Material or article handling – Device for emptying portable receptacle – Nongravity type
Utility Patent
1997-05-05
2001-01-02
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Device for emptying portable receptacle
Nongravity type
C414S403000, C414S331140, C198S465100, C198S463300
Utility Patent
active
06168366
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THEE INVENTION
The invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for manipulating receptacles (known as trays and hereinafter called trays for short) which serve for temporary reception and storage of accumulations of filter mouthpieces of predetermined length or plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, cheroots or any other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry (hereinafter called articles or cigarettes for short).
More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in methods which can be practiced by resorting to apparatus wherein trays can be introduced into or withdrawn from containers of the type designed and dimensioned to receive two or more trays, for example, to transport groups or sets of filled trays to a cigarette packing machine and/or to transport empty trays to a tray filling unit or apparatus. Containers of such type are disclosed, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,219 granted Jan. 28, 1997 to Matthias U Horn et al. for “Mobile receptacle for cigarette trays”. The patented containers can be utilized for temporary storage of sets or groups of filled or partially filled or empty trays, for example, for the transport of sets or groups of empty trays to a tray filling unit, e.g., a unit disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,254 granted Apr. 21, 1992 to Gerhard Tolasch et al. for “Apparatus for filling and emptying trays for rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry”, or for the transport of freshly filled trays from the patented apparatus.
The introduction of empty or filled trays into, or the evacuation of empty or filled trays from, containers which can temporarily confine two or more filled or empty trays can be carried out in apparatus which are equipped with floor-mounted or other types of vehicles or conveyors (e.g., roller conveyors) for empty and/or filled containers, and with suitable means for transporting empty and/or filled trays to and/or from empty and/or filled containers. Reference may be had to commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,988 granted Sep. 10, 1996 to Matthias Horn et al. for “Method of and apparatus for manipulating containers for cigarette trays”. The arrangement can be such that containers confining a supply of empty trays (coming, e.g., from a cigarette packing machine) are relieved of empty trays at an upper level, the thus emptied containers are caused to descend to a lower level where they receive a given number of filled trays, and the thus filled containers are transported to the packing machine. Empty trays which were withdrawn from containers at the upper level are or can be transported to a tray filling unit, and freshly filled trays are or can be transported from such unit to storage or directly to the lower level for introduction into empty containers.
The disclosures of all of the above enumerated US patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Heretofore known apparatus for filling or emptying containers for cigarette trays are operated in such a way that empty or filled trays of a set or group are evacuated from a filled container individially or seriatim, i.e., one after the other, and the same holds true for the introduction of empty or filled trays into containers. This is a time-consuming operation which is highly undesirable if such apparatus are put to use in modern high-speed production lines, e.g., in production lines containing one or more cigarette makers designed to turn out up to and well in excess of 14000 rod-shaped articles per minute.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical method of emptying and filling containers for groups or sets of trays which are designed for temporary storage of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method which can be resorted to with particular advantage for the manipulation of cigarette trays and containers for cigarette trays in plants which are designed to turn out huge quantities of cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry per unit of time.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for the practice of the above outlined method.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple, compact and inexpensive apparatus which can fill or empty containers for sets or groups of two or more trays within a fraction of the time required to fill or empty similar containers in accordance with heretofore known proposals.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for positioning filled or empty trays prior to introduction into containers.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved combination of a cigarette processing machine (such as a packing machine for plain or filter cigarettes) and a tray filling machine with the above outlined manipulating apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be utilized in existing mass production lines for the making, tipping, packing and/or otherwise treating rod-shaped articles (such as cigarettes) of the tobacco processing industry.
An additional object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for automatically locating empty or filled trays of a group or set in optimum positions relative to each other preparatory to introduction of such groups or sets into containers capable of accepting and maintaining in proper mutual positions a selected number of trays for cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for transporting containers and trays relative to each other for the purposes of confining groups or sets of empty or partially filled or filled trays in the containers.
A further object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved tray-operated means for properly arraying the trays of a group or set preparatory to the introduction of such groups or sets into an empty container.
Another object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for pushing and/or pulling sets or groups of trays relative to a container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of manipulating trays which are designed for temporary reception or confinement of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry and are storable in containers (e.g., in upright boxes having open front sides) of the type providing room for groups or sets of trays. The method comprises the step of effecting a relative movement between a group of empty or at least partially filled trays and a container in at least one of a plurality of directions including a first dirrection to effect a simultaneous confinement of all trays of a group in the container, and a second direction to effect a simultaneous evacuation of all trays of the confined group from the container.
The containers can be of the type having a plurality of discrete tray-receiving compartments in a predetermined distribution, one compartment for each tray of a group, and the method can further comprise the step of assembling trays into a series of groups wherein the trays are arrayed for entry into discrete compartments of the container in the course of the relative movement in the first direction. The assembling step can comprise locating the arrayed trays of the groups in positions at predetermined distances from each other so that the distribution of arrayed trays in a group at least closely approximates the predetermined distribution of compartments in a container which is to confine a group of arrayed trays. Still further, the assembling step can include assembling a succession of discrete trays into a series of groups. Moreover, such assembling step can include assembling at least partially
Hauni Maschinenbau AG
Kingberg Robert
Spencer George H.
Venable
Werner Frank E.
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