Abstract: A rigid container for tobacco items, defined by a tubular lateral wall (11) and by at least one end wall (6), and wherein one of the two walls (6, 11) has at least one inwardly concave portion (13; 82; 91; 96; 102; 113), and the other wall has at least one flat portion (8; 114), which mates with the concave portion (13; 82; 91; 96; 102; 113) along a convex outer edge portion (10, 115) of its own, and is formed from a panel (6?; 6?, 6?; 121a, 122a) having a first portion (6?a; 6?a, 6?a; 128) corresponding to the flat portion (8; 114), and a peripheral second portion defined by at least one curved strip (20; 20?, 20?; 127) bounded internally by a curved crease line (19; 19?, 19?; 126) extending along the convex outer edge portion (10; 115); the strip (20, 20?, 20?; 127) being folded squarely, by drawing, to define a convex border (23; 129) extending along the convex outer edge portion (10; 115), and being made integral with an inner surface of the concave portion (13; 82; 91; 96; 102; 113).

Abstract: Cigars are released from a feed station onto first and second conveyor belts and directed along a predetermined feed path, part of which coinciding with a wheel interposed between the two belts and equipped with a set of needles serving to pierce the cigars by engaging at least one respective end portion; the wheel is also equipped with a set of clamp elements, each able to restrain a single cigar and caused to revolve in stable alignment with a relative needle. The single needle is fashioned from a resistive metal and connected to an electrical power source in such a way that it can be heated by applying a current and inducing the Joule effect.

Abstract: A method and device for feeding sheets to a user machine, whereby the sheets, arranged in a stack along a channel having a substantially horizontal longitudinal axis, are fed to a single-sheet pickup member by dividing the stack into an output portion, an intermediate portion, and an input portion; pushing the output portion towards the pickup member at a given constant first pressure; compressing the input portion at a given second pressure; transferring sheets from the intermediate portion to the output portion to compensate for the withdrawn sheets and keep a length of the output portion substantially constant and equal to a given value; and transferring sheets from the input portion to the intermediate portion to keep the density of the sheets along the intermediate portion substantially constant and equal to a given value.

Abstract: Packets of prismatic geometry referable to a longitudinal axis, presenting two larger side faces, two smaller flank faces and two end faces, are overwrapped by a method including a step in which each packet, enveloped initially by a tubular wrap projecting beyond the two end faces, is inserted into a holder of a transfer wheel in such a way that two appendages of the tubular wrap projecting at either end from a first flank face of the packet are flattened over the end faces; the appendages are pinned immediately along two lines coinciding substantially with the corner edges of the end face as the packet enters the relative holder, and held stably in position during a subsequent step of transferring the single packets from a feed station to an outfeed conveyor.

Abstract: A method of making a brand change, on an automatic production system for processing tobacco articles and which produces a first product from first materials; the method has the steps of: stopping the automatic production system once production of the first product is completed; feeding second materials onto the automatic production system; restarting the automatic production system to commence production of a second product from the second materials; checking all the second products in a first lot to ensure each second product in the first lot conforms with production specifications; externally marking each second product in the first lot conforming with production specifications; and generating a pass signal when a given number of consecutive second products conforming with production specifications is produced.

Abstract: A multipurpose cartoning machine for packets of cigarettes, having a packet conveying assembly wherein a first conveyor feeds single packets, arranged in an orderly succession on edge, to an accumulating station for forming subgroups of packets placed flat one on top of the other, and a second conveyor is associated with the first conveyor to receive the packets conveyed by the first conveyor and to feed the packets to a packing device; the conveying assembly assuming a first configuration wherein the second conveyor is connected to the first conveyor at the accumulating station to receive, from the first conveyor, a succession of subgroups of packets laid flat, and a second configuration wherein the second conveyor is connected to the first conveyor upstream from the accumulating station to receive an orderly succession of single packets positioned on edge.

Abstract: A method of producing a hinged-lid packet of cigarettes having an inner wrapping formed by folding a first blank of foil about a group of cigarettes: an outer package formed from a second blank folded about the inner wrapping to define a body and a lid hinged to each other; and a collar formed by folding a third blank and interposed between the inner wrapping and the outer package; the method including the steps of juxtaposing and connecting the third blank to the first blank in laterally offset mutual positions; forming on the first blank fold lines located as a function of the aforementioned mutual positions; and simultaneously folding the first and third blank about the group of cigarettes.

Abstract: Wrapping material utilized by a packaging machine is advanced along a set feed path through a station where an accessory material, typically adhesive, is applied in spots to selected areas of the surface, whereupon the material is charged electrostatically at a first station, and thereafter sensed at a second station to reveal the distribution of the charges; the electrostatic charges register more strongly on and around the spots, so that by measuring any variation in strength relative to the remainder of the surface, identifiable with faulty application of the adhesive, substandard material can be detected before it reaches the wrapping stations of the machine.

Abstract: A folding method and device, whereby a tubular wrapping is formed about a product by inserting the product inside a U-shaped pocket together with a sheet of wrapping material, a first lateral portion of which is interposed between the product and a first lateral wall of the pocket, and a second lateral portion of which, opposite the first, is folded outside and beyond the pocket and crosswise to the first lateral portion; the tubular wrapping being closed by moving the first lateral wall of the pocket outwards, simultaneously moving a contrast member onto the first lateral portion, and then folding the second lateral portion, by means of an external folding member, onto the product and so as to overlap the first lateral portion; and the tubular wrapping being fixed inside the pocket by withdrawing the external folding member, simultaneously closing the first lateral wall onto the product, and withdrawing the contrast member (34) from the pocket.

