Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved device
for folding the head portions of inner wrappers in a machine
for packeting cigarettes into hinged-lid type packets.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The wrapping elements which together form a hinged-
lid type packet consist of a tin foil innex wrapper, and an
outer wrapper or thin board box.
The inner wrapper can be wound about the cigarette
batch according to several wrapping styles: in the contents
of the present specif~cation reference will be made to the
use of the wrapping style known as "soap style wrap"O
In said wrapping style, the wrapper - obtained from
a rectangular length of tin foil - is wound as a tube, and in
the direction of its greater dimension, for wrapping the four
longitudinal sides of the cigarette batch, thus to have its
two extremities paxallel to the axes of the cigarettes.
The cigarette heads, or head portions of the batch,
are then covered by folding down thereunto the flaps of the
length protruding from the two extremities of each side, by
folding - in particular - firstly the flaps protruding from
the opposite extremities of the narrow sides of the batch,
and then the flaps protruding from the opposite e~tremities
of the wide sides of the same batch.
In order to remove the cigarettes from a hinged~lid
packet, the upper extremity of the batch is partially opened
by firstly lifting the lid of the packet, and then by tearing
off a portion of the tin foil inner wrapper. In order to
facilitate the latter operation, this portion is bordered
by a series of cuts which make the detaching of said portion
easier.
Such portion is grasped on the upper flap protruding
from the front wide side of the inner wrapper and folded onto
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the head portion of the batch.
It is obvious, for -this reason, that - in order to make
this operation faster - the flap to be grasped has to be over-
folded onto the flap protruding from the opposite rear wide
side of the same inner wrapper. In other words, it is advisable
that - during the manufacturing of the inner wrapper - the
flap to be grasped, and forming part of the portion that is
to be removed is the last to be folded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
_
An object of the present invention is to provide a
device adapted -to allow the use in a hinged-lid type packeting
machine, for the wrapping of cigarette batches into a tin paper
inner foil, of a rotating head of the type described with refer-
ence to the soft type packeting machine.
A further object is to provide a device for obtaining,
in conformity with the above stated object, tin foil inner
wrappexs having in correspondence of the ejecting station of
a rotating head of the type above described, the flap associated
to the upper face superimposed to the flap associated to the
lower face, the upper and lower faces being referred to a hori-
20ntal plane~
These and other objects are all attained with the
improved device, according to the invention, for folding the
head portions of inner wrappers in a machine for packeting
cigarettes into hinged-lid type packets, said machine sub-
stantially comprising: a plurality of stations for folding the
wrapping material, each station having a radially compartmented
wheel for housing individual cigarette batches to the wrapped;
stationary and movable folding means for folding said wrapping
material about said cigarette batches; transfer means for sub-
: sequently transferring said cigarettes batches and related
wrapping material from one wheel to the next one; and a driving
kinematic mechanism substantially comprising a stepwise device
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for step-by-step rotating each wheel, and including a con-
tinuously rotating shaft, a driving means for said movable
folding means, and a driving means for said transfer means,
to the continuously rotating shaft of at least one of said
stepwise devices being associated a pair of said movable fold
ing means, each pair being formed by two folding blades position-
ed on the opposite sides of said wheel in a station wherein
successive compartments are brought to dwell, said blades being
associated to an oscillatable shaft oscillated by a kinematic
mechanism linked to a driving cam keyed on said continuously
rotating shaft, which improved apparatus is characterised in
that the driving cam for driving the folding blades positioned
downstream relative ~o the rotating direction of the related
wheel is associated to the corresponding driving kinematic
mechanism through a member pivoted oscillatable about a station-
ary pivot point and provided in correspondence of points position-
ed in an arm lever fashion relative to said pivot point of a cam-
follower cooperating with the same driving cam and of a toothing
engaging a correspondlng toothing of said oscillatable shaft,
the operatXng profile of said cam being configured to drive the
associated folding blades to carry out, in the o.rder, a first
oscillating movement in a direction opposite to the rotating
direction of said wheel, a dwell, a second oscillating movement
in a direction opposite to the first oscillating movement, a
third oscillating movement in the same direction of said first
movement, and a fourth oscill.ating movement in the direction
of said second movement to bring said folding blades back to
their starting position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages will be more apparent
from the following description of a preferred, but not exclusive,
embodiment of the improved device according to the invention,
as shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in
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which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hinged-lid type
cigarette packet, some parts having been removed for a clear
showing of other parts;
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a hinged-
lid type packeting machine;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the driving means
for driving the machine of Fig. 2, and for controlling the
improved device accordin~ to the invention;
Fig. 4 iS a perspective view of the wrapping wheel
of the hinged-lid type packeting machine, and of the improved
device according to the present invention; and
Fig. 5 shows in a graph form the motion laws relating
to a machine cycle of some of the most important parts of the
hinged-lid type packeting machine, and of the improved device
according to the inYention.
