Variable capacity buffer storage conveyor for cigarette packaging apparatus

Claim 1

In a cigarette packaging apparatus including a first unit for wrapping groups of cigarettes in an inner blank of tin-foil or the like to form individual blocks wherein flaps of the blank are folded but not glued, and a second unit for enclosing the blocks in an outer box of paper or the like wherein flaps of a box blank are glued together, and wherein the second unit is more susceptible to operational breakdowns and malfunctions than the first unit, the improvement characterized by: a variable capacity buffer storage device operatively disposed in series between the first and second units to serially receive blocks from the first unit and deliver them to the second unit, said storage device comprising: (a) an endless belt conveyor, (b) a plurality of fixed pulleys over which the conveyor is guided, (c) at least two movable pulleys over which the conveyor is guided to define a variable length storage loop and a variable length takeup loop in the conveyor, (d) a plurality of generally rectangular compartments serially mounted on the conveyor for individually receiving a foil-wrapped cigarette block, (e) each compartment including a bottom wall having a slot formed therein, and a plurality of upstanding side walls defining an entrance opening with the spacing between the walls and their dimensions being configured to closely accommodate cigarette blocks to prevent the unfolding of the foil wrapper flaps during storage and transport on the conveyor. (f) means for moving one of the movable pulleys to decrease the length of the storage loop in response to a breakdown in the second unit wherein said first unit comprises a rotating member (21) having radially outwardly open compartments (22) for receiving cigarette groups (15) with a tin-foil blank member partially folded thereabout, folding means for further partially folding said tin-foil blank about said cigarette groups to form cigarette blocks, means for radially transferring said blocks from said rotating member into receiving means, means for accelerating said receiving means to the speed of said endless belt conveyor, and means for laterally transferring said blocks from said receiving and accelerating means into the conveyor compartments with an end of each blank having no flaps or folds disposed in an outwardly facing compartment opening, and wherein said second unit comprises means for individually ejecting the cigarette blocks from the conveyor compartments and delivering them to box-containing compartments of a rotating receiving means, said ejecting means including a reciprocating member mounted on a rotatable element, means for accelerating said element to the speed of said conveyor, and means for reciprocating said member to extend through said slot to eject said cigarette blocks from said conveyor compartments.

Claim 4

An apparatus as recited in claims 1 or 2, wherein the means for moving one of the movable pulleys comprises a worm shaft driven by a reversible motor.

Claim 5

An apparatus as recited in claims 1 or 2, wherein the means for laterally transferring comprises a push rod mounted for laterally reciprocable movement relative to the conveyor.

Claim 6

An apparatus as recited in claims 1 or 2, wherein each compartment has three upstanding side walls oriented in a U configuration.