Apparatus for the form-stabilizing storage of packs

A (drying) turret (27) is used for the form-stablizing storage of cuboid packs with folding tabs connected by means of glue spots, and a plurality of pivotably mounted storage pockets (29), each intended for receiving a multiplicity of packs (20), is arranged on the periphery of this turret (27). The packs are introduced via a radially outer pushing-in orifice and are pushed out again in the axis-parallel direction via a radially inner pushing-out orifice. As a result, a dwell time amounting to several revolutions is obtained for the packs.

DESCRIPTION 
The invention relates to an apparatus for the temporary form-stabilizing 
storage of cuboid packs with folding tabs connected by adhesive bonding, 
especially soft cigarette packs which can be introduced into pockets of a 
rotating turret and which can be pushed out of this after a dwell time. 
Drying turrets of this type are used, in conjunction with packaging 
machines, for those packs in which folding tabs are connected to one 
another by means of glue. This has to set or harden. For this, it is 
desirable for the packs to remain in the drying apparatus for as long a 
dwell time as possible. On the other hand, on high-performance packaging 
machines, such as those used above all for the packaging of cigarettes, a 
high throughput is necessary even in the region of the drying turret, and 
therefore this must have a correspondingly large capacity. 
The object on which the invention is based is to provide an apparatus 
equipped with a turret and intended for the form-stabilizing storage of 
soft cigarette packs in particular, and which has the holding capacity 
increased even further in comparison with known apparatuses of this type 
and thereby makes it possible to ensure a longer dwell time for the packs, 
whilst maintaining a predetermined throughput rate. 
To achieve this object, the apparatus according to the invention is 
characterized in that each pocket of the turret is designed for receiving 
a plurality of packs, and after one revolution the pack located in the 
pocket for the longest time can be pushed out and a new pack can be 
introduced into the pocket. 
An apparatus of this type or a (drying) turret of this type can be operated 
so as to rotate continuously. Each pocket is designed for receiving a 
relatively large number of packs, preferably nine. The pockets, in the 
form of elongate containers, are directed radially relative to the turret 
body. After each revolution of the turret, the radially inner pack is 
pushed out of the pocket and a new pack is introduced into the pocket on 
the radially outer side (pushing-in orifice). Consequently, each pack is 
located in the pocket of the turret over a period of several revolutions. 
The shape of the pocket is such that the form of the packs is stabilised 
or adjusted during the setting of the glue. 
Further features of the invention relate to the design of the pockets and 
of the members for introducing and pushing out the packs. Furthermore, 
according to the invention, measures are taken to make it possible for the 
turret or its pockets to run empty. For this purpose, the turret is 
changed over to intermittent operation. In the course of several 
revolutions, the packs are pushed out of the pockets in succession. 
Solutions are also provided, to guarantee careful handling of the packs 
when the apparatus is started up, particularly at the beginning of a shift 
.

The apparatus illustrated serves for the reception and form-stabilizing 
storage of a relatively large number of cuboid packs 20. The apparatus is 
preferably suitable for receiving soft cigarette packs according to FIG. 
1. These consist of an outer paper cup with trapezoidal bottom folding 
tabs 21 and 22 overlapping one another, and with side folding tabs 23 and 
24 likewise overlapping one another and located in the region of one of 
the narrow side faces of the pack. Furthermore, in the region of an end 
wall there is a revenue band 25 (revenue stamp) which extends centrally 
and transversely over the latter and into the region of the front and rear 
walls of the pack. 
Packs 20 of this type are produced in large quantities by a packaging 
machine (not shown). The packs 20 are fed individually to a (drying) 
turret 27 in succession by a delivery conveyor, in the present case a 
delivery turret 26. The delivery turret is equipped, along a periphery, 
with pack receptacles, namely with pivotable conveying pockets 28. 
The main component of the apparatus is the turret 27. This is equipped, 
along its periphery, with a large number of storage pockets 29 which can 
each receive a relatively large number of packs 20 stacked close up 
against one another in the radial direction. In the present exemplary 
embodiment, each storage pocket 29 can receive up to nine packs 20. 