The h~nged~lid t~pe packeting machine, to which refer-
ence is made in the present specification, is diagrammatically
shown in Flg. 2
In said ~lgure only the rotating heads for carrying
out t~e various wrapping operations of the cigarette batches
are shown. The means for forming the cigarette batches and
fox transferring said batches to the wrapping heads have not
been shown since theyrare of conventional type, and well known
in the art.
In particular, starting from right to left, the first
of said rotatiny heads is supported by a horizontal shaft, and
is the station wherein the cigarette batches are wound by a tin
foil inner wrapper. A second rotating head, suppoxted by a
vertical shaft, follows said first rotating head, and is the
station wherein the already wrapper batches are provided, if
required, with a reYenue stamp, or with an advertising picture.
It follows, then, a third rotating head also supported by a
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vertical shaft, for the application of the so called 'collar'
and for the feeding of a thin board cut piece; and - at last -
a fourth rotating head supported by a horizon~al shaft for
obtaining, from said cut pieces, the hinged-lid packets.
It should now be noted that the wrapping style,
above defined as "soap style wrap", is also used for obtain-
ing the inner wrappers of the soft type cigarette packets
(ox American type packets~ produced by a high speed operating
cigarette packeting machine manufactured by the same applicant
as herein, G~ D. Societa per Azioni, and described for example
in Canadian patent applications Serial No. 187,825 filed
December 1~, 1973 and Serlal No. 200,~39 filed May 23, 1974.
The hinged-lid type packeting machine, diagrammati-
cally shown in Fig. 2, has su~stantially the same structure
of the soft type packeting machine described in the above
cited patentapplications. This is particularly true for what
concerns the means for forming and transferring the cigarette
batches, as well as for what concerns the first rotating
head for wrapping said bAtches ~ith a tin foil wrapper.
According to what ls known, in said soft type
packeting machine the rotating head is intermittently clock-
wise moved, and is proYided with eight peripherically and
radially disposed c~mpartments.
At each rotational step, one of said compartments
comes to dwell in a station, called inlet station, horizontally
aligned relative to transferring means for inserting into each
of said compartments a cigarette batch, together with a length
of wrapping material (tin foil).
As known, the cigarette batch is longitudinally
positioned relative to the compartment, and edgewise positioned
relative to the axis of the rotating head.
During the rotation of the head, stationary and movable
folding means operate to wind the length of wrapping material so
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that to wrap the four longitudinal sides of the cigarette batch,
and to fold the flaps protruding from the narrow sides onto
the two head portions of the batch.
In the same dwelling position, the flaps protruding
from the wide sides are then folded down onto the two head
portions, i.e. firstly the upstream flap, relative to the
rotating direction of the head, and then the downstream flap.
The choice of such a folding order, rather than the
opposite one, it allows to caxry out the final wrapping opera-
tions in the simplest way/ and in the shortest time.
It should be noted that, in these conditions, the
final folding of the downstream flap can be completed by
stationary folding means during the transferring of the com-
partment from one to the next dwelling position.
From the above it appears that, during the ejection
of a packet from the rotating head, along a horizontal plane
diametrally positioned relative to the inlet station, the tin
foil inner wrapper presents the upper flap partially super-
imposed to the lower flap.
