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3ACKGROUND OF TIIE INV~NTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming groups
nade up by a plurality of side-by-side positioned piles of paralle-
Lepipedon shaped articles~ In particular, the present invention re- ;
lates to an apparatus for gathering into parallelepipedon shaped
Jroups a plurality of cigarette packets, delivered by an high-speed
~perating cellophane wrapping machine, which groups have to be sup-
~lied to a parcelling or cartoning machine.
Said groups of packets can be conceived as obtained by superpo-
3ing two or rnore rows, formed by the same number of paclcets, or `;
_ven by bringing a plurality of piles, each consisting of the same
umber of packets, close together. :
~ESCRIPTION OF TIIE ~RIOR ART
The conventional cigarette production plants, as known, consist
~f two different type of machines, i.e.:
1) Manufacturing machines, by which cigarettes are made starting
rrom the cut and cured tobacco leaves; and
2) Cigarette conditioning rnachines.
The latter machines usually colnprise:
a) the pacl<eting machines, for making cigarette packets;
b) the parcelling or cartoning machines, for making pacl<ages or
cartons containing a plurality of cigarette packets; ;
c) the cellophane wrapplng machines~, for wrapping with cellopha-
ne, or other simi]ar material, individual cigarette pacl<ets;
d) the overwrapping machines for overwlapping packages or car-to-
ns.
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In said plants, the cellophane wrapping machines are positioned
etween the packeting machines and the parcelling or cartoning ma-
hines, while the overwrapping machines are positioned downstream
f said parcelling or cartoning machlnes.
The operating output speed of the packeting machines can range
etween 100/200 cigarette packets up to 400 cigarette packets per
inute.
The operating output speed of the parcelling or cartoning machi-
es isa/~unction of the number of cigarette packets making up the
ndividual packages or carton.
The present invention aims to solve the problems concerned with
he feeding of the parcelling or cartoning machines by the cello-
hane wrapping machines.
;UMMARY OF THR INVENTION
The main object of the present invention is, therefore, to provi
e an apparatus for connecting a cellophane wrapping machine opera-
ng at very high output speed (400 packets per minute) to a parcel
ng or cartoning machine, without any loss of operating cycles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an
paratus by which plles, consistlng of any desired number of pa-
ets, can be formed.
A further obJect is to provlde, in conformity with the above ob-
cts, an apparatus able to feed individual piles of cigarette pa7
ets to a rejection and replenishment device, for rejecting defec-
ive piles and for replenishing said defective piles with non-defec
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tive piles, and ~ in the meantlme - able to re~ect individual
piles from the same device in such a manner to build up complete -:
groups of packets made up by any desired number of piles.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is
provided an apparàtus for forming groups of side~by-side piles
of parallelplpedal~shaped articles, in particular clgarette
packets 9 the groups being supplied to a parcelling or cartoning
machine, the apparatus incluidng a re~ecting and replenishlng
device for rejecting defective piles and replenishing said de- .:;.
fective piles with non-defective piles~ said apparatus compri-
sing~
a vertically and reciprocatingly movable pile-forming
means positioned upstream of said rejecting and replenishing
device, for forming piles of a preselected number n of articles; -
first and second means synchronously and reciprocatingly
moving with a frequency equal to l/n that of said pile-forming
means, said first means for feeding individual piles into said
e~ecting and replenishing device, and said second means for
sequentially removing piles from said re~ecting and replenishing
device, and for ~eeding successive piles along an exiting channel~
~rom which individual complete groups of side-by-side piles are
conventionally fed to said parcelling or cartoning machine;
an intermittently and unidirectionally rotating wrapping
wheel pro~ided with a plurality of radially disposed pockets, `~
a first horizontal inlet channel along which indiv~dual articles
are sequentially fed into each pocket of said wrapping wheel
during each dwell thereof, a second outlet channel coplanar with
said first inlet channel7 and pushlng means for se~uentially
removing individual articles from said radial pockets and for
30 pushing said removed articles onto said second outlet channel ;
further comprlsing: a third extending above, parallel
to and partially overlapping said second channel;
resiliently movable retaining means positioned along the
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opposite longitudinal sides of the overlap ing area of said
third channel relative to said second channel;
lifting means positioned underneath said second
channel in alignment with said retaining means~ and cycli-
cally and reciprocatingly moved in a vertical direction by
cam driving means for sequentially transferring articles
from said second channel in a piled relationship above said
retaining means; ~ .
