Abstract: A bag forming/filling system includes a delivery mechanism to feed a predetermined length of web material from a web roll to a bag forming cylinder, in which the web is sealed by a sealing machine to form a bag. A predelivery mechanism unwinds and loosens a portion of the web from the web roll by a length substantially corresponding to the predetermined length before operation of the delivery mechanism. The predelivery mechanism may include a pivotally movable tension lever, which moves in an unwinding direction substantially during the closing motion of the sealing machine. In a second embodiment, the predelivery mechanism includes a drive element for rotating the web roll and a detector for detecting a slackened length of a portion of the web.

Abstract: A circular-arc shaped movable conveyor is horizontally turned along a circular-arc orbital path of a stationary conveyor according to the difference between he feeding-in amount from feeding-in port to the movable conveyor and the feeding-out amount from the stationary conveyor to a feeding-out port. Thus, the capacities of an upper compartment on the movable conveyor and a lower compartment on the stationary conveyor are increased and decreased,so that the imbalance between the demand to a post-processing machine and the supply from a pre-processing machine can be adjusted. Furthermore, the rod-shaped articles are fed from he feeding-in port to the feeding-out port while sequentially passing through the upper compartment and the lower compartment.

Abstract: A screw feeder is provided having a lower screw shaft and an upper drive shaft which are detachably connected to each other. The drive shaft includes an outer tubular member, with an inner, generally solid, connecting member positioned within the drive shaft. The lower end of the tubular member of the drive shaft includes a generally tapered recess which is adapted to mate with a lower end of the connecting rod positioned therein. The lower end of the connecting rod has a plurality of generally axially arranged slits which make the lower rod end flexible, with the lower end having a generally frustoconical outer surface. The upper end of the screw shaft is adapted to be attached to the lower end of the drive shaft by at least one annular member which engages one of the shafts. The annular member has two inwardly protruding pins, with the lower end of the drive shaft having a portion with two generally L-shaped opposed recesses which are adapted to engage the pins.

Abstract: A magazine for holding a plurality of articles, such as cartons, which are to be singularly withdrawn at a downstream end, and a method of feeding articles. The magazine includes guides, spaced apart by a distance greater than the width of the cartons in their folded condition, thereby creating a gap between an inner guide surface and one of the edges of the cartons. A pair of stoppers oppositely project toward each other and are spaced apart by a distance less than the width of the cartons, to thereby hold the most downstream carton in a position to facilitate its withdrawal at the discharge end of the magazine. The stoppers are positioned to engage the particular edges of the cartons of which the distance between them is not apt to be variable, to thereby reduce the likelihood of the cartons becoming jammed within the magazine. At least one feed roller projects from one inner guide surface toward the other inner guide surface upstream of the discharge end.

Abstract: A magazine for holding a plurality of articles, such as cartons, which are to be singularly withdrawn at a downstream end, and a method of feeding articles. The magazine includes guides, spaced apart by a distance greater than the width of the cartons in their folded condition, thereby creating a gap between an inner guide surface and one of the edges of the cartons. A pair of stoppers project from the inner guide surfaces and are spaced apart by a distance less than the width of the cartons, to thereby hold the most downstream carton in a position to facilitate its withdrawal at the discharge end of the magazine. A feed roller projects from one inner guide surface toward the other inner guide surface upstream of the discharge end. At least one carton is engaged between the roller and the other inner guide surface to isolate a predetermined number of folded cartons downstream of the feed roller from a second predetermined quantity of folded cartons upstream of the feed roller.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for supplying rod-like articles, such as cigarettes, cigars, filter plugs, and tampons. A group of such articles is moved from a receiving location to a discharging location in a predetermined configuration within a storage container. At the discharging location, the container is inverted so that its open side faces downwardly to thereby discharge the articles therefrom. Concurrently with the discharge, the container is lifted from the support surface and containing plates are raised to engage the articles. The distance between the plates is substantially the same as the distance between a respective pair of inner side walls of the container so that the articles are substantially maintained in the predetermined configuration upon the retraction of the container. In one embodiment, the plates are movable vertically and advance the articles a predetermined amount along the supply passage until they abut a shutter mechanism which blocks further advancement.

Abstract: A method an apparatus for replacing reels of web-like material having a paper-end gripping arm having an attraction surface and a keep pawl. A peeling member peels of a bonded end portion of the material and the material is delivered along a transport path where it is held and the bonded end portion is cut off. The cut end portion is then removed from the transport path. Two reels are supported on reel holding portions and are alternately fed to the transport path. The end portion is bonded to the reel by boring a hole in the end portion, attaching tape to the outer surface in the area of the hole and pressing the tape inwardly so that it extends through the hole and is bonded to the outer surface of the material beneath the hole.

Abstract: Disclosed are carton assembling method and equipment for sucking and taking out flatwise folded cartons one by one from a magazine by means of suction cups, unfolding each carton squarely on a conveyance path while transferring it downward along a rotative path, and supplying the thus-unfolded cartons to an encasing machine by means of a conveyance mechanism. Each carton is held squarely by a pair of stoppers, utilizing its reaction force acting in the returning direction. Thereafter, the carton is reverse-folded against such reaction force and then unfolded again to remove the folding tendency of the carton acting in the folded direction, thereby permitting the carton to hold itself in a square shape. And at the time of reverse folding, the flaps of each carton are expanded so that a contents charging conveyor can be disposed in close proximity to the cartons.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sealing and closing an end of a sleeve, more particularly an apparatus and method for bag making, filling, and packaging for intermittently delivering a packaging film of a predetermined length, while forming the film into a tubular shape by a bag making cylindrical body; filling the tubular packaging film with a material to be packaged; and clamping the tubular film by closing a pair of opposed sealing devices to heat seal the tubular film. Apparatus is provided for cooling the heat sealed end of the tubular film by a device which is independent of the sealing device. The heat sealed end of the tubular sleeve is positioned and directly engaged by the cooling members which serves to shorten the cooling time, yet provides an improved seal with an improved appearance.

