Abstract: A tobacco shredding machine wherein an upright duct delivers particles of tobacco to the rear portion of a channel wherein the particles are converted into a continuous cake whose front end is severed by a set of orbiting knives. The lower rear portion of the duct contains a deflecting conveyor which diverts the oncoming tobacco particles from a vertical path into a horizontal path and drives the oncoming particles at a speed which is a multiple of the speed of tobacco compacting conveyors flanking the channel. The speed of the deflecting conveyor is changed in response to changes in the height of the opening between the stationary and movable sections of a mouthpiece through which the cake passes on its way into the range of the oribiting knives. This ensures that the height of the opening reassumes its normal value without changing the speed of the compacting conveyors. The deflecting conveyor is installed in a support which is removably insertable between the side walls of the duct.

Abstract: A device for feeding cigarettes in bulk to the inlet hopper of a packaging machine, in which a feed channel for cigarettes is connected to an upper aperture of a compartment, a lower aperture of which is connected to the inlet hopper, and a lateral aperture of which is connected to at least one variable capacity store, said compartment including two channels extending between said upper aperture and said lower aperture, and of which one is a substantially straight vertical fall channel, and the other is a secondary curved channel communicating with said store and enclosing store-capacity control means.

Abstract: A distributor wherein a belt conveyor transfers batches of tobacco particles from a main magazine into a wide upright duct. The level of different portions of the upper surface of the supply of tobacco in the duct is monitored by several photosensitive detectors which transmit signals for adjustment of a paddle wheel which removes surplus tobacco from the transfer conveyor by brushing off more or less tobacco from different portions of the conveyor, as considered transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor, in order to maintain the entire upper surface of the tobacco supply in or close to a horizontal plane.

Abstract: A dustproof chute for a particulate material loader including an airtight elastic tubular member located below a particulate material feeding device and defining by its wall a space below the particulate material feeding device, a discharge end tubular member of small length connected to a lower end of the airtight elastic tubular member, a particulate material stream diameter controlling tubular member located in a space within an upper end portion of the airtight elastic tubular member and permitting a particulate material fed by the particulate material feeding device to flow downwardly therethrough in a stream, and a ventilating space surrounding the particulate material stream diameter controlling tubular member and communicating with the particulate material feeding device.

Abstract: A tobacco shredding apparatus wherein a relatively small upright duct receives tobacco from a large magazine. A system of tobacco compacting chains draws tobacco from the lower part of the duct and feeds the resulting cake into the path of orbiting shredding knives. The chains and the knives are driven by a first variable-speed motor. A conveyor which is driven by a second variable-speed motor transfers tobacco from the magazine into the duct. The volume of tobacco in the duct is monitored by a first set of photocells whose signals are used to regulate the speed of the second motor so as to maintain the volume of tobacco in the duct within a first range. The volume of tobacco in the magazine is monitored by a second set of photocells whose signals are utilized to regulate the speed of the first motor so as to maintain the volume of tobacco in the magazine within a second range. The capacity of the magazine is between five and ten times the capacity of the duct.

Abstract: A parison handling assembly receives tubular plastic parisons from a random bulk storage, orients the parisons, and feeds the parisons in a controlled manner to one or more blow molding machines. Parisons are stored in the random bulk storage and fed at a controlled rate by a metering apparatus to a parison orienter which orients the parisons into a closely grouped arrangement wherein the parisons are both upright and side-by-side. The parisons are fed from the parison orienter to a parison escapement mechanism which holds the parisons temporarily. The escapement mechanism is actuated to release parisons into a parison transporter depending on the production demands of the individual blow-molding machines. Released parisons, from the parison escapement mechanism, move along the parison transporter to be pushed axially into stuffer tubes. The stuffer tubes hold the parisons in properly oriented, end-to-end relationship for delivery to the actual loading station of the blow-molding machine.

Abstract: This discloses a system for lifting or conveying granular, pulverized or fluid material from a first location to a second location. A long flexible tube, open at the ends, encloses a highly flexible rotary driven helical coil spring equipped at parallel, spaced-apart positions along its length with a plurality of attachments, called "portable flights", which may comprise a shallow cylindrical cup formed from a pair of semicircular plates. The cups are secured to a succession of rungs in angularly staggered relation along the length of the helical spring, and serve to pick up and convey a substantial quantity of the pulverized, granular or fluid material from an input container, in which the tube is immersed, to a product chute near the top of the tube leading into a collection hopper.

