Abstract: Apparatus for assembling multi-layer blocks of parallel cigarettes has a magazine with several outlets having narrow elongated horizontal openings for the discharge of successive layers of cigarettes. An endless conveyor transports a succession of variable-volume receptacles stepwise along a path a horizontal portion of which extends along the outlets so that the opening of each outlet registers with a receptacle when the conveyor is arrested. The volumes of the receptacles are varied by a system of cams, which act upon movable top walls of the receptacles, in such a way that the volumes of the receptacles exceed the space requirements of the layer or layers therein only while the conveyor is idle, i.e.

Abstract: Apparatus for expelling moisture from a continuous stream of tobacco which passes through a conditioning zone defined by a hollow rotary drum-shaped dryer has a control unit employing a computer whose output signal is indicative of the quantity of moisture to be expelled from tobacco per unit of time during travel through the dryer in order to ensure that the final moisture content of tobacco will match a predetermined value. The signal which is generated by the computer is used to regulate a valve in a conduit connecting the conditioning zone with a source of steam. The rate of steam admission or the pressure of admitted steam increases when the quantity of moisture which is contained in tobacco entering the dryer per unit of time decreases and vice versa. This ensures that the total quantity of moisture in the conditioning zone remains at least substantially constant even though the moisture content and/or the quantity of tobacco in the stream entering the dryer varies within a wide range.

Abstract: Tobacco ribs, whose moisture content is at least 38 percent and which are heated to a temperature of at least 60 degrees C., are admitted into a cylindrical chamber containing a centrally located nozzle which is surrounded by a driven impeller having arcuate vanes serving to direct tobacco particles at a uniform rate into a high-speed stream of air or steam which issues from the orifice of the nozzle and leaves the chamber through a tapering outlet to pass through a Laval nozzle and into a dryer. The latter is designed to heat a stream of air to a temperature of approximately 350 degrees C. and to mix such air with the stream which admits the particles of tobacco whereby the particles are heated to a temperature of approximately 80 degrees C. and their moisture content is reduced to or below 20 percent.

Abstract: A spread out foraminous tow of tensioned filamentary filter material is transported through a housing between an upper and a lower rotating cylindrical brush. The upper brush propels atomized liquid plasticizer against the upper side of the tow whereby a certain amount of plasticizer penetrates through the tow and is gathered in the housing within the range of bristles on the lower brush which propels the gathered plasticizer against the underside of the tow. The rate of feed of plasticizer to the upper brush is varied in response to changes in the speed of the tow, and the brushes are arrested when the transporting rolls for the tow are brought to a standstill. The lower portion of the housing constitutes a trough which surrounds the lower half of the lower brush and from which the gathered plasticizer is evacuated when the brushes are idle.

Abstract: Apparatus for supporting, locating and transferring plate-like or disc-shaped workpieces between several stations or between several machines where each of two plane parallel surfaces of each workpiece is subjected to one or more treatments has at least two partially overlapping plate chucks. A workpiece which is introduced by one chuck into the space where the two chucks overlap is released by the one chuck and is then attracted by the other chuck so that the previously exposed surface of the workpiece becomes concealed and vice versa. The chucks can transport workpieces between successive stations of a series of stations where the surfaces of the workpieces can be subjected to a coarse and thereupon to a precision or final treatment such as grinding and polishing, lapping or honing. If the chucks are installed in a separate frame, they can be rotated through 180.degree. about an axis which is parallel to their work-contacting surfaces so that a workpiece between such chucks is inverted, i.e.

Abstract: A multi-layer stream of cigarettes is transported from a making machine to a packing machine by way of a first and a second junction. The first junction diverts some or all of the cigarettes from their path and into a tray filler when the output of the making machine exceeds the requirements of the packing machine, and the second junction receives some or all of the cigarettes from a magazine filler when the requirements of the packing machine exceed the output of the making machine. A trickle of cigarettes can flow into the tray filler and a trickle of cigarettes can flow from the magazine filler even at such times when the requirements of the packing machine match the output of the making machine. This prevents moving cigarettes from rubbing against one and the same group of stagnant cigarettes which fill the location where the first junction can discharge cigarettes into the tray filler and the location where the second junction can receive cigarettes from the magazine filler.

