Patent GB-1478147-A (GB)
Title: High speed cigarette packeting machine
IPC: B65B19/26
Filed: 1974-07-01
Abstract: 1478147 Packaging cigarettes; labelling G D SpA 1 July 1974 [31 July 1973] 29004/74 Headings B8C and B8F In a cigarette packaging machine including pocket wheels B, C and D in which blocks of cigarettes are first wrapped in an inner foil 5 and then in an outer sheet S<SP>1</SP>, an electric motor continuously drives a gear chain from which the drives of intermittently movable components, e.g. the wheels B, C and D, are taken through Geneva mechanisms, e.g. (70, 71) Figure 2b (not shown), (91, 92) Figure 2 (not shown), (107, 108) Figure 2 (not shown), and from which the drives for reciprocal or oscillatable components are taken through eccentric transmission devices, e.g. cams. Forming batches of cigarettes The cigarettes are fed, with the aid of agitators, from a multi-channel hopper (132) Figure 1 (not shown) into pockets 133 in an intermittently removable conveyor 134 driven through a Geneva mechanism (151, 152) Figure 2b (not shown). The feeding of the cigarettes is regulated by a reciprocal device (135) Figure 2a (not shown) and the cigarettes are ejected from the hopper by a reciprocal ejector 138. A device (141) Figure 2a (not shown), having a compound reciprocating and oscillating movement, stabilizes the batches of cigarettes as they are formed layer by layer in the conveyor pockets 133. The batches of cigarettes are checked for completeness by reciprocal checking devices (153, 154) Figure 2b (not shown) located on both sides of the conveyor 134. Wrapping the cigarette blocks Successive blocks of cigarettes are pushed by a reciprocal and oscillatable pusher 159 from the conveyor pockets 133 into compartments of an intermittently rotatable head A which is driven through Geneva mechanism (35- 38) Figure 2a (not shown). The head A comprises two compartments, each having two pairs of openable and closable jaws (170) Figure 2b (not shown). After the head has carried a block of cigarettes through 180, the block and a sheet of the inner foil S which has been cut from a supply, are transferred into a compartment T of the wheel B by a reciprocal pusher and a reciprocal counter-pusher (177, 180) Figure 2b (not shown), respectively. The block and foil S are retained in the respective compartment T by holding plates (187, 187<SP>1</SP>) Figure 4 (not shown) which are rotatable with the wheel B and controlled by cams (191, 191<SP>1</SP>) Figure 4 (not shown). The foil S is then folded around the block to produce a wrapper with similar closing flaps at opposite ends. This folding is performed by oscillatable folders (197, 197<SP>1</SP>) Figure 2b (not shown), (205) Figure 4 4 (not shown), a fixed folder, and further oscillatable folders (233, 233<SP>1</SP>, 239, 239<SP>1</SP>) Figure 2b (not shown). The cigarette block G<SP>1</SP> so wrapped is then inserted with a glued outer sheet S<SP>1</SP> which has been cut off from a continuous supply or supplied from a stack, into a compartment T<SP>1</SP> in the wheel C by a reciprocal pusher (243) Figure 2b (not shown) and a reciprocal-counter pusher (244) Figure 2b (not shown). Flap O of the sheet S<SP>1</SP> is folded against the base of the wrapped block G<SP>1</SP> by pins 262, and tubing of the sheet S<SP>1</SP> about the block G<SP>1</SP> is completed by a reciprocal folding blade (256) Figure 2b (not shown) and a fixed folder 270 before the so wrapped block is transferred to wheel D by a pusher member (272) Figure 2 (not shown) and a counter pusher (278) Figure 2 (not shown). During this transfer, tab M<SP>1</SP> and tab Q<SP>1</SP> are folded onto the bottom of the wrapped block G<SP>1</SP> by a fixed folder 284. Each compartment T<SP>11</SP> of the wheel D is provided with a pivoted blade member 285 closing one end of the compartment and over which flaps P<SP>1</SP> and N<SP>1</SP> are folded by an oscillatable folder 290 and a fixed guide 291. The glue on the flaps P<SP>1</SP>. N<SP>1</SP> is dried by a heated plate 292 which is movable towards and away from the wheel. The cigarette block wrapped in inner and outer wrappers S, S<SP>1</SP> is transferred from the wheel D to a block 296 by a lifting member (294) Figure 2 (not shown). Applying revenue labels Glued labels are supplied to an oscillating fork 299 and held thereon by suction which is controlled by a valve (304) Figure 2 (not shown) operated by a cam (126) Figure 2 (not shown). The cigarette packet is pushed from the block 296 and between the prongs of the fork 299 to pick-up a label which is released upon closing of the valve (304) and applied against an end and opposite sides of the packet. The packets are next intermittently fed along a compression chamber E.