a stepwise, unidirectionally rotating horizontal
wheel provided with a plurality of radially disposed compart- ~ ;
ments coplanar with said third channel; ~ :.
a~'fourth channel coplanar with said third channel
and oppositely positioned relative to said horizontal com-
partmented wheel; ~
driving means for stepwise~ unidirectionally rota- .
ting s~d horizontal compartmented wheel with a frequency
submultiple relative to the cyclic frequency of said lifting ~ ;~
means, and for dwelling a compartment and the relative opposi- i
tely disposed compartment in alignment~ respectively~ with said ~
third channel and said rourth channel; and ;.
a first and a second pushing means horizontally and
reciprocatingly moved along a path parallel to and above said ~
third channel and said horizontal compartmented wheel in unison ~ ;
actuated by cam driving means with a frequency equal to the :
dwelling frequency of said horizontal compartmented wheel, said
first pushing means transferring individual piles from said
third channel into that one of the compartments of the horl-
zontal compartmented wheel which is dwelling in alignment
with the same third channel, and said second pushing means for
removing individual piles from said oppositely disposed compar-
tment, and for pushing said piles onto said fourth channel,
along which successive piles are approached together in a side-
by-side relationship to form groups of piles to be ~ed to said
parcelling or cartoning machine.
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According to a second aspect of the invention, there
is provided an apparatus for forming groups of cigarette pa-
ckets to be supplied to a parcelling or cartoning machine, said
apparatus comprising: an intermittently and unidirectionally
rotatable wrapping wheel provided with a plurality o~ radial
pockets; a first horizontal inlet channel along which individual
pac~ets are se~uentially fed into each pocket o~ said wrapping
wheel during a dwell thereof; a second outlet channel coplanar
with said first inlet channel; pushing means for sequentially
removing individual articles form said radial pocket and for
~ushing said remove~ articles onto said second outlet channel;
a third channel extending above, parallel to and partially
overlapping said second channel; resiliently removable retaining .
means positioned along the opposite longitudinal sides o~ the
overlapping areas of said third channel relative to said second
channel; lifting means positioned underneath said second channel
in alignment with said retaining means and cyclically and
reciprocatingly movable in a vertical direction by cam driving
means for sequentially transferring articles from said second
channel in a piled relationship above s~id retaining means;
a stepwise unidirectionally rotatable horizontal wheel provi-
ded with a plurality of radially disposed compartments copla-
nar with said third channel; a ~ourth channel coplanar with
said third channel and positioned opposite the same relative `
to said horizontal compartmented wheel; and driving means for -~
the stepwise unidirectional rotation of said horizontal com-
partmented wheel with a ~requency which is a submultiple of
the cyclic frequency of said lifting means for causing dwell
of a compartment and the oppositely disposed compartment
in alignment respectively with said third and fourth channels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~INGS
A pre~erred embodiment of the invention is thereinafter
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described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In
the drawings: ~
Flg. 1 is a perspective view o~ the mechanism for ~
driving the apparatus according to the invention; and
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic schematic view showing the
sequence of the various operations, performed by means driven
by the mechanism according to Fig. 1, to build up complete
groups from continuously fed cigarette packets.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFEP~RED EMBODIMENT
For a clear understanding of the present invention, only the es-
sential components of a high-speed operating cellophane wrapping ma
chine are shown in the drawings, being said machine well known to
the man of the art.
With particular reference to Fig. 1, with 1 is indicated an elec
tric motor for driving a cellophane wrapping machine, of the type
-for example- manufactured by the same Applicant as herein, and kno
n on the trade as "4350/CELL", conceived to wrap up to 400 cigaret
e packets per minute.
Keyed on a horizontal shaft of said motor 1 is a pulley 2, by
hich a second pulley 4, keyed on one end of a horizontal main shaf
, is driven by a belt transmission 3. On the same shaft 5 are ke-
ed, starting from said one end, a skew gear wheel 6, a gear 7, and
gear wheel 8. -
The skew gear wheel 6 meshes with a gear 9, keyed on the lowernd of a vertical shaft 10, by which in turn, a shaft 13, parallel
o shaft 5, is driven through a pair of skew gear wheels 11 and 12.
he task of the shaft 13 will be described thereinafter.
A shaft 15, extending parallel to shaft 5, is driven by the gear
, though a gear 14, and carries a conventional device 16, by whlch
six-spaces Maltese cross 17 lS intermittently driven, being said
altese cross keyed on the left end (viewing Fig. 1) of a shaft 18,
lso extending parallel to the main shaft 5.
