Abstract: Apparatus for transferring cigarettes from a continuous, variable supply flow thereof, supplied by a cigarette producing machine, to a cigarette packeting machine, at a rate to suit the capacities of both machines. Apportioning means accumulate a quantity of newly produced cigarettes from the supply flow in a zone spaced vertically above, and spaced horizontally from, an intake hopper of the packeting machine. Transportation means move the accumulated quantity of cigarettes horizontally to and vertically into the intake hopper, and discharge it therein when the operation of the packeting machine has lowered the supply of cigarettes in the hopper below a certain level.

Abstract: Apparatus for supplying cigarettes to a high speed packeting machine in an automatic fashion by sequentially discharging containers filled with cigarettes into the supply hopper of the machine. A parallelepiped box shaped head is rotatable around a horizontal shaft above the hopper. The head comprises two end walls connected to each other by a wall and by battens so as to create two opposite cavities open at one end wall and along one side, where the opening provides a discharge mouth. Containers of cigarettes are inserted, one upside down with respect to the other, each with its open top positioned by the aforementioned discharge mouth. The head is placed so that while one cavity has its discharge mouth located for dropping the cigarettes into the supply hopper, the other cavity is laterally lined up with one of the containers, halted on a conveyor belt. A back square or angle stop member either closes or opens the discharge mouth. This member is operated by levers, guides, actuators and return springs.

Abstract: A device for sealing candies in wrappers comprises a rotary disk with circumferential compartments, each receptive of a candy wrapped in tip style, with folded tips of the wrap upwardly exposed. The disk conveys the so-received candies, intermittently, past a presser, which presses each candy into its compartment to provide the candy with its proper shape and dimensions. The disk then conveys the so-shaped and dimensioned candy to devices which heat-seal the folded tips and then cool the candy.

Abstract: A device for depositing an adhesive substance at one or more predetermined points on wrapping material comprises rotating transfer or applicator disks with irregular profiles including areas destined for transferring the adhesive substance from a tank directly to a corresponding number of predetermined points on the wrapping material. A pair of wiper disks wipe adhesive substance from the two sides of each transfer disk ahead of the position where the adhesive substance is deposited. A dosing collar is interposed between every two wiper disks for dosing and rendering uniform in thickness the adhesive substance on the areas destined to transfer the adhesive substance. The wiper disks and dosing collars are given, in the interaction area with the transfer disks, a movement in a direction opposite to that of the transfer disks.

Abstract: A device for controlling the sealing of seams of thermoplastic overwraps for packets of cigarettes. A wrapping wheel has a plurality of sealing stations for heat-sealing one single seam of the overwrap of each packet. In each station a heat-sealing contrivance can contact the seam during a halt of the wheel. The total contact time, that is, the sum of the individual times of contact between the several sealing contrivances and the overwrap, is controlled in response to the operating speed of the machine. For this purpose the several sealing contrivances, each connected for a reciprocating motion, are installed, one in each sealing station, and have a control system sensitive to variations in the operating speed of the machine, to trip the means for reciprocating them individually, to suit different speed levels of the machine.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to wrapping or packaging machines and, in particular, to what are known as overwrapping machines.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a continuous succession of pieces or sheets, particularly suitable for infeeding cut pieces of wrapping material to wrapping machines, comprises a track for collating and sending forward the said sheets or cuttings; a plurality of auxiliary tracks leading to the said collation track; means for channelling along the auxiliary tracks, successively, wrapping material from respective reels; and control means for rhythmically cutting such material and for automatically feeding material, end to end, from a fresh reel on exhaustion of an empty reel.

