Packaging system and method for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets

Abstract

 Packaging system (1) for packaging cigarettes (4) into bent sheets, comprising supplying means (3) for supplying cigarettes (4), supplying means (5) for supplying packaging sheets (6), rotary collecting means (7) for collecting said cigarettes (4) supplied by said supplying means (3), and provided with elongated containers (9), packaging means (11) operatively coupled and cooperating with said rotary collecting means (7), and adapted to receive said packaging sheets (6) from said supplying means (5) and to place said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9), retaining means for keeping said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9), after said packaging sheets (6) have been placed onto said elongated containers (9), moving means (13) for moving packages (15) composed of said packaging sheets (6) having inside said cigarettes (4), operatively cooperating with said rotary collecting means (7) for moving said packages (15) downstream, bending means (22, 44) for bending said packages (15).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging system and method for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Currently, to achieve the packaging of cigarettes, they must be wrapped within packaging sheets of various types, according to a wrapping direction transverse to the motion of the cigarettes, motion which allows placing the cigarettes in proper containers to wrap them in desired numbers for subsequent downstream insertion in boxes of various shapes and sizes.

[0003] For example, the technical field has therefore proposed various systems, such as those described in documents US-A-4603534 and IT-A-1854726, which specifically concern the presence of containers transverse to the motion of the cigarettes forming a "U" as the packaging sheet wraps the actual cigarettes. Such systems, however, are composed of a large number of components cooperating with each other making them expensive, bulky and difficult to be configured in case of variations of packaging characteristics to be made.

[0004] In EP0553636, EP0970887, EP1616794, EP1780127, EP1832516, JP50322219, US4887408, US4584816, US4559758 and GB1425009, are described however other systems for packaging cigarettes in bent sheets having in common at least two wheels cooperating to join both cigarettes and the relative packaging sheet. The presence of two or more wheels, contributes to make these systems highly complex and bulky.

[0005] In general however, the known packaging systems have means for moving the various component parts which are substantially mechanically operated, such as an oil bath type, which have little flexibility in use and configuration.

[0006] Document US3029572 discloses a cigarette packaging machine adapted to enclose cigarettes in paperboard containers.

[0007] Document US4406251 discloses a device for feeding sheets to packaging machines.

[0008] There is therefore a need to improve a packaging system and method for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets, which overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

[0009] Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to solve the aforesaid problems of prior art by providing a system for packaging cigarettes in bent sheets equipped with electronic control motors, which is flexible and immediately adaptable to different end-use configurations, providing a fully electronic solution for moving the system, thereby allowing to achieve, for example, intermittently moving and advancement solutions without the use of complex mechanical solutions, but simply providing an electronic movement of various axes, with obvious advantages of immediacy and a wide range of different possible solutions. In fact, such electronically controlled electric motors allow for high flexibility where special bends in one direction or the other are needed to be made (bending points shifting); and further, when you turn off a motor for various reasons, the others may remain on, which allows clearing of the line in case of stalls. The fact of avoiding mechanical components (for example of the oil bath- type) permits to avoid jamming of the components themselves, which are sensed by the system only too late when overloaded. Instead, the presence of an electric motor that provides torque only when needed allows to directly and immediately detect the jam and the relative overload.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The aforesaid and other purposes and advantages of the invention, as embodied in the following description, are achieved with a packaging system and method for packaging cigarettes in bent sheets as described respectively in independent claims 1 and 15.

[0011] Preferred embodiments and unobvious variations of the present invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

[0012] It will be immediately obvious that countless variations and changes can be made to what is described (for example with respect to shape, size, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) without departing from the scope of protection of the invention as appears from the attached claims.

[0013] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description, the drawings and appended claims. The drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present subject matter and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0014] The various aspects and features described in the present disclosure can be applied, individually, wherever possible. These individual aspects, for instance the aspects and features described in the attached dependent claims, can be made subject of divisional patent applications.

