Patent GB-946923-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for automatically collecting cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles in a tray
IPC: A24C5/354
Filed: 1960-03-18
Abstract: 946,923. Endless conveyers; packaging machines. AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY CO. March 18, 1960 [April 9, 1959], No. 9740/60. Headings B8A and B8C. Cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles are collected in trays by endless conveyer means. As shown, two pairs of belts 22, 24 have grooved surfaces to receive cigarettes from a cigarette making machine 10, the spacing of the belts being such as to allow any undesirable cigarettes to fall between the belts and to ensure that short pieces do not enter the delivery mechanism. The belts 22, 24 run over pulleys 26, 28 mounted on a shaft 30 and are fed by a pusher 16 which pushes cigarettes off a belt 12 on to the belts 22, 24. The shaft also carries a sprocket around which one end of a main fluted belt 32 passes. At its other end the main belt passes over sprockets 52, 54, 56 and the belt is tensioned by means of a vertically movable carriage 61 fastened to a weight 82. The vertical run between the sprockets 52, 54 cooperates with an endless belt 88 which retains cigarettes in the pockets on the belt 32. A carriage 84 is horizontally reciprocable by rotation of a horizontal screw 110 and carries the sprockets 52, 56. A second carriage 86 supported on carriage 84 is vertically reciprocable thereon by a screw 113 and carries rollers 90, 92 for the belt 88. The second carriage also carries a gearbox 94 which supports the sprocket 54. The gear-box also supports roller 96 and two sprockets 96, 98 for an endless band 100. The main belt 32 drives sprocket 54 and, by means of the gear-box 94, drive is transmitted to the roller 92 and to the sprockets 96, 98 of the band 100. Fingers 102 on the band 100 are thin and flexible to avoid damaging of the cigarettes. Trays for receiving the cigarettes are advanced on an endless conveyer 132 which is driven intermittently, a motor 144 driving a single revolution clutch 150 on operation of a limit switch when the preceding pair of trays have been filled. The tray conveyer includes roller and cam means 140, 142 for causing the trays to tilt backwardly to prevent the cigarettes from tumbling forward. Mechanism for pushing the cigarettes gently against the back of the tray to align them after they have been deposited includes a horizontal frame 156 slidable on two vertical rods 154 and slidably engaged in a slot 158 in the gear-box 94. A plate 162 which extends the full width of the tray is hinged at 160 to the frame 156 and is caused to make one forward and return stroke each time a cam roller 164 moves into and out of depressions in a fixed cam 168. Operation.-The filling mechanism is caused to travel to its lowermost position (Figs. 3, 4) and the empty tray moved into position to receive cigarettes which pass between guides 104, 106 after leaving the belt 32. Before the feeding cycle commences the mechanism is traversed to the right hand position shown in Fig. 3, the cigarettes then being deposited on the bottom of tray and pushed by the fingers of the belt 100 until the whole of the space below the belt up to the corner of the tray is filled. At this point the mechanism commences to move left with cigarettes being deposited until the mechanism reaches the left hand end of the tray, Fig. 4. After hesitating to allow the portion of the tray adjacent the side wall to be filled, the mechanism moves upwardly to permit a backward horizontal motion to the right hand position, Fig. 3, where it starts laying another row of cigarettes. The backward motion is at such a velocity that there is no relative motion between the belt 32 and the horizontal carriage 84, thus preventing delivery of cigarettes during this return motion. The sequence is repeated until the tray is filled. The mechanism is then retracted clear of the tray, the trays are indexed forwardly and the mechanism descends into the position shown in Fig. 3 ready for a new cycle to commence. Should more than a desired number of cigarettes be absent from the pockets in the belt 32, photo-electric means 126, 128 (Figs. 3, 4) detects this and a clutch 124 in the gear-box 50 is operated. The operation of the filling mechanism is thus interrupted so that the cigarettes do not fall, instead of being laid, on the deposited cigarettes. Specification 921,153 is referred to.