Sasib S.p.a.

Cir-s.p.a-divisione Sasib

Renato Manservisi

Antonio Zullo

Mario Fossi

Sandro Corticelli

Roberto Roffi

Maurizio Piana

Bruno Neri

Bruno Bagnaresi

Dario Cavicchi

The invention refers to a continuous cigarette rod deflecting and breaking device in a cigarette making machine, which device (1) is arranged upstream of the unit for cutting the rod (B) into individual cigarette lengths, and comprises a deflecting member (2) which upon control is movable between an uplifted active position in which it downwardly deflects the rod from its normal path along the rod-forming line (L), and a lowered down rest position in which it is located under the normal rod path, and leaves the rod free to travel toward the cutting unit. The said deflecting member (2) is integral with a severing element (6) which is caused to cross the path of rod (B) so as to cut the said rod as the deflecting member (2) is moved either from its uplifted active position into its lowered down rest position, or from its lowered down rest position into its uplifted active position. According to the invention, a deflecting and breaking device of the above stated type is provided under the deflecting member (2) with a rod-breaking contrivance (9) which is adapted for breaking up, particularly for cutting into single lengths or longitudinally open the rod (B) having been deflected by the deflecting member (2).

Rod deflecting and breaking device in a cigarette making machine

A device for automatically feeding bobbins (B) of a wrapping material web (N), particularly bobbins of cigarette paper, to a substantially horizontal mandrel (1) provided with a circle of radially movable jaws (11). The bobbins rest by their lower peripheral surface on a bobbin-carrying cradle (27) which can be stepwise advanced toward the mandrel (1), in the axial direction thereof. The axis of mandrel (1) is eccentric and is upwardly offset with respect to the axis of a bobbin (B) resting on the bobbin-carrying cradle (27) and having the maximum allowable outside diameter within the tolerance limits thereof. At each forward step of the bobbin-carrying cradle (27), the bobbin (B) being each time the leading bobbin is fitted in an eccentric position on the circle of retracted jaws (11) of the mandrel (1). The jaws (11) are then outwardly moved, whereby the bobbin (B) is trued on the mandrel (1) and is lifted from the bobbin-carrying cradle (27).

Automatic device for feeding bobbins of a wrapping material web,

A method for obtaining wrapper sheet blanks from a continuous web having opposite parallel edges, wherein each blank is composed of first and second portions, the first portion having the shape of a rectangle and the second portion having the shape of a non-rectangular parallelogram joined to the first portion along a common imaginary edge. The method includes making a plurality of first cuts in the web which are spaced apart from each other in a direction parallel to the opposite parallel edges of the web, each first cut producing a first cut edge which is perpendicular to, and contiguous with one of the opposite parallel edges of the web and wherein each first cut edge constitutes an edge of a respective one of the first portions of the blanks; and making a plurality of second cuts in the web which are spaced apart from each other in a direction parallel to the opposite parallel edges of the web, each second cut producing a second cut edge which is inclined relative to, and contiguous with both a corresponding one of the first cut edges and the other of the opposite parallel edges, and wherein each second cut edge constitutes an edge of a respective one of the second portions of the blanks.

Method for obtaining a wrapper sheet for a cigarette pack

A compression drum (1) for orderly groups of cigarettes (G) in automatic cigarette-packing machines has one or more compression pockets (2). Each compression pocket has a substantially rectangular cross-section and includes at least partly, movable sidewalls (3, 3', 4, 4') permitting the cross-section of a pocket to be varied between a maximum expansion condition, wherein an orderly group of cigarettes (G) to be packed is introduced thereinto, and a maximum compression condition, wherein the group of cigarettes (G) received in the pocket (2) is compressed. At least two adjacent sidewalls (3, 4 and/or 3', 4') of each compression pocket (2), one of which (3, 3') corresponds to a longer side and the other to a shorter side of the rectangular cross-section, are separate from each other and from the other sidewalls of the pocket and are movable independently from each other and each one with respect to the opposite respective sidewall (3', 4' and/or 3,4) so as to achieve a mutual movement of the walls of each pair of opposite sidewalls of a compression pocket (2) toward each other and away from each other.

