Material or article handling – Apparatus for moving intersupporting articles into – within,... – Stack forming apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2001-09-18
Fischetti, Joseph A. (Department: 2167)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for moving intersupporting articles into, within,...
Stack forming apparatus
C414S789900, C414S626000, C414S796200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290452
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
This application claims the priority of German patent application Ser. No. 198 42 965.7 filed Sep. 19, 1998. The disclosure of the German patent application, as well as that of each U.S. and foreign patent and patent application mentioned in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for replenishing the supplies of commodities in reservoirs or magazines, and more particularly to improvements in methods of and apparatus for introducing stacks of overlapping (preferably sheet- or panel-like) commodities into magazines which dispense the confined commodities (normally individually, i.e., seriatim) into one or more consuming or processing machines. One of the presently preferred applications of my method and apparatus is to dispense discrete blanks of paper, cardboard and/or plastic sheet or panel material for admission into packing machines for plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped smokers' products
It is customary to feed successive blanks from the bottom of a stack of blanks to a cigarette packing machine, e.g., a machine for the making of containers or boxes known as hinged-lid packets. A stack of superimposed blanks is stored in a magazine wherein the bottom zone has a suitable outlet for the dispensing or withdrawal of successive discrete blanks, and wherein the top is designed to receive stacks of fresh blanks, whenever necessary, in order to ensure that the supply of piled-up blanks in the magazine is not exhausted prior to termination of a shift or prior to switching to the making of different products, e.g., packets of cigarettes confined in differently colored and/or configurated and/or imprinted containers.
It is known to combine or assemble a magazine for stacks of cigarette packet blanks with, or to incorporate such magazine into, an apparatus wherein the magazine receives stacks of fresh blanks by way of a suitable conveyor. The latter can be provided with holders or grippers in the form of jaws or claws which are movable forwardly and backwards, as well as upwardly and downwardly, in order to transport successive stacks of superimposed cardboard, plastic, paper or other blanks from a source of stacks to a location close to or in a cigarette packing machine. If the packing machine is designed for the making of hinged-lid packets (e.g., for arrays of twenty cigarettes each in a customary so-called quincunx formation), the blanks are relatively stiff and are provided with pre-fabricated slits, slots, flaps, tucks, fold lines and/or other formations which ensure the making of short, medium long or long series of identical hinged-lid packets.
Since the blanks which are about to be introduced into a packing machine are normally withdrawn from the bottom of a stack in a magazine, the stack in the magazine should not be too high (and hence too heavy) in order to avoid damage to successive lowermost blanks during withdrawal from the bottom end of the magazine. Therefore, the supply of stacked blanks in the magazine should be replenished at rather frequent intervals; this reliably ensures that successive lowermost blanks in a magazine need not carry and need not slide relative to a rather heavy accumulation of registering blanks above it.
The situation is analogous (or even aggravated) in production lines which are designed for simultaneous turning out of several rows of packets containing arrays of plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped smokers' products. In such production lines, the means for making and delivering blanks for hinged-lid packets and/or other types of containers for arrayed plain or filter cigarettes or the like must meet the requirements of two or more packing machines. Thus, it is necessary to set up two or more magazines (one for each packing machine) and an equal number of magazines for reception, temporary storage and continuous dispensing of rows or files of discrete blanks to each of a battery of two or more discrete packing machines. The situation is further aggravated if the magazines for the temporary storage of two or even more discrete stacks of paper, plastic, cardboard, foil or other suitable blanks are to receive stacks of superimposed blanks from a common source. This often gives rise to serious problems and is apt to necessitate temporary stoppage of one or more packing machines with attendant huge losses in output.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for delivering supplies of stacked blanks or other types of normally flat superimposed commodities (from a single source or from two or more discrete sources) to one or more discrete blank processing machines in a highly predictable, safe and time-saving manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which turns out a surprisingly small number of rejects and which can be readily and rapidly converted for the manipulation and temporary storage of smaller, larger, lighter, heavier, rather simple or oddly configurated, stiff or readily deformable (such as elastic), sensitive and/or rugged commodities on their way from one or more sources to one or more consuming or processing machines, e.g., to one or more cigarette packing machines.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of manipulating stacks of superimposed sheets, panels, boards and/or other flat or substantially flat commodities on their way from one or more sources to one or more magazines which are associated with or incorporated into blank processing or consuming machines.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of as well as a novel and improved apparatus for, manipulating blanks for the making of cigarete packets on their way from a blank making machine to a packing machine for cigarettes or the like.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of storing superimposed commodities, particularly blanks for the making of cigarette packets, in magazines in such a way that the blanks can be readily and reliably withdrawn from their magazines and processed, and which can be practiced by resorting to relatively simple, long-lasting and compact apparatus.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved system of means for monitoring the commodities on their way toward as well as on their way into and in the magazine or magazines at one or more blank processing stations, e.g., in one or more packing machines for plain or filter cigarettes, cigarillos or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above outlined character which is constructed and assembled in such a way that it can be combined with or incorporated into existing high-speed machines for the processing of prefabricated blanks or analogous commodities in tobacco processing plants, particularly in machines for the packing of plain or filter cigarettes or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for replenishing the supply of superimposed commodities (e.g., prefabricated blanks of paper, cardboard, plastic material, metallic foil or the like) and for dispensal of commodities to at least one processing or consuming station (e.g., to a cigarete packing machine) with attendant reduction of the height of the supply of superimposed commodities. The supply of superimposed commodities can be established and maintained in at least one facility (e.g., a magazine for an upright stack of blanks), and such facility can serve to dispense successive lowermost commodities to one or more consumers. The improved apparatus comprises at least one signal-responsive conveyor (e.g., an overhead conveyor) which is movable between a source of stacks of superimposed commodities (such source can receive a series of stacks from a blank making and/or assembling
Fischetti Joseph A.
Kinberg Robert
Topack Verpackungstechnik GmbH
Venable
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