Abstract: The density of a trimmed stream of tobacco particles on a radiation-permeable conveyor is ascertained by directing a first beam of infrared light against the trimmed stream so that the light must pass through the stream and through the conveyor prior to reaching a detector which transmits to an evaluating circuit signals denoting the density of the trimmed stream. Such signals are corrected, when necessary, by signals which are generated by a second detector serving to monitor the intensity of infrared light which has passed only through the conveyor, and the corrected signals are used to regulate the operation of a trimming device which converts an untrimmed stream into the trimmed stream.

Abstract: A shock absorber wherein the piston of the piston-piston rod assembly divides the internal space of the cylinder into first and second chambers. The piston has first and second passages for the flow of fluid between the chambers in response to shifting the assembly relative to the cylinder and/or vice versa. One of these passages is controlled by a first check valve which prevents the flow of fluid through the one passage from the first chamber into the second chamber. A second check valve prevents the flow of fluid through the other passage from the second chamber into the first chamber. The piston-piston rod assembly further defines a plurality of bypasses each of which is controlled by a solenoid valve as well as by a pressure-responsive valve.

Abstract: A hygroscopic commodity, such as a continuous stream of shredded tobacco, is transported past one or more sources of electrical energy and past one or more monitoring devices. One of the sources can expose the stream to the electric field of a capacitor in a high frequency oscillator circuit, and the other source can expose the stream to infrared waves or microwaves. The moisture in the stream influences the phase and/or the damping of oscillations of the electrical energy, and the monitoring device of devices ascertain the changes of such characteristics of the electrical energy and transmit corresponding signals to a processing circuit which processes the signals into moisture signals.

Abstract: A cigarette rod making machine wherein the surplus of smokable material which is removed by the trimming device is returned into the magazine of the distributor next to the supply of fresh tobacco. Fresh tobacco is withdrawn from the supply in the form of a relatively wide first layer, and the returned surplus is removed in the form of a narrower second layer adjacent one marginal portion of the first layer. The two layers are converted into a stream which advanced toward and past the trimming device in such a way that the latter removes mainly recirculated surplus tobacco which is again admitted into the magazine for conversion into the second layer.

Abstract: A relatively wide first layer of tobacco particles is broken up into several narrower second and several narrower third layers. The second layers are converted into a first tobacco filler stream which is trimmed to form a rod-like filler ready to be draped into a web of cigarette paper, and the third layers are converted into a second tobacco filler stream which is ready to be trimmed to form a rod-like filler ready to be draped into a web of cigarette paper. The tobacco layers are caused to advance along and closely follow concave sides of guide surfaces and are propelled along the respective surfaces by streams of compressed air. Subdivision of the first layer into several second and several third layers reduces the likelihood of unmixing or dehomogenization of the mixtures of tobacco particles which are about to be converted into plural tobacco filler streams.

Abstract: The ratio of different types of tobacco in a tobacco stream which is conveyed past a trimming device is monitored by monitoring the distance of the trimming plan from the conveyor for the stream while the mass flow of the stream is maintained at a constant value. Variations of the distance of the trimming plane from the conveyor are indicative of variations of the ratio of different tobaccos in the stream, and such variations are further indicative of fluctuations of filling power of tobacco which forms the stream.

Abstract: A cigarette rod making or filter rod making machine wherein the wrapping mechanism employs an endless garniture belt having an upper reach which advances first along an upwardly sloping and thereupon along a horizontal portion of an endless path. A web of wrapping material is delivered onto the upwardly sloping portion of the upper reach, and such web is thereupon converted into a tube which is draped around a rod-like filler of fibrous material. The filler is delivered by the horizontal and/or upwardly sloping lower reach of a foraminous endless belt conveyor in such a way that is reaches the web substantially at the locus between the upwardly sloping and horizontal portions of the upper reach of the garniture belt.