Abstract: A device for controlling the sealing of thermoplastic wraps comprises contrivances for heat-sealing each wrap, at a speed compatible with individual speed levels of a wrapping machine; cams for causing the heat-sealing contrivances to operate with a reciprocating motion; means sensitive to variations in the speed levels of the machine and which trip the cam linkage so that the sealing action of the heat-sealing contrivances is suitably put into and out of operation; and a heat-sensor so-connected to the heat-sealing contrivances that, following the switching in of the heat-sealing contrivances, follow-up means respond to the reciprocating motion of the cams through differentiated operating time multiple tracks, in such a way as to operate the heat-sealing contrivances in a differentiated operating time to suit the temperature detected in them by the heat-sensor.

Abstract: A device for controlling the sealing of thermoplastic overwraps, particularly sealing end flaps of the overwraps on packets of cigarettes. At various speed levels of the overwrapping machine the time devoted to this sealing operation is kept constant. This is achieved by providing a plurality of control cams, the number of which corresponds to the number of speed levels there are on the machine. Each control cam operates at one of the speed levels, to periodically activate and deactivate sealing contrivances which operate on the ends of the packet.

Abstract: Control for a system of machines for packeting, overwrapping and parcelling packets of cigarettes or similar articles of prismatic shape, so that in the event of a machine dropping out of operation, the operator be able to set it going again after having first overcome the causes that brought about the stoppage. The control is effected through a main multiple contact remote contactor connected to the individual motors of the individual machines. The excitation coil of the remote contactor is connected in series with the operating coil of a main relay actuated by a manual pushbutton which serves to manually reset the plant in operation after an outage.

Abstract: An intermittently rotating wrapping head has a plurality of movable peripheric radial grippers carried in succession to halt at an infeed station in order to grasp individual products around which wrapping material has been folded in a U by an infeed channel. A wrapping track then fashions a `soap` or `diamond` wrap for this purpose, a pair of folding fingers is provided along the wrapping track, on opposite sides of the infeed channel. Each folding finger consists of a blade placed tangentially to the path described by the individual products as they move between the grippers of the wrapping head and of two plate shaped members positioned above the blade, spaced at a distance equal to the dimension of the individual products perpendicularly to the movement plane of the wrapping head.

Abstract: Apparatus for producing understrips for cigarette packets of the hinge lid type. A web of the reel-wound cardboard material is dragged along an infeed track, intermittently, by rolls which operate in conjunction with counter rollers and make on the web, parallel with its forward motion, two rows of indentations, punctuated with notches. A cutting device is placed transversely to the infeed track. It consists of a reciprocally movable knife and a stationary knife, and operates in a phase relationship with the web feeding, indenting and notching roll and counter rollers, such that all understrips, detached from the continuous web, are identical. The movable knife has means for holding the understrip detached from the continuous web and for thereby presenting the understrip to apparatus for additionally shaping it and transferring it.

Abstract: A device for aligning soft oblong products, such as chocolates, being fed towards a wrapping machine, to make sure that the major axis of the products will not be displaced from its proper direction, parallel with the direction in which the transporting conveyor moves. Laterally of the conveyor there are two guide walls. At the downstream end of the conveyor there is a stop for halting the products. One of the guide walls carries a movable wall, which is displaced perpendicularly to the conveyor so that it comes up against the sides of the oblong shaped products and aligns the major axis of those products with the direction in which the conveyor moves.

Abstract: A device to be mounted on a wrapping machine to fashion the wrap on candies or similar products in "single end" or "double end" twist styles of wrap. An axially sliding sleeve has a pair of twist fingers symmetricaly pivoted to one of its ends. A rod slides in an axial direction in the inside of the sleeve for opening and clising the fingers. Gear means are provided for causing the sleeve and the rod to rotate in unison, and for cooperation with a pair of gears for sliding the sleeve and rod. One of the gears of this pair is mounted rotatably and slidably on the rod; the other is mounted rotatably but non-slidingly on the sleeve. The gears of this pair have inclined web structures. In conjunction with fixed guide rollers they operate the rod so that it is given a reciprocating movement with respect to the sleeve.

