Abstract: A method and apparatus for delivering predetermined amounts of material, the apparatus comprising a chute; a metering wheel in cooperative relation to the chute to repetitively draw discrete amount of material onto the metering wheel; an arrangement for establishing a procession of spaced apart articles along a path, a transfer wheel for repetitively transferring discrete amount of material from said metering wheel to spaces defined between adjacent pairs of articles in the procession and a cleaning wheel for removing extraneous material from the articles.

Abstract: Digital tampons carrying strings are surrounded in tubular envelopes while being confined in and advancing with upright cylindrical carriers. The envelopes are formed around the carriers so that their lower ends extend beyond the lower ends of the respective carriers. The lower ends of successive envelopes are closed by providing them with at least partially overlapping panels. Prior to being separated from the respective carriers, the closed ends of the envelopes are deformed by heated profiled tools which provide the outer sides of the closed ends with centrally located recesses surrounded by smooth ring-shaped portions. The strings are automatically curled along the marginal portions at the upper sides of the respective closed ends in response to downward movement of the tampons in their carriers not later than in the course of the deforming step.

Abstract: A continuous web of wrapping material for catamenial tampons or other commodities is advanced lengthwise first through a station where it is acted upon by a perforating knife to weaken longitudinally spaced-apart portions of the web transversely of the direction of advancement. The web is thereupon converted into a continuous tubular body and the leader of the tubular body is engaged by a pair of rolls which pull the leader in the direction of lengthwise advancement of the web in order to break the material of the web along successive weakened portions. The thus obtained discrete tubular envelopes are moved sideways, one end portion of each envelope is closed, a commodity is introduced through the other end portion, and the other end portion is closed to confine the commodity at both ends. Such mode of making tubular envelopes ensures that the material of the web is not wasted at all and that the envelopes need not be stored prior to reception of commodities.

Abstract: A catamenial tampon is assembled from a cylindrical pledget of compressible absorbent material, such as rayon or cotton, and a rectangular blank of foraminous sheet material. The central portion of the blank is placed adjacent one end face of the pledget, and the pledget is then pushed axially through a tubular die with its one end face leading so that the annular portion of the blank around the central portion is draped around the entire peripheral surface of the pledget and the converted blank forms a cup with an annular rim extending beyond the other end face of the pledget. The rim is then folded over the other end face of the pledget, and the resulting assembly is provided with a removal cord subsequent to simultaneous reduction of the diameters of the cup and pledget to complete the making of a tampon which is ready for use or for insertion into the tube of an applicator.

Abstract: Plain cigarettes of unit length are fed into successive axially parallel peripheral flutes of a rotary drum-shaped first conveyor in such a way that each cigarette enters a first end portion of the respective flute. The second end portions of the flutes have suction ports which attract the cigarettes in alternate flutes so that such cigarettes move axially and provide room for introduction of additional cigarettes whereby each second flute contains a pair of coaxial cigarettes which define a gap for a filter rod section of double unit length. Pairs of coaxial cigarettes in alternate flutes are released for transfer into the axially parallel peripheral flutes of a second drum-shaped conveyor by a system of valving elements composed of a stationary valving element in the interior of the first conveyor and a rotary valving element which connects at intervals two axially parallel bores of the stationary valving element with a suction generating device.

Abstract: One end of a drawstring which is connected to a catamenial tampon at the other end is pulled downwardly by suction while an intermediate portion of the drawstring is convoluted around a hollow mandrel to form a closed loop. The one end of the drawstring is then drawn into the mandrel by suction to convert the loop into a relatively loose knot which is or can be tightened by exerting a pull by suction upon the one end while and after the convoluted portion of the drawstring is stripped off the mandrel.

Abstract: An applicator for tampons has a sleeve for the tampon and for a portion of a reciprocable pusher which can expel the tampon by causing the latter to flex outwardly a set of domed petals at the front end of the sleeve. The sleeve is formed by advancing a strip of degradable material longitudinally, by forming spaced-apart portions of the strip with transversely extending rows of hourglass-shaped webs, by converting the strip into a tubular envelope with a seam extending in parallelism with the axis of the envelope, by severing the envelope across the rows of webs so that the envelope yields a series of tubes each having a circumferentially extending set of petals (halves of webs) at each of its ends, and by cutting each tube midway between its ends to form shorter tubes (sleeves) each of which has a set of petals at one end. The petals are thereupon domed to close the respective ends of the sleeves and the other ends of the sleeves are formed with indentations which center the respective pushers.

