R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Michael A Warren

William Robert Collett

Calvin Wayne Henderson

Clifford R Marritt

Bain C McConnell

Wallace R Lassiter

Joseph L Collins, Jr

Kenneth W White

Nancy Harmon Hawley

James G Madding, Jr

David L Wright

Shannun W Clark

Charles F Demey, Iii

Charles F deMey, Iii

A cigarette packaging machine is provided with a mechanism for rejecting defective cigarette packs of a two pack stack of cigarette packs. A defective top pack of the stack is rejected at a first rejection station by a blast of pressurized air or a pusher bar and a defective bottom pack of the stack is rejected at a second rejection station downstream of the first rejection station by a movable arm which pivots away from a position supporting the stack and then pivots toward the stack to strike the bottom pack and eject it from the stack. A magazine filled with acceptable packs is located downstream of the second rejection station for replacing defective packs ejected from the stack.

Single pack reject mechanism for cigarette packaging machine and method

The invention provides package inspection systems which are capable of high speed sensing and evaluation of package integrity as packages are continuously conveyed in the manufacturing process. The systems are capable of measuring predetermined parameters of packages, e.g. cigarette packages, comparing the measured parameters with predetermined values, evaluating from the measured parameters the integrity of the packages and determining whether such packages are acceptable or, alternatively, should be rejected. The system can additionally obtain and store data on sensed package parameters for evaluating long-term and short-term manufacturing trends. In various embodiments of the invention, the system can inspect a single or plural package side(s), employing a single or plural line scan or area array camera(s) and may employ special optics to enable plural package side images to be obtained using a single camera. The invention also provides improved conveying systems for package inspection and master part detect systems which can be employed to obviate the need for synchronization between the inspection system and the conveying system.

Package inspection system

Growing community of inventors

Tobaccoville, NC, United States of America

Michael A Warren