Abstract: Apparatus for the automatic filling of magazines which receive a stack of package forming blanks, the magazine having an essentially vertical shaft and the blanks being extracted from the lower end of the shaft, the apparatus having a conveyor which may be energized in response to the sensing of the top of a stack of blanks located in the magazine. The conveyor, when energized, delivers a further stack into an extension of the magazine where the further stack is temporarily supported on movable support plates before being released to fall onto the stack already in the magazine.

Abstract: In apparatus for the packaging of cigarettes, a collar defining member is positioned relative to a block of cigarettes, which has previously been wrapped in an inner paper, during the transfer of the wrapped block from a carrier cell of a first conveyor into a receiving cell of a second conveyor. The collar defining members are automatically fed into a transfer station, defined by a space between the conveyors where a carrier cell and a receiving cell are in an aligned confronting relationship, and the collar defining member is folded about the wrapped block of cigarettes as it is pushed from a carrying cell into a receiver cell.

Abstract: In the formation of cigarette packages, glued and folded packages are delivered via a pair parallel conveyors to a transfer device which includes a pair rotatable transfer turrets. The axes of rotation of the transfer turrets are offset both vertically and horizontally such that a pair of packages simultaneously received from the two conveyors may subsequently be simultaneously transferred into a pair of adjacent receiving spaces in a double cell of a drying turret.

Abstract: The temporary storage of bar-shaped objects such as cigarettes intermediate the manufacturing and packaging apparatus therefor is improved by sensing gaps in the supply within the storage system and engaging the objects upon detection of such a gap to prevent uncontrollable sudden movement thereof.

Abstract: A box with an integral hinged lid is formed from a blank, typically by folding the blank about an open-ended inner wrapper containing the article to be packaged. Prior to opening of the package the lid is joined to the front of the package by integral connecting member which are easily broken. The lid is defined, in part, by lateral tabs of triangular shape and a narrow tab of trapezoidal shape which, during folding of the blank, serve to fold the open end of the inner wrapper.

Abstract: The presence and/or desired orientation of a sheet of material is sensed by normally passing the sheet under the first of two spaced rollers of identical diameter, the rollers being mounted on a common support for rotation independently of one another. The second roller will rotate only in the absence of or misalignment from under the first roller of the sheet material. Rotation of the second roller is detected and causes generation of a fault warning.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding a web of material provided with register marks comprises a rotating delivery device and a sensor which responds to the register marks and provides signals for controlling a feed adjusting device. The sensing point of the sensor is located so as to rotate with the delivery device and be positioned adjacent the web to enable reading of the register marks. The delivery device comprises a pair of rollers of unequal circumference, one of the rollers being driven by a one-way clutch and the other roller being selectively driven by a second clutch which is energized in response to the output of the sensor.