Conveyor system for rod-like articles

• US 5,190,428 A
• Filed: 02/06/1990
• Issued: 03/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molins Machine Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Molins Machine Company Incorporated
• Inventors: McLeod, James, Clarke, Peter A., Martin, Keith K., Bryant, Leonard J., Heginbotham, Wilfred B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Frank E.
• Application Number:
  US07/475,987
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 198/350, 198/340, 198/338.1, 198/341, 198/346.1, 198/348, 198/349, 198/349.5, 198/349.6, 198/356, 198/358, 198/362, 198/366, 414/273, 414/331, 414/403, 414/222, 414/404, 414/416, 104/88, 364/478, 53/249, 53/250, 53/251, 29/468
• US Class Current: 414/403
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/352 using containers, i.e. boats
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/50 according to destination signals stored in separate systems

Abstract

Containers for rod-like articles are provided with a device, e.g. a transponder, capable of carrying variable coded information. Read and write devices are provided at appropriate positions, e.g. tray fillers and unloaders, to ensure that only containers of the correct type and contents are passed for further processing. The coded information may also relate to time of manufacture or loading, particularly where the articles are filter rods, to ensure unloading of only those containers in which the rods have received adequate curing time. A buffer reservoir system having a tray filler, tray unloader, and a tray handling system includes a transfer member capable of transferring trays between different positions of the tray handling system and a static trolley. The transfer member may comprise a robotic or other programmable member.

Claims

1. In a system for conveying rod-like articles of the tobacco industry between a delivery device and a receiving device which processes said articles, a container conveying system comprising means for unloading rod-like articles from containers for delivery of said articles to said receiving device, at least one container conveyor for conveying containers loaded with rod-like articles towards said unloading means, at least one device positioned in proximity to said container conveyor for receiving from at least one of a container carried by said container conveyor and the articles therein coded information relating to a physical characteristic other than a generic name of the articles carried in the container, means responsive to said one device for determining whether said coded information agrees with predetermined information relating to a physical characteristic which identifies predetermined articles, and control means responsive to said determining means for controlling said container conveyor so that only containers carrying said predetermined articles identified by coded information agreeing with said predetermined information are passed to said unloading means for delivery of articles to said receiving device, whereby said receiving device receives only said predetermined articles to be processed by that receiving device.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device comprises means for reading indicia carried by the container.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the indicia are stored electronically.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, further including at least one container carrying a transponder for storing indicia.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the device comprises a radio frequency receiver.

6. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the indicia are stored magnetically and the device comprises means for reading magnetically-coded information.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, including at least one container which carries means for storing variable information, and means for passing a signal to said storing means.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said signal passing means comprises means for generating an interrogating signal to cause said storing means to release said information.

9. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said signal passing means comprises means for passing a signal to said storing means to change said stored information.

10. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said signal passing means comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container conveyor is arranged to convey containers to a container unloading position.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coded information directly identifies a physical characteristic of articles in a container.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coded information identifies the container and the determining means comprises processor means for linking said coded information identifying a container with predetermined information relating to the articles therein.

14. A container conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the physical characteristic identified by said coded information relates to the age of the articles.

15. A container conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the rod-like articles carried by said containers are cigarettes, and the physical characteristic of said cigarettes is identified by a cigarette brand indicated by said coded information.

16. A container conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the rod-like articles carried by said containers are filter rods, and the physical characteristic of said filter rods is identified by a filter type indicated by said coded information.

17. A container conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the physical characteristic of the articles of each container is represented by the identity of a making machine which produced the articles as indicated by the coded information.

18. A container conveying system according to claim 1, wherein at least one container carries means for storing coded information relating to articles in the container, said storing means being arranged to respond to transmitted radio frequency signals to change the information stored.

19. A conveying system for rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, comprising a delivery device which delivers rod-like articles, a receiving device which processes the rod-like articles, conveyor means for transferring the rod-like articles from the delivery device and towards the receiving device, means for loading containers with the rod-like articles from the delivery device, means for unloading rod-like articles from containers for delivery to the receiving device, means for coding a container according to a physical characteristic of the articles therein, means for reading the code on a container before unloading it, means for delivering containers loaded with the rod-like articles to said unloading means from a source other than said loading means, and control means linked to said reading means and said delivering means for preventing containers which do not bear a correct code from reaching the unloading means.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the reading means is connected to means for generating a signal if the reading means detects an incorrect code or no code.

21. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the signal generating means is connected to container ejecting means.

22. A system as claimed in claim 19, including means for modifying a code on a container after unloading it.

23. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the coding means is located adjacent the loading means.

24. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the code reading means is located adjacent the unloading means.

25. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the coding means and code reading means are linked to a common processor unit.

26. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the coding means comprises a radio frequency transmitter.

27. A system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the code reading means comprises a radio frequency receiver.

28. A system as claimed in claim 26, including at least one container carrying a transponder for coded information from the coding means.

29. A container conveying system for conveying containers of rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, comprising means for loading containers with rod-like articles;

means for coding a container to identify a physical characteristic of the articles therein;

means for unloading the rod-like articles from said containers, including at least one container conveyor;

container carrying means for carrying containers between said container loading means and said container unloading means;

means for reading a code from a container before unloading it, including at least one device for receiving coded information from a container;

means for determining whether said information corresponds with predetermined information relating to the articles in the container; and

means responsive to said determining means for controlling said container conveyor.

30. A container conveying system according to claim 29, wherein the physical characteristic identified by said coded information relates to the age of the contents.

31. A container conveying system according to claim 29, wherein the rod-like articles carried by said containers are cigarettes, and the physical characteristic of said cigarettes is identified by a cigarette brand indicated by said coded information.

32. A container conveying system according to claim 29, wherein the rod-like articles carried by said containers are filter rods, and the physical characteristic of said filter rods is identified by a filter type indicated by said coded information.

33. A container conveying system according to claim 29, wherein the physical characteristic of the articles of each container is represented by the identity of the making machine which produced the articles as indicated by the coded information.

34. A container conveying system according to claim 29, wherein said container carrying means includes means for storing coded information relating to the articles in the container, said storing means being arranged to respond to transmitted radio frequency signals to change the information stored.

35. A manufacturing system for rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, comprising a producing machine for producing rod-like articles, a receiving machine for receiving the rod-like articles, a conveyor system extending from the producing machine to the receiving machine for delivering the rod-like articles thereto, said conveyor system including container conveying means, means for unloading the rod-like articles from containers for delivery to the receiving machine, and means for delivering containers to said system, wherein the conveying means includes means for reading coded information carried by a container and identifying a physical characteristic of the articles therein, and means for controlling passage of containers to said unloading means to prevent those containers for which said reading and identifying means does not detect a predetermined code from reaching said unloading means, so that only articles corresponding to those being made by the producing machine are delivered to the receiving machine.

36. A system as claimed in claim 35, wherein said container conveyor system includes means for loading containers with rod-like articles and a closed loop path for containers extending between said loading means and said unloading means, said container delivering means forming a junction with said closed loop path.

37. A system as claimed in claim 35, wherein the conveyor system includes a first path extending between the producing machine and the receiving machine and along which the rod-like articles are conveyed directly to said receiving machine in multi-layer stack formation, and a second path having at least one junction with said first path and along which the rod-like articles are transferred between said first path and said container conveying means when the output on said producing machine and the demand of said receiving machine are not matched.