Apparatus for direct and circuitous transport of cigarettes or the like from manufacturing to processing machines

Abstract

Apparatus for regulating the movement of cigarettes from a maker to a packing machine has a first multi-conveyor transporting unit which normally delivers cigarettes directly to a bin for the block forming device at the inlet of the packing machine, and a second multi-conveyor transporting unit which can deliver cigarettes to the last conveyor of the first unit in response to actuation of a switchover device. The latter normally transfers cigarettes from the maker to the first conveyor of the first unit but is caused to transfer cigarettes to the first conveyor of the second unit in response to detection of a pile-up of cigarettes on an intermediate conveyor of the first unit. The path which is defined by the second unit communicates with the interior of a variable-volume magazine which can accept cigarettes, whereby its volume automatically increases, when the packing machine is slowed down or arrested while the maker continues to supply cigarettes at a normal rate. The magazine discharges cigarettes into the path, and its volume thereby automatically decreases, when the packing machine operates normally but the maker is slowed down or arrested. The discharge end of the path is normally blocked by a conveyor which allows cigarettes to leave the path and to reach the last conveyor of the first unit in response to detected depletion of the supply of cigarettes in the bin. The maker and the packing machine are automatically arrested when the volume of the magazine respectively increases to a maximum value and decreases to a minimum value.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.