Method and apparatus for the manufacture of filter-tipped cigarettes
AssigneeMolins Limited
InventorsRobert Ernest Williams, Clifford Russell Marritt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In order to feed a stream of filter rods forward at regularly spaced intervals a substantially continuous stream of rods is fed to a pair of opposed belts which grip the sides of the rods and accelerate them so as to space them apart. The spaced apart rods may then be accurately fed forward by a timing device in the form of a wheel having extending fingers which engage behind the rods and feed them forward at a controlled speed. A second pair of belts may be positioned between the first pair of belts and the timing device, these belts gripping the rods at the top and bottom. The continuous stream of rods is preferably formed by successively stripping groups of rods axially from a fluted drum.
Claims21
Apparatus for feeding rod-like articles comprising means for supplying a stream of axially-moving rod-like articles, a first pair of cooperating belts for receiving said articles from said supply means and arranged such that in use said articles are gripped between the belts and accelerated thereby to space said articles apart in an endwise-moving stream, a second pair of cooperating belts arranged in line with said first pair of belts to convey said spaced-apart articles in an endwise-moving stream from said first pair of belts, said second pair of belts being arranged to grip said rod-like articles in a plane substantially at 90.degree. to the plane in which said first pair of belts grip said articles, and a timing device for receiving the spaced-apart articles from said second pair of belts and arranged to enter the spaces between the articles and engage the ends of successive articles to carry said articles forward at regular intervals in an endwise-moving stream.
A method of feeding rod-like articles at regular intervals comprising feeding a substantially continuous stream of said articles, accelerating said articles in two stages to space them apart and gripping each of said articles at different opposed positions in each stage of acceleration, conveying an endwise-moving stream of said spaced-apart articles, and subsequently engaging an end of each article of said spaced-apart stream in turn to carry said articles forward at regular intervals in an endwise-moving stream.
Apparatus for feeding filter rods at regular intervals comprising a fluted drum arranged to feed a group of filter rods in each flute;
- a conveyor for moving the groups axially successively out of the flutes;
- a first pair of substantially horizontally spaced opposed cooperating belts arranged to receive filter rods fed by said conveyor and to grip said rods on opposite sides and to accelerate said rods so as to space them apart in an endwise-moving stream;
- a second pair of substantially vertically spaced opposed cooperating belts arranged to receive the rods from said first pair of belts and to grip said rods at the top and bottom and feed them forward in an endwise-moving stream substantially in alignment with the stream conveyed by said first pair of belts;
- and a timing wheel rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and arranged to receive said rods from said second pair of belts, said timing wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending fingers arranged to enter the spaces between the rods and engage the ends of successive rods to feed said rods forward at regular intervals in an endwise-moving stream.
Apparatus for feeding rod-like articles comprising means for supplying a stream of endwise-moving rod-like articles, a first pair of cooperating belts for receiving said articles from the supply means and arranged such that in use the articles are gripped between the belts in a first plane passing through their axes and are accelerated by the belts to space the articles apart in an endwise-moving stream;
- a rotatable timing wheel downstream of said first pair of belts for receiving spaced-apart articles, said timing wheel being rotatable in a plane substantially parallel to the first plane and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending fingers arranged to enter the spaces between the articles and engage the ends of successive articles to feed said articles forward at regular intervals in an endwise-moving stream;
- and a second pair of cooperating belts between said first pair of belts and said timing wheel and arranged to receive articles from said first pair of belts and to grip said articles in a second plane passing through their axes and deliver them in an endwise-moving stream to said timing wheel, said first and second pair of belts being in substantial alignment so that they convey said articles in substantially the same direction and said first and second planes being substantially at right angles.
Apparatus for feeding rod-like articles in an axial direction at predetermined spaced intervals along a path and comprising:
- a. means for supplying a stream of axially-moving rod-like articles,
- b. conveyor means for receiving said articles from said supply means and for accelerating the axial movement of said articles along said path to space said articles apart;
- and
- c. timing means for receiving the spaced-apart articles, said timing means including means entering the spaces between successive articles for engaging one end of each successive article and feeding said articles in an axial direction along said path at predetermined regular intervals;
- d. said conveyor means comprising a first pair of cooperating belts arranged in a plane for gripping said articles received from said supply means between said belts at opposite sides of said articles and for accelerating axial movement of said articles along said path to space said articles apart and a second pair of cooperating belts arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of said first recited pair of cooperating belts and arranged in line between said first pair of belts and said timing device for gripping said articles between said second pair of belts at different opposite sides of said articles and further accelerating the axial movement of said articles along said path to space said articles further apart.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.