Abstract: A junction zone between the first and second sections of a conveyor system for sidewise transport of cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles communicates with the first opening of a reservoir which normally constitutes a surge bin for temporary storage of those articles which are delivered by the first section but cannot be accepted by the second section. The reservoir has a second opening which is normally separated from the first opening by a reciprocable partition but is free to discharge articles into a tray filling machine when the reservoir is filled to capacity and the rate at which the first section delivers articles continues to exceed the rate at which the second section removes articles from the junction zone.

Abstract: A running tow of spread-out filamentary filter material in a filter rod making machine is sprayed with plasticizer by two ultrasonic atomizing devices which are disposed at the opposite sides of the path of the tow and each of which has a flexural resonator connected to one or more piezoelectric elements which, in turn, are connected to a source of a-c potential in order to expand and contract when the atomizing devices are in use. Each flexural resonator has an atomizing surface which extends transversely of the path for the tow, and the system which supplies plasticizer to such surfaces has pipes discharging plasticizer in the region of some or all oscillation nodes which develop when the atomizing devices are in use.

Abstract: Apparatus for transferring cigarettes from a first station where the cigarettes arrive by moving axially to a second station which the cigarettes leave by moving sideways has a rotary carrier for several hollow crank arms which are rotatably mounted in the carrier and whose free ends are provided with rotary receiving devices for retention and transport of cigarettes from the first to the second station while the carrier rotates in response to rotation of an eccentric holder which is driven by the prime mover of the cigarette making machine. The holder transmits motion to discrete crank units which cooperate with universal joints and cardanic shafts to prevent changes in orientation of receiving devices during orbital movement of receiving devices about the axis of the carrier.

Abstract: A filter rod making machine discharges several parallel filter rods which move lengthwise and are severed at regular intervals to yield files of axially aligned filter rod sections. Such sections are transported axially to a first transfer station where they enter discrete flutes in the concave upper side of one of several rotary platforms which orbit about the axis of a rotary carrier and are rotated relative to the carrier by crank drives so that the orientation of their flutes remains unchanged. The flutes of a platform which arrives at the first station receive discrete filter rod sections from each of the files so that each platform accumulates a group of parallel sections which are transported to a second station for transfer into successive peripheral flutes of a rotary drum-shaped removing conveyor.

Abstract: An arrangement for dressing, profiling or otherwise treating the peripheral surface of a grinding wheel or the like includes a dressing disk which is mounted on a support for rotation about a given axis and has a peripheral surface which contacts and treats the peripheral surface of the grinding wheel during the operation of this arrangement. The dressing disk is also mounted for angular displacement about a pivot axis which intersects the treating surface at the point of contact with the grinding wheel, and also the axis of rotation of the dressing disk. The axis of rotation and the pivot axis of the grinding wheel make an angle of about 1.degree. in each of two positions which the dressing disk assumes relative to the grinding wheel during the operation of the arrangement. The dressing disk may be symmetrical or, preferably, asymmetrical as considered in a radial plane of the dressing disk.

Abstract: Discrete uniting bands which are used in a filter tipping machine to connect filter plugs with plain cigarettes consist of foraminous material, and the permeability of such material is varied, when necessary, by changing the quantity of adhesive which is applied to the uniting bands prior to convolution around the respective plain cigarettes and filter plugs. This ensures that each convoluted uniting band admits a preselected quantity of cool atmospheric air into the column of tobacco smoke when the respective filter cigarette is lighted. The paster which applies adhesive to a continuous web which is about to be subdivided into uniting bands is adjusted in response to signals which are generated by a testing device for the wrappers of successive filter cigarettes. If the permeability is too high, the paster is adjusted by reducing or increasing the quantity of adhesive which is applied to successive unit areas or unit lengths of the running web.