[0015] It is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments, given as an example and without limitation, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the system for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets according to the present invention;
• FIG. 2 shows another front perspective view of the system of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the system of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of other components of the system for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets according to the present invention,
• FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of other system components for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets according to the present invention,
• FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of other system components for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets according to the present invention; and
• Figs. 7a to 7f show a sequence of certain phases of the packaging by way of the system according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. Within the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to the same components. Generally, only the differences with respect to individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention includes such modifications and variations.

[0018] In reference to the Figures we can see that a preferred embodiment of a packaging system 1 covered by the present invention, system adapted for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets, includes:

• means for supplying 3 cigarettes 4;
• means for supplying 5 packaging sheets 6;
• means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4, movable in an orthogonal direction to the axis of cigarettes 4 (for example rotating according to the direction indicated by arrow G in FIG. 1) and supplied by the means for supplying 3 cigarettes 4; in particular and advantageously, the means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4 are equipped with a plurality of elongated containers 9, preferably with a truncated pyramid shape, adapted to collect cigarettes 4 supplied by the supplying means 3, such containers 9 being operationally connected to the means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4 so that one of their longitudinal axis (as, for example, illustrated by axis L-L in FIG 1) is parallel to the rotation axis (as, for example, illustrated by the axis R-R in FIG. 1) of said means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4, and perpendicular to a plane of such means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4;
• packaging means 11, operatively coupled and cooperating with the means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4, and adapted to receive the packaging sheets 6 by the means for supplying 5 packaging sheets 6 and placing such packaging sheets 6 onto the elongated containers 9 so that the plane of the packaging sheets 6 is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the cigarettes 4, so that, subsequently, the sheets 6 will be put in contact with the filter or the opposite end of cigarettes 4 inserted inside a respective elongated container 9;
• retaining means (not shown, but preferably achieved by way of mechanical tweezers or by way of forced air intake against the sheets 6) of the packaging sheets 6 onto containers 9, after such sheets 6 have been placed onto the same relative containers by the packaging means 11; and
• means for moving 13 packages 15 constituted by the sheets 6, having inside cigarettes 4, such moving means 13 operatively cooperating with the collecting means 7 for moving the same packages 15 downstream of the system 1 according to the present invention for carrying out further needed elaborations in order to complete the packaging of cigarettes 4: in particular, the moving means 13 are adapted to make an intermittent movement of the packaging 15 (a type of stop-hold progression), for example by at least one conveyor belt 21, to perform the appropriate and necessary bending of packaging sheets 6 by way of appropriate bending means 22 substantially known.

[0019] The intermittent motion is made preferably by a chain driven by a cam mechanism or a motor (not shown).

[0020] The above mentioned configuration of the inventive system is very flexible, in the sense that the collecting means 7 may be operatively located upstream with respect to the packaging means 11 (as in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the Figures) and the means for keeping the sheets 6, or may also be operatively located downstream with respect to the packaging means 11 and the means for keeping the sheets 6 themselves. In this second embodiment, not shown, the packaging sheet 6 is placed in a container 9 by the packaging means 11, and the cigarettes 4 are then inserted into the container 9 and therefore in the relative sheet 6.

[0021] Furthermore, referring in particular to the Figures, it can be seen that the collecting means 7 may be made of at least one wheel 8, defining the aforesaid plane, rotating around the rotation axis R-R: peripherally and radially around the wheel 8 are preferably connected the elongated containers 9, each of which, cyclically rotating jointly with the wheel 8, is filled with the appropriate number of cigarettes 4 by the supplying means 3 and is covered with the relative packaging sheet 6 by the packaging means 11: in correspondence to the moving means 13, the package 15 is therefore removed from the container 9 which therefore may return towards the means for supplying 3 cigarettes 4 to begin a new cycle of packaging: as can be seen particularly from FIG. 3, to allow the removal of each package 15 from the respective container 9, once the latter has reached in correspondence to the moving means 13, the wheel 8, and in particular the container 9, is preferably supplied with steps 17 to withdraw the packages 15 by way of pushing elements 19 placed, preferably upon at least one chain (not shown).