The device 16 conventionally comprises oppositely posltioned pin
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¦or idle rollers9 and a centering member in the form of an arcuated
sector: said latter components have not been shown, for clearness
sake, in the drawings.
¦ With 19 is indicated an eccentric keyed on a shaft 21, and with
20 is indicated a grooved cam keyed on a shaft 22, extending both
latter shafts paralIel to the main shaft 5, and by which are drive
in a conventional manner, not shown.
A rod 24, extènding perpendicularly to the main shaft 5, has on
end pivotally connected, in 23, to the eccentric l9, and the other
end of said rod Z4 carries a pusher 64. On the rod 24 is slldingly
mounted a block 26 having horizontal pins 25 engaging the upper
. end of a link rod 27. The lower end of the link rod 27 is provided
with an idle cam follower 28 engaglng the groove of cam 20.
With such a construction, an axiallY directed, reciprocating
motion is imparted by the eccentric 19 to the rod 24, and a swing-
ing motion in a vertical plane extending through the axis of same
rod 24, is superimposed to said axially directed, reciprocating mo .~
tion by the action of cam 20. Z
A shaft 30, extending parallel to th main shaft 5, is driven
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by the gear 8, through a gear 29, ~e4Rg-4~ said shaft 30 keyed,~-
from left to right (viewing Fig~ 1), a gear 31, an eccentria 32, a
grooved cam 33, and - at the ~ end - a handwheel 34 for manual
ly adjusting the apparatus. .
Slidingly engaged with the groove of cam 33 is a cam follower,
shown with dashed lines in Fig. 1, secured to the lower end of a .
vertical rod 35 to which an axially directed reciprocating motion
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is imparted, along stationary gu.ides (not shown), when the shaft
30 is turning. The upper end of rod 35 carries (Fig. 2) a pile for
ming means 68, the task of which will be explained thereinafter.
The eccentric 3Z is freely turning whithin a ring provided on
one end of a link rod 36, being the opposite end of said link rod
36 hinged to a lever 37 pivotally fitted; by a pin 38, on the bed
(not shown) of the cellophane wrapping machine, and which lever 37
has the free end formed with a slot 39.
Slidingly fitted in said slot 39, by means of a sliding shoe
(not shown), is a horizontal pin 40, by which said lever 37 is con
nected to one end of a horizontal rod 4~pe~pendicularl~extending re-
lative to the main shaft 5, and to which a reciprocating axial mo-
tion, along stationary guides (not shown), is imparted through the
above described connection. As shown in Fig. 2, a pusher 67 is se-
cured on the other end of rod 41.
The gear 31 meshes with a gear 42 keyed on a shaft 43, extendin
parallel to the main shaft 5, and whereon a drùm-shaped cam 44 and
a bevel gear 45 are also keyed on.
The drive is transmitted from the gear 42~ through a gear 46, t
a vertical shaft 47. Secured to said shaft 47 is a conventional de
vice 48, comprising a pin and an arcuated sector (not shown), by
which a six-spaces Maltese cross 49, keyed on the lower end of a
vertical shaft 50, is intermittently driven. On the upper end of
shaft 50 is secured a horizontal compartmented wheel 74, having a
plurality of radially disposed compartments 73.
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¦ Slidingly engaged with the groove of the drum-shaped cam 44 is
a cam follower secured to one end of a lever 51, the other end of
¦said lever being secured to the lower end of a vertical shaft 52.
¦ The upper end of shaft 52 carries a horizontal arm 53, the free
end of which is provided with a slot 53' engaging, through a slid-
ing shoe (not shown), a pin 54 vertically protruding from the mid-
dle portion of a horizontal rod 55. The rod 55 is free to axially
slide along guides, not shown and secured to the bed of the cello-
phane wrapping machine.
One end of the rod 55 carries a first pusher 71, and the other
end of the same rod carries a second pusher 75, both pushers sub-
stantially lying on the same horizontal plane containing the upper
surface of the horizontal compartmented wheel 74.
The revolving motion of the dr~m-shaped cam 44 results, through
the connection above described, in a swinging motion in a horizon-
tal plane of arm 53, and in axially directed, reciprocating motion
of rod 55 in unison w.ith pushers 71 and 75.