The storage pockets 29 are mounted radially aligned on the periphery of the 
turret 27. Over the predominant region of the periphery, the storage 
pockets 29 are directed radially. By means of a pivot bearing 30 adjacent 
to the radially inner region, the storage pockets 29 are pivotable and can 
be aligned locally into a position parallel to one another, in particular 
for receiving a pack 20 from the delivery turret 26. Here, this pack 
transfer takes place in the region on both sides of a horizontal mid-plane 
of the turret 27. During the continuous rotary movement of the delivery 
turret 26 and turret 27, the conveying pockets 28, on the one hand, and 
the storage pockets 29, on the other hand, are temporarily turned towards 
one another or directed relative to one another in such a way that the 
pack 20 is transferred from the conveying pocket 28 to the storage pocket 
29. FIG. 3 shows the different positions of the pockets during this 
transfer operation. 
The packs 20 enter the respective storage pockets 29 individually in the 
region of a radially outer pushing-in orifice 31, remain in these storage 
pockets 29 over several revolutions of the turret 27 and are finally 
pushed out of the storage pockets 29 again on the radially inner side via 
a pushing-out orifice 32. During the rotary movement of the turret 27, the 
packs 20 travel in steps within the storage pocket 29 from the radially 
outer position to the radially inner pushingout position. In the present 
example, the packs 20 are therefore located in the storage pocket 29 for a 
period of more than eight revolutions of the turret 27. During this time, 
glue spots in the region of the bottom folding tabs 21, 22 and side 
folding tabs 23, 24 harden or set. 
The radially inner packs 20, the glue spots of which have set, are ejected 
in the region of a pushing-out station 33, approximately in the vertical 
mid-plane of the turret 27, specifically on the top side of this. Here, a 
pack discharge conveyor 34 runs in synchronism with the turret 27 and 
receives the packs 20 pushed out in the transverse direction or in a 
direction parallel to the axis of the turret 27. The pack discharge 
conveyor 34 is designed as a conveyor belt or pocket belt. 
The turret 27 is constructed so that the storage pockets 29 are pivotably 
mounted laterally on a disc-shaped or wheel-shaped turret body 35. The 
turret body 35 is mounted rotatably on a central main shaft 36. The turret 
body 35 and consequently the turret 27 as a whole are driven continuously 
by means of this main shaft, specifically via an electromechanical clutch 
37 which connects the turret body 35 to the main shaft 36 and disconnects 
it from this in drive terms. 
The storage pockets 29 are mounted, offset in the axial direction, next to 
an outer supporting ring of the turret body 35. The pivot bearing 30 
consists of a supporting journal 39 which is attached laterally to the 
storage pocket 29 and which is mounted rotatably in a transverse bore 40 
of the supporting ring 38. Attached to the end of the supporting journal 
39 on the side located opposite the storage pocket 29 is a pivoting arm 41 
which penetrates by means of a guide roller 42 into a control groove 43 of 
a fixed control ring 44. 
The control groove 43 extending allround is shaped so that, in the region 
where a pack 20 is received from the delivery turret 26, the storage 
pockets 29 execute a controlled pivoting movement, in such a way that the 
above-described transfer of the packs 20 can take place. In this, in the 
present relative arrangement, the storage pockets 29 are pivoted first in 
the anti-clockwise direction and then in the clockwise direction, until 
the pack 20 is received via the pushing-in orifice 31. 
Each storage pocket 29 is assigned a pushing-out ram 45 which rotates 
together with the turret 27 and with the associated storage pocket 29. The 
pushing-out ram 45 consists of a ramrod 46, to the actuating end of which 
is attached a specially shaped ram head 47. A guide bore 48 in the 
supporting ring 38 is designed so that the ramrod 46 and the ram head 47 
of widened cross-section can pass through the supporting ring 38. The ram 
head 47 is equipped with a lateral extension 49 which grasps the 
particular bottom or inner pack 20 of the storage pocket 29 in the region 
of the (upper) end wall, that is to say in the region of the side having 
the revenue band 25, and via the pushing-out orifice 32 conveys it out of 
the storage pocket 29 and onto the pack discharge conveyor 34 running 
laterally next to this. For this purpose, the storage pocket 29 is 
provided with a ram entry orifice 50 on the side located opposite the 
pushing-out orifice 32. The dimension of the extension 49 in the 
longitudinal direction is such that, in the end pushing-out position, the 
packs 20 remaining in the storage pocket 29 rest on the extension 49. This 
initially remains in the pushing-out position during the further movement 
of the storage pockets 29. 