[0022] The means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4 could obviously be achieved in many equivalent ways, such as using a catenary wire (not shown) in the roto-translational motion of collecting and moving containers of cigarettes 4.

[0023] The collecting means 7 are made in such a way that, by means of the containers 9, only a part of or all the operations of collecting, tips control and possible rejection of cigarettes 4 can be performed. For example, in the second embodiment described above in which the packaging means 11 and the means for keeping the sheets 6 are located upstream of the collecting means 7, the tips control and rejection operation is done before inserting the cigarettes 4 into containers 9 with sheets 6.

[0024] Referring in particular to Figures 5 and 7a to 7f it can be noted that the packaging means 11 of the system 1 according to the present invention include:

• means for moving 23 at least one packaging sheet 6 arriving from the supplying means 5, the latter preferably composed of at least one spool 25 of at least one web 27 of such packaging sheets 6 and, possibly, by cutting means for said web 27 into individual packaging sheets 6 for feeding to the means for moving 23 the packaging means 11; in particular, the moving means 23 are realized as at least one conveyor belt composed of two parallel and mutually sliding belts 24 mutually parallel and with synchronized and compliant movement, upon which is placed the packaging sheet 6, between which at least one free space is included;
• at least a first pushing means 29 adapted to move the packaging sheet 6 from the moving means 23 to the container 9; and
• at least a second pushing means 31, equipped as necessary with at least one shaped presser element 33 adapted to press the packaging sheet 6 onto the container 9 to give the sheet itself 6, the external shape of the container 9.

[0025] Referring in particular to Figures 7a to 7f, it is possible then to note that a possible sequence of steps of operation of the packaging means 11 is as follows:

• means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4, turning, carry cyclically the individual containers 9, previously filled with cigarettes 4 by the supplying means 3, in correspondence to the packaging means 11, and the moving means 23 carry at least a packaging sheet in correspondence to the container 9 (Fig. 7a);
• subsequently, the first pushing means 29, passing for example within the free space interposed between the sliding belts 24, remove the packaging sheet 6 from the moving means 23 keeping it in contact with the container 9 (Fig. 7b);
• subsequently, the second pushing means 31, possibly by way of the shaped presser element 33, presses the packaging sheet 6 upon the container 9, bending, the same sheet 6 and shaping it on the external shape of same container 9 (Figs. 7c and 7d);
• subsequently, the second pushing means 31 (FIG. 7E) and the first pushing means 29 (FIG. 7f) are withdrawn, freeing the container 9 covered by its packaging sheet 6 appropriately bent and shaped. The means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4, turning once again, carry therefore the container 9 covered by its packaging sheet 6 towards the moving means 13 and a new container 9 in correspondence with the packaging means 11, repeating the sequence of above described steps.

[0026] Referring to the Figures, it can be noted that the system 1 for packaging cigarettes into bent sheets described above includes, for achieving the aims according to the invention:

• at least one first electric motor (not shown) adapted to operate the means for supplying 3 cigarettes 4;
• at least one second electric motor 35 adapted to operate the means for supplying 5 packaging sheets 6;
• at least one third electric motor 36 adapted to operate the means for collecting 7 cigarettes 4 supplied by the means for supplying 5 cigarettes 4;
• at least one fourth electric motor 37 adapted to operate the packaging means 11;
• at least one fifth electric motor (not shown) adapted to operate the means for keeping the packaging sheets onto containers 9 after the same sheets 6 have been placed onto the same containers 9;
• at least one sixth electric motor 39 adapted to operate the means for moving 13 the packages 15;
• at least one seventh electric motor 41 adapted to operate the means for bending 22 the packages 15;
• at least one eighth electric motor 43 adapted to operate further means for bending 44 the packages 15;
• at least one ninth electric motor 45 adapted to lift the packages 15 for the last bend;and
• electronic control means adapted to control said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth electric motor for electronically moving related motor axes.