Compression drum for cigarettes

The invention relates to a feeler pin device for the quality and/or quantity testing, and/or the levelling of cigarettes. The device comprises a plurality of feeler pins which are set in a substantially co-axial relation with the cigarettes to be tested or levelled, and which are moved from a retracted rest position axially toward the respective cigarettes, so as to contact the cigarette ends, whereby they apply thereon an elastic pressure, such as to shift the cigarette or the cigarettes against a suitable abutment for aligning same, and/or they signal the presence or absence of cigarettes, or the degree of filling of the ends thereof, and/or the presence or the absence of the filter tip, by the aid of means responsive to the stroke length of each feeler pin with respect to its support. The feeler pins are held in their retracted rest position within a fixed support against the bias of biasing springs, by control means which let the feeler pins free to move forward, with respect to their support, under the action of the associated biasing springs, toward the corresponding cigarette or cigarettes to be tested and/or levelled, and which will retract, against the action of the biasing springs, the feeler pins into their rest position.

Cigarette testing and/or leveling device

The device for the formation of orderly groups of cigarettes in cigarette-packaging machines, in which each group of cigarettes is formed in a collecting container (6) which passes intermittently through two or more successive feeding stations (1,2,3) and receives in each of them a layer of cigarettes (S1,S2,S.sub.3) formed below the bottom outlets of corresponding substantially vertical feeding channels (C1,C2,C3), comprises interceptors (11) which are provided at the feeding stations to prevent the cigarettes (S) from exiting out of the bottom outlets of the feeding channels (C1,C2,C3). The interceptors (11) are actuated sequentially in the direction (F) of advance of the collecting containers (6), so as to be moved sequentially, when starting the packaging machine, upon the passage of the first container to be filled, from an active position in which they prevent the cigarettes from exiting out of the feeding channels (C1,C2,C3), to a rest position in which they permit the outflow of cigarettes from the feeding channels, while on completion of the operative period of the packaging machine or in case of a programmed inactivation thereof, they are moved after each other, upon the passage of the last container to be filled, from the rest position to the active position.

Device for forming groups of cigarettes in packaging machines

A quality control device for cigarettes moving through a hopper (1) to a cigarette-packing machine. The hopper has a lower section with a plurality of cigarette-guiding down channels (2) set side by side, with each channel guiding an individual pile of cigarettes (S) downward toward an underlying chamber where a cigarette batch consisting of at least one layer of cigarettes set side by side will be formed and then transferred to the cigarette-packing machine. Near each of the cigarette-guiding channels (2), a cigarette-inspection sensor is provided at one or both ends of the cigarettes to control a cigarette ejection mechanism for discarding any defective cigarette found. In each one of the cigarette-guiding channels (2) there is provided a rotary cigarette-transfer device (3) that separates the respective cigarette-guiding channel (2) into an upper section (12) and a lower section (22). The cigarette-inspection sensors are associated with at least one cigarette position in the upper sections (12) of the channels. Every rotary cigarette-transfer device is so constructed, and so operated by the respective cigarette inspection sensor or sensors, that it transfers every regular cigarette (S) from the upper section (12) to the lower section (22) of a cigarette-guiding channel (2), whereas it moves any defective cigarette (S1) into an intermediate position where the cigarette-ejection mechanism is provided.

Cigarette quality control device

A drive shaft (1) rotatably journalled in a stationary block (2) has keyed thereto a driving member (5), while a driven member (6) is rotatably mounted on the shaft. The driving member imparts to the shaft a positive intermittent rotation, for example by steps of one revolution or an integer fraction of one revolution. Co-axially mounted on the shaft is a disc (8) having a periphery with at least one keyway (108) if the intermittent rotation of the shaft is by one-revolution steps. The keyway-recessed disc cooperates with a latch (9) which is slidably but not rotatably mounted on the driven member and which is parallel to the axis of the shaft. The latch has a pronged end (109) which, in the dwell position of the intermittent motion of the shaft, is aligned with the head (110) of a rod (10) that is slidably mounted in the stationary block parallel to the shaft and that is driven by a pneumatic cylinder (12). The latch is spring-biassed against the disc in registry with the region of the keyway or keyways, while the cylinder is controlled to disengage the latch from the keyway or keyways on completion of each step of the transmitted intermittent motion, whereby the latch is moved backwards so as to lock the driven wheel in position until the next step is to be transmitted.

Quick-coupling device

A discarding device (1) for discarding cigarette packs (PS) not provided with a label or duty stamp (T) comprises an operational endless conveyor (4) driven step by step and carrying a plurality of open containers (5) each adapted to receive one cigarette pack (P). Loading means are provided to load sequentially into said containers (5) the packs (P) not yet provided with labels; and, spaced with respect to one another according to the feed steps of the intermittent conveyor (4), there are provided: a labelling station (S1) where the labels (T) are applied to the packs (P) in the containers (5), a checking station (S2) to detect the presence of the label on a pack, a discard conveyor (2) to discharge the unlabelled packs (PS), and a transfer conveyor (3) to convey the regular (i.e. labelled) packs (P) from a operational conveyor (4) to a further delivery conveyor (22, 23, 24). The discard conveyor (2) and transfer conveyor (3) for the packs (P, PS) consist each of a guided sliding path (6, respectively 7) for the packs, disposed transversely to said intermittent operational conveyor (4), suitably related to the respective dwell stations of the containers (5).

