Patents by Inventor Thomas Hafker

Thomas Hafker has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6044624
    Abstract: Process and apparatus for producing bag packs each having a portion (10) of cut tobacco or the like. For the purpose of producing bag packs with portions (10) of different weights, the portions (10) are compressed in the region of a pressing chamber (14) such that the portion (10) which has to be introduced into the bag (11) is always of the same size--irrespective of the weight. During compaction, the portion (10) is simultaneously formatted so that it corresponds to the interior of the bag (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Thomas Hafker, Burkard Roesler
  • Patent number: 6038832
    Abstract: In the production of large packs (10) each comprising a pack group (11), in particular comprising cigarette packs (12), different-wrapper versions have to be taken into account. For this purpose, two folding turrets (21, 22) for different packaging material are provided, namely a folding turret (21) for cardboard blanks (13) and a folding turret (22) for blanks (20) made of paper or film. The two folding turrets (21, 22) are arranged one beside the other in horizontal alignment. Each folding turret (21, 22) is provided with four pockets which each run through three operating stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Focke & Co (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Thomas Hafker, Martin Stiller, Michael Schlenker
  • Patent number: 5992494
    Abstract: In the manufacture of packets on which folding flaps or other packaging parts are connected to one another by glue, the latter is applied to the blank (10) of the packet by glue nozzles 16. When there is a temporary breakdown, the gluing unit (15) is moved into a waiting position remote from the rotary folding unit (11) and held here in an operating position in a phased manner by the release of glue portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Thomas Hafker
  • Patent number: 5946890
    Abstract: Soft-case packet plus method and device for manufacturing same and other packets. On soft-case packets for cigarettes, blanks for an inner wrapping (17) and an outer soft pouch (18) made of paper or the like are folded in usual fashion on a hollow folding mandrel (10) of a rotary folding unit (12). Folding flaps of the soft pouch (18) are connected to one another by glue in the region of a side wall (23) and in the region of a base. The glue is applied by glue nozzles during the manufacture of the packet as a row of glue spots (26, 41) to the respective folding flaps, i.e. to an inner flap (24) lying radially on the outside in relation to the rotary folding unit (12) and to the inner side of an outer base flap (39) extending in the direction of the perimeter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Thomas Hafker, Hans Jurgen Bretthauer
  • Patent number: 5593107
    Abstract: An apparatus for handling reels of webs of material includes a reel conveyor (35), having a downwardly directed supporting journal (41) which can be accurately positioned, serves which for handling reels (10) formed from a wound web of material, especially from packaging material. The supporting journal enters a central orifice (11) of the reel (10) and engages the reel. The supporting journal (41) is accurately alignable with the respective position of the reel (10) or a working journal (33) of a packaging machine or the like by separately operable pressure medium cylinders (47, 48, 49). The working journal (33) at the packaging machine is driven rotatably and, at the same time, tiltably between an upright position and two opposed horizontal positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Harald Gosebruch, Thomas Hafker
  • Patent number: 5584389
    Abstract: To improve the possibility of extracting cigarettes from the pack, the bottom wall of the pack is made to be bevelled, that is, oblique, with respect to the from and back walls of the pack. The cigarettes stand respectively to the bottom wall and are thereby offset in height relative to one another. The cigarettes are supported by an upper supporting wall and a lower supporting wall which have recesses aligned with one another for receiving the cigarettes therethrough. The support provided by the supporting walls maintains the cigarettes at a distance from one another and from the walls of the pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Thomas Hafker
  • Patent number: 5379575
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for introducing (small) packs, especially cigarette packs, into a box. An intermediate container (18) is used in order to fill containers, especially boxes (16), with a plurality of (small) packs arranged in rows above and next to one another. This intermediate container is formed from elongated compartments (19) which are open at both ends and which receive one pack group (20) each. The intermediate container (18) is positioned in front of the open box (16) in such a way that the contents can be pushed into the box (18) in a single push-out cycle. A feed conveyor (28) which serves for filling the intermediate containers (18) feeds a pack string (15) from a packaging machine (11) to the intermediate container (18) and directly introduces the pack string into the compartments (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Assignee: Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co.)
    Inventors: Heinz Focke, Thomas Hafker