[0027] And finally it is obvious that variations could be adopted of the aforesaid arrangement, in which some of the electric motors mentioned above can be merged into a single motor that performs the functions of the individual motors listed: while on one hand these variants would simplify the final realization of the system, reducing the number of included motors, on the other, they would reduce correspondingly the complete flexibility which is the key characteristic of the invention system.

[0028] For example, but without limiting the invention to what above described, the fourth electric motor 37 and the fifth electric motor could be built-in into a single motor to control both the packaging and keeping means; or else the seventh 41, the eighth 43 and the ninth electric motor 45 could be built-in into a single motor to operate the various means for bending 22, 44 packages 15.

[0029] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. Packaging system (1) for packaging cigarettes (4) into bent sheets, characterised in that said system comprises:

- supplying means (3) for supplying cigarettes (4);

- supplying means (5) for supplying packaging sheets (6);

- rotary collecting means (7) for collecting said cigarettes (4), supplied by said supplying means (3), said rotary collecting means (7) being equipped with a plurality of elongated containers (9) adapted to house said cigarettes (4) supplied by said supplying means (3), said elongated containers (9) being operatively connected to said rotary collecting means (7) so that a longitudinal axis (L-L) of said elongated containers (9) is parallel to a rotation axis (R-R) of said rotary collecting means (7), and perpendicular to a plane of said rotary collecting means (7);

- packaging means (11) operatively coupled and cooperating with said rotary collecting means (7), and adapted to receive said packaging sheets (6) from said supplying means (5) and to place said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9) so that a plane of the packaging sheets (6) is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the cigarettes (4);

- retaining means for keeping said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9), after said packaging sheets (6) have been placed onto said elongated containers (9);

- moving means (13) for moving packages (15) composed of said packaging sheets (6) having inside said cigarettes (4), operatively cooperating with said rotary collecting means (7) for moving said packages (15) downstream;

- bending means (22, 44) for bending said packages (15);

wherein said packaging means (11) comprises:

- moving means (23) for moving at least one packaging sheet (6) arriving from the supplying means (5);

- at least one first pushing means (29) adapted to move the packaging sheet (6) from the moving means (23) to a respective elongated container (9);

- at least one second pushing means (31), equipped with at least one shaped presser element (33) adapted to press the packaging sheet (6) onto the elongated container (9) to give the sheet (6) an external shape of the container (9).

2. Packaging system according to claim 1, characterised in that said supplying means (5) comprises at least one spool (25) of at least one web (27) of the packaging sheets (6).

3. Packaging system according to claim 2, characterised in that said supplying means (5) comprises cutting means for cutting said web (27) into individual packaging sheets (6) for feeding to the moving means (23).

4. Packaging system according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said moving means (23) comprises at least one conveyor belt composed of two parallel and mutually sliding belts (24) mutually parallel and with synchronized and compliant movement, upon which are able to be placed the packaging sheet (6), between which sliding belts (24) at least one free space is included.

5. Packaging system according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that said elongated containers (9) have a truncated pyramid shape.

6. Packaging system according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that said retaining means are achieved by mechanical tweezers.

7. Packaging system according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that said retaining means are achieved by forced air intake against the packaging sheets (6).

8. Packaging system according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the moving means (13) are adapted to make an intermittent movement of the packages (15) by at least one conveyor belt (21), to perform the appropriate and necessary bending of packaging sheets (6).

9. Packaging system according to claim 8, characterised in that the moving means (13) comprises a chain driven by a cam mechanism or a motor to make the intermittent motion.

10. Packaging system according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that said rotary collecting means (7) comprises at least one wheel (8), defining said plane of the rotary collecting means (7), said at least one wheel (8) being able to rotate around the rotation axis (R-R).

11. Packaging system according to claim 10, characterised in that peripherally and radially around the wheel (8) are connected the elongated containers (9), each of which, cyclically rotating jointly with the wheel (8), is able to be filled with an appropriate number of cigarettes (4) by the supplying means (3) and is able to be covered with a relative packaging sheet (6) by the packaging means (11).