For this reason, and as thereinafter demonstrated,
it has to be excluded the passibility of a simple transferring
to the hlnged~lid t~pe packeting machine diagrammatically shown
in Fig. 2 of the ~irst rotating head used in the soft type packet-
ing ~ach~ne. In the hinged-lid type packeting machine, the
cigarette batch - wound about the tin foil inner wrapper -
maintains, relative to its horizontal supporting plane, and
between two subsequent Yertical axis rotating heads, the position
which it had when ejected from the first rotating head.
The upper face of the inner wrapper will come to
adhere~ in correspondence of the second vertical shaft rotating
head, to that surface of -the blank which will form - at the
completion of the wrapping operations,- the back surface of the
hinged-lid type packet (see Fig. 1~.
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In conclusion, the use of the described rotating
head in a hinged-lid type packeting machine of the type dia-
grammatically shown in Fig. 2 would result in a hinged-lid type
packet different ~rom the one shown in Fig. l, i.e., in a
packet having the flap relating the rear wide side of the
inner wrapper partially overlapping the flap ~ making part
of the removable portion - relating the front wide side of
the same wrapper, and this in contrast with what is above
stated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
~ ith particular reference to Fig. 3, with l is
indicated an electric motor for driving the machine diagrammati-
cally shown in Fig. 2. From shaft 2 of said motor, the drive
is transmitted, through belt 3 and pulley 4, to a horizontal
shaft 5 having a gear wheel 6 keyed on one end thereof.
The gear w~eel 6, through an idle gear 7, drives a
gear 8 keyed on the right end of a shaft 9, parallel to shaft
5. On shaft 9 are further keyed, starting from right to left,
t~o grooved driving cams 10 and ll, the task of which will be
described thereinafter. On the left end of shaft 9 is keyed
a conventional device 12 formed by an arcuated sector and by
an idle roller for intermlttently operating an eight-spaces
Maltese cross 13.
The Maltese cross 13 is keyed on a tubular sleeve
14 to which is fastened, externally to the machine's bed
~not shown), a cylindrically shaped rotating head or wheel 15,
detailed shown in Fig. 4, for wrapping cigarette batches each
into a tin foil wrapper.
The rotating head 15, fed with cigarette batches by
3~ a two compartmented wheel 16 ~see Fig. 2), and feeding in its`
turn a vertical axis rotating wheel 17, is intermittently and
clockwlse rotated, with a 45 rotation for each intermittence,
and is provided with eight radially disposed compartments 18,
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peripherally positioned at 45 one from the other.
The rotating head 15 is substantially formed by two
coaxially disposed disks 19 and 20, spaced apart of a distance
corresponding to the length of a cigarette, and fastened one
to the other by rods 21 parallel to the rotation axis of the
head.
The compartments 18, obtained by radially cutting
the body of the head 15, are adapted to contain parallelepipedon
forms having dimensions corresponding to those of the cigarette
batches longitudinally and edgewise positioned relative to
~; said rotating axis. Said compartments 18 are each provided
with an inlet opening positioned on the cylindrical outline
of head 15, and are opened ~t the two longitudinal ends.
On the right, viewing Fig. 4, of the rotating head
15, along a vertical plane are conventionally fed rectangular
lengths 22 of tin foil wrapping material each provided, on a
corner, with a weakening line 23 obtained with the device des-
cribed in the Canadian application Serial No. 225,730 filed
April 29, 1975, in the name of the same applicant as herein.
In order to make easier the understanding of the
following description, the lengths 22 are each subdivided by
theoretic folding dash-marked lines, into areas or panels
delimiting the various faces of the inner wrapper. Such areas
are indicated, from top to bottom, with the reference numerals
24, 25, 26, 27 and 28, while the same reference numerals with
the addition of an tnde~ ~') .tndicate the two extremities, or
flaps, of each of said areas forming, as it will be described
thereinafter, the two head portions of the inner wrapper.
The compartments 18 are each brought to dwell in sequence in
llne with an inlet station I.
As described in the above-noted Canadian applications
No. 187,825 and No. 200,839, the transferring of a cigarette
batch with a moYement transversely directed relative to the
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axes of the same cigarettes, together with a length of wrapping
materiall into a compartment 18 dwelling in line with the
station I is carried out by a pusher 29 cooperating with a
counter-pusher 30, both carried by horizontal shafts, and
reciprocatingl~ and radially moved relative to the rotating
head 15.