Abstract: An apparatus for unloading loose particulate solid material having a discharge pipe and a positive discharge device at the outlet end of the discharge pipe. A pressure sensor is arranged to sense the pressure of the material at the outlet end of the positive discharge device and to produce an output signal in response thereto. A positioning device for varying the position of the outlet of positive discharge device is provided and is driven in response to the output signal of the pressure sensor.

Abstract: The moving parts of a tobacco cutting machine and the conveyor or conveyors which transfer tobacco to the cutting machine are driven by a variable speed motor whose speed is regulated in dependency on the volume of tobacco in a duct from which the conveyor or conveyors draw or receive tobacco for transfer into the machine. The height of the pile of tobacco in the duct is monitored by photoelectric cells which transmit signals to a speed regulator for the motor so that the speed of the motor increases and decreases when the height of the pile respectively increases and decreases. The duct receives tobacco from a magazine. Fluctuations of the height of tobacco pile in the duct are due to variations in the rate of tobacco feed from the magazine and/or to changes in size, moisture content and/or temperature of tobacco which is being supplied to the duct.

Abstract: An apparatus for lifting packaged integrated circuit parts and feeding them into the input reservoir of a high-speed handler and tester. Parts slide down an input track to the bottom of a fiber-faced belt stretched around two vertically disposed rollers. The leads of the packaged parts are held in frictional contact with the belt fibers which lift the parts to the top of the handler. Efficient operation is accomplished by providing for loading and unloading parts at the same approximate location.

Abstract: A device is described for capturing certain predetermined types of mail pieces from a moving mail flow and for regulating the subsequent delivery thereof to processing equipment. The device is comprised of a receiving station and a delivery station linked by a common narrow transport. The latter forms a shallow shelf or ledge situated at the bottom of the receiving station and adapted at any given time to catch a limited number of certain types of mail from a mixed stream as it flows through the station. Additionally, the receiving station includes a vane-like member for selectively deflecting all of the mail from the transport. The operation of the member is under control of the delivery station and depends upon whether or not mail pieces awaiting further processing downstream are present in the station. The motion of the transport is controlled by both the delivery station and the processing equipment to insure that they will be kept continuously supplied with mail.

Abstract: A parts feeder is disclosed in which randomly grouped parts are stored, oriented and discharged at a uniform rate from a rotating or indexing spacer wheel fed by stepwise movable supply apparatus having the rotating spacer wheel as its frame of reference.

Abstract: A hopper device for delivering granular or powdery material to a conveyor system of a type having a circuitous tube and a continuous flexible member having disc members rigidly attached thereto has a material level monitor and control apparatus attached thereto. The continuous flexible member passes through the hopper and a material flow varying mechanism is disposed within the hopper for causing material to be delivered from the hopper into the conveyor system when such mechanism is in operation. A housing having a chamber therein is attached to the outlet side of the hopper and has a float assembly disposed in the chamber for sensing the amount of material being fed into the conveyor system.

Abstract: The aperture mask conveyor and inspection system comprises a pair of belt conveyor assemblies which between them grip and transport an aperture mask from the end of the processing unit to a chute assembly which chute assembly feeds the mask onto a belt conveyor, a densitometer is centrally positioned on the belt conveyor to provide a measure of the amount of light transmitted through the center portion of the mask which is passed beneath the densitometer. After passing under the densitometer the mask is deposited on an adjacent tray.

Abstract: A skip for channelling a load of straw bales to be received by a conveyor is provided. The skip is large enough to receive a load of bales tipped into it from a trailer or other bale transporter. The skip has a conveyor in its floor and in use is set up with one end higher than the other. At the higher end an exit for single bales travelling lengthwise up the floor of the skip on the skip's conveyor is provided through which the bales are conveyed one at a time. The sides of the exit are shaped to turn back incorrectly arranged bales which have travelled up the skip, and these sides may be constituted by frusto-conical rollers. A transverse liftable barrier may also be provided across the width of the skip to knock back bales resting on top of other bales.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for handling and transporting rod-like articles between production machines, for example articles such as cigarette filters between filter rod makers and cigarette filter tippers. Rods transported end to end along a longitudinal stream having the leading rods axially separated from the next adjacent rod by separator rollers which engage the rods of the stream, at least one of these rollers being a floating roller resiliently urged against the rod stream. The leading rods are successively deflected downwardly by engagement with and between the peripheries of a pair of rollers, the peripheral portions adjacent the stream of which rollers are inclined upwardly in the direction of travel and when the rollers rotate in the opposite direction such that both peripheries move downwardly adjacent the stream, they receive the leading separated rod, arrest its longitudinal movement and move it downwardly after which the rod is dropped onto a conveyor.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading particulate materials includes a flexible discharge chute having an accordion outer pipe 7 surrounding an inner pipe 3 comprising a plurality of telescopingly nested skirt sections 4 connected by chains 5. A flared hood 8 having a flexible lower skirt 10 is connected to a support ring 13 at the lower end of the chute, and the hood has a plurality of air intake ports 11 and adjacent material detecting contact switches 12. A winding apparatus 14 for raising and lowering the hood, and simultaneously contracting or expanding the chute, is controlled by the switches 12. Dust particles swirling up under the hood and skirt are drawn up through the annular space between the inner and outer pipes to a collector and precipitator 15, which separates out the dust particles and returns them to the discharge chute.