12. Packaging system according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the elongated containers (9) connected to the wheel (8) are each supplied with steps (17) to withdraw the packages (15) by way of pushing elements (19).

13. Packaging system according to claim 12, characterised in that said pushing elements (19) are placed upon at least one chain.

14. Packaging system according to claim 12, characterised in that it comprises at least one electric motor (37) adapted to operate the packaging means (11).

15. Packaging method for packaging cigarettes (4) into bent sheets, characterised in that said method comprises:

- supplying cigarettes (4) by supplying means (3);

- supplying packaging sheets (6) by supplying means (5);

- collecting said cigarettes (4), supplied by said supplying means (3), by rotary collecting means (7), housing said cigarettes (4) supplied by said supplying means (3) into a plurality of elongated containers (9) of said rotary collecting means (7), so that a longitudinal axis (L-L) of said elongated containers (9) is parallel to a rotation axis (R-R) of said rotary collecting means (7), and perpendicular to a plane of said rotary collecting means (7);

- receiving said packaging sheets (6) from said supplying means (5) and placing said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9), by packaging means (11) operatively coupled and cooperating with said rotary collecting means (7), so that a plane of the packaging sheets (6) is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the cigarettes (4), wherein receiving said packaging sheets (6) from said supplying means (5) and placing said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9) comprise:

- moving at least one packaging sheet (6) arriving from the supplying means (5) by moving means (23);

- moving the packaging sheet (6) from the moving means (23) to a respective elongated container (9) by at least one first pushing means (29);

- pressing the packaging sheet (6) onto the elongated container (9) to give the sheet (6) an external shape of the container (9) by at least one second pushing means (31), equipped with at least one shaped presser element (33);

- keeping said packaging sheets (6) onto said elongated containers (9) by retaining means, after said packaging sheets (6) have been placed onto said elongated containers (9);

- moving packages (15) composed of said packaging sheets (6) having inside said cigarettes (4) by moving means (13), operatively cooperating with said rotary collecting means (7) for moving said packages (15) downstream;

- bending said packages (15) by bending means (22, 44).

16. Packaging method according to claim 15, characterized in that:

i) the rotary collecting means (7), while turning, carry cyclically the individual elongated containers (9), previously filled with cigarettes (4) by the supplying means (3), in correspondence to the packaging means (11), and the moving means (23) carry at least one packaging sheet (6) in correspondence to the elongated container (9);

ii) subsequently, the first pushing means (29) remove the packaging sheet (6) from the moving means (23) keeping it in contact with the elongated container (9);

iii) subsequently, the second pushing means (31), by way of the shaped presser element (33), press the packaging sheet (6) upon the elongated container (9), bending, the same packaging sheet (6) and shaping it on the external shape of same elongated container (9);

iv) subsequently, the second pushing means (31) and the first pushing means (29) are withdrawn, freeing the elongated container (9) covered by its packaging sheet (6) appropriately bent and shaped;

v) the rotary collecting means (7) then turn once again and carry the elongated container (9) covered by its packaging sheet (6) towards the moving means (13) and a new elongated container (9) in correspondence with the packaging means (11), repeating the above sequence i) to v).

17. Packaging method according to claim 16, characterized in that the rotary collecting means (7) comprises at least one wheel (8), defining said plane of the rotary collecting means (7), said wheel (8) rotating around the rotation axis (R-R), said elongated containers (9) being connected peripherally and radially around the wheel (8) and, cyclically rotating jointly with the wheel (8), being filled with the appropriate number of cigarettes (4) by the supplying means (3) and covered with the relative packaging sheet (6) by the packaging means (11).

18. Packaging method according to claim 15, 16 or 17, characterized in that in correspondence to the moving means (13), the package (15) is removed from the container (9) which therefore return towards the supplying means (3) to begin a new cycle of packaging.

Drawing