Apparatus for applying glue to closure stamps for insertion onto packages

Apparatus for applying glue to closure stamps for insertion onto cigarette packs, comprising:

• means for supplying cigarette packs for receiving closure stamps;
• feeding means including a reciprocable member for advancing a row of closure stamps sequentially through a glue-applying zone;
• drive means for reciprocating said reciprocable member;
• a glue pot disposed in the glue-applying zone;
• glue-transfer means for transferring glue from the glue pot to the closure stamps comprising:
• a rotatable shaft disposed adjacent the glue pot, and connectible to said drive means to be rotated thereby;
• at least one glue-applying wheel affixed to the shaft for rotation therewith and positioned such that a peripheral edge thereof receives and transfers a line of glue to the closure stamps as the closure stamps pass through the glue-applying zone, a portion of the peripheral edge of said glue-applying wheel being recessed radially inwardly to define an interruption in an outer diameter of the peripheral edge so that only a non-recessed portion of the outer edge transfers glue to the closure stamps, the non-recessed portion having a circumferential length shorter than a distance separating leading and trailing edges of each closure stamp, so that opposite ends of the glue line are spaced from the leading and trailing edges, respectively;
• the glue pot being manually movable between a glue-applying position in which the shaft is in driven connection with the drive means, and a retracted position in which the shaft is out of driven connection with the drive means, the shaft being manually rotatable when the glue pot is in the retracted position,
• synchronizing means for synchronizing the position of the glue-applying wheel relative to the position of the reciprocable member upon reconnection of the drive means with the glue-applying wheel, to ensure that the ends of the glue line are spaced from the leading and trailing ends of the closure stamps, the synchronizing means comprising:
• a first reference mark rotatable with the shaft,
• a first sensor for sensing the first reference mark when the latter is in a predetermined position and providing a first signal in response thereto,
• a second reference mark reciprocable with the reciprocable member, and
• a second sensor for sensing the second reference mark when the latter is in predetermined position and providing a second signal in response thereto, so that movement of the glue pot into the glue-applying position when both of the first and second signals are provided ensures that the glue-applying wheel and the reciprocable member are properly synchronized.