Abstract: A stream of filter tow which has been sprayed with atomized plasticizer is advanced past two detectors each of which monitors the density of the stream in a different way and generates corresponding signals which are processed by an evaluating circuit to generate modified signals which are indicative of the percentage of plasticizer. The modified signals are used to regulate the operation of a pump which controls the rate of admission of plasticizer to successive increments of the tow.

Abstract: The running web of tipping paper in a filter tipping machine of the tobacco processing industry is repeatedly severed by successive knives on a rotary carrier while the leader of the web is attracted to the peripheral surface of a counterknife. The peripheral surface of the counterknife is provided with axially parallel grooves flanked by internal surfaces one of which cooperates with the cutting edge of a knife to progressively sever the web in a direction from one marginal portion toward the other marginal portion. The cutting edges of the knives are inclined with reference to the axis of rotation of the carrier in the radial direction as well as in the circumferential direction of the carrier. A rotary eccentric is provided to shorten and lengthen the path of movement of the web toward the counterknife in order to establish gaps between successively separated uniting bands and the leader of the web.

Abstract: A cigarette rod which is repeatedly severed by the orbiting knife of a cut-off is supported by a tubular guide which has a slot for the knife and is moved with the rod in the course of each severing operation to thereupon move back to a starting position. The guide is rigidly connected to and is moved back and forth by the head of a connecting rod which is driven by an eccentric pin and is fixedly connected to the upper end of a single leaf spring. The lower end of the leaf spring is affixed to a stationary support. The head of the connecting rod moves the guide forwardly while the pin advances along the lower portion of its circular path, and the internal surface of the guide is designed in such a way that it supports the rod from below during severing but is spaced apart from the rod during movement to starting position.

Abstract: A rotary drum which serves to transport rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry or sheet-like components of such articles has a peripheral surface which is formed with rows of axially parallel suction ports connectable to a suction generating device to attract the articles or their components to the peripheral surface of the drum. If the lengthh of rod-shaped articles is changed, or if the width of web- or strip-shaped components of articles is changed, the effective length of the rows of suction ports is changed accordingly to avoid unnecessary flow of air into non-overlapped suction ports.

Abstract: Bales or portions of bales of relatively dry compressed tobacco leaf laminae or ribs are heated microwaves, or in an to a temperature not less than 50.degree. C., and are immediately admitted into a shredding machine without previous cooling and/or breaking up. The moisture content of the shreds is raised to between 12 and 13.5% for admission into a cigarette maker, or such moisture content is raised well above the optimum value for further processing in order to increase the filling power of the shreds. The shreds are thereupon dried to reduce their moisture content to between 12 and 13.5% prior to conversion into the filler of a cigarette rod. Two or more different types of shreds can be mixed prior to admission into the cigarette maker.

Abstract: Apparatus for perforating a running web of wrapping material, such as a web of tipping paper in a filter tipping machine for the making of filter cigarettes, is advanced through two successive electric perforating units one of which is active while the other is idle, and vice versa. This renders it possible to clean the perforating electrodes of the idle unit while the electrodes of the active unit produce sparks which remove fragments of material from the web to form one or more rows of perforations and to thus influence the permeability of the web. The apparatus can be installed in a filter tipping machine between a reel for a supply of convoluted web of tipping paper and a severing device which subdivides the leader of the perforated web into uniting bands serving to connect pairs of plain cigarettes with filter mouthpieces of double unit length.

Abstract: A fixture for workpieces which are poorly adapted for direct clamping on a machine tool comprises a casing having an upper part and a lower part. The casing has a cavity whose shape roughly corresponds to the contour of the workpiece. The remaining interstitial space or crack between the inner casing wall and the workpiece is filled with a hardenable casting material so that the workpiece is securely held when the casting material sets around it. For clamping of the securing body onto a grinding machine, lathe, or other machine tool, the casing comprises a clampable portion with reference surfaces.