The pushing-out rams 45 or the ramrods 46 are additionally mounted in a 
thrust ring 51 which is connected to the supporting ring 38 and which 
extends in the peripheral direction. The axial movements of the 
pushing-out rams 45 are produced respectively by actuating rollers 52 
which are connected to the ramrods 46 and which rest laterally on the 
ramrods 46 via journalS 53. The actuating rollers penetrate into a control 
groove 54 of a fixed cylindrical body 55. This is mounted on the main 
shaft 36 which rotates within the cylindrical body 55. The control groove 
54 is therefore fixed in place. During the relative movement of the 
pushing-out rams 45 in relation to the supporting ring 38, the to-and-fro 
movement of the pushing-out rams 45 is obtained as a result of the shape 
of the control groove 54. 
The storage pockets 29 are designed as shafts of rectangular cross-section 
suitable for receiving the packs 20. Shaft side walls therefore have a 
dimension corresponding exactly to the transverse dimensions of the pack 
20 (length of the end face and bottom face). The dimensions of 
longitudinal shaft walls 58 and 59 are such that the bottom wall of the 
pack having the bottom folding tabs 21 and 22 is at a certain distance 
from the shaft side wall 56. In this region, the packs 20 are supported 
elastically within the storage pocket 29, in the present case by means of 
brushes 60 (brush wall) distributed over the entire surface of the shaft 
side wall 56. The pack 20 is accordingly supported on the two narrow 
longitudinal sides and on the end wall carrying the revenue band 25 by 
smooth surfaces, resting against them over their entire area, of the shaft 
side wall 57 and of the longitudinal shaft walls 58 and 59. The brushes 60 
in the region of the shaft side wall 56 form an elastic support. In 
particular, they fix the folding and bonding of the bottom folding tabs 
21, 22. For this purpose, the packs 20 are conveyed into the storage 
pockets 29 in the position shown in FIG. 1, that is to say with the outer 
bottom folding tab 22 pointing into the interior of the storage pocket 29. 
As a result of the design of the storage pocket 29, the cuboid shape of 
the packs 20 is aligned and stabilized during the setting process. 
The radially outer packs 20 in the region of the pushing-in orifice 31 are 
retained in their position by resiliently pivotable pawls 61, 62. These, 
in their working position, respectively grasp the outward-pointing front 
and rear sides of the pack by means of a horizontal leg 63. The pawls 61, 
62 are mounted centrally in the region of the shaft side walls 56, 57 and 
are actuable by means of pivoting shafts 64. These are mounted rotatably 
in the shaft side walls 56, 57. The ends projecting laterally from these 
are, on the one hand, supported elastically via a helical spring 65, so 
that the pivoting shafts 64 rotate counter to the tension of the helical 
spring 65 or in response to its relaxation. On the opposite side, an 
actuating member in the form of a back-up roller 66 is attached. This 
rests on an inclined actuating extension 67 of the pawls 61, 62. The 
actuating extension 67 is located on the side of the pivoting shaft 
opposite the leg 63, so that the pawls 61, 62 are designed as a whole as 
two-armed levers. When the back-up roller 66 is subjected to pressure, the 
pawls 61, 62 are consequently pivoted in the opening direction. The pawls 
61, 62 are loaded in the direction of the closing position, shown in FIG. 
7, by the helical spring 65. In the regions required, that is to say in 
the region where the packs 20 are introduced into the pushing-in orifice 
31 and in the region of the pushing-out station 33, the pawls 61, 62 are 
pivoted back, counter to the load of the helical springs 65, into a 
position in which the pushing-in orifice 31 is completely free. Here are 
arranged fixed back-up discs 68, onto which the respective back-up rollers 
66 run as a result of the rotation of the turret 27, thereby pivoting the 
pawls 61, 62 in the opening direction. 
As already explained, the packs 20 are shifted within the storage pockets 
29 in the direction of the pushing-out orifice 32 by the pack 20 
introduced at the pushing-in orifice 31. The ram head 47 or its extension 
49 remains in the position within the storage pocket 29, immediately 
before the next pack 20 is transferred from the delivery turret 26. To 
prevent the packs 20 from tilting inside the storage pocket 29 after the 
pushing-out ram 45 has been retracted, the particular inner pack adjacent 
to the pushing-out orifice 32 is fixed elastically, specifically, in the 
present exemplary embodiment, by a resilient holding nose 69 which is 
mounted within the longitudinal shaft wall 59 in the lower region of the 
latter. The holding nose 69 is located on a long leaf spring 70 placed in 
a recess 71 of the shaft side wall 59. The holding nose 69 reaches under 
the lower or inner pack 20. When the next pack 20 is pressed into the 
storage pocket 29 via the pushing-in orifice 31, the rounded holding nose 
69 is pressed aside by the fixed pack itself, so that the latter can 
assume the inner position in the region of the pushing-out orifice 32. 
