Molins Plc

Other

Anthony R Brown

Peter A Clarke

Robert Howard Taylor

Neil Thorp

John Dawson

Ivan Yehudi Hirsh

Kerry Hierons

Kevin R Fincham

Albert D Seim, Ii

Leonard James Bryant

David R Bertenshaw

Walter Carascon

Allen F Griffiths

Kenneth B Carter

Mike Hammock

Robert Antony Macgregor

Paul G King

Alan K Richardson

Gary T Walford

Richard R Armour

There is provided a variable capacity reservoir ( ) for rod-like articles comprising a product input station ( ) and a product output station ( ) having a continuous endless conveyor ( ) extending therebetween with an adjustable product conveying length ( ) extending between the product input and output stations and complimentary adjustable conveyor take up length ( ) between the output and input stations, wherein the product conveying length ( ) extends in a spiral arrangement between a first drum member ( ) and a second drum member ( ) and a conveyor take up length ( ) extends between said second drum member ( ) and a third drum member ( ), wherein the second drum member ( ) is adjustable between the two fixed outer drums ( ) to adjust the lengths of the product conveying length ( ) and conveyor take up length ( ) in a complimentary manner.

Reservoir for rod-like articles

A conveyor system for transporting cigarettes between a making machine and a packing machine includes a mass flow conveyor (,) for transporting cigarettes directly and a reservoir system (,) in which successive batches of cigarettes comprising portions of the stream on an input conveyor (,) are diverted when required into compartmented containers (,). Transfer to the containers is made by way of a plunger (,) and shuttle (,) arrangement which allows the stream to move continuously during transfer of a batch. Unloading containers to reform a continuous stream may involve use of a similar plunger and shuttle arrangement so that the reformed stream can move continuously on an output conveyor (,). The input and output conveyors (,) may be provided with retractable spaced partitions to bound the ends of batches of cigarettes transferred from or to the respective conveyor.

Conveyor system for rod-like articles

In a cigarette filter rod manufacturing plant at least one tow bale (6; 108) is located in a position remote from the corresponding tow opening machine (2; 100) and a conveying system (10; 112) is provided for transporting the tow to the machine. In a preferred arrangement the conveying system comprises a pneumatic duct (10) in which the tow is conveyed with the assistance of air movers (12). Removing the tow bales from the vicinity of the machines, preferably to a common area, allows flexibility in laying out a production floor and provides easy access for replacement of the bales.

Cigarette filter manufacture

A lighting control system which comprises an AC mains power point, power distribution means coupled to the AC mains, a dimmer assembly comprising one or a plurality of co-located dimmer circuits each coupled to the distribution means to receive AC power therefrom, and each comprising an output port developing an AC power signal of frequency corresponding to the AC mains, each said dimmer circuit comprising a current path between the distribution means and the output port, a switching means located in the current path so as to controllably interrupt passage of current, switch driving means supplying a control signal to the switching means to cause it to interrupt the current path a multiplicity of times within each AC half cycle, and filtering means in the current path between the switching means and the output port arranged to smooth the current therethrough, the filtering means being arranged to attenuate current components at the frequency of operation of the switching means, and not substantially to attenuate current components at the frequency of the mains, the switch driving means being controllable to vary the duty factor of operation of the switching means, so as to provide at the output port a power signal at the mains frequency with an RMS amplitude related to the duty factor of the switching means; dimmer control means connected via a connection means to the switch driving means of each dimmer circuit to vary the duty factor thereof in accordance with a desired power output thereof; a power cable connected to each output port to enable one or many luminaire units to be supplied with power from a respective dimmer unit.

Arrangements for reducing interference from a dimming system, and dimmer

A reversible reservoir for cigarettes or filters includes relatively small and relatively large capacity sections arranged in series with a drive for driving these sections at different rates. The small section is preferably arranged adjacent the reservoir inlet and is capable of buffering the main part of the reservoir so that the latter is not required to undergo high accelerations. The reservoir may be in the form of an elongated helix with an endless conveyor (2;102) passing around spaced columns of wheels (8, 10, 12, 14, 16; 108, 112, 114), one of the lowermost wheels (8;108) being bodily movable so as to be capable of imposing an additional velocity on the section of conveyor adjacent the reservoir inlet (7;107). The movable wheel is carried on a (36;136) which also carries a pulley (26;126) for the conveyer return run. Tensioning (42-50;142-150) for the conveyor is provided by arranging for the position of the pulley (26;126) to be adjustable relative to the beam (36;136).

A linear variable capacity reservoir, particularly for rod-like articles of the tobacco industry, includes a boundary device (18;76) movable between an entrance (22;78) at one end and an exit (48;81) at the other end to vary the capacity of a main reservoir storage area (24;66). The boundary device (18;76) carries an end pulley (30;90) for a variable length extendible conveyor (32;88) which conveys a stream of articles from the main storage area to the exit. In another version the reservoir includes a movable end wall (216) movable towards and away from a stationary end wall (217) to vary the capacity of the reservoir storage area (220), and a variable length conveyor (218) extendible into the storage area from the stationary wall. When the storage area is empty a direct vertical path (212) for articles exists between the stationary and movable end walls. The extendible conveyors (32;88;218) are supportable by spaced retractable horizontal rollers (46) carried by vertical spindles (48).

In a conveyor system for filter cigarettes in stack formation a boundary wall member for the stack is movable in a direction to compensate for tip build-up. In a preferred arrangement in the hopper of tray filler the member includes a flexible membrane (20) partially supported at one side, corresponding to the tobacco ends of the cigarettes, by a rigid backing member (28).

A flexible membrane (54) confines the rod-like articles in a transition zone (10) (which may be the filling head of a tray filler). The membrane is extended or retracted under tension in response to pressure of articles in the zone. The amount of extension or retraction is used to generate a signal which controls a conveyor (18) feeding articles to the zone (10) or a conveyor (38) taking articles away from the zone (e.g. in trays 36). The signal may be generated by a rotary potentiometer (64) rotatable with a spiral spring (62) to which the membrane (54) is connected.

Growing community of inventors

Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

Anthony R Brown