Abstract: Apparatus for accumulating arrays of superimposed layers of parallel cigarettes has a magazine with three layer-accumulating sections having outlets at different levels and a set of pushers which expel layers of cigarettes from the sections during the intervals of dwell of an intermittently driven conveyor for a set of receptacles each of which accumulates an array by accepting one layer from each of the sections. The top and side walls of the receptacles have aligned slots for stationary and movable portions of retaining devices which prevent the cigarettes forming layers of incomplete arrays from moving relative to each other during abrupt acceleration and deceleration of the conveyor to move the receptacles from section to section. The undersides of movable portions of the retaining devices can be raised above or lowered into alignment with the undersides of the adjacent stationary portions through distances approximating the thickness of a layer.

Abstract: A running web of tipping paper in a filter tipping machine is attracted to the peripheral surface of a rotary suction conveyor constituting a counterknife for a set of equidistant knives which are radially movably mounted in axially parallel grooves of a rotary knife carrier. Each knife is adjustable radially of the carrier by a discrete first adjusting device, and all of the knives are adjustable simultaneously by a common adjusting device having a support movable axially of the carrier and mounting all of the first adjusting devices. Simultaneous radial adjustment of all of the knives by the common adjusting device is effected after certain periods of use and attendant wear upon the cutting edges of the knives.

Abstract: Apparatus for making perforations in continuous or interrupted webs of cigarette paper or the like has one or more perforating units serving to direct radiant or electrical energy against selected portions of the web to make holes therein. That portion of each perforating unit which surrounds the locus of propagation of energy beyond the respective perforating unit is externally cooled and cleaned by one or more streams of compressed gas which ensure that such portion cannot accumulate solid combustion products which could interfere with the propagation of energy toward the web. The stream or streams are furnished by the orifices of nozzles which can be provided in the carrier or carriers for the perforating units or can be outwardly adjacent to the carrier or carriers.

Abstract: Apparatus for filling trays with cigarettes has a magazine which contains a supply of parallel cigarettes and the lower end portion of which extends into the interior of an empty tray so that the lower end portions of several vertical ducts in the lower end portion of the magazine are closely adjacent to the bottom wall of the tray. The tray is lowered continuously or stepwise while the ducts admit vertical streams or rows of cigarettes into the interior of the tray wherein the deposited cigarettes form superimposed layers with the cigarettes of each upper layer staggered relative to the cigarettes of the layer therebelow. This is attributed to the provision of horizontal shafts or horizontal tongues which flank the lower end portions of the ducts and are movable back and forth from neutral positions to effect a desirable distribution of descending cigarettes in the tray.

Abstract: Particles of tobacco which form a continuous stream are heated during transport through a rotary drum-shaped dryer. The inlet end of the dryer receives a continuous current of heated air whose temperature is constant, and the dryer is heated by internal coils for circulating steam whose pressure is constant. The quantity of tobacco particles in the stream is varied in dependency on deviations of measured final moisture content from a desired final moisture content and/or in dependency on deviations of measured initial moisture content from anticipated initial moisture content.

Abstract: Apparatus for recovering tobacco particles from unsatisfactory filter cigarettes has a rotary centrifugal aligning device which converts randomly supplied unsatisfactory cigarettes into a single file and transports successive cigarettes of the file past the peripheral surfaces of two rotary disc-shaped wrapper-engaging implements serving to break the wrappers and thus expose the tobacco-containing fillers for segregation from the wrappers and filters. The marginal portions of the implements are monitored by discrete photocells which generate signals on detection of cracks, chipping and/or other defects of the implements, and such signals are used to arrest the drive for the aligning device and for the implements.

Abstract: Apparatus for severing the running web of tipping paper in a filter tipping machine has a rotary anvil whose cylindrical peripheral surface is contacted by the running web, a rotary carrier which is adjacent to and defines with the anvil a nip for the running web, a knife which is movably mounted in the carrier and has an elongated cutting edge which cooperates with the web-contacting portion of the peripheral surface of the anvil to sever the web once during each revolution of the carrier, and a system of springs which bias the knife axially of the carrier so as to prevent movements of the knife under the action of centrifugal force and/or gravity but to allow the knife to move its cutting edge into a position in which the entire cutting edge contacts the peripheral surface of the anvil upon completion of the first cut. This reduces noise which is generated when the apparatus is in use.