The apparatus described is also designed so that the storage pockets 29 are 
run empty, for example at the end of a work shift. Special measures are 
taken for this. 
The drive of the turret 27 is changed over to intermittent operation. For 
this purpose, the drive connection to the main shaft 36 is broken by 
actuating the clutch 37. The turret 29 is now driven in steps via a pinion 
72 which is brought into engagement with a toothed rim 73 on the outer 
periphery of the supporting ring 38 as a result of axial displacement. The 
storage pockets 29 now fed in succession to the pushing-out station 33 are 
emptied here in steps, each step corresponding to an individual pack 20. 
The turret 27 therefore executes several revolutions until all the storage 
pockets 29 are emptied completely. 
Since no new packs enter the storage pockets 29 via the pushing-in orifice 
31, a special member for shifting the packs 20 within the storage pockets 
29 to the pushing-out orifice 32 is provided. For this purpose, in the 
pushing-out station 33 a thrust plate 74 can be lowered intermittently 
into the respective storage pocket 29, at the same time taking up or 
shifting the packs 20 still present in it. The thrust plate 74 is attached 
to a spindle 75 which is moved up and down by means of a rotatable spindle 
nut 76. This is driven, in turn, by a worm 77. 
The particular pack 20 located in the region of the pushing-out orifice 32 
is fed to the pack discharge conveyor 34 in the way described as a result 
of a pushing-out movement within the pushing-out station 33. For this 
purpose, the pushing-out ram 45 assigned to the particular storage pocket 
29 can be moved to and fro independently and without the effect of the 
control groove 54. The free end of the ramrod 46 distant from the ram head 
47 is equipped with an anchoring head 78 which, in the pushing-out station 
33, is grasped positively by a claw 79 of a piston rod 80. This is movable 
by means of a piston 81 in an actuating cylinder 82. The latter is 
subjected to a pressure medium, especially to compressed air, and moves 
the piston 81 and consequently the pushing-out ram 45 in the pushing-out 
direction. 
Since, in the pushing-out station 33, the pushing-out ram 45 moves 
independently of the control groove 54, the latter is provided with a 
branch groove 83 extending in the axial direction (FIG. 10). This makes it 
possible for the actuating roller 52 to leave the actual control groove 54 
and enter the branch groove 53, so that the pushing-out ram 45 can execute 
the pushing-out movement. 
Special measures are also taken for starting up the apparatus when the 
storage pockets 29 are still empty. In this case, the turret 27 rotates 
continuously. The packs 20 entering the storage pockets 29 in succession 
via the pushing-in orifices 31 are retained on the same side as the 
revenue band 25 by a supporting member which is displaced radially in the 
storage pocket 29 according to the content of the latter and which finally 
comes out of the storage pocket 29 again. As shown especially in FIG. 7, 
this is an angled or curved (two-armed) supporting lever 84 which by means 
of a supporting leg 86 enters the storage pocket 29 via a recess 85 in the 
region of the shaft side wall 57. A supporting roller 87 at the end of the 
supporting leg 86 comes up against the inward-directed side of the pack 
20, specifically in the region of the leg of the revenue band 25 extended 
here. This at the same time guarantees that the revenue band 25, attached 
by adhesive bonding, but not yet fixed in position, is held in the exact 
position by being pressed against the pack 20. The supporting lever 84 
only has to be effective over a part region of the content. As is evident 
from FIG. 7, the supporting lever 84 comes out of the storage pocket 29 by 
being pivoted counter to the force of a tension spring 88. The packs 20 
subsequently introduced are sufficiently aligned as a result of the 
positively matching shape of the storage pocket 29. The revenue bands 25 
are fixed in position as a result of the support of the packs 20 against 
one another. 
The supporting lever 84 is mounted pivotably as a two-armed lever on a 
projecting arm 89 attached to the shaft side wall 57.