The bevel gear 45 meshes with a bevel gear 56 keyed on one end
of a horizontal shaft 57,perpendicularlyextending relative to the mair
shaft 5. Said shaft 57 represents the source of drive of the par-
celling or cartoning machine, located downstream of the cellophane
wrapping machine, and fed with groups of cigarette packets made up
by the apparatus according-to the present invention.
With 60 ls generically indicated a first horizontal inlet chan-
nel, conventionally comprising a pair of spaced apart endless con-
1069946
veying belts 60' and 60" wound about idle rollers 61, and aboutrollers 62 (only one is shown in Fig. 1) keyed on the shaft 130
The two belts 60' and 60" are spaced apart of a distance sligth
ly shorter than the length of a cigarette packet 5B, so that to
support each packet on the two opposite ends thereof~ Between the
two belts 60' and 60" is longitudinally positioned, coplanar with
the upper run of the same belts~ a strip 63.
The channel 60 is formed by a plurality of compartments 59, eac
for housing a packet 58, and is prov1ded for individually and se-
quentially feeding cigarette packets 58 into radially disposed p~-
ckets 65 (six in the embodiment shown) of an intermittently, clock
wise rotating wrapping wheel 66, making part of the cellophane wra~
ping machine, and keyed on the horizontal shaft 18.
The pusher 67 moves along a second outlet channel, shown with
dashed lines in Fig. 2 and generically indicated with 83. Said se-
cond channel 83 lies on the same horizontal plane containing the
flrst inlet channel 60, but opposite to the wrapping wheel 66, and
extends up to the pile forming means 680
The first pusher 71 moves along a third channel, generically in
dicated in Fig. 2 with 69, the inlet portion of which channel 69
overlaps the pile forming means 68, i5 spaced above the second cha~
nel 83 by a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness
of a packet 58, and extends up to the horizontal compartmented ¦
wheel 74. The length of said third channel 69 is, in the embodimen1 ;
shown, twice the crosswise dimension of the packets 58.
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~ n each side of the i~let portion of the third channel
69, i.e. on that portion overlapping the plle forming means 68,
there is provided a resiliently movable retaining means 70 (FigO 2)
which can be moved from a first substantially horizontal operative
position to a second substantially vertical inoperative position.
Spring means, not shown, reacts to return said retaining means
to the first operative position any time they are moved o~f.
The second pusher 75 moves along a fourth channel,
generically indicated in Fig. 2 with 76, connecting the compartment-
ed hori~ontal wheel 74 with a supporting surface 78.
As particularly shown in Fig. 2, the cigarette packets,
delivered by a packeting machine (not shown, and advantageously
of the type described in the Canadian application No 17955 filed
on l9th Nov. 68, No 187825 filed on 10th Dec. 73, No 200839 filed
on 23rd May 1974 in the name of the same Applicant as herein),
are fed to the cellophane wrapping machine by a continuously driven
conveyor 84, parallel to the main shaft 5, in the direction of
arrow 85. On said conveyor 84 the packets 58 are end-to-end and ~ ;
flatwise positioned.
As disclosed in the Canadian application No. 189807
filed on 9th Jan. 1974, in the name of the same Applicant as "
herein, at the discharge end of the conveyor 84, the packets 58
are individually housed into the compartments 59 (Fig. 1) of the ~-
conveyor, or first inlet channel 60. As shown in Fig. 2, the
conveyor 60 is transversally positioned relative to conveyor 84, ;-
and is continuously moved in the direction of arrow 86.
In the operation, a packet 58 i5 continuously moved
by the conveyor
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60 until it reaches the right end of the same conveyor, wherein th ,
pusher 64, secured to the free end of rod 24, is standing.
The eccentric 19, cam 20 and link rod 27 cooperate~ as above
stated, to impart an axially directed, reciprocating motion to the
rod 24 to extend the pusher 64, during its ~orward stroke, in bet-
ween the belts 60' and 60", just downstream of that compartment 59
which reached the right end of conveyor 60, so as to push thé pac-
ket 58 housed in said compartment-together with a piece of cello-
phane wrapping material, not shown and ~ed in any conventional man
ner - into that one of the radial pockets 65 which is dwelling in
an inlet station aligned with the conveyor 60.