Discarding device for discarding defective cigarette packs

The wrapper sheet (1) for forming the outer wrapping in cigarette packs of the so-called 'soft or american' type, has the outline of a rectangle with a bevel angle (101) and, in correspondence of the angle adjacent to the bevel angle, with an appendix (201) projecting out of the ideal contour of the rectangle and being exactly alike to the triangle cut out from the bevel angle. Upon folding of the outer wrapper (1) around the tinfoil-wrapped cigarette pack, the two bottom flaps result to be both shaped as isosceles trapeziums, while the appendix comes to be concealed under one of said flaps.

Wrapper sheet for cigarette packs, and method for obtaining same

A device for feeding sheets of wrapping material from a roll formed of wrapping material web to a packaging machine which discontinuously operates at consecutive cycles. The device includes a transversal cutter provided with cutter blades for cutting single sheets of wrapping material from the web which has a new leading edge after each cut, and at least one intermittent motion feeding group for feeding the web to the cutter. A first independent electric stepping motor drives the feeding group and is controlled by a programmable electronic control circuit which controls the stepping motor to drive the feeding group in accordance with a predetermined sequence of motions in synchronism with the cycles the packaging machine, including momentarily driving the feeding group backwards to withdraw and detach the leading edge of the web from the cutter blades.

Device for feeding sheets to packaging machines

Apparatus for the formation of cigarette groups consisting of three superposed parallel rows of cigarettes comprising three row-forming stations which receive the cigarettes from passageways connected to a feeding hopper. Associated with each row-forming station there is an intermediate transfer drum which presents a plurality of transfer pockets adapted to receive the rows of cigarettes from the row-forming stations. The cigarettes are then transferred from the pockets of the transfer drums into the receiving pockets of a receiving drum. Each transfer drum supplies to the receiving pockets of the receiving drum a definite row of cigarettes, so that at the end of an operating cycle, the receiving pockets will be filled with three superposed rows of cigarettes. From the receiving pockets, the groups of cigarettes are transferred to a compressor drum, associated with a cigarette packing machine. The transfer drums, the receiving drum and the compressor drum are rotated stepwise in synchronism.

Apparatus for the formation of cigarette groups

The receiving pocket of a cigarette group forming apparatus consists of an open-ended tubular member provided at its interior with two partitions defining three pocket sections, one for each row of cigarettes forming the cigarette group. The partitions extend at the interior of the receiving pocket, from the introduction or inlet end towards the outlet end, for a fraction of the length on the receiving pocket, usually for 1/3 of its length. The partitions become thinner in the direction of the outlet end, and they are also converging in the said direction. Also the inner upper and lower side walls of the receiving pocket converge in the direction of the outlet end.

The device for automatically replacing defective cigarette packets discarded from a feeding line on which the packets advance in a single row comprises a pair of gravity-feed reserve hoppers, containing each a stack of reserve packets, and a transferring drum, operatively interposed between the said reserve hoppers and the feeding line. The drum is driven in step-by-step rotation in relation to the absence, signalled by suitable sensing and controlling devices, of a discarded defective packet. Upon each step rotation of the transferring drum, a cigarette packet is taken by the drum alternately from one of the said reserve hoppers, and it is progressively transferred onto the feeding line, to take the place of the previously discarded packet.

Device for replacing defective articles

The device for transferring and combining cigarette packs coming out from two packers operating in parallel, in order to obtain a single feeding line for a wrapping machine, comprises two parallel conveyors which receive the packs from the cigarette packers, and a transversal conveyor which receives the packs from both mentioned parallel conveyors and feeds them to the wrapping machine. In correspondence of the discharge end of each parallel conveyor there is arranged a revolving transfer wheel which transfers the packs from the discharge end of the parallel conveyor to the underlying transversal conveyor, through an arcuate transfer channel. The two transfer wheels are driven in such a manner that each pack deposited by the second transfer wheel, i.e. the wheel which is arranged subsequently after the other transfer wheel, or first transfer wheel, in the direction of conveyance of the transversal conveyor, comes to lie on the said transversal conveyor between two packs deposited by the said first preceding transfer wheel.

Growing community of inventors

Bologna, Italy

Renato Manservisi