Abstract: Successive cigarette packs wherein an inner envelope surrounds an array of smokers' products are advanced against successive foremost blanks of a series of blanks to be converted into outer envelopes of the respective packs. Those portions of the inner envelopes which are secured to each other by an adhesive are mechanically held against separaton prior to complete setting of the adhesive on their way toward the blanks, during entrainment and initial deformation of the blanks and, if necessary, during conversion of the blanks into outer envelopes which surround the respective inner envelopes. The blanks can consist of a light transmitting material.

Abstract: Blanks for conversion into hinged-lid packets for block-shaped arrays of cigarettes in metal foil envelopes are supplied by a first turntable to an assembling station where successive blanks are overlapped by successive arrays furnished by a second turntable. Each blank is draped around the envelope of the respective array in part at the assembling station and in part at a further station downstream of the assembling station, as seen in the direction of joint advancement of the arrays and the corresponding blanks toward an evacuating station. Each array is moved at the assembling station vertically downwardly from a pocket of the second turntable into a pocket of the first turntable; the latter thereupon advances the arrays and the blanks jointly to the further station, and the finished packets—with the arrays confined therein—to the evacuating station.

Abstract: A cigarette packing machine has a first drive normally transmitting motion to packing units which are employed to advance a series of arrays of cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry and to confine each array in a discrete packet by providing each of successive arrays of the series with one or more envelopes, labels and the like. The first drive is decelerated and brought to a halt in the event of malfunctioning of one or more packing units of the machine and/or for other reasons, and this initiates or prevents an interruption of operation of at least one second drive which transmits motion to one or more packing units during deceleration and/or during a period following stoppage of the first drive. The second drive(s) causes or cause the respective packing unit(s) to complete operations which, if not carried out prior to restarting of the first drive, would entail the making of numerous defective packets.

Abstract: An elongated bridge-like member which normally assumes an operative position in which it prevents access to a track for the advancement of finished or partly finished cigarette packs between two successive stations in a packing machine is designed to have its length reduced prior to being movable—without colliding with parts at the stations—from the operative position to an inoperative position in which the track and the cigarette packs in the track are accessible. To this end, the bridge-like member has two carriages each of which includes one of the two end portions of the fully extended bridge-like member; each carriage is movable toward the end portion forming part of the other carriage. A locking device must be disengaged in order to permit movement of the bridge-like member from the operative to the inoperative postion.

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting folding packaging material forms in the tobacco-processing industry, particularly carton forms for cigarette hard packs that have been scored or pre-punched along fold lines, from a feed station to a processing station. A rotary table is mounted for rotation about an essentially vertical axis. The rotary table includes at least one receiving platform having oppositely located lateral holders defining limits for the packaging material. At least one of the lateral holders is movable from a feeding position into a holding position relative to the oppositely-located lateral holder.

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting successive at least partially wrapped blocks of cigarettes or the like, e.g., in a packing machine, employs a mobile block supplying member which advances successive blocks of a series of blocks on top of an opening in a bottom wall at a level below a turntable indexible about a vertical axis and carrying several open-bottom receptacles which are movable radially of the axis. An empty receptacle is located above the opening of the bottom wall in response to completion of each indexing step. At such time, a pusher is moved upwardly through the opening of the bottom wall to raise a block into the registering receptacle.