Abstract: Filter cigarettes which are produced in a filter tipping machine are conveyed past several successive testing devices, each of which monitors different characteristics of the cigarettes, thereupon past a cigarette removing device, past a segregating device and on to a conveyor for transport of satisfactory cigarettes to a packing machine or into storage. When any one of the testing devices detects a defective or presumably defective cigarette, it generates a defect signal which is transported to the segregating device for expulsion of the respective cigarette from the path which leads to the conveyor. If the operator wishes, the defective or presumably defective cigarettes which are detected by a selected testing device can be conveyed only to and expelled by the removing device in response to the corresponding defect signals so that the removed cigarettes can be examined for the purpose of ascertaining the quality of testing operation which is carried out by the selected testing device.

Abstract: A tobacco shredding machine wherein an upright duct delivers particles of tobacco to the rear portion of a channel wherein the particles are converted into a continuous cake whose front end is severed by a set of orbiting knives. The lower rear portion of the duct contains a deflecting conveyor which diverts the oncoming tobacco particles from a vertical path into a horizontal path and drives the oncoming particles at a speed which is a multiple of the speed of tobacco compacting conveyors flanking the channel. The speed of the deflecting conveyor is changed in response to changes in the height of the opening between the stationary and movable sections of a mouthpiece through which the cake passes on its way into the range of the oribiting knives. This ensures that the height of the opening reassumes its normal value without changing the speed of the compacting conveyors. The deflecting conveyor is installed in a support which is removably insertable between the side walls of the duct.

Abstract: Shredded tobacco is supplied from a storage reservoir to one or more cigarette making machines by way of discrete pneumatic conveying pipes. The reservoir receives fresh tobacco at regular or irregular intervals so that the quantity of tobacco in its interior is constant. The contents of the reservoir are maintained in suspension so that at least the major part of the supply of tobacco shreds forms a fluidized bed which is located directly below the intakes of the conveying pipes. When a machine requires a batch of tobacco shreds, the respective pipe is connected to a suction generating device so that it draws air from the region between the underside of the fluidized bed and the upper side of the bottom wall of the reservoir whereby the ascending current of air entrains tobacco particles directly from the fluidized bed.

Abstract: Rows of perforations which are produced in a plant for the making of webs of tipping paper for use in filter tipping machines are monitored by pneumatic or photoelectronic devices to ascertain the distance between such rows and the nearest marginal portions of the web while the web is transported toward the paster in a filter tipping machine. If the distance between the perforations and the marginal portion deviates from the desired distance, if the perforations are absent and/or if the combined cross-sectional area of perforations per unit length of the web is unsatisfactory, the monitoring system generates signals which are used to warn the attendants so that the attendants can replace the defective web with a satisfactory web and/or to effect segregation of filter cigarettes embodying defective portions of the web.

Abstract: Apparatus which transports filter rod sections from a maker to a processing machine has a pneumatic sender which admits a file of sections into the inlet of a pneumatic conveyor whose outlet delivers sections to a receiver wherein the file of sections is converted into a row which is admitted into the magazine of the processing machine. A first photoelectronic detector monitors the travel of sections at the inlet of the conveyor and a second photoelectronic detector monitors the sections in the region of an accelerating device forming part of the receiver and serving to separate successive sections of the file from each other.

Abstract: Apparatus for simultaneously severing plural parallel filter rods which issue from an extruder and move axially at the same speed has a knife mounted on a holder which is rotatable about an axis extending in parallelism with the axes of the rods. The knife holder moves along a circular path in a plane which is parallel to the axes of the rods. The knife holder and suitable guides for the rods are mounted on cranks whose crankshafts rotate about axes making a right angle to the direction of movement of the rods and causing the knife and the guides to move back and forth in and counter to the direction of axial movement of the rods. The shaft for the knife holder is rotated at twice the speed of the crankshafts and the cutting edge of the knife severs all of the rods in immediate proximity of the guides during each second revolution of the holder.