Abstract: Automatic splicing apparatus includes a first supply containing a first web and a second supply containing a second web. An operable puller is engaged with the first web for withdrawing the same from the first supply and moving the first web along a predetermined path. Cutters are provided for establishing a trailing end on the first web and a leading end on the second web. The presence of the trailing end in the predetermined path is detected and a splicing station is positioned in the path for butt-splicing the leading edge of the second web to the trailing end of the first web in response to detecting the presence of the trailing edge, all without interrupting operation of the puller.

Abstract: Apparatus for attaching seal-strip segments to individual packages, where the segments are in the form of a strip having opposed surfaces, includes a transfer element moveable periodically between a receiving position for receiving a segment from a supply thereof and a transfer position for transferring the segment. The transfer element releasably holds a segment with one surface thereof in contact with the element. A rotatable turret is provided having a plurality of stations at equal angular positions about the axis of rotation of the turret, each station having a support surface for supporting a segment. Rotation of the turret is synchronized with movement of the transfer element such that, during one revolution of the turret, a different one of the stations is operatively associated with the transfer element each time the latter moves to its transfer position.

Abstract: Apparatus for splicing a replacement web to a moving web comprises a guide for guiding the moving web along a predetermined path. A cutter severs a portion of the replacement web to establish the leading edge thereof; and a splicing station is positioned in the path of movement of the moving web for splicing the leading edge of the replacement web to the moving web while the latter is moving.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically threading the leading end of a web spooled on a reel into one end of a conveying passage includes a draw-out lever having a web support surface and movable to a first position at which the support surface engages the web spooled on the reel. A nipping finger is provided which is actuatable to trap the leading end of the web against the surface when the lever is in its first position. The lever is movable to a second position at which the support surface is spaced from the web spooled on the reel for unspooling the web from the reel. A feed mechanism is made effective after the lever is moved to its second position, and after the nipping finger has been deactuated, for engaging the unspooled web and feeding the leading end thereof into the conveying passage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bar-like article supplying apparatus in a hopper, and more specifically to an apparatus for supplying bar-like articles such as cigarettes or filter plugs to the hopper, wherein a bottom lid comprises a plurality of small bottom lids obtained by dividing the bottom lid in a radial direction of bar-like articles, whereby these small bottom lids are rotated in a radial direction of the bar-like articles to make the moving stroke of the bottom lid small to miniaturize the entire apparatus and bar-like articles are supplied preferentially from a depressed portion in the upper surface of the bar-like articles within the hopper, thus eliminating a disturbance of the bar-like articles.

Abstract: Articles are supplied to a conveyor by feeding primary articles from a primary supply, seriatim, to a conveyor. The conveyor is driven at a first speed consistent with the supply of primary articles so that primary articles are uniformly spaced on said conveyor. The presence of a predetermined number of supplemental articles in a supplemental supply is detected, and used to increase the speed of the conveyor to produce space on the conveyor sufficient to receive the predetermined number of supplemental articles. The predetermined number of supplemental articles are fed, seriatim, to the conveyor such that the supplemental articles are uniformly spaced on the conveyor with the same spacing that the primary articles on the conveyor.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an improvement of a bag-making-and-filling packaging apparatus in which a web supplied from a roll of packaging material is formed into a tube through a tube-forming member and intermittently delivered and the formed tube is filled with a material to be packaged and when the filling is completed, the tube is sealed along the width thereof. The apparatus comprises an improved packaging material delivery device which is effective to assure durability of delivery means and to prevent damage to the packaging material for good packaging finish as well as to increase precision of delivery of the packaging material, and an improved registering device in which setting and adjusting operation of registering is facilitated and the structure associated with a register mark sensor is simplified.

Abstract: A method for feeding cigarettes or filter plugs or the like to a working machine, such as a transporting machine, using a flat feeding passage with a bottom which can store and convey the cigarettes etc. in the horizontal direction, comprising introducing receiving boxes containing the cigarettes etc. into the feeding passage and moving them to a feeding station, and raising the receiving boxes at the feeding station so that the cigarettes etc. in the receiving boxes are discharged at one time. The invention discloses also an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for supplying bar-like members such as cigarettes and filter plugs, in which a bar-like member containing box is lifted at a supplying position which supports the containing box in an inverted condition; and a pusher is operated to feed the bar-like members instead of a conventional hopper construction which stores bar-like members and allows them to drop from same, whereby the speed of the supplying operation is increased and a smooth supplying operation is assured without causing disordered orientation of the bar-like members.

Abstract: A novel apparatus is provided for feeding a packaging film with registered marks to a working machine, such as a packaging machine which packs products in wraps. According to the apparatus, rapid and continuous feeding of the film is realized. Further, one operator can watch and control a plurality of machines.

Abstract: A novel apparatus is provided for inspecting defects in cigarette bundles layered in buckets which are fixed to a bucket conveyor. The defects include tip fall state where the top content of cigarette piece is dropped off, loss of filter and shortage in the number of cigarette pieces. The apparatus consists of a gate time measuring device, a dark time measuring device, a computing device and a comparison device. The gate time measuring device measures gate time showing the passing time of the internal length of buckets, and the dark time measuring device measures dark time showing the passing time of a defective part of cigarette and of spaces between cigarette pieces. The computing device selects the maximum value of the dark time and computes a percentage of the gate time to the maximum value. The comparison device then compares the computed value with a predetermined value so as to determine whether or not there are defects in cigarette piece bundles.