Back to results
US 4,535,790 AGranted
Method and apparatus for aligning oval cigarette filters
AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorJack C. Wheless
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for taking rod-shaped articles of oval cross section, such as oval filter plugs for cigarettes, from a hopper, with a predetermined spacing between consecutive articles, and for presenting the articles at a destination with a predetermined orientation. A plug drum having flutes shaped to accept a single oval filter plug in any angular orientation is used to remove the filter plug from the hopper. When each filter plug is released from the plug drum, it drops through a guideway preferably defined between two cooperating elements, which permit it to pass through only with a specific orientation. At the discharge end of the guideway is preferably a second drum, which has flutes shaped to accept a filter plug leaving the guideway only in the desired final orientation.
Claims13
A cigarette tipping machine comprising:
- a hopper;
- feed means for receiving filter plugs of oval cross section from said hopper for presenting the filter plugs at a predetermined point with a predetermined angular orientation;
- said feed means comprising a plug drum located adjacent said hopper for receiving filter plugs at predetermined locations about the peripheral surface of said plug drum, said plug drum including means for retaining filter plugs thereon at said predetermined locations;
- said plug drum having a respective flute at each said predetermined location for receiving a filter plug therein within a predetermined seating zone;
- refuser means for preventing a filter plug received in one said flute but protruding from the respective said seating zone from leaving said hopper;
- a plurality of rotating drum means for transporting the filter plugs along a predetermined path from said predetermined point;
- said rotating drum means each having a plurality of flutes in their peripheral surfaces, each said flute having an oval shape to fit the oval filter plugs with which said machine is to be used;
- means for supplying oval tobacco rods and aligning them with respective filter plugs;
- and means for applying tipping material to assemblies comprising a filter plug and a tobacco rod, for securing the filter plug to the tobacco rod.
6 more elements
A cigarette tipping machine comprising:
- a hopper;
- feed means for receiving filter plugs of oval cross section from said hopper for presenting the filter plugs at a predetermined point with a predetermined angular orientation;
- said feed means comprising a plug drum located adjacent said hopper for receiving filter plugs at predetermined locations about the peripheral surface of said plug drum, said plug drum including means for retaining filter plugs thereon at said predetermined locations;
- said plug drum having a respective flute at each said predetermined location for receiving a filter plug therein within a predetermined seating zone, each said plug drum flute having a maximum width and a maximum depth greater than the maximum dimension of the cross section of the filter plugs, and a narrow portion narrower than said maximum dimension of the filter plugs, for accepting at most one such filter plug in said flute entirely within said seating zone thereof;
- refuser means for preventing a filter plug received in one said flute but protruding from the respective said seating zone from leaving said hopper;
- a plurality of rotating drum means for transporting the filter plugs along a predetermined path from said predetermined point;
- said rotating drum means each having a plurality of flutes in their peripheral surfaces, each said flute having an oval shape to fit the oval filter plugs with which said machine is to be used;
- means for supplying oval tobacco rods and aligning them with respective filter plugs;
- and means for applying tipping material to assemblies comprising a filter plug and a tobacco rod, for securing the filter plug to the tobacco rod.
6 more elements
A cigarette tipping machine comprising:
- a hopper;
- feed means for receiving filter plugs of oval cross section from said hopper for presenting the filter plugs at a predetermined point with a predetermined angular orientation;
- said feed means comprising a plug drum located adjacent said hopper for receiving filter plugs at predetermined locations about the peripheral surface of said plug drum and alignment means for receiving filter plugs at predetermined intervals from said plug drum and for aligning them in said predetermined orientation for presentation at said predetermined point, said plug drum including means for retaining filter plugs thereon at said predetermined locations and said alignment means defining a guideway for receiving filter plugs from said plug drum, said alignment means having a first surface for supporting a filter plug that has been released by said plug drum while the filter plug is moved by the continuing rotation of said plug drum toward said guideway;
- said plug drum having a respective flute at each said predetermined location for receiving a filter plug therein within a predetermined seating zone;
- refuser means for preventing a filter plug received in one said flute but protruding from the respective said seating zone from leaving said hopper;
- a plurality of rotating drum means for transporting the filter plugs along a predetermined path from said predetermined point;
- said rotating drum means each having plurality of flutes in their peripheral surfaces, each said flute having an oval shape to fit the oval filter plugs with which said machine is to be used;
- means for supplying oval tobacco rods and aligning them with respective filter plugs;
- and means for applying tipping material to assemblies comprising a filter plug and a tobacco rod, for securing the filter plug to the tobacco rod.
6 more elements
A plug drum for a cigarette tipping machine to be used with pre-made oval filter plugs, comprising a cylindrical drum having a plurality of paraxial flutes disposed on its peripheral surface at equal intervals therearound;
- each said flute having a maximum depth greater than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the filter plugs to be used with said plug drum and having a first portion adjacent said peripheral surface and wider than said maximum dimension and a second portion radially inward from said first portion and narrower than said maximum dimension, and means in said plug drum for selectively retaining a filter plug in one of said flutes and for releasing a filter plug therefrom.
A method for aligning rod-shaped articles of oval cross section, comprising the steps of:
- receiving such an article, with any angular orientation, on the periphery of a rotatable element;
- rotating said rotatable element to bring said article to a predetermined point;
- then separating said article from said rotatable element and moving said article through a stationary guideway in which said article can fit in only one angular orientation for passage to a second rotatable element.
A method for aligning rod-shaped articles of oval cross section, comprising the steps of:
- receiving such an article, with any angular orientation, on the periphery of a rotatable element;
- rotating said rotatable element to bring said article to a predetermined point;
- then separating said article from said rotatable element by placing said article on a surface adjacent to said rotatable element, and moving said article into a guideway in which said article can fit in only one angular orientation by moving said article along said surface, over an edge of said surface and into said guideway, the width of said guideway being slightly greater than the minimum cross-sectional dimension of said article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.