Abstract: Apparatus for charging heated preforms to moving loading hoppers of a blow molding machine comprises support assemblies for the preforms, a series of laterally adjacent slide assemblies at the outlet of a temperature-conditioning chamber and above the plane of movement of moving loading hoppers of a blow molding machine, conveying means for linearly transporting the support assemblies through the chamber and above the slide assemblies and means for sequentially actuating the slide assemblies according to a predetermined sequence. The method comprises linearly continuously advancing such preforms supported in side-by-side relationship above circularly moving loading hoppers of a blow molding machine and removing supports from beneath the side-by-side positioned preforms according to a predetermined sequence to permit each preform to drop by gravity into a particular one of such hoppers then passing beneath it.

Abstract: In an apparatus for processing items wherein there is a rotatable sorting table for orienting items and delivering the properly oriented items to a discharge passage, and an air jet for driving the items along the discharge passage, a pressure responsive device operable by blocking of the air jet to stop rotation of the sorting table.

Abstract: The moving parts of a tobacco cutting machine and the conveyor or conveyors which transfer tobacco to the cutting machine are driven by a variable speed motor whose speed is regulated in dependency on the volume of tobacco in a duct from which the conveyor or conveyors draw or receive tobacco for transfer into the machine. The height of the pile of tobacco in the duct is monitored by photoelectric cells which transmit signals to a speed regulator for the motor so that the speed of the motor increases and decreases when the height of the pile respectively increases and decreases. The duct receives tobacco at a constant rate from a metering unit. Fluctuations of the height of tobacco pile in the duct are due to changes in size, moisture content and/or temperature of tobacco which is being supplied by the metering unit. The latter can supply tobacco to the ducts of two or more discrete cutting machines and then includes a distributor which feeds tobacco to all ducts at an equal rate.

Abstract: A boot is disclosed for connecting an automatic feeding system bin to a conveyor. The internal pressure of feed flowing from the bin to the conveyor is reduced by a boot collar. The cross-sectional area of the flow is reduced by an attached upper boot member. The associated conveyor can be located at any of a number of angularly spaced positions by a collar-upper boot member interconnection. A regulator is included to adjust the maximum feed flow and to halt the flow, thereby permitting downstream parts to be removed. If desired, a lower boot member can be included to introduce the feed flow to the conveyor, and an associated sensor can halt the conveyor when the absence of feed in the lower boot member is sensed.

Abstract: A cigarette conveyor system includes a sensor mechanism comprising a sensor member above a junction zone into which cigarettes are arranged to be delivered and from which cigarettes are arranged to be withdrawn, and including a flexible elongated membrane which extends transversely to the axes of the cigarettes and confines the upper surface of the cigarettes in the junction zone and on which the sensor member rests, the ends of the membrane being anchored at two fixed anchorage points, the length of the membrane extending between the anchorage points being greater than the distance between the anchorage points.

Abstract: A device for aligning cops which withdraws them in bulk from a storage bin consisting of a substantially horizontal conveyor belt which discharges the cops onto a second elevating conveyor belt, which acts as a first spacing means. After the second elevating conveyor belt, the cops are further spaced out by two conveyor belts and are delivered one at a time along their axis into a collection chamber, from which they reach the usage means by passing over a sloped collection surface.

Abstract: A machine that receives four rows of completely separated but closely spaced cartons from a customer printing and cutting press, and spaces each carton laterally and longitudinally from its neighbors for non-interference therewith. The machine aligns each independent stream of cartons with the longitudinal dimension of the overall machine and directs the streams of cartons to a switching device intended to control carton traffic to a primary automated stacking process or to an essentially secondary manual stacking process. The primary automated process passes the streams of cartons through an underlapping process, over an inspection table, through an inverting process, into a rate controlling hopper. From the rate controlling hopper, the cartons of each stream pass over a set of laterally disposed conveyors and into a discrete stack of cartons formed within a vertical hopper system that is the output receiver of this machine.