Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for transport and temporary storage of cigarettes or the like between producing and processing machines

US4353454A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
3References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 14, 1980
Grant dateOct 12, 1982
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 14, 2000

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA24C5/35
  • WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

Apparatus for transporting cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles from one or more makers to a packing machine has a transporting system consisting of belt conveyors and one or more ducts which advance the output of the makers into the inlet of an upright channel serving to deliver the cigarettes to the packing machine. When the output of the makers exceeds the requirements of the packing machine, the surplus is diverted from the discharge end of the transporting system into one or more variable-volume surge bins by way of a reservoir wherein the height of the cigarette stream exceeds the height of the stream in the transporting system but is less than the height of the stack or stacks of cigarettes in the surge bin or bins. The reservoir has one or more conveyors which can advance cigarettes from the transporting system into the surge bin(s) or from the surge bin(s) into the channel. The direction of movement of the conveyor or conveyors in the reservoir is determined by a sensor which rests on the topmost layer of cigarettes at the discharge end of the transporting system, and the volume of each surge bin is varied by a sensor which rests on the uppermost layer of cigarettes…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.