Patent ID: 9681682
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: A24C,B65G

Claim:
1. An apparatus for filling trays with rod-shaped smokers' articles, comprising: a station for filling the trays, a conveyor for directing the smokers' articles in bulk to the filling station along a horizontal path, a first conveyor assembly for directing empty trays in succession to the filling station, and a second conveyor assembly for removing full trays in succession from the filling station; the conveyor having an outlet for releasing smokers' articles from the bulk to a tray located beneath the outlet, a vertical duct connected to the outlet and insertable into each tray to be filled for delivering the smokers' articles coming from the outlet, a translating carriage associated with at least one chosen from the vertical duct and the tray for reciprocally moving at least one of the vertical duct and the tray one-relative to the other of the vertical duct and the tray while the tray is being filled; an actuator associated with the translating carriage for performing at least one movement chosen from moving the outlet and vertical duct relative to the tray and moving the tray relative to the outlet and vertical duct, while the tray is being filled, by successive movements in both directions in a horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal path along which the smokers' articles are fed in bulk.