Abstract: The distributor of a cigarette maker has an upright duct with an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom. The inlet receives particles of tobacco from a magazine and the accumulated particles descend in the duct to be removed at the outlet by the carding of a rotary drum-shaped conveyor in a substantially horizontal direction. The front wall of the duct, as considered in the direction of removal of tobacco particles from the duct, and the lower portion of the rear wall of the duct are oscillated, out of phase, by a common drive which moves the front wall and the lower portion of the rear wall horizontally at right angles to the direction of advancement of removed particles and in the general plane of the respective wall. The inner side of the front wall has protuberances which oscillate with reference to stationary protuberances at the inner side of the upper portion of the rear wall to promote the distribution of particles across the duct.

Abstract: Discrete sheets of separator material for use in dry cells are introduced tangentially into an annular clearance between the cylindrical internal surface of an outer tool and the cylindrical peripheral surface of an inner tool, and the inner tool is rotated about its axis while one or more spring-biased rollers urge the sheet in the clearance against its peripheral surface so that the sheet is converted into an inner tube which tends to expand radially and is introduced into an outer tube in response to axial shifting of the inner tool. A shoulder between the inner tool and a support for the inner tool pushes one end face of the inner tube from the clearance, and the inner tube is free to expand radially into contact with the internal surface of the respective outer tube in response to complete expulsion from the outer tool.

Abstract: Apparatus for filling ink cartridges which are used in printer units of cigarette making machines has a frame which can removably support an empty cartridge in register with a stationary housing having a reciprocable plunger with axial and radial bores for evacuation of ink from a chamber in the interior of the housing. The chamber receives ink from a tank by way of a feed screw which is driven by a motor. The plunger reduces the volume of the chamber when it is lifted by the nipple of an empty cartridge, and the plunger then permits ink to flow from the chamber into the cartridge. When the cartridge is filled, a piston in its interior indirectly opens a switch in the circuit of the motor so that the feed screw is arrested.

Abstract: A tobacco stream which is formed at the upper side of one elongated reach of a foraminous endless belt conveyor opposite a suction chamber is inverted upside down by a twisted intermediate portion of the elongated reach so that it adheres to the underside of such reach by suction before it is transferred onto a web of cigarette paper. The elongated reach of the foraminous conveyor is guided in the groove of an elongated channel which has a flat surface upstream, a twisted surface adjacent to and a flat surface downstream of the intermediate portion of the elongated reach, and such surfaces are formed with suction ports to attract the tobacco stream to the elongated reach.

Abstract: Plain cigarettes of unit length are fed into successive axially parallel peripheral flutes of a rotary drum-shaped first conveyor in such a way that each cigarette enters a first end portion of the respective flute. The second end portions of the flutes have suction ports which attract the cigarettes in alternate flutes so that such cigarettes move axially and provide room for introduction of additional cigarettes whereby each second flute contains a pair of coaxial cigarettes which define a gap for a filter rod section of double unit length. Pairs of coaxial cigarettes in alternate flutes are released for transfer into the axially parallel peripheral flutes of a second drum-shaped conveyor by a system of valving elements composed of a stationary valving element in the interior of the first conveyor and a rotary valving element which connects at intervals two axially parallel bores of the stationary valving element with a suction generating device.

Abstract: The tobacco stream trimming apparatus of a cigarette making machine has one or more discs which are driven at a peripheral speed exceeding the speed of movement of the tobacco stream through the trimming station. This results in a pronounced increase of the quality of cigarettes, especially dense-end cigarettes, because the pockets which are provided on the discs for the making of dense-end cigarettes penetrate into the tobacco stream and leave the tobacco filler without affecting the distribution of tobacco particles. The discs are driven by the main prime mover of the machine through the medium of an infinitely variable speed transmission whose ratio is adjustable by a servomotor in response to signals which are generated by a device that monitors the density of successive increments of the cigarette rod.