Abstract: Apparatus for supplying comminuted tobacco leaves to the only distributor of a machine for simultaneously producing two cigarette rods employs several gates which can admit batches of tobacco into the magazine of the distributor either simultaneously or one after the other. Each gate has its own inlet for tobacco and an outlet which can be unsealed to dump a batch of accumulated tobacco particles into the distributor. The gates can be disposed at a common level or at several levels, and each gate can extend all the way between the ends of the adjacent magazine. Alternatively, two gates can be disposed end-to-end so that the length of each of these gates equals or approximates half the length of the adjacent magazine. The inlets of the gates can receive comminuted tobacco from a single feeding conduit by way of a mobile connector, and each inlet is located at one longitudinal end of the respective gate.

Abstract: Apparatus for draping successive cigarette packs into blanks of light-transmitting material has a turret with radially extending open-ended pockets and is indexible to move successive pockets to a predetermined position of register with a fixed mouthpiece. A web of wrapping material is transported downwardly by a conveyor having independently driven upper and lower units. A severing device cuts across the leader of the web between the two conveying units to form a series of discrete blanks which are pushed by the respective packs through the mouthpiece and into the registering pockets of the turret. The lower conveying unit delivers successive blanks in front of the mouthpiece and can be accelerated to move blanks out of the way in the absence of packs as well as to evacuate blanks prior to stoppage of the apparatus.

Abstract: The making of cigarette packs is started by transferring arrays of cigarettes into successive pockets of a transporting unit while the pockets are at a standstill, and by inserting blanks into discrete pouches which are adjacent the front sides of the pockets. The pouches and the pockets are then accelerated, and the blanks are partially folded to overlie the arrays of cigarettes in the adjacent pockets prior to joint transfer of arrays and blanks into the receptacles of a continuously driven endless chain conveyor. The arms are then decelerated whereby the chain conveyor extracts the trailing portions of the blanks from their pouches and the blanks are converted stepwise into inner envelopes. The making of second envelopes around the inner envelopes can begin prior to or after completion of inner envelopes.

Abstract: A tobacco stream which is built at the underside of the lower reach of an endless foraminous belt conveyor is monitored by a detector which generates a signal in response to detection of excessive accumulations of tobacco in the stream. Such signals are used to interrupt the delivery of a tobacco flow to the belt conveyor, to arrest the device which supplies tobacco that forms the flow, to remove tobacco from the belt conveyor, and to restart the delivery of tobacco to the belt conveyor, to restart the tobacco supplying device, and to deactivate the tobacco removing device when the stream is removed from the belt conveyor. The interruption of delivery involves diversion of tobacco into a path which leads to a magazine. The tobacco removing device can include a valve which deactivates a suction chamber serving to attract tobacco to the belt conveyor, a mechanical tobacco remover and/or one or more nozzles which serve to blow compressed air against tobacco on the belt conveyor.

Abstract: A shock absorber wherein a piston divides the internal space of a cylinder into two cylinder chambers and has a passage of variable cross-sectional area for the flow of damping fluid between the cylinder chambers. The piston has a first section which is connected with a piston rod and is in sliding engagement with the internal surface of the cylinder, and a second section which is reciprocable in the first section and has two sets of surfaces which are acted upon by damping fluid. The passage is defined by the two sections. One set of surfaces is acted upon by damping fluid which is pressurized as a result of axial movement of the piston in the cylinder, and the other set of surfaces is acted upon by damping fluid which fills a plenum chamber of the piston and is acted upon by a valving element forming part of an electrically operated fluid pressure regulating unit.

Abstract: The density of successive increments of a cigarette rod is measured by an apparatus which employs one or more photocells operating with ultraviolet, infrared or visible light. The radiation source of each photocell emits a beam of ultraviolet, infrared or visible light which penetrates through the wrapper and the filler of the rod and thereupon impinges upon one or more transducers which transmit signals denoting the density of the monitored portion of the rod to an evaluating circuit. The beams which are emitted by two or more discrete radiation sources are or can be angularly offset with reference to each other, and the evaluating circuit processes the signals from the photocells to generate a single signal which is indicative of the density of the monitored increment of the rod and is used to adjust the trimming device and/or the ejector for defective cigarettes.