In its forward strokel the counter~pusher 30 back-
: wardly approaches (viewing Fig.4~ a length 22 of tin foil
wrapping material standing in proximity of station I, thus
carrying the panel 26 to adhere to the left side of the cigar-
ette batch.
During the introduction of the cigarette batch into
a compartment 18, the two panels 25 and 27 are progressively
folded onto the upper and lower layers of cigarettes forming
the batch. ~s soon as the introduction of the batch into the
compartment is completed, ~hile the counter-pusher 30 moves
further away from panel 26, the pusher 29 begins its backward
stroke.
The cigarettesare held within the compartment 18 by
the intervention of rectangular plates 31 and 32 synchronously
moyed to engage the longitudinal extremities of the outer side,
relative to the rotation axis of head 15, of the cigarette
batch.
Plates 31 and 32 are integral with the extremities
of arms 33, 34 oscillating on the same radial plane, and about
fulcra carried by the disks 19 and 20~
Each compartment 18 is provided with arms 33 and 34,
and the same arms do constitute two symmetrical systems relative
to -the rotating head 15.
Idle rollers 35 are provided near the fulcra of arms
33 and 34, and cam means ~not shown in the figures, but describ-
: ed in the above-noted application No. 200,839) impart to arms
33 and 34 - through said rollers 35 an oscillatin~ movement
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to approach and remove the plates 31 and 32 towards and away
frorn the relative compartment 18. After intervention of plates
31 and 32, and with compartment 18 stlll dwelling in station I~
the two flaps 26' are folded over and against the head portions
of the cigarette batch.
The head 15 is then rotated clockwise, and the con-
sidered compartment 18 transferred up to a station II position-
ed at 45 from the inlet station I.
During the dwelling in station II, the flap 24,
protruding from the upper part of compartment 18, is folded
down by a hoe-shaped folder 36, tangentially to the cylindrical
surface of rotating head 15, and folds said flap 24 over the
outer side of the cigaretta batch.
The head 15 is further rotated up to station III,
positloned at 90 relative to the inlet station I. During
said later .rotation, and before that panel 24 be abandoned
by folder 36, the panel 28 is overturned by a stationary guide
37 concentric to the rotating head 15, and circumscribing the
outline of the same head starting from said station II up to
a station V for ejecting the wrapped batches.
During these phases, the two plates 31 and 32 con-
ventionally act as counteracting elements against the action
of the folder 36, and of the stationary guide 37, thus avoid-
ing damages to the cigarettes, and further allowing to obtain
~ell defined corners between panels 25 and 24, and between
panels 27 and 28,
During the transferring of a compartment 18 from
station II up to station III, the cited cam means causes the
opening o~ arms 33 and 34, and the removal of plates 31 and
32 from between the overlapped panels 24 and 28.
The cigarette batch, partially wrapped by the length
22, is impeded to move relative to compartment 18 by the station-
ary guide 37.
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The considered compar-tment 1~ is then rotated up to
station I~. In said station IV the stationary guide 37 is
interrupted to allow the insertion of a bloc]~ member 38, to
which an oscillating motion is imparted by means described in
the above cited application No. 200,~39.
The block member 38 is firstly oscillated and brought
to act onto the overlapped panels 24 and 28, thus maintaining
said panels in their relative overlapped position. The two
flaps 24' and 2~', forming the extremities of panels 24 and
28, are then folded over and onto the two head portions of
the ci~arette batch.
This is carried out by means of oscillating folders
39 (only one is shown in Fig. 4), described in detail, together
with their own driving means - in the above cited application
NoO 200,839.
At the end of such operation, and during the same
dwell, the flaps 27' protruding from the two disks of the
rotating head, and downstream relative to the head rotating
direction are folded over the two head portions of the batch.
The folding of the flaps 27' is carried out by a
first pair of oscillating folding blades 40 and 41, edgewise
engaging said flaps 27' during their forward stroke, thus
folding the same flaps onto the opposite head portions of the
cigarette batch.
