US 4,901,860 AGranted

Apparatus for testing and classifying cigarettes or the like

AssigneeKorber AG

InventorsGunter Wahle, Willi Filter

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Abstract

Plain or filter cigarettes are tested at a first station by two or more testing devices each of which monitors the cigarettes for the presence or absence of a particular defect. The testing devices generate defect signals which are delayed by shift registers so as to ensure that the delayed defect signals are transmitted to a segregating mechanism which removes defective cigarettes from a path that is common to the satisfactory and defective cigarettes and delivers defective cigarettes to selected receptacles which are installed at a second station and each of which gathers only cigarettes exhibiting a particular defect. Actuation of a switch entails the removal of a selected number of samples from the common path for satisfactory and defective cigarettes, and such samples are gathered in an additional receptacle at the second station.

Claims19

Dependent claims

Apparatus for testing and classifying cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles which constitute or from part of smoker's products comprising means for transporting a succession of randomly distributed satisfactory and defected articles along a common path;

a plurality of testing devices adjacent to a first portion of said path and each comprising means for monitoring successive articles for the presence of a different defect and for generating defect signals denoting the detection of articles exhibiting the respective defect;
means for segregating defective articles from satisfactory articles in a second portion of said path in response to said defect signals, including a discrete segregating unit for each of said testing devices;
and means for displaying the transmission of defect signals from said testing devices to said segregating means so that each of the thus delayed defect signals initiates the segregation of that defective article which has caused the generation of such signal, said delaying means being arranged to transmit delayed defect signals to the respective segregating units so that each such unit segregates only articles exhibiting the defect detected by the corresponding testing device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/632,432Filed 19 Jul 1984 · division
Priority: DE 311502114 Apr 1981
Granted: 20 Feb 1990
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A24C 5/34
Separating, ordering, counting or examining cigarettes ; Regulating the feeding of tobacco according to rod or cigarette condition: examining…
B07C 5/361
Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution: processing or control devices therefor, e.g. escort memory
Y10S 131/908
Tobacco: sensing unique characteristic or specific condition of finished product
Y10S 209/905
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids: feeder conveyor holding item by suction