continuous movement, said control means being connected to said kinematic transmission to transmit the unidirectional continuous movement to said movable device and rods to determine and to accompany groups of cigarettes, as portions of the stream of individual cigarettes, in said one of the compartments; and movable sections of said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels independent of said movable device, providing parts of said intercepting means, and controlled by the manufacturing and packeting machines to stop the flowing of the individual cigarette stream along said upper infeeding and lower withdrawing channels during and in synchronism with each step of the intermittent rotational movement of the cylindrical body.