Abstract: A device (2) for feeding reels (3) has a manipulator (14) having a gripping member (19) for picking up one reel (3) at a time off a pallet (16) and transferring the reel (3) to an unwinding pin (4a; 4b) on a machine (1); the gripping member (19) is enabled to pick up a reel (3) off the pallet (16) when at least one reference point (k1) of the gripping member (19) lies inside a central hole (7) of the reel (3).

Abstract: A cutting unit for cutting blanks for collars of rigid cigarette packets, wherein a continuous strip of packing material is fed in a given direction through a cutting station equipped with a knife having an incision member and a blade, and with a fixed cutting block having a counterblade; the knife oscillates, about a fixed axis crosswise to the travelling direction of the strip, to and from a work position in which the incision member cooperates with a contact surface of the cutting block to incise a portion of the strip upstream from the counterblade, and the blade is located beyond the counterblade to cut the strip along a cutting line.

Abstract: A method and device for applying a label to a packet of cigarettes travelling in a given direction along a conveying path; to apply the label to the packet, a pickup head is fed along a feed path by rotating the pickup head about two axes parallel to each other, and by moving the pickup head radially with respect to one of the two axes.

Abstract: Semi-manufactured tobacco products are stored and made available by a device comprising a plurality of storage units filled directly from a maker machine, at least one bin containing the storage units in ordered arrangement, and at least one mobile collection unit by which a given number of storage units can be taken up from the bin. Operating in conjunction with first, second and third guidance systems, the collection unit can be moved from the bin to at least one holding store, from the store to at least one machine by which the semi-manufactured tobacco products are processed further, and from this machine back to the bin; accordingly, the device is able to link any given number of machines turning out semi-manufactured items to any given number of machines for subsequent processing of the semi-manufactured items.

Abstract: A method and device for folding an end portion of a substantially elliptical-section, tubular wrapping for a group of cigarettes, whereby the end portion of the tubular wrapping is folded by forming three first and three second folded flaps located on opposite sides of a major axis of the elliptical section of the tubular wrapping; the first and second flaps being defined respectively by a respective central flap and by two respective lateral flaps, each of the second flaps being specular with a corresponding first flap, and being located between the major axis of the elliptical section and a packing wheel supporting the tubular wrapping; the first flaps being folded first, commencing with the first central flap; and the second flaps being folded subsequently, commencing with the second lateral flaps.

Abstract: A supply unit and a user unit employed in the manufacture of tobacco products, typically cigarettes and the like, are linked by a duct along which a mass of the cigarettes is advanced from the outfeed of the supply unit toward the infeed of the user unit. The advancing mass of cigarettes is parted at an intermediate zone of the duct either by rods or by a pair of frames, in such a way as to create a void that will accommodate a trolley directed into the duct from a housing by an elevator; once inside the duct, the trolley proceeds to push the mass of cigarettes from the intermediate zone toward the inlet of a hopper in such a way as to empty the duct completely, for example when changing over from one brand of cigarette to another. To advantage, the trolley is composed of two articulated structures so that its geometry and dimensions can be varied to match the variations in geometry and depth of the duct.

Abstract: Groups containing a given number of products are produced using a transfer assembly, wherein a first, pocket-type output, conveyor of a production machine, and a second, pocket-type input, conveyor of a group-forming machine move continuously in a first and, respectively, second direction opposite each other, and are connected to each other by a pocket-type transfer member, which is interposed between the first and second conveyor, and is operated to selectively rotate about an axis of rotation crosswise to the first and second conveyor; or to translate, together with the second conveyor, crosswise to the axis of rotation to compensate for one or more voids on the first conveyor; or to translate, together with the first conveyor, crosswise to the axis of rotation to form, on the second conveyor, a succession of voids in time with the group-forming machine.

Abstract: A multipurpose cartoning machine for packets of cigarettes, having a packet conveying assembly wherein a first conveyor feeds single packets, arranged in an orderly succession on edge, to an accumulating station for forming subgroups of packets placed flat one on top of the other, and a second conveyor is associated with the first conveyor to receive the packets conveyed by the first conveyor and to feed the packets to a packing device; the conveying assembly assuming a first configuration wherein the second conveyor is connected to the first conveyor at the accumulating station to receive, from the first conveyor, a succession of subgroups of packets laid flat, and a second configuration wherein the second conveyor is connected to the first conveyor upstream from the accumulating station to receive an orderly succession of single packets positioned on edge.

Abstract: A method and system for remote controlling the current status of a production process of an article having a number of production process steps; whereby a user, by means of a pickup device, communicates confirmation of completion of a production process step to a central control unit, which stores the current status of the production process of the article in a database; and the pickup device is defined by a cellular telephone, which communicates with the central control unit by sending SMS messages.

Abstract: A variable-capacity store (1) for objects (2), wherein an endless powered flexible conveyor belt (12) defines a conveying branch (6) for transferring a mass of objects (2) from an input station (S1) to an output station (S2), and defines a return branch (9) extending from the output station (S2) to the input station (S1); the conveying branch (6) is located entirely above a horizontal storage plane (13), and the store (1) is connected to at least one vertical conveyor (14) located at the input station (S1) and/or the output station (S2) to lift/lower the mass of objects (2) to/from the horizontal storage plane (13), and which is at least partly defined by an up/down branch (16) of the flexible belt (12).

Abstract: A method and unit for applying labels to products fed by a conveyor along a conveying path; a number of pickup heads are fed along a feed path to withdraw the labels successively from a feeder and apply the labels successively to respective products on the conveyor; and, in the event of stoppage or malfunctioning, the pickup heads are fed along a reject path, adjacent to the feed path, to transfer at least some of the labels on the pickup heads to a collecting device.