Cigarette filter rod feed mechanism
AssigneeMolins Machine Company, Inc.
InventorsKeith Jefferys, Clifford R. Marritt, Albert D. Seim, II
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A filter rod feed comprises a fluted drum (10), a hopper (14) from which filter rods are arranged to be fed into the flutes of the drum, means (16, 18) for delivering pneumatically-fed filter rods into the hopper, an agitator (20, 22) comprising a substantially horizontal row of laterally spaced bars (20) in the hopper, the bars being parallel to the filter rods and being at or above the level at which pneumatically-fed filter rods are delivered into the hopper, and the arrangement being such that movement of the bars promotes a substantially even flow of filter rods between the bars in both upward and downward directions.
Claims18
A filter rod feed for a filter attachment machine comprising a fluted drum, a hopper from which filter rods are arranged to be fed into the flutes of the drum, means for delivering filter rods into the hopper, an agitator comprising a substantially horizontal row of laterally spaced bars in the hopper, the bars being parallel to the filter rods and being at or above the level at which filter rods are delivered into the hopper, and the arrangement being such that movement of the bars promotes a substantially even flow of filter rods between the bars in both upward and downward directions.
A filter rod feed for a filter attachment machine comprising a flute drum, a hopper from which filter rods are arranged to be fed into the flutes of the drum means including parallel conveyors for delivering filter rods into the hopper through an opening in one side of the hopper, and an agitator comprising a substantially horizontal row of laterally spaced bars in the hopper, the bars being parallel to the filter rods and being positioned at or above the level at which filter rods are delivered into the hopper by the parallel conveyors, so that at least some of the rods delivered by the parallel conveyors enter directly into the hopper below the bars, the arrangement being such that movement of the bars promotes a substantially even flow of filter rods between the bars in both upward and downward directions.
A filter rod feed for a filter attachment machine comprising a fluted drum, a hopper having a lower end from which filter rods are arranged to be fed into the flutes of the drum, an agitator positioned in said hopper so as to extend substantially horizontally at least partially across said hopper, and means for feeding filter rods into said hopper below said agitator so that such filter rods may pass directly to said fluted drum through said hopper or move upwardly in said hopper and pass said agitator, whereby the upper surface of the rods in said hopper is maintained substantially level by said agitator.
A filter rod feed for a filter attachment machine comprising a fluted drum, a hopper having a lower end from which filter rods are arranged to be fed into the flutes of the drum, means for feeding filter rods into said hopper through a hole in the side of said hopper, and driven means disposed substantially horizontally at least partially across said hopper at a level within said hopper which is at or above said hole through which filter rods are supplied to said hopper for controlling the movement of filter rods within said hopper to maintain the upper surface of said filter rods in the hopper substantially level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.