Hauni-Werke Korber & Co Kg.

Korber Ag

Nils Von Wichert

Dieter Schwenke

Werner Komossa

Karl Henle

Jurgen Steinhauer

Michael Knabe

A stream of neighboring stacks of superimposed cigarette packs wherein the stacks can consist of or contain defective packs is advanced intermittently along a horizontal path. Stacks which contain or consist of defective packs are removed by the pockets of an indexible turret which is located in a vertical plane extending at right angles to the path of the stream. The defective pack or packs of a removed stack are expelled from the respective pocket in a first angular position of the pocket in which the latter is remote from the path for the stream, and the partially or completely emptied pocket is then indexed to a second position to receive one or more satisfactory packs which were expelled from previously removed stacks of defective and satisfactory packs before the thus filled pocket is returned into the path for the stream to fill a gap which has developed as a result of removal of a stack. A suction cup is provided to temporarily hold a removed satisfactory pack preparatory to introduction into a pocket which is about to return into the path for the stream of stacks.

Method of and apparatus for replacing defective packets in a stream of

The heat-sealing tool for closing the thermoplastic transparent outer wrappers of cigarette packs in a cigarette packing machine is pivoted intermittently into engagement with the wrappers of successive packs while the indexible turret which transports the packs is idle. The tool is held in engagement with each of a series of wrappers for the same interval of time irrespective of the speed of the prime mover which drives the turret. To this end, the tool is pivotable by a rotary disc-shaped cam which is driven by a variable-speed motor whose operation is regulated by a control circuit including a function generator. Alternatively, the tool is actuated by a transmission which receives motion from the prime mover and is adjusted when the speed of the prime mover changes.

Heat-treatment of wrappers in cigarette packing machines and the like

A heated sealing tool is actuated intermittently for fixed intervals of time to engage thermoplastic envelopes of successive cigarette packs which are supported by an indexible turret. In order to ensure that the intervals of engagement between the tool and successive envelopes are not altered when the speed of the prime mover of the packing machine is changed, the tool is mounted on one arm of a two-armed lever the other arm of which carries roller followers for two discrete coaxial cams which jointly actuate the tool through the medium of the lever. Each of the cams is driven at a speed which is proportional to the speed of the prime mover; however, one of the cams is angularly adjustable relative to the other cam by a gear motor or a bevel gear transmission in response to signals which denote changes in the speed of the prime mover so that the duration of intervals of engagement remains unchanged. If the cams have lobes which serve to hold the tool out of engagement with the envelopes, that portion of each revolution of the cams during which the lobes engage the respective followers is shortened if the speed of the prime mover is increased and vice versa. The cams can be driven in the same direction or in opposite directions.

Apparatus for intermittently actuating heating tools in packing machines

Apparatus for supplying preselected numbers of superimposed prefabricated cardboard blanks of the type having alternating larger and smaller marginal flaps from an auxiliary magazine into the main magazine of a packing machine has a frame which carries the auxiliary magazine above the main magazine and is provided with several lugs which support the larger flaps of the lowermost blank in the auxiliary magazine. A photoelectronic detector monitors the height of the supply of blanks in the main magazine and transmits a signal when the height of the supply drops below a preselected value. This initiates pivotal movement of a pusher which is adjacent to one side of the pile of blanks in the auxiliary magazine whereby the pusher shifts a number of lowermost blanks relative to the lugs so that the lugs register with and can be bypassed by the shorter flaps of the thus released blanks which descend into the main magazine by gravity. The movements of the pusher are synchronized with the movements of an intercepting plate which is adjacent to a side of the pile of blanks in the auxiliary magazine opposite the pusher and serves to realign those blanks in the auxiliary magazine which might have become misoriented in response to shifting of the blanks therebelow by the pusher. This ensures that all blanks in the auxiliary magazine are in accurate register with each other at the time the pusher is about to pivot in a direction to release a selected number of blanks for gravitational descent into the main magazine.

Apparatus for feeding cardboard blanks or the like to a magazine

Boxes which are open at the top and partly open at the bottom are transported by a chain conveyor past assembling, filling and sealing stations. At the assembling station, each box receives a bag which is open at the top and closed at the bottom, and each box further receives a platform which is inserted through its partially open bottom and extends to such a level as to maintain the open top of the respective bag above the open top of the box. Successive containers consisting of boxes and empty bags are then advanced to the filling station where the bags receive metered quantities of pulverulent, granular or other material, and the thus filled containers are advanced to the sealing station where the tops of the filled bags are readily sealable because they project upwardly beyond the open tops of the corresponding boxes. The boxes are then raised relative to the filled and sealed bags so that the bags are fully received therein before the top and bottom ends of the boxes are closed and the finished containers are removed from the chain conveyor. The platforms are retracted immediately downstream of the sealing station.

Method and apparatus for filling and sealing containers

Blanks which are made of cardboard or the like and wherein the neighboring panels are flexible relative to each other are converted first into flat tubular preforms which are thereupon expanded prior to a change of orientation and introduction into a filling machine. The conversion is carried out on a horizontal support during stepwise transport of successive blanks along a stationary elongated one-piece flat pattern having progressively narrower portions at several successive deforming stations. At the first deforming station, a lap which is integral with one outermost panel of each blank is flexed relative to the respective outermost panel; at the second deforming station, the lap and the respective outermost panel are folded over the adjacent portion of the pattern; and the other outermost panel is bonded to the lap at the third deforming station. The width of the pattern at the first deforming station equals the combined width of three neighboring panels, and the width of the pattern at the second and third deforming stations equals the combined width of two neighboring panels. The thus obtained flat tubular preforms are expanded at an additional station where the width of the pattern equals the width of a single panel.

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Glinde, Germany

Nils Von Wichert