US3244183A

US3244183A - Continuous rod cigarette-making machines

Info

Publication number: US3244183A
Application number: US290444A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pym Michael Aren
Original assignee: Molins Machine Co Ltd
Current assignee: Molins Machine Co Ltd
Priority date: 1962-07-13
Filing date: 1963-06-25
Publication date: 1966-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-05
Also published as: GB1042148A

Description

April 5, 1966 M. A. PYM

CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 25, 1963 ATTORA/Efi April 5, 1966 M. A. PYM

CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1963 INVENTOR fiM A 0 A TTORNEE Y m wwmm' United States Patent Ofi ice Patented Apr. 5, 1966 ly sealed. rod should not be allowed to enter the cut-off mechanism,

3,244,183 CGNTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINES Michael Aren Pym, Deptford, London, England, assignor to The Moiins Organisation Limited, London, England, aBritish company Filed June'25, 1963, Ser. No. 290,444 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 13, 1962,

2 Claims. (Cl. 131-65) This invention concerns improvements in 'or relating to continuous rod cigarette-making machines.

In a continuous rod cigarette-making machine, a moving cigarette rod is formed by wrapping a moving cigarette-paper web about a tobacco filler in rod-forming mechanism, the continuous rod then passing tocut-oif mechanism in which it is severed into individual cigarette lengths. The rod forming mechanism usually includes a paster, which applies adhesive to one edge of the paper web, the said edge then being folded to overlap the other edge of the Web and to adhere thereto, and a heater to seal the overlapped adhering edges.

When the machine is started, .the rod first issuing from the rod-forming mechanism is normally not suitable for the production of satisfactory cigarettes. For example, it may contain insufiicient tobacco, or it may not be correct- It is therefore desirable that such unsuitable and that, after the machine has been running for some time and the rod issuing from the rod-forming mechanism is of suitable quality, the rod should be broken so as to provide a free end to the suitable rod which can pass to the cut-elf mechanism.

It is the usual practice to guide the rod clear of the cut-off mechanism, either by hand or by a guide element, until the operator considers that it is of suitable quality for making cigarettes. The breaking of the rod is sometimes eifected manually, and sometimes mechanically.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device whereby both the guiding of the rod clear of the cut-off mechanism, and the breaking of the rod to enable a free end to enter the cut-off mechanism, is effected by a single movable member.

More specifically the said movable member when in one position acts to bend the rod sufficiently to divert it from the cut-oif mechanism, and when moved to a second position, bends the rod sufficiently to break it. As is customary in continuous rod cigarette-making machines, the rod is carried towards the cut-off mechanism by a tape which, at a position near the cut-off mechanism, moves downwardly about a wheel. In the device according to the invention, the above-mentioned movable member, when moved to the said second position, presses the rod against the wheel so as to bend it sufficiently to cause it to break.

In a preferred construction according to the invention, the movement of the member from the first to the second position is initiated by movement of the usual rodsealing device from an inoperative to an operative position, after a suitable time delay to ensure that the rod is properly sealed before being broken.

A device in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of exampie with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, showing a cigarette rod being bent so as to divert it from a straight course, and

FIGURE 2 is a similar view but showing the rod being bent sufficiently to break it.

FIGURE 3 is a diagram showing actuating means and circuit elements used with the machine of FIGURES' 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing, cigarette rod C issuing from rod-forming mechanism is conveyed lengthwise in the direction of the arrows on a moving conveyor band 1, which passes about a wheel 2. When the machine is in normal operation, the rod C travels in a substantially straight path (shown in broken line in FIGURE 2) past the wheel 2 and across a gap to a rod receiving, funnelshaped member 3, which, in the construction shown, forms the entry to a rod-measuring device 4. Alternatively, the member 3 forms the entry to the cut-off mechanism.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a guide element comprising a part 5, having a guide surface 6, and a freely rotatable roller 7 mounted on its upper end, is positioned to intercept the rod C passing over the wheel 2 and divert the rod from its straight path so that it does not enter the member 3. The guide element is carried by an arm 8 which is mounted on a shaft 9 such that rotation of the shaft will cause rotation of the arm. Connected to the shaft 9 is a gear segment 10, which intermeshes with a further gear segment 11, rotatable about a shaft 12. Thus, by rotating the segment 11 a desired amount clockwise as vi-ewed in FIGURE 1, the segment 10 and the shaft 9 are rotated anticlockwise, thereby swinging the arm 8 to move the guide element to its position shown in full in FIGURE 2.

The rod forming mechanism includes a paster (not shown) which applies adhesive to one edge of the cigarette paper web, the said edge then being folded to overlap and adhere to the other edge of the paper web, and a heater having a heating bar 13 (part of which is shown in the drawing), which heats the overlapped, adhering paper edges to seal the rod. The heater is movable from a position away from the rod, in which it rests when the machine is not operating, to a position adjacent the rod (the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2), in which it is held during normal operation. The arrangement for movement of the heater is fully described in U.S. Patent No. 3,194,244 to Powell, issued July 13, 1965.