Abstract: The trailing end of a running tow of filamentary filter material in a filter rod making machine is spliced to the leader of a fresh tow, and the splice is held at a preselected location ahead of the first tow treating station in the machine. An optoelectric or pressure-responsive detector generates a signal when the splice advances beyond such location on expiry of the running tow, i.e., when the second tow begins to advance through the machine. The signal is used to reduce the speed of the prime mover of the machine during travel of the splice therethrough, to increase the width of passages which are defined for the tow by the banding, spreading, stretching, plasticizer-applying and/or other units for the tow so that the splice can readily advance therethrough, and/or to effect automatic segregation of those filter rod sections which contain portions of the splice.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for removing the surplus of tobacco fibrous material from one side of a continuous stream. The apparatus comprises conveyer means for moving the stream lengthwise so that one side of the stream remains exposed. Compressing means are further provided for compacting spaced-apart portions of the moving stream. The apparatus further includes filler segregating means including at least one rotary disc having a marginal portion extending into the moving stream wherein the marginal portion includes at least one pocket having an open side facing the exposed side of the stream with the surplus of fibrous material extending beyond the marginal portion. Means are further provided for rotating the disc at a peripheral speed which at least closely approximates the speed of the lengthwise movement of the stream. At least one pocket is arranged to receive and temporarily confine parts of the compacted portions of the stream.

Abstract: Filter cigarettes which are grouped in the form of one or more rows on their way to the draping station or stations of a packing machine are transported sideways past a testing station between two testing units each of which has a discrete detector for each row of cigarettes in a group. Each detector has a source of light, a photoelectric transducer, and a bundle of fiber optics which convey light beams from the source against the respective end faces of cigarettes advancing between the two testing units and which convey reflected light to the respective transducer so that the latter generates signals denoting the characteristics, the presence or absence of cigarettes. Such signals are compared with a reference signal denoting the characteristics of satisfactory cigarettes, and the groups wherein one or more cigarettes have caused the generation of signals deviating excessively from the reference signal are expelled from the conveyor prior to reaching the first draping station of the packing machine.

Abstract: Plain or filter cigarettes are tested at a first station by two or more testing devices each of which monitors the cigarettes for the presence or absence of a particular defect. The testing devices generate defect signals which are delayed by shift registers so as to ensure that the delayed defect signals are transmitted to a segregating mechanism which removes defective cigarettes from a path that is common to the satisfactory and defective cigarettes and delivers defective cigarettes to selected receptacles which are installed at a second station and each of which gathers only cigarettes exhibiting a particular defect. Actuation of a switch entails the removal of a selected number of samples from the common path for satisfactory and defective cigarettes, and such samples are gathered in an additional receptacle at the second station.

Abstract: A cutoff for cigarette rods or the like has a rotary carrier for one or more reels of convoluted metallic band material constituting the knife or knives which sever the rod at regular intervals when the carrier rotates. The reels can be rotated in a direction to pay out the band material, and the leaders of the bands extend from the carrier and orbit along a path which is traversed by the rod. The leaders are ground at the rate at which the reels are rotated so that the length of that portion of each band which extends from the carrier remains constant. One marginal portion of each band constitutes the cutting edge, and such cutting edges need not be sharpened while the cutoff is in use because rotation of the reels results in movement of fresh portions of cutting edges to severing positions.

Abstract: Pileups of tobacco particles at or between the inlet of the draping mechanism and the stream forming station in a cigarette maker are ascertained by a device which monitors the density of successive increments of the cigarette stream prior or subsequent to trimming or the extent of deformation of the finger which compresses the trimmed stream in the garniture of the cigarette maker. The monitoring device generates signals which are utilized to automatically interrupt the admission of tobacco particles into the stream forming channel.

Abstract: Tobacco ribs which are separated from laminae are contacted by steam at a temperature of approximately 150 degrees whereby the steam condenses on the surfaces of ribs and the thus released heat promotes the penetration of condensate into as well as gradual evaporation of initial moisture and condensate in the interior of ribs to thereby increase the specific volume of the ribs. The ribs are agitated during contact with and are caused to float in steam. Warm water is sprayed onto the ribs during contact with steam. The contact with steam prior to start of expansion takes up approximately one minute, and the ribs remain in contact with steam for another minute to effect expansion by evaporated moisture. The thus treated ribs are immediately rolled, severed and dried. The volume of ribs can be increased still further by contacting the severed ribs, prior to drying, with steam and water to bring about additional evaporation of moisture in the interior of severed ribs.