Blades 40 and 41 are secured to a common oscillatable
shaft 42, parallel to shaft 9, and provided at one end thereof
with a toothed sector 43, meshing with a toothing provided on
a vertex of an oscillatable member in the form of a triangular
plate 44, another vertex of which plate 44 is pivoted on a
stationary plvot pointo~-~pin 45 fastened to the bed of the
machine. A third vertex of plate 44 is provlded with an idle
cam follower 46 engaging the groove of cam 10.
The groove of cam 10 has a profile so made that,
~OS8S~
at the end of their ~orward oscilla~ing stroke, the two fold-
ing blades 40 and 41 stay at rest until completion of the fold-
ing of flaps 25', protruding from the side disks 19 and 20 of
the rotating head 15, upstream relative to the rotating direction
of the same head.
The folding of flaps 25' is carried out by a second
pair of oscillating blades 47 and 48 which, during -their forward
oscillating stroke, fold down the two flaps 25' onto the blades
40 and 41 t the latter acting - in this stage - as counteracting
rigid elements, and with a task substantially equal to that of
plates 31 and 32.
Blades 47 and 48 are integral with a common shaft 49,
on which a gear 50 is also keyed. Gear 50 engages a toothed
sector carried b~ one extremity of a lever 51 secured to a
shaft 52 fastened to a second lever 53 provided with an idle
cam follower engaging the groove of cam 11.
Blades ~0 and 41, therefore, during their backward
oscillating stroke disengage themselves from beneath the flaps
25', and said flaps 25' come consequently to rest onto the
underlying flaps 27'
During the backward oscillating stroke of blades 47
and 48, and before their disengagement from the head portions
of the wrapper, the blades 40 and 41 are again oscillated,
thus overlapping flaps 25'.
The continuous presence of retaining means tightly
contacting the two head portions of the wrapper has, during
this stage of the wrapping operation of the cigarette batch,
the essential task of avoiding that the flaps 25' folded, for
the purpose above mentioned, in a direction opposite to the
rotating direction of head 15, could interfere - at the
beginning of the rotation of said head - with the same blades
40 and 41 or, as it will be seen thereinafter, with downstream
positioned guiding means.
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As soon as bloc~ member 38 has disengayed the panels
24 and 28, i.e., after completion of its task of containing and
holding the cigarette batch and of the related wrapper within
compartment 18, the head 15 is further rotated to transfer the
considered compartment up to the ejection station V.
The adhesion of flaps 27' and 25' against the opposite
head portions of the batch is assured, during the starting phase
of this last transferring, by the blades 40 and 41 still adher-
ing to the extremities of the compartment also during their back-
ward oscillatlng stro~e and then, without any discontinuitysolution, by t~o lateral crown shaped guides 54 and 55 (only
one is shown in Fig, 4) adherlng to the opposite sides of the
rotating head 15.
In said station V, diametrically opposite to the
inlet station I, the ejection of the wrapped batch is carried
out by a pusher 56 reciprocatingly moved, and radially position-
ed relative to head 15.
The pusher 56 engages, in a conventional manner, the
wrapped batch along its inner side, while a counter-pusher 57
engages the outer slde of the same wrapped batch. The batch
is thus transferred onto a vertically and reciprocatingly movable
elevator 58, dwelling in its uppermost:' position at the same
lever of station V.
The elevator 58, cooperating with a counter-elevator
59 which approaches the upper face of the wrapper, at the end
of its down~ardly directed stroke transfers the wrapped batch
into one of a plurality of compartments ~0 of the vertical
shaft rotating head 17.
The graphs of Fig. 5 diagrammatically show, in
function of rotation degrees of a common driving shaft ~for
example, shaft 91, the laws that govern the dwells and movements
of rotati~ng head 15, of shaft 4~2-to which the first pair of fold-
ing blades 40 and 41 are associated, and of shaft 49 to which
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the second pair of folding blades 47 and 48 are associated.
In the graph relating the rotating head 15 the portion
coinciding with the hori~ontal axis represents the dwelling
time, and the dashed area represents the movement times; in
the graph relating the shafts 42 and 49 the hori%ontal portions
indicate the dwelling times, the upwardly directed portions
represent the forward movement times, and the downwardly
8 directed portions represent the backward movement times.
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