Cigarette stacking method and apparatus
AssigneeJapan Tobacco Inc.
InventorsTomizou Nagata, Yoshiyuki Mutoh, Kazutaka Kobayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cigarette stacking method is disclosed. It uses a stacking drum and a plurality of arranging drums near to its outer periphery, establishes different positions in the axial direction for cigarette pieces arranged by the arranging drums, stacks cirgarette groups in several layers in such a manner as to extend the end portions of the cigarette pieces successively in the axial direction on the stacking drum, and absorbs and maintains the cigarette pieces of each layer. A cigarette stacking apparatus is also disclosed.
Claims6
A cigarette stacking method using a stacking drum and a plurality of arranging drums provided in close proximity to the outer periphery thereof, comprising the steps of;
- establishing different positions on said stacking drum in the axial direction thereof for cigarette pieces arranged by said plurality of arranging drums;
- stacking cigarette grousp formed on said arranging drums in several layers on said stacking drum in such a manner as to extend the end portions of the cigarette pieces successively in the axial direction on the stacking drum so that each layer is staggered with respect to an adjacent layer;
- and
- absorbing and maintaining the cigarette pieces in each staggered layer by applying suction directly to the staggered end portions of each said cigarette in each said layer.
A cigarette stacking apparatus comprising:
- a stacking drum (D) having a plurality of stacking portions (D') therearound and rotating in a predetermined direction, each stacking portion being formed with arcuate groove means;
- a plurality of arranging drums (C) counter rotating relative to said stacking drum, said arranging drums being positioned opposite upwardly-facing ones of the stacking portions (D'), each arranging drum (C) having plural sets of arcuate grooves (P1 to P7 or P1 to P6) therearound, each arcuate groove being connected to a vacuum source;
- cigarette supply means (B1 to B7) provided opposite upwardly-facing ones of said plural sets of arcuate grooves for supplying cigarettes such that said upwardly-facing sets of grooves receive said supplied cigarettes thereinto;
- arcuate cigarette support members (43) provided concentrically outside the respective cigarette arranging drums (C) on a downstream side of said cigarette supply means to extend down to the proximity of a lower portion of the cigarette arranging drum (C):
- guide means provided concentrically between the respective arranging drums and said arcuate support members for guiding plural sets of cigarettes received from said plurality of arranging drums into the respective stacking portions (D') of the stacking drum (D) in a manner axially staggered each set from the other in a predetermine direction;
- said plural sets of arcuate grooves (P) in the respective arranging drum (C) being adapted to meet the arcuate groove means in the stacking portions (D') of the stacking drum (D) in synchronization with each other;
- and
- each stacking portion being provided with means for applying suction and support to said plural sets of cigarettes guided into said arcuate groove means of the stacking portion so that each set is axially staggered from the other in a predetermined direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.