Automatic apparatus for transferring cigarette containers from devices arranged to fill such containers to hopper loading mechanisms in packaging machines for forming packets of cigarettes

摘要

A system for connecting n cigarette manufacturing machines by a cigarette container feeding apparatus to the loading mechanism of the grouping hopper of a packeting machine. Each manufacturing machine has means for filling single successive containers. Empty containers are rythmically supplied and removed, and full ones removed and supplied, by stepwise moving conveyor devices, with the aid of storage conveyor devices to compensate for output unbalances between the several machines. The speed of the packeting machine is substantially equal to the sum of the operating speed in the time unit of the n manufacturing machines and the speed of each of said n machines is equal to v/n. The system comprises, for each manufacturing machine, a transfer device group having a pair of transfer devices, for respectively transferring full and empty containers a storage conveyor device for bidirectional intermittent movement and a memory device connected to each manufacturing machine and to the packeting machine and arranged to control actuating means of each transfer device, once every n steps of the conveyors, to compensate for operating unbalances of the machines.