In conjunction with the gear segment 11 there is provided a solenoid 14, which, when energised, causes the segment 11 to rotate the said desired amount clockwise (as viewed in the drawing) from its position shown in FIGURE 1. Movement of the heater serves to operate an electrical switch associated with a time delay device in a manner extensively described in U.S. Patent No. 3,194,244. The electrical circuitry involved is shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 3, wherein switch 20 is closed upon the heater being lowered, thus energizing time delay switch 21. Such movement of the heater 13 is indicated by the double arrow shown in FIG. 3. At the end of the predetermined time delay period, the time delay switch operates contact bar 22, closing the electrical circuit and energizing solenoid 14.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows:

When the cigarette-making machine is started, the heater is at its position away from the rod, and the guide element is in its position shown in FIGURE 1. The unsealed rod which first issues from the rod forming mechanism is therefore diverted from its intended path to the member 3 by the part 5 of the guide element. The heater is then brought down so that the bar 13 bears on the adhering paper edges and heats them to seal the rod. Tile lowering of the heater closes switch 20 energizing switch 21, which after a short period of time has elapsed closes contact bar 22 energizing solenoid 14. During the time delay period the parts remain in the position shown in FIGURE 1 and the unsuitable rod is diverted from its path to the member 3 by the guide element. After the predetermined time delay period, which is selected to allow the rod to become properly sealed and solenoid 14 is energised, the gear segment 11 moves, which operates to swing the arm 8 anticlockwise as viewed in FIGURE 1, so that the guide element is swung downwardly. During this downward movement the roller 7 engages the rod C and presses it against the band 1 passing about the wheel 2. At this stage in the downward movement of the guide element the roller 7 occupies the position at which it is shown in FIGURE 2 broken away from the rest of the guide element. When the roller reaches that position, the rod is bent sufficiently to cause it to break at the position indicated by the reference B, FIGURE 2. The leading end of the rod following the break is then free to travel in a straight path across the gap towards the member 3, and the guide element, continuing its downward movement, reaches its lowermost position in which it is shown in full in FIG- URE 2. By that time the leading end of the newly broken rod, travelling in a straight path, has reached the position shown in FIGURE 2, the newly broken leading end face of the rod being indicated by the reference B At the same time the portion broken away from the rod is being guided by the roller 7 downwardly to fall away, the newly broken rear end face of this portion being indicated by the reference B What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a continuous rod cigarette-making machine having a conveyor tape which conveys the cigarette rod towards a rod-receiving member and having a wheel about which the said tape passes, said wheel rotating about a fixed axis and being spaced from the said rod-receiving member to form a gap between them across which the rod can travel in a substantially straight path, a guide element, means whereby the guide element is arranged to be positioned at a first position within said gap and across said path to divert the rod away from said rodreceiving member and is movable in a plane perpendicular to said fixed axis to a second position aside said gap and on that side of said path on which the wheel lies, and means to move the said guide element at a desired time to said second position at which it bends the rod about said wheel suificiently to cause the rod to break, thereby enabling the rod behind the point of breakage to pass across the gap and enter the said rod-receiving member.

2. In a continuous rod cigarette-making machine having the features claimed in claim 1, and having a movable heater arranged to be moved to and away from a sealing position in contact with the cigarette rod to seal the rod, operating means, including a device actuated responsively to and a predetermined time after movement of said heater to said sealing position, to operate the said means to move the said guide element to the said second position at which it causes the rod to break.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Molins 1312l: X

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiners JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINE HAVING A CONVEYOR TAPE WHICH CONVEYS THE CIGARETTE ROD TO WARDS A ROD-RECEIVING MEMBER AND HAVING A WHEEL ABOUT WHICH THE SAID TAPE PASSES, SAID WHEEL ROTATING ABOUT A FIXED AXIS AND BEING SPACED FROM THE SAID ROD-RECEIVING MEMBER TO FORM A GAP BETWEEN THEM ACROSS WHICH THE ROD CAN TRAVEL IN A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PATH, A GUIDE ELEMENT, MEANS WHEREBY THE GUIDE ELEMENT IS ARRANGED TO BE POSITIONED AT A FIRST POSITION WITHIN SAID GAP AND ACROSS SAID PATH TO DIVERT THE ROD AWAY FROM SAID RODRECEIVING MEMBER AND IS MOVABLE IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIXED AXIS TO A SECOND POSITION ASIDE SAID GAP AND ON THAT SIDE OF SAID PATH ON WHICH THE WHEEL LIES, AND MEANS TO MOVE THE SAID GUIDE ELEMENT AT A DESIRED TIME TO SAID SECOND POSITION AT WHICH IT BENDS THE ROD ABOUT SAID WHEEL SUFFICIENTLY TO CAUSE THE ROD TO BREAK, THEREBY ENABLING THE ROD BEHIND THE POINT OF BREAKAGE TO PASS ACROSS THE GAP AND ENTER THE SAID ROD-RECEIVING MEMBER.