Abstract: Successive rows of cigarettes delivered axially from a packing machine hopper outlet (12) are engaged by a cyclically-movable transfer member (24, 32, 425) which accelerates each row sideways and closes up spaces between cigarettes (C) before transferring the row to a conveyor (22) moving continuously at machine speed. The conveyor may be a drum (22) which transfers the cigarettes to a pocket conveyor (62) in which the cigarette bundles are formed, or it may be the pocket conveyor itself. The hopper may have several spaced outlets (12) so that rows may be supplied to the pocket conveyor (62) at spaced locations along its length to provide multi-layer bundles.

Abstract: A wrapping machine, particularly for wrapping cigarette packets in wrapper film, includes a series of endless band conveyors (148, 152, 156, 166, 170) carrying pushers (150, 154, 158, 172) for moving successive packets (191) along a straight wrapping line. One of the pushers (158) is heated to seal a wrapper seam. Opposed heated band conveyors (166) simultaneously seal end folds of the wrapper. Packets are gripped between opposed conveyors (145, 148) immediately after intercepting a wrapper (100). Partially-wrapped packets are arranged to slide relative to surfaces (149, 153, 157, 180) to attain wrap tightness. Successive conveyors (e.g. 156, 170) are independently driven to allow phasing of the conveyors to vary the position at which packets are transferred between them.

Abstract: A cigarette buffer reservoir system includes mobile containers (18) which are loaded and unloaded by transfer of successive batches of cigarettes between the container and a common transfer station (16) connected to a mass flow conveyor system (2-19) linking at least one maker (3) and at least one packer (5). The transfer station (16) has suction assistance (32) bearing on the ends of the cigarettes to allow separation of cigarettes in a container into batches for transfer during unloading. The transfer station (16) preferably also includes a conveyor (26) with retractable spaced partitions (30) for supplying or receiving successive batches, and at least one pusher (32,34) for transferring batches to or from the conveyor in a direction parallel to the cigarettes.

Abstract: Loss of tobacco from the ends of cigarettes is reduced or prevented by applying foamed adhesive thereto. The foam may in general be blown onto the cigarette ends [(FIGS. 1, 2 and 4)] or may be "printed" onto the cigarette ends [(FIG. 3 and FIGS. 5 and 6)]. The expansion ratio of the foam in preferably at least 10:1, so that very little liquid adhesive is needed to contact a significant area of tobacco. Thus the liquid content of the adhesive may be readily absorbed into the tobacco so as not to create a drying problem. In a preferred example [(FIG. 1)] foam is supplied by a pipe [24] to fill apertures on a disc [20] from which measured quantities of foam are blown by an air jet from a pipe [28.] Suction is applied to the filter ends [108]of the cigarettes via a manifold [18] and flexible seals [12C] to help in drawing the foam into the cigarettes.

Abstract: A conveyor system for a multi-layer stream of cigarettes or the like includes a buffer reservoir (32) and a variable length elevator (12) for transferring cigarettes between a main conveyor (10) and the reservoir. The elevator (12) has a movable lower end (22,24) carrying a transfer conveyor (30) which rises and falls with the state of fill of the reservoir (32). The reservoir (32) comprises a rotatable drum (34) carrying an helical track (36). Drive devices (40,46) for the drum (34) and for the movable end (22,24) of the elevator (12) are synchronized and the conveying speed of the elevator is adjusted to compensate for movement of its lower end (22,24).

Abstract: A conveyor system for rod-like articles, particularly cigarettes, includes a transfer conveyor comprising twisting endless bands arranged to convey a multiple-layer stream of articles in a direction transverse to the lengths of the articles and to twist the stream about an axis generally parallel to the conveyance direction. Also disclosed is a conveyor system in which at least one stream of substantially horizontal rod-like articles is twisted and conveyed to a junction beyond which a mutltiple-layer stream of substantially vertical articles is conveyed. The conveyor systems are particularly useful for "tip turning" filter cigarettes so that a stream on a first conveyor may be combined with a parallel stream on a second conveyor after being twisted and laterally displaced by the transfer conveyor so that the filter tip ends of both streams are on the same side.

Abstract: A continuous line of laterally moving cigarettes is provided by extracting a row of cigarettes from an 80-column hopper 10, supporting the row by suction on the underside of a fluted beam 18 mounted on a pair of cranks 20, and cyclically rotating the cranks to bring the speed of the beam up to that of a fluted conveyor 32, where the row is deposited at the end of a previously transferred row. From the continuous line of cigarettes shorter rows are subsequently removed by known suction drums to form a succession of groups ready for packing on a continuous packer.

Abstract: A mass flow of cigarettes is reduced in width as it passes downwardly through chutes into a passage in which the cigarettes are formed as a stream two rows deep. The cigarettes are fed onto a fluted drum and accelerated to form gaps between them, the cigarettes in one row being held by suction in the flutes and those in the other row resting on top of them and being kept in place by suction. From the fluted drum the cigarettes are transferred to a further fluted drum as a single row, by being fed between a stripper and a fixed plate which are positioned so that only one cigarette, from each row alternately, can pass into a flute on the further drum. The cigarettes may then be collated into groups ready for packing.

Abstract: Loss of tobacco from the ends of cigarettes is reduced or prevented by applying foamed adhesive thereto. The foam may in general be blown onto the cigarette ends or may be "printed" onto the cigarette ends. The expansion ratio of the foam in preferably at least 10:1, so that very little liquid adhesive is needed to contact a significant area of tobacco. Thus the liquid content of the adhesive may be readily absorbed into the tobacco so as not to create a drying problem. In a preferred example foam is supplied by a pipe to fill apertures on a disc from which measured quantities of foam are blown by an air jet from a pipe. Suction is applied to the filter ends of the cigarettes via a manifold and flexible seals to help in drawing the foam into the cigarettes.

