Package inspection and handling system

#This invention relates to a system for inspecting and rejecting faulty packages and for maintaining a package handling system including a single cartoning machine being fed by two packaging machines in operation when either of the packaging machines goes down or the cartoning machine goes down. In particular, this invention relates to a system of inspecting cigarette packages for faults and maintaining a boxer or cartoning machine, which is being fed by two cigarette packers, in operation when one of the packers goes down or maintaining the packers in operation when the boxer goes down.

#In the past, the cigarette industry has used boxes, as for example, the boxer or cartoning machine manufactured by Molins Machine Company, Ltd. (Molins) which receives packages fed along two conveyor belts from separate packaging units such as an American Machine and Foundry (AMF) packer. When using such a hook-up, an operator is required for each of the packers and an inspector is required for each conveyor line between the packers and the boxer to remove the packages with flaws or faults in their wrappers as well as to remove packages from the conveyor line when the boxer goes down or place packages on the conveyor if one of the packers goes down. Because of the other increasing speeds of the cigarette maker and packaging machines, it has become difficult for an inspector to keep up with the packer output; therefore, some faulty packages are getting through to the inspection point to market. In order to prevent this from happening, the present invention provides a system which will automatically inspect packages for the major faults which commonly occur and automatically reject imperfect packages. By eliminating the requirement of an individual to inspect the packages, it becomes necessary to develop a system which can keep the packers and boxers operating if one or the other goes down.

#It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which will inspect a package for faulty packaging and wrapper formation and reject improperly formed packages.

#The foregoing and additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a plan view of the packaging and cartoning line in which an inspection device, accumulator and distribution table are installed in accordance with the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a top view of an improperly formed cigarette package;

#Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a machine hook-up which can be utilized by the present invention and includes two existing packing machines 10 and 12 and a single boxer or cartoning machine 14. The packers can be, for example, cigarette packaging machines, manufactured by AMF while the boxer can be, for example, a cartoning machine manufactured by Molins which places ten packages of cigarettes in a carton having five units on an upper level and five units on a lower level. Attached directly to the packers 10 and 12, just prior to the beginning of conveyor lines 16 and 18 between the packers and the boxer, are wrapper machines 20 and 22, for example, units manufactured by Package Machine Company. The wrapper machines place a cellophane overwrap and tear string around the cigarette packages as they come off of the packers.

#There are various kinds of imperfections which can occur in a package during the packaging operations. The system described herein is used for detecting faults in cigarette packages. It should be understood, however, that this system not only can be used for cigarette packages but other types of products which require a uniform package.

#With regard to the cigarette package, there are several imperfections in the package which appear to occur most frequently, particularly at the high speeds at which the packers are operated by the industry today. FIGS. 2 and 3 show a top and side view of an imperfectly formed cigarette package. One fault, which is not shown, is a missing closure strip 24. Previously, this closure strip was used as a tax stamp; however, in recent years, the tax stamping of the cigarettes has changed to indentations or decals, thus, the tax stamp has no longer been required for that purpose. Nevertheless, it has been found that smokers have a habit of tearing away a corner of the package to get to the cigarettes, leaving the closure strip in tact. Because of this habit of the smokers, the cigarette manufacturing industry has uniformly left the closure strip on the package because it still serves a useful function. Thus, if the strip is missing, it is a faulty package and such package should be rejected. The second fault occurs if the tension on the roll of foil being supplied to the packer is too great. In such an event, an insufficient amount of foil 26 is used on the package and opening 28 may occur adjacent the tax stamp. Also, during the folding operation of the foil, the foil may become torn and the openings can occur on either side of the closure strip 24. A third fault in forming a cigarette package can occur when applying the label to the package as illustrated in FIG. 3. On some occasions the upper left hand corner 32 of the package becomes folded back. This fault results because the corner of the label is slightly bent back as the label is applied and catches on the edge of the folding element of the packer. The label also may be placed on the package at an angle, thereby producing a gap between the side edges of the label.