Apparatus for conveying rods of the cigarette industry

• US 5,220,992 A
• Filed: 07/08/1981
• Issued: 06/22/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1976
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molins PLC
• Original Assignee: Molins PLC
• Inventors: Milins, Desmond W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US06/281,331
• Time in Patent Office: 4,367 Days
• Field of Search: 198/418, 198/443, 198/444, 198/445, 198/447, 198/480, 198/481, 198/689, 198/347, 198/572, 198/573, 131/282, 131/283
• US Class Current: 198/418
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/325 from a hopper
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/35 Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine

Abstract

Apparatus for conveying rods of the cigarette industry, comprising a fluted drum for carrying rods in the flutes thereof, and means for feeding rods into the flutes of the drum, comprising movable conveyor means disposed in proximity to said drum for conveying a stack-like stream of the rods directly onto the drum whereby motion of the conveyor means towards the drum urges the stream of rods towards the drum and into contact therewith, thus ensuring that the flutes of the drum are filled with rods after passing the stack-like stream. Control means are preferably included for controlling movement of the conveyor means towards the drum whereby the said motion is sufficient to convey said stream of rods towards the drum at a rate just sufficient to fill the flutes of the drum.

Claims

1. Apparatus for conveying rods of the cigarette industry, comprising a fluted drum for carrying rods in the flutes thereof, means for rotating said drum at a predetermined speed, and means for feeding rods into the flutes of the drum comprising movable conveyor means disposed in proximity to a generally-upward moving portion of said drum for conveying a continuous multi-layer stack-like stream of the rods directly onto the drum in a direction transverse to the general direction of movement of the portion of the drum adjacent to the conveyor, whereby motion of the conveyor means towards the drum urges the stream of rods towards the drum and into contact therewith, thus ensuring that the flutes of the drum are filled with rods after passing the stack-like stream.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including control means for controlling movement of the conveyor means towards the drum whereby the said motion is sufficient to convey said stream of rods towards the drum at a rate just sufficient to fill the flutes of the drum.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the conveyor means includes means for permitting limited upward motion of the rods in an area adjacent to the drum, and in which the control means comprises sensor means responsive to said upward motion for controlling the motion of the conveyor means.

4. A device according to claim 1 in which the conveyor means extends substantially horizontally towards the drum.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which each of the flutes of the drum is deep enough to receive at least two rods.

6. A device according to claim 5 including a knife which is arranged to cut the rods while they are in the flutes of the drum.

7. A device according to claim 2 in which the control means for controlling movement of the conveyor means includes a photoelectric sensor device responsive to the height of the rods in the vicinity of the end of the conveyor adjacent to the drum.

8. Apparatus for conveying rods of the cigarette industry, comprising a fluted drum for carrying rods in the flutes thereof;

drive means for rotating said drum at a predetermined speed;

means for feeding rods into the flutes of said drum in a region where the flutes are moving in a generally-upward direction, said feeding means comprising movable conveyor means for conveying a continuous multi-layer stack-like stream of rods in a direction generally transverse to the direction of movement of the flutes of the drum in the said region so that the leading end of said stream bears against a portion of the surface of said fluted drum in the said region; and

control means for effecting controlled movement of said conveyor means and said drum so that the quantity of rods supplied to said drum from said stream approximates the quantity of rods conveyed away from said stream in said flutes.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said control means includes sensor means responsive to the height of said stream for controlling the speed of said conveyor means.