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: An arrangement for orienting and conveying barrels of catamenial tampon inserters includes a support which is constituted by a plurality of alternating cylindrical first and second support elements which rotate in opposite directions. Each first support element forms with the associated second support element a receiving channel, and an upper run of a V-belt conveyor is arranged at the bottom of this receiving channel and advances longitudinally of the support elements. The barrels are piled on top of the support elements in a randomly oriented collection, such as a layer or pile, and enter the respective receiving channels only when assuming one of two orientations. The engagement of the lowermost barrel with the external surfaces of the support elements causes the barrel to turn toward a position of parallelism with the axes of the support elements.

Abstract: The serrated end portions of the barrels of catamenial tampon inserters are permanently deformed into a substantially hemispherical shape by applying heat and pressure thereto in depressions provided at the periphery of a container which accommodates a confined body of liquid, such as silicon oil, and a heating device which maintains the temperature of the body of liquid within a predetermined range. The heating device includes an electric heater which extends only over a part of the trajectory of movement of the deforming depressions. The barrel preforms are supplied to alternate depressions of an odd number of depressions and the final assemblies are discharged only after they have completed more than a full circle about the axis of rotation of the container.

Abstract: Uncoated filter plugs of double unit length which are about to be attached to pairs of plain cigarettes of unit length in a filter tipping machine are treated by a narrow heated smooth surface of a stationary smoothing device which is adjacent to the path of sidewise movement of successive filter plugs and contacts successive increments of a narrow strip-shaped portion of the peripheral surface of each of a series of filter plugs while the filter plugs move sideways with the respective pairs of plain cigarettes. The heated surface is in frictional engagement with and bears against the peripheral surfaces of adjacent filter plugs to smoothen the strip-shaped portions of such peripheral surfaces. The smoothed strip-shaped portions are thereupon contacted by marginal portions of adhesive-coated uniting bands which are convoluted around the respective filter plugs and around the adjacent inner end portions of the respective plain cigarettes to form therewith filter cigarettes of double unit length.

Abstract: One side of a running web of wrapping material which is to be converted into discrete uniting bands in a filter tipping machine is provided with one or more patterns of adhesive strips by a roller which dips into a supply of adhesive and directly or indirectly transfers adhesive to one side of the running web. The roller has peripheral grooves including grooves of greater depth and grooves of lesser depth so that the adhesive which forms the pattern includes thicker and thinner fields. The thicker fields have discrete strips which are adjacent to but spaced apart from the marginal portions of the web. When the web is subdivided into uniting bands, each edge of each uniting band is adjacent to adhesive and the strips of the thicker field adhere to the wrappers of plain cigarettes. Portions of thinner fields extend in the axial direction of a filter cigarette of unit length or double unit length.

Abstract: Apparatus for perforating the wrappers of filter plugs of filter cigarettes has a drum-shaped conveyor which transports filter cigarettes sideways past a stationary housing having a counter-surface defining with the periphery of the conveyor a gap of a width less than the diameter of a cigarette so that the cigarettes are caused to roll during travel through the gap. Tapered needle-like perforating elements are mounted on a carrier in the housing and are movable toward or away from the periphery of the conveyor to thereby increase or reduce the size of holes which are formed by the perforating elements in the wrappers of filter plugs while the respective cigarettes roll during travel through the gap. Alternatively, a first group of perforating elements is mounted on the housing at a fixed distance from the conveyor to perforate each and every filter plug, and one or more additional perforating elements are mounted on the carrier.

Abstract: Filter rod portions in the flutes of a rotating drum are severed by a rotary disk-shaped knife to yield shorter sections which are used for the making of filter cigarettes. During severing, the filter rod portions are flexed by stationary components to produce tensional stresses in those parts of filter rod portions which move into the range of the knife. This enables the knife to make a clean cut and to become immediately separated from the shorter sections. The stationary components may include annular members which urge the outer parts of successive filter rod portions against sloping portions of bottom surfaces of the respective flutes. If the depth of the flutes is constant, the components further include stationary cams which extend into circumferential grooves of the drum and lift the central parts of successive filter rod portions out of the adjacent portions of the flutes during travel past the knife.