Tokyo Automatic Machinery Works, Ltd.

Japan Tobacco Inc.

Isao Endo

Katsuhiko Kumata

Takayoshi Sagawa

Ichiro Hirose

Katsuyoshi Matono

Syozi Numa

Kunihiro Konishi

Shinji Tanaka

Kabsuhiko Kumata

Shinichi Arima

Taro Nishikimoto

Hitoshi Tachikawa

A pneumatic bar conveying apparatus in which compressed air is supplied from an air injection port towards a bar-like material in each of a plurality of holding grooves is intermittently supplied by an intermittent air supply mechanism, so that the compressed air will be shut off by a tooth-shaped section protrudingly provided between the holding grooves for a longer period than an air shut-off period. After a specific period of compressed air supply into the holding groove, the supply of the compressed air is shut off to decrease the outlet pressure of the compressed air remaining in the holding groove and the conveying pipeline, resulting in an increased pressure difference as compared with the inlet pressure of the compressed air supplied into the holding groove from the air injection port. Consequently the compressed air flows at a higher rate from the holding groove into the conveying pipeline, thus imparting a large initial flow velocity to the bar-like material in the holding groove.

Pneumatic bar conveying apparatus

A circular-arc shaped movable conveyor is horizontally turned along a circular-arc orbital path of a stationary conveyor according to the difference between he feeding-in amount from feeding-in port to the movable conveyor and the feeding-out amount from the stationary conveyor to a feeding-out port. Thus, the capacities of an upper compartment on the movable conveyor and a lower compartment on the stationary conveyor are increased and decreased,so that the imbalance between the demand to a post-processing machine and the supply from a pre-processing machine can be adjusted. Furthermore, the rod-shaped articles are fed from he feeding-in port to the feeding-out port while sequentially passing through the upper compartment and the lower compartment.

Feeding/storing apparatus for rod-shaped articles

Method and apparatus for supplying rod-like articles, such as cigarettes, cigars, filter plugs, and tampons. A group of such articles is moved from a receiving location to a discharging location in a predetermined configuration within a storage container. At the discharging location, the container is inverted so that its open side faces downwardly to thereby discharge the articles therefrom. Concurrently with the discharge, the container is lifted from the support surface and containing plates are raised to engage the articles. The distance between the plates is substantially the same as the distance between a respective pair of inner side walls of the container so that the articles are substantially maintained in the predetermined configuration upon the retraction of the container. In one embodiment, the plates are movable vertically and advance the articles a predetermined amount along the supply passage until they abut a shutter mechanism which blocks further advancement. In a second embodiment, the containing plates engage the articles on a support surface located along side of the supply passage and a pusher mechanism shifts the articles onto the supply passage to a position adjacent the shutter mechanism. In both embodiments, once the articles have been located adjacent the shutter mechanism, the plates are withdrawn as a feeding mechanism located upstream along the supply passage engages a rear surface of the articles to thereby advance the articles along the supply passage following the opening of the shutter mechanism. The articles then are advanced in the direction of a storage device.

Method and apparatus for supplying rod-like articles

The present invention provides a bar-like article supplying apparatus in a hopper, and more specifically to an apparatus for supplying bar-like articles such as cigarettes or filter plugs to the hopper, wherein a bottom lid comprises a plurality of small bottom lids obtained by dividing the bottom lid in a radial direction of bar-like articles, whereby these small bottom lids are rotated in a radial direction of the bar-like articles to make the moving stroke of the bottom lid small to miniaturize the entire apparatus and bar-like articles are supplied preferentially from a depressed portion in the upper surface of the bar-like articles within the hopper, thus eliminating a disturbance of the bar-like articles.

Bar-like article supplying apparatus in hopper

A method for feeding cigarettes or filter plugs or the like to a working machine, such as a transporting machine, using a flat feeding passage with a bottom which can store and convey the cigarettes etc. in the horizontal direction, comprising introducing receiving boxes containing the cigarettes etc. into the feeding passage and moving them to a feeding station, and raising the receiving boxes at the feeding station so that the cigarettes etc. in the receiving boxes are discharged at one time. The invention discloses also an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Method for feeding bar-like materials

Apparatus for feeding bar-like materials

A method and apparatus for supplying bar-like members such as cigarettes and filter plugs, in which a bar-like member containing box is lifted at a supplying position which supports the containing box in an inverted condition; and a pusher is operated to feed the bar-like members instead of a conventional hopper construction which stores bar-like members and allows them to drop from same, whereby the speed of the supplying operation is increased and a smooth supplying operation is assured without causing disordered orientation of the bar-like members.

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Chiba, Japan

Isao Endo