After insertion of a paclcet into a pocket 65, the pusher 64 be-
gins its backward stroke, by swinging downwardly to prevent it frol n
interferring with the next packet 58 advancing on the conveyor 60,
and with which it will come into engagement during its next for-
ward strok~. ~
The considered cigarette packet 58, due to the stepwise and clo
ckwise rotation ~arrow 87, Fig. 2) of the wrapping wheel 66, is
transferréd from said inlet statio~to a diametrally opposite outle~ :
station, and during said transferring the considered packet 58 is
subjected to a first series of wrapping operations by conventional
(not shown) stationary and movable folding means, as well as by I
welding means fitted about the wrapping wheel 66. i,
On the outlet station operates the pusher 67,which removes the
considered and partially wrapped packet from the relative pocket
1069946
65, and moves it onto the second channel 83, along which the wrap-
ping operations are completed.
The second channel a8 has a length equal to a multiple of the
crosswise dimension of the packets 58, and - during normal opera-
tion - said second channel accomodates a row made up by a certain
number of side-by-side positioned packets. The insertion of a new
packet into channel 83 causes9 thefore J the row of packets to move
in the direction of arrow 88, of a distance corresponding to the
crosswise dimension of a packet, and the transfer of the first pa-
cket of the row onto the pile forming means 68, now dwelling in a
d~ lly
~ard~ directed inoperative position''
During the upward stroke of the pile forming means 68, control-
led by the cam 33 through the vertical rod 35, the packet previou-
sly transferred onto said means 68, is pushed through the spring
controlled retaining means 70, and -~uring the return stroke of me
ans 68- retained by said means 70 in the inlet porti~o,n of the thir~ I ..
channel 69.
As above stated~ the first and second pushers 71 and 75 are se-
cured to the two ends of the rod 55, and they are actuated in uni-
son by said rod 55 with a frequency which i5 half that of the pile
forming means 68.
Since the first pusher 71, carried by the left end (viewing Fig
1~ of rod 5S, is hori~ontally reciprocated along the third channel
69, in the time interval between two successive interventions of
said pusher 71,a pile 72 - consis-ting of two superposed packets 58
is formed by the pile forming means 68 in the inlet portion of the
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thlrd channel 69, the newly formed pile being in a side-by~side re
lationship with the previously formed pile, the latter now resting
on the outlet portion of the same channel 69.
In its forward stroke, the pusher 71 engages the left side of
the pile 72 resting on the inlet portion of the channel 69, and
pushes it up to the outlet portion of the same channel, thus allo-
wing the formation, by the pile forming means 68, of a new pile 72
in the inlet portlon of sa1d channel 69.
As.a consequence of the shifting of a pile 72 from the inlet po
tion of channel 69 up to the outlet portion of the same channel,
the pile previously positioned in said outlet ~ortion is pushed in
to that one of the compartments 73 o~ the ~ l 74,dwelling in an
inlet station aligned with the channel 69, and -therefore- aligned
with the path of pushers 71 and 75.
The horizontal compartmented wheel 749 as above stated, is ke-
yed on the upper end of shaft 50, and it is intermittently, anti-
clockwise rotated at the same frequency of the pushers 71 and 7S,
so that at each forward stroke of the pusher 71, successive piles
72 are inserted into successive compartments 73 of wheel 74.
Due to the intermittent rotation of the horizontal compartmente~
wheel 74, the piles 72 housed in the compartments 73 are transfer-
red from the inlet stat1on to an opposltely disposed outlet stati-
on in alignment with the fourth channel 76, and during each forwar~
stroke of the second pusher 75, working in unïson with the first
pusher 71, a pile will be removed from said outlet station, and pu
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shed onto said fourth channel 76.
At each stroke from left to right cf rod ~5~ a plle is introdu-
ced lnto a compartment 73 by the first pusher 719 and a pile ls re
moved from the diametrally opposite compartment 73 by the second
pusher 75, and by said later pusher introduced into the fourth cha
nel 76, thus gradually forming - on the supporting surface 78 - a
complete group 79 underneath a conventional brush 77 (in the exam-
ple shown, the complete group 79 is made up by five side-by-side
positioned piles 729 each comprising two superposed packets 58).
Each complete group 73 is conventionally pushed, in a manner no
shown, along the supporting surface 78 in the direction of arrow
89 (Fig. 2) toward theparcelling or cartoning machine (not shown).
In Fig. 1 are also shown two stations ~ 80 and 81, the .-sta-
tion 81 underlaying a storage unit 82 containing a stack of non-
defective packets.
As described in the ~talian patent N 68-065~, in the name of th
same Applicant as herein, suitable means (not shown) rejects piles
72 l~ontaining one or more defective packets from the station
80, and in the . station 81 a new pile is supplied from the sto-
rage unit 82.
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