Abstract: Filter cigarettes are produced by uniting tobacco sections (12, 122) and filter portions (21, 120) with a wrapper (28, 124) which carries a relatively thick circumferential bead (126) of adhesive or other filler material to provide an effective seal around the cigarette. The cigarettes may be assembled on parallel assembly lines (16, 18) supplied with tobacco sections from a common maker line (10) by a carrier conveyor (14) arranged to supply alternate sections to different assembly lines disposed at 90.degree. to the maker line.

Abstract: Oval filter cigarettes are made by forming rod groups each comprising at least one cigarette portion and at least one filter portion in axial alignment; placing each rod group on a wrapping member rotatably carried by a conveyor having a succession of such wrapping members, each group being provided with a portion of uniting paper overlapping the members of the group; and rotating each wrapping member with respect to the conveyor about an axis parallel to that of the rods so as to wrap the uniting paper of least partly around the corresponding rod group.During rotation of each wrapping member the uniting paper may be gripped by suction ports to provide a tight wrap.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packing batches of cigarettes, in which batches B are transferred from a hopper 10 into compression boxes 16 of an intermittent conveyor 14, and are then packaged (e.g. in soft packs) while passing along continuous conveyors 22, 30 and 38. Compressed batches B are transferred into U-shaped foil wrappers F1 in compartments 28 of the conveyor 22, when folding flaps 88 fold over the two sides of the wrapper before the transfer is completed (FIG. 4). In a modification, the batches are formed from a continuous stream of cigarettes (FIGS. 8 and 9), and any voids V in the stream are filled by an intermittent acceleration rotor 350 (FIG. 11).

Abstract: A gravure-type gummer comprises a hollow cylindrical member 18 partly immersed in an adhesive container 10 and adapted to transfer a pattern of adhesive to a blank B movable in contact with the top of the member. The adhesive is held in a pattern of round bores 24 extending through the member, whose inside and outside peripheral surfaces are scraped clean of adhesive by scrapers 26 and 28.

Abstract: A control device for re-starting a cigarette packing machine, while it is slowing down after having cleared itself of a cigarette starvation condition in a flow channel (2), comprises: a triggering circuit (A2, I1) pulsed by a stroboscopic switch (S1) at machine speed, and controlling two flip-flop counters (F1 and F2); a fault emission circuit (R1, C1, R2, C2 and A1) fed from the starvation detector switch (40); a main shut-down circuit (I2, S2) connected from the output of one flip-flop (F1); and a re-start circuit (C3, R3, S3) connected from the output of the other flip-flop (F2).

Abstract: A cigarette packing machine with a plurality of passageways leading from a hopper, includes an ends testing device (16, 16a) for individual cigarettes, so that faulty cigarettes can be rejected from the hopper before the cigarettes are ejected in groups at the bottom of the passageways (2).Leading from the hopper are two channels (6, 8) feeding each of the passageways. In one embodiment of the invention cigarettes are held up for ends testing in alternate channels by suction ports (14) formed in inclined surfaces leading to each passageway. In a second embodiment a set of horizontal reciprocating wires (30, 32) acts as an escapement mechanism.

Abstract: A variable capacity reservoir for cigarettes or similar rod-like articles, in which an helical support surface is reversibly drivable from a storage position, in which it is compactly stored with adjacent helical turns closely spaced, to an operative position, in which adjacent helical turns are spaced apart to allow a stack of the articles to be conveyed. Pairs of pinch rollers engaging the inner edge of the strip are provided for moving the strip. The strip may be made up of a series of substantially annular sections, each of which has been severed along a substantially radial line, and with adjacent sections joined to each other in stacked formation.

Abstract: A vertical feed apparatus for conveying a continuous stack of cigarettes upwards and/or downwards includes one or two bands which convey the stack around a rotatable member, from a horizontal conveyor to a pair of vertical conveyors, the bands being laterally offset from the horizontal and vertical conveyors.

Abstract: A stack of sheets, in particular hinged-lid blanks B for cigarette packets, are disposed in a vertical stack S from the top of which successive sheets are lifted by a suction member and removed by mechanical means, e.g. by a pair of conveyors 21 provided with pushers 23.The suction member may be a gang of sleeves 14 to which suction is continuously supplied, so that when a sheet B is engaged by the sleeves they are lifted automatically by suction in readiness for the pushers 23 to remove the raised sheet B, after which the sleeves again drop by gravity. The stack S may be inched around a J-shaped stack, or lifted by a pair of divergent conveyors 30 to which replenishing groups of blanks G are fed from underneath.

Abstract: In a system for making and packing cigarettes, cigarette making and packing machines are arranged in units each including a making machine, a packing machine and a reservoir, each unit being slightly mis-matched as to its making and packing outputs so as to have, on average, a surplus or deficit of cigarettes which is fed away or made up by a transfer conveyor linked to an additional packing or making machine which absorbs the surplus or makes up the deficit of all the units as the case may be.

Abstract: Apparatus for handling rod-like articles incorporates a buffer reservoir system using trolleys having vertical compartments for storing the articles in stack formation. The compartments receive the articles from outlets in a first conveyor and may return articles to a second conveyor through inlets. The first conveyor may form part of a conveyor system linking one or more cigarette making machines to one or more cigarette packing machines. The outlets are closable by a gate and a platform is moved through each compartment to lower articles from the outlet. The bottoms of the compartments are provided with removable slats. A particular form of closure suitable for separating a stack of rod-like articles and apparatus for loading and unloading containers with rod-like articles are also disclosed.