Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for establishing and moving a group of items – By shifting group of items simultaneously from stream...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-28
2001-05-08
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for establishing and moving a group of items
By shifting group of items simultaneously from stream...
C198S347100, C414S331080, C414S331160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227347
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a conveyor system for rod-like articles, particularly articles of the tobacco industry such as cigarettes or filter rods.
In the manufacture of articles of the tobacco industry it is common to transport the articles directly from a delivery device such as a producing machine to a receiving device such as a packing machine, with the articles being conveyed in the form of a continuous multi-layer stream of articles moving in a direction transverse to the lengths of the articles. Typically such streams are 90-100 mm in height. It is known to provide a conveyor system for such articles which incorporate a buffer reservoir facility for accommodating temporary or longer term differences in the rates of operation of the delivery and receiving devices. Known buffer reservoirs providing this facility may incorporate variable length conveyors for storing directly a stream of articles in multi-layer stack formation and/or means for loading (and unloading) articles in containers.
According to a first aspect of the invention a conveyor system for rod-like articles, particularly for conveying articles between a producing device and a receiving device, includes conveyor means for conveying a stream of articles in multi-layer stack formation in a direction transverse to their lengths, and means for transferring batches comprising portions of the stream between the conveyor means and a transfer position by movement of the articles in a direction parallel to the lengths of the articles, wherein said transferring means is arranged so that at least in the region of said conveyor means the articles being transferred continue to move in said transverse direction. Transfer may be from the conveyor means, e.g. into a stationary container at the transfer position, or from the transfer position (e.g. from a stationary container) to the conveyor means. In a preferred arrangement for transfer from the conveyor means the transferred batch of articles continues to travel at the rate of said conveyor means for such distance as is required to allow said conveyor means to move continuously at a predetermined rate. Subsequently said batch may be slowed for transfer into a stationary container.
In a preferred arrangement successive batches comprising portions of a stream on a substantially horizontal conveyor may be transferred into one or more containers at a loading station, said batches being defined by partitions inserted into the stream in the same manner as disclosed in British patent specification No. 1404141. The batches may be transferred by means of a pusher which moves with the conveyor as well as across it and they may be received in a shuttle or other device which initially moves with the conveyor but subsequently slows to deliver the portions into a stationary container. The shuttle may be reciprocated to transfer successive batches.
British patent specification No. 1404141 discloses a container buffer reservoir system for use between a cigarette making machine and a cigarette packing machine. In this system batches of cigarettes in multi-layer stack formation are transferred between an endless band conveyor and a compartmented container (and vice versa) by action of pusher means which moves the batches in a direction parallel to the lengths of the articles. By contrast with the present invention, transfer takes place without movement of the articles in a direction transverse to their lengths.
According to a further aspect of the invention a conveyor system for rod-like articles, particularly for conveying articles between a producing device and a receiving device, includes means defining a conveying path for articles in multi-layer stack formation moving in a direction transverse to their lengths, transfer means for transferring successive batches of said stream from said path at a transfer position, first partition means including spaced first partitions for bounding the respective leading and trailing ends of successive batches delivered on said path to said transfer position, second partition means including at least one second partition for bounding the trailing end of a stream of articles on said path downstream of said transfer position, and means for moving said first and second partitions at different rates, whereby, following transfer of a batch at said transfer position to leave a gap in said path between a first partition at the leading end of a stream extending on said path upstream of said transfer position and a second partition at the trailing end of a stream extending on said path downstream of said transfer position, said respective first and second partitions may be brought together so that a continuous stream of articles may be reformed on said path by withdrawal of said partitions after they have been moved into mutually adjacent positions, thereby closing said gap.
According to a still further aspect of the invention a conveyor system for rod-like articles, particularly for conveying articles between a producing device and a receiving device, includes conveyor means for conveying a stream of articles in multi-layer stack formation in a direction transverse to the lengths of the articles, means for loading articles into containers, means for unloading articles from containers and for delivering said articles to said conveyor means, wherein said delivering means includes means for transferring articles in a direction parallel to their lengths while conveying them also in a direction transverse to their lengths, so that said conveyor means may operate continuously. This transfer of batches of cigarettes from a container may be by way of a shuttle or the like, in a manner similar to that proposed for transfer of batches to containers.
In British patent specification No. 2296000 there is disclosed a cigarette making and packing system in which successive leading portions of a mass flow stream delivered from a making machine are loaded into one or more containers which are subsequently unloaded for recombination into a mass flow stream conveyed to the packing machine. The present application discloses apparatus similar to that disclosed in FIG. 5 of said specification in a system including a direct mass flow path between a making machine and a packing machine, i.e. where only some of the articles are loaded into containers.
Known buffer reservoirs include those of the so-called first-in first-out types where the first articles (or group of articles) which enter the reservoir are the first to leave. Examples of such reservoirs are disclosed in British patent specification No. 1301843 and European patent specification No. 581143A. These examples relate to reservoirs for continuous streams of rod-like articles: examples of such reservoirs for articles in containers are disclosed in British patent specification No. 2296000.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,996 (corresponding to EP 208190A) discloses a conveyor system for conveying cigarettes at least in part in multi-layer stack formation between an inlet and a packing machine, the system including alternative paths for the cigarettes consisting of a normal or main L-shaped conveying path and a path through a storage device having channels arranged in a zig-zag configuration.
According to another aspect of the invention a conveyor system for rod-like articles comprises a delivery device, a receiving device, and conveyor means defining first and second paths extending between the delivery device and the receiving device and on which streams of said articles are conveyed in multi-layer stack formation, said first path being relatively direct and said second path extending through a variable capacity first-in first-out buffer reservoir for said articles. Preferably the first and second paths include common portions upstream and downstream of first and second junctions at which said paths respectively diverge and converge. The second path preferably includes a portion leading to an inlet to and a portion leading from an exit from the reservoir. Said first and second junctions may conveniently comprise T-junctions.
The reservo
Brown Anthony Robert
Bryant Leonard James
Clarke Peter Alec
Dawson John
Hierons Kerry
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Deuble Mark A.
Ellis Christopher P.
Molins PLC
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