Abstract: Apparatus for opening and closing twist finger assemblies for wrapping candies and similar products. Two twist fingers are symmetrically pivoted to a forked end portion of a rotating and axially sliding sleeve, and each finger has an extension radial with respect to its pivot, in the forked end of the sleeve. A slidable rod extends through the sleeve and to adjacent the pivots of the fingers. Two links are provided in the forked end portion of the sleeve; each of them has one end articulated to a common pivot pin at an end of the rod, and has another end articulated to an end of the extension of the finger.

Abstract: A device for feeding wrapping material of flaccid type for use in a wrapping machine. Initially an elongate strip of the flaccid material is moved forward, and is only partly transversely cut to define sheets which can thereafter be torn from the strip. The sheets are left under control, as to their exact positions, until they are taken by the wrapping mechanism, along with the product to be wrapped. For this purpose the partly cut strip of flaccid wrapping material is guided and moved forward by rolls and guides which impress longitudinal strengthening ribs in the material. The strip is then engaged by sheet tearing and flattening rolls which have aligned, cylindrical surface portions rotating at a speed greater than that of the moving strip itself to detach successive sheets from the partly cut strip and to control each detached sheet as to its position until it is engaged with the product to be wrapped in it.

Abstract: A device for shaping and transferring the understrip for a packet of the hinge lid type. The device comprises an oscillating and axially moving arm for transferring blanks for understrips, one at a time, from an area of production thereof toward and into an understrip shaping and receiving station and onto a conveyor belonging to the wrapping line and provided with a plurality of compartments which halt in succession in the shaping and receiving station. While the transfer takes place the understrips are U-shaped, and additionally shaped to make them ready for use on the wrapping line.

Abstract: A device for checking that the base of packets of cigarettes or the like, has been properly sealed down in production lines of the type comprising at least one wrapping machine, at least one overwrapping machine, a conveyor for conveying packets from the wrapping to the overwrapping machine, a memory or retard line for storing signals, working in conjunction with an injection replenishment station for ejecting faulty packets from the production line and for replenishing said production line with products kept in reserve. The checking device is positioned along the conveyor and comprises structure for rendering a faulty base on a wrapped product conspicuous, feeler means for detecting the fault that has been made conspicuous, and structure for restoring the faulty base back in the condition it was originally in prior to being made conspicuous. The feeler sends a signal to the memory system which activates the ejection/replenishment station when the faulty packet reaches such station.

Abstract: An apparatus for accumulating and supplying sheets comprises a container in the form of a well, from the base of which the sheets are removed individually in rhythmic succession. An intermittently movable support device is in vertical alignment above the container. A conveyor device conveys in an inching fashion towards the support device, a plurality of piles of sheets side by side. Centering and transfer means handle whichever pile of sheets is, at any particular movement, closest to the support device. Means are provided for operating, with an inching movement, the support and conveyor devices for operating the centering and transfer means, enabling the individual piles to be transferred in succession from the conveyor device to the support device and from the latter to the inside of the fixed container, once a predetermined level is reached inside the container.

Abstract: A transmission system for a high speed cigarette packeting machine of the type on which the arbor is made up of a number of movable parts, comprises a train of gears that mesh with one another, a motor for operating the gears in a continuous fashion, and a plurality of shafts constantly caused to rotate by the aforementioned gears. Operating mechanisms of the machine are distributed throughout a wrapping line which extends along a sinuous, undulated path. The mechanism are connected to the rotatable shafts, from a part of which some of them take intermittent motion through Geneva mechanisms, and from the other part of which the other mechanisms take reciprocating motion through eccentric transmission devices.

Abstract: A device for downwardly separating sheets, particularly cardboard blanks, from a pile of sheets or blanks, in rapid succession, by suction means, comprises a first and a second pusher system, one on one side and the other on the other side of the pile of sheets or blanks, at different heights. The two pusher systems are moved against respective sides of the pile so as to cause the individual superposed sheets or blanks to undergo alternate, lateral displacements along their mutual contact planes.