Abstract: A tobacco stream which contains shreds and short tobacco is formed by moving an endless elevator conveyor with equidistant comb-like vanes first past a first magazine which contains short tobacco whereby the slender triangular prongs of the vanes remove and entrain batches of short tobacco and thereupon past a second magazine which contains shreds whereby the prongs of the vanes augment each batch by adding thereto an oversupply of tobacco shreds. A first paddle wheel with comb-like blades is adjacent to the path of the vanes to remove the surplus from successive batches, and a second paddle wheel serves to remove the surplus of shreds from augmented batches. Such batches are then converted into the stream which is trimmed by one or more knives which form short tobacco. The thus obtained short tobacco is fed to the first magazine.

Abstract: A receiving station at the outlets of several pneumatic conveyor pipes which discharge discrete files of axially moving filter plugs accommodates a separating unit immediately downstream of the outlets and an orientation changing unit immediately downstream of the separating unit. The separating unit defines discrete lanes, one for each file of filter plugs. In each of the lanes, the filter plugs of the respective file are converted into a series of axially spaced filter plugs which continue to move lengthwise, and the filter plugs of each series are delivered into discrete upright ducts of the orientation changing unit wherein each series is transformed into a row whose filter plugs move sideways.

Abstract: One side of the web which is subdivided into uniting bands in a filter tipping machine is coated with a water-containing adhesive. A certain percentage of water is expelled from the adhesive prior to application of uniting bands to groups of coaxial plain cigarettes and filter plugs by a heating device whose heating action upon the adhesive on the web and/or uniting bands is regulatable in dependency on the speed of transport of the adhesive-coated web and/or uniting bands toward the location of attachment of uniting bands to the respective groups.

Abstract: The magazine of each of an entire battery of filter tipping machines receives filter rod sections by way of two discrete pneumatic conveyors whose inlets receive filter rod sections from discrete sources by way of pneumatic propelling units and whose outlets admit files of axially moving filter rod sections into discrete receiving units having devices for converting the files into rows and for forcibly feeding the rows into spaced-apart portions of the respective magazines below the upper surfaces of the supplies of filter rod sections in such magazines. Each propelling unit can be started or arrested independently of the associated propelling unit, and each receiving unit can feed filter rod sections at less than maximum capacity and/or intermittently.

Abstract: A filter rod making machine wherein a rotary brush which is installed in a housing normally atomizes successive increments of a stream of liquid plasticizer which is supplied thereto by a variable-delivery pump at a rate matching the speed of transport of a permeable tow of filamentary filter material through the housing so that the housing confines a quantity of residual plasticizer and the tow thereafter continuously withdraws atomized plasticizer from the housing at the rate at which the pump supplies liquid plasticizer into the range of the brush.

Abstract: Apparatus for transporting rod-like articles in the form of cigarettes or filter rod sections from one or more makers to a packing or other consuming machine has a pair of superimposed surge bins which receive articles from a first transporting unit when the output of the maker or makers exceeds the requirements of the consuming machine, and a second transporting unit which conveys articles from the surge bins to the consuming machine when the requirements of the consuming machine exceed the output of the maker or makers. A control system is provided to effect the filling of the upper surge bin prior to filling of the lower surge bin and to effect evacuation of the contents of the lower surge bin prior to evacuation of the contents of the upper surge bin. Each transporting unit has one or more pairs of endless belts and/or ducts which convey multi-layer streams of articles.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Apparatus for moving the knives relative to their rotary holder in a tobacco cutting machine has a crankshaft which is rotatable and is rotated once during several successive revolutions of the holder. The crankshaft is the input element of a step-down transmission whose output element is a ring gear meshing with pinions for transmission of motion to discrete displacing units, one for each knife. The ring gear is rotated at intervals by a gear which is coaxial with a freewheel. The latter is rocked back and forth by a lever which is pivoted by the crank pin of the crankshaft by way of a rod-like connector. One end portion of the connector is coupled to the lever by an adjusting device which can change the extent of pivotal movement of the lever and hence the extent of rotation of the ring gear whenever the lever is pivoted in one of two directions.