Transfer device for organized groups of smoking articles, apparatus and method to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles comprising said transfer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10946994-B2
Application number	US-201716091507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2017
Priority date	Apr 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

Transfer device configured to transfer smoking articles in a direction of transfer from a feed store to a transfer conveyor with pockets of an apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles. The transfer device includes a forming drawer comprising an upper wall and a bottom wall. The upper wall is disposed fixed in a position opposite the bottom wall and the bottom wall is configured automatically mobile with respect to the fixed upper wall between a closed position and an open position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transfer device configured to transfer smoking articles in a direction of transfer from a feed store to a transfer conveyor with pockets of an apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles, said transfer device comprising a forming drawer comprising an upper wall and a bottom wall, wherein said upper wall is disposed fixed in a position opposite said bottom wall and said bottom wall is configured automatically mobile with respect to said fixed upper wall between a closed position, in which it closes the forming drawer at the lower part, defining a first condition of use of normal transfer of the smoking articles and an open position, in which it opens the forming drawer at the lower part, defining a second maintenance condition to allow the removal of smoking articles from said forming drawer; and
wherein said forming drawer is provided internally with a passage channel for the transit of the smoking articles in said direction of transfer in the first condition of use, said passage channel being aligned to said direction of transfer both in the first condition of use, and in the second maintenance condition.

2. The transfer device as in claim 1 , wherein said upper wall keeps its fixed disposition both in the first condition of use, and in the second maintenance condition.

3. The transfer device as in claim 1 , wherein said transfer device comprises a drive unit configured to automatically drive the bottom wall between the closed position and the open position and vice versa.

4. The transfer device as in claim 1 , wherein said forming drawer also comprises two lateral walls delimiting said passage channel laterally, wherein at least one of said lateral walls is configured automatically mobile laterally toward the outside with respect to the passage channel, in a direction of movement transverse to the direction of transfer.

5. The transfer device as in claim 4 , wherein said drive unit is configured to also automatically drive said at least one of said lateral walls.

6. The transfer device as in claim 5 , wherein said drive unit is configured to drive both the bottom wall and the at least one lateral wall simultaneously.

7. The transfer device as in claim 1 , said transfer device comprising a compressed air blowing unit associated with the forming drawer and configured to selectively emit a jet of compressed air into the passage channel.

8. The transfer device as in claim 1 , said transfer device comprising, or being operatively associated with, at least one thruster of smoking articles for feeding said smoking articles from said feed store to said transfer conveyor with pockets in said direction of transfer, through said at least one transfer device, wherein said at least one thruster is configured to be activated for a cleaning travel inside a passage channel of a forming drawer of said at least one transfer device in the second maintenance condition, at least after the bottom wall has been opened.

9. A transfer device configured to transfer smoking articles in a direction of transfer from a feed store to a transfer conveyor with pockets of an apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles, said transfer device comprising a forming drawer comprising an upper wall and a bottom wall, wherein said upper wall is disposed fixed in a position opposite said bottom wall and said bottom wall is configured automatically mobile with respect to said fixed upper wall between a closed position, in which it closes the forming drawer at the lower part, defining a first condition of use of normal transfer of the smoking articles and an open position, in which it opens the forming drawer at the lower part, defining a second maintenance condition to allow the removal of smoking articles from said forming drawer; and further including an apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles, comprising: a feed store to feed the smoking articles, and a transfer conveyor with pockets, and at least one thruster of smoking articles for feeding said smoking articles from said feed store to said transfer conveyor with pockets in a direction of transfer, through said at least one transfer device, wherein said at least one thruster is configured to be activated for a cleaning travel inside a passage channel of said forming drawer in said second maintenance condition, after the bottom wall has been opened.

10. A method to free, in the event of obstruction, stoppage or blockage, a forming drawer having an upper wall and a bottom wall, of a transfer device provided, in a first condition of use, to transfer smoking articles in a direction of transfer from a feed store to a transfer conveyor with pockets of an apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles, wherein said method provides to activate a second maintenance condition of said transfer device in which the upper wall of said forming drawer is kept in a fixed position and at least the bottom wall of said forming drawer is automatically opened to allow the removal of smoking articles from said forming drawer, wherein the smoking articles, in the first condition of use, move in said direction of transfer in a passage channel provided inside said forming drawer, wherein said passage channel is kept aligned to said direction of transfer both in the first condition of use and in the second maintenance condition.

11. The method as in claim 10 , wherein, in said second maintenance condition, at least one of the lateral walls delimiting laterally said passage channel is automatically moved laterally toward the outside with respect to the passage channel, in a direction of movement transverse to the direction of transfer.

12. The method as in claim 10 , wherein, in said second maintenance condition, at least after the bottom wall has been opened, a thruster of smoking articles is activated for a cleaning travel inside the passage channel.

13. The method as in claim 10 , wherein, in said maintenance condition, at least after the bottom wall has been opened, a jet of compressed air is introduced inside the passage channel.

Assignees

• Ima Spa
• I M A Industria Macch Automatche S P A

Inventors

• Draghetti Fiorenzo

Classifications

• B65B39/007

  Guides or funnels for introducing articles into containers or wrappers · CPC title

• B65B19/32 Primary

  responsive to incorrect grouping of articles or to incorrect filling of packages · CPC title

• B65B19/04

  Arranging, feeding, or orientating the cigarettes · CPC title

• B65B2210/10

  Means for removing bridges formed by the material or article, e.g. anti-clogging devices · CPC title

• B65B35/405

  linked to endless conveyors · CPC title