Discharge hopper and method of discharging shaft trays filled with rod-shaped products

A discharge hopper for a tray discharge station for serially discharging a shaft tray having shafts filled with rod-shaped products, comprising:

• a conveying element for carrying away the products flowing from the shaft tray;
• a connecting device to couple the shaft tray to be emptied to the conveying element, the connecting device being arranged substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the conveying element to form a channel for the product flow and comprising an opening for passage of the products from the shaft tray into the channel;
• a movable actuating element;
• and
• a closure unit functionally coupled to the movable actuating element and constructed to open and close the opening in the connecting device, whereby the shaft tray is emptied shaft by shaft and wherein the closure unit comprises a belt element.

A method for serially discharging a shaft tray filled with rod-shaped products, wherein the shaft tray has a plurality of shafts and is insertable into a discharge hopper having a connecting element that connects with the shaft tray and a conveying element that defines with the connecting element a channel in which the products are carried away by the conveying element, the method comprising steps of:

• delivering the shaft tray to be emptied upside down into a region of the channel formed by the conveying element and the connecting element;
• opening all the shafts of the upside-down shaft tray simultaneously;
• at least partially retaining on a closure unit the products flowing from the shafts of the shaft tray immediately above the channel;
• driving the closure unit with an actuating element to discharge the products shaft by shaft to the channel;
• and
• carrying away the products which flow out of the shaft tray into the channel by the conveying element.