Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items – By longitudinally respacing successive articles in stream
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-21
2004-05-18
Crawford, Gene O. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items
By longitudinally respacing successive articles in stream
C198S441000, C198S474100, C198S476100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06736257
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 101 41 703.9 filed in Germany on Aug. 25, 2001. The disclosure of the above German priority application and the disclosures of each and every U.S. and foreign patent and patent application mentioned herein, are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for transferring articles in, for example, the tobacco-processing industry from a first conveying device to a second conveying device. For this, the transfer device comprises transfer elements, which are arranged one behind the other in circumferential direction, which can be pivoted and are respectively provided with a receptacle for each article.
The invention furthermore relates to a method for transferring articles in, for example, the tobacco-processing industry from the receptacles of a first conveying device to the receptacles of a second conveying device by using transfer elements, provided with receptacles at one end.
Within the framework of this invention, articles in the tobacco-processing industry are understood to include products such as cigarettes, filters, filter plugs, filter cigarettes, and the like.
A transfer device for rod-shaped articles is known from German Patent No. 31 37 223, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,779.
In some filter-attachment machines, the individual components necessary for producing filter cigarettes, such as filter rods and cigarettes, are guided in peripherally suctioning grooves of rotating conveying rollers. The division of the grooves or receptacles in specific regions of the filter-attachment machine is based on parameters such as the cigarette machine cycle and the rod feeding cycle.
The transfer device for rod-shaped articles, known from the above-reference U.S. Patent, consists of two simultaneously rotating conveying cylinders, which are respectively provided along the periphery with differently divided inserts for the articles, as well as a conveying cylinder for the transition. The transition cylinder, which rotates in the opposite direction and is positioned between the conveying cylinders functions to remove the articles from the cylinders or deposits them on the cylinders at defined transfer locations. For this purpose, a plurality of end pieces designed as levers are provided, each having one arm with an insert for the articles. The transition cylinder furthermore is provided with a second rotating member which rotates in the same direction and with the same angular speed as the first rotating member around an axis that is separate from and parallel to the axis of the first rotating member. In this construction, connecting means with separate rods are provided between the second rotating member and each lever-type end piece for joining the respective lever-type end piece and the second rotating member. To permit synchronization with the circumferential speeds, the levers are pivoted to the transfer position prior to picking up the respective article and are then pivoted away from it. Thus, the speed is initially reduced to obtain a relative speed of zero between the transfer elements. To deposit an article onto a conveying roller that rotates faster, the operational steps are reversed and the respective lever is used to adapt the speed of the article to be transferred to the speed of the conveying roller that will accommodate the article. The structure disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,779 is not suitable for the separation of articles in the tobacco-processing industry. Furthermore, the conventional device has a type of planetary gear as a drive which is subject to relatively high wear and is susceptible to failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In contrast to the known methods and arrangements described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can separate or stagger articles in, for example, the tobacco-processing industry. In the process, the separation or staggering should occur relatively quickly and the device should be subject to low wear and thus require low maintenance. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods for transferring articles in, for example, the tobacco-processing industry, by means of which the articles can be separated or staggered and which permits a fast process control.
This object is achieved with a method according to the invention that transfers articles in, for example, the tobacco-processing industry from a first conveying device to a second conveying device. For this purpose, the transfer device is provided with transfer elements, arranged one behind the other in a circumferential direction. The transfer elements are pivoted and have one receptacle for each article, wherein at least two transfer elements are arranged with an axial offset to each other.
With a transfer device according to the invention, it is possible to quickly stagger articles and transfer the articles from one conveying device to another. In particular embodiments of this invention, a transfer element comprises an arm or a rod. The transfer device and the conveying devices are preferably drums, wherein the first conveying device is preferably a feeding roller and the second conveying device is preferably a removal drum.
For the purpose of this description, “at an axial offset relative to each other” is understood to mean an offset or an arrangement for which the transfer elements are arranged at an offset in the direction of the rotational axis for the transfer elements (provided they have a rotational axis), the axial direction of the respective receptacles for the transfer elements, or the axial direction of rod-shaped articles held inside the receptacles.
In one preferred embodiment, the receptacles for a first conveying device are divided so as to be relatively close together while the receptacles of the second conveying device are spaced relatively far apart. It is preferable that the divisional spacing between the receptacles can be changed. This is made possible by the pivoting ability of the transfer elements, which are arranged one behind the other in circumferential direction and are offset relative to each other in an axial direction. These terms in particular must be understood to mean that the at least two transfer elements having an axial offset define at least two planes, in which successively positioned transfer elements are arranged. From the perspective of
FIGS. 1 and 2
of this application, two planes of successively arranged transfer elements are arranged offset in an axial direction, wherein respective pairs of transfer elements—two transfer elements in the examples shown in the Figures—are arranged with an axial offset. However, the plane and the Figures can be viewed from the side as well as from the top. For that reason, the terms “one behind the other” and “at an axial offset” should not be viewed as limiting. “At an axial offset” in particular means crosswise to the movement plane of the transfer device and “one behind the other” in the movement plane for the transfer device.
The at least two transfer elements arranged with an axial offset preferably are independent of each other and, in particular, can be pivoted differently. By means of such an arrangement, a very effective separation or staggering of the articles to be transferred may be achieved. Preferably at least two articles arranged one above the other, or axially aligned, are provided in the receptacles of the first conveying device. These articles are either divided just before the transfer into two articles, from one article of double the usable length, or they are divided into two articles during or shortly after the transfer.
A transfer device that is exposed to low wear can be realized if the transfer elements with respective axial offset preferably define planes, wherein one cam body per plane is provided for pivoting the transfer elements of a plane assigned to the cam body.
The transfer device preferably comprises a rotating drum, w
Oesterling Erwin
Steiniger Wolfgang
Crawford Gene O.
Hauni Maschinenbau AG
Kinberg Robert
Venable LLP
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