[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus for opening wrapped packages such as, but
not exclusively, parcels or bundles of cigarettes, cigars, or other products of the
tobacco industry.
[0002] In the tobacco industry it is occasionally necessary to return a packaged product
to the manufacturer, if, for example the product is out of data due to failure to
rotate stock, is being returned from marketing trials, or the packaging is damaged.
Likewise, the manufacturer will not release a product to the retail trade if the product
is damaged or otherwise does not meet the manufacturer's quality control standards.
In many instances when a packaged product is returned or the manufacturer finds that
a packaged product does not meet quality control standards it may nevertheless be
found that the contents of the packages are of good quality and worth recovering.
[0003] In the cigarette manufacturing industry returned packages of cigarettes are frequently
in the form of "bundles", a "bundle" being for example a wrapped parcel of several
packets of cigarettes.
[0004] One known mechanical method for unwrapping bundles involves cutting into the bundle
with one or more knives and then bending the bundle about its opposite, uncut surface
so as to release the contents. This method, in common with some other methods, is
liable to result in the cigarettes within the bundle being shredded during the cutting
process so that fragments of wrapping material, paper and filter tip material become
mixed with the tobacco, thus making it very difficult to separate the tobacco from
such a mixture.
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a means whereby a wrapped parcel
of packets of cigarettes may be opened and the cigarettes released without contamination
of the tobacco by packaging or other materials. The tobacco content of the released
cigarettes may then be separated out by known methods or by a modification of the
present invention.
[0006] According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for opening a wrapped
package of articles and separating the wrapping from the articles, the apparatus comprising
first and second opposed longitudinal arrays of transverse roller means defining a
progressively narrowing channel adapted to receive said wrapped package, means for
positively driving the roller means so as to move the package through the channel
towards the narrow end of the channel, the arrangement being such that the peripheral
speeds of at least one pair of opposed individual roller means are unequal, thereby
to exert a twisting or shearing action on the package as it passes along the channel
so as to remove wrapping material from the package.
[0007] The roller means are preferably rollers.
[0008] The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the
accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which,
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus for separating packets
of cigarettes from wrapped bundles of packets, and subsequently separating cigarettes
from the packets;
Figure 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus for separating packets
of cigarettes from wrapped bundles of packets; and,
Figure 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus for separating cigarettes
from packets of cigarettes.
[0009] Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings there are shown first and second pairs of opposed
arrays or beds 1110̸, 1112 and 1120̸, 1122 of transverse rollers 1140̸, 1142 and 1144,
1146 respectively arranged to define first and second progressively narrowing horizontally
disposed channels 1114, 1124, channel 1124 lying underneath and parallel to channel
1114.
[0010] Both channels 1114, 1124 narrow from their respective entrances towards their respective
exits, and the exit to channel 1114 lies over the entrance to channel 1124.
[0011] First and second inlet chutes 1126, 1128 are provided leading respectively to the
entrance to channel 1114 and from the exit to channel 1114 to the entrance to channel
1124.
[0012] Inlet chute 1126 enables wrapped bundles 1116 of packets of cigarettes to be fed
into channel 1114. Chute 1128 enables packets of cigarettes from unwrapped bundles
to be fed from channel 1114 into channel 1124. A third chute 1130̸ is provided adjacent
chute 1128 to receive waste wrapping material leaving channel 1114.
[0013] The rollers 1140̸, 1142 of the arrays 1110̸, 1112 and the rollers 1144, 1146 of the
arrays 1120̸, 1122 are motor driven so as to rotate in the directions indicated by
arrows 9, the effect of which is to propel an object in the respective channel along
the channel from the entrance to the exit.
[0014] The peripheral speeds of the rollers are controlled by gearing between the rollers
(this gearing is not illustrated in Figure 1) so that the peripheral speeds of rollers
1140̸, 1144 in arrays 1110̸, 1120̸ decrease from the entrance towards the exit of
the respective channel, and the peripheral speeds of rollers 1142, 1146 in arrays
1112, 1122 increase from the entrance towards the exit of the respective channel.
[0015] The effect of the different peripheral speeds of opposing rollers is to exert a twisting
and shearing action on the bundles 1116 in channel 1114 so as to tease the wrappers
from the bundles and to spread packets 1118 of cigarettes resulting from the unwrapping
along channel 1114, and, after the packets 1118 have been transferred to channel 1124,
to break open the packets 1118 in channel 1124 so as to separate the cigarettes within
the packaging material of the packets from the packaging material.
[0016] For convenience, the relative peripheral speeds of the rollers 1140̸, 1142, 1144,
1146 are indicated in Figure 1 by the numbers within the circles depicting the rollers.
[0017] In the arrangement as illustrated in Figure 1 the relationship between the peripheral
speeds of opposed rollers defining a channel is an inverse relationship. In particular,
if
v(1140̸) = peripheral speed of a roller in array 1140̸
v(1142) = peripheral speed of a roller in array 1142
v(1144) = peripheral speed of a roller in array 1144
v(1146) = peripheral speed of a roller in array 1146
then v(1140̸) x v(1142) = 6442 (A)
and v(1144) x v(1146) = 21782 (B)
[0018] The formulae (A) and (B) are of course specific to the illustrated embodiment of
Figure 1 and are for example only. In the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3 described
below the peripheral speeds and diameters of the rollers are chosen to provide a level
of efficiency suited to those embodiments.
[0019] Between the exit to channel 1114 and the entrance to channel 1124 there is provided
a paddle wheel 1132 the function of which is to separate the wrapping material finally
from the bundles 1116 and to pass separated wrapping material into waste chute 1130̸
and to pass separated packets of cigarettes 1118 down chute 1128 into channel 1124
for subsequent separation into individual cigarettes.
[0020] A vibratory conveyor 1134 is provided below the level of channel 1124 to receive
from the exit to that channel depackaged cigarettes and their packaging material.
Within the vibratory conveyor 1134 is a screen 1136 that separates the depackaged
cigarettes from their packaging material, the cigarettes falling through the screen
into a compartment 1138 from which they are removed as indicated by arrow 8.
[0021] In operation, bundles 1116 of packages of cigarettes are fed down chute 1126 into
channel 1114. Here the rollers 1140̸, 1142 tease the bundle wrappers away from the
enclosed packages and spread out the packages as the bundles proceed along the channel.
At the end of the channel 1114 the paddle wheel 1132 transfers the bundle wrappers
to the waste chute 1130̸ and the packages 1118 down chute 1128 to channel 1124.
[0022] In channel 1124 the rollers 1144, 1146 similarly remove packaging from the cigarettes
and transfer the packaging and the cigarettes to the vibratory conveyor 1134 where
final separation of the cigarettes takes place, as described above. For convenience,
in Figure 1 arrows 7 show the route taken by the bundles, arrows 8 show the route
taken by the packages and cigarettes, and arrows 6 show the route taken by waste packaging
material.
[0023] Referring in general to Figures 2 and 3, these show essentially the apparatus of
Figure 1 separated into two units, one for opening bundles (Figure 2), and the other
for opening packets (Figure 3). A feature in Figure 2 or 3 that corresponds to a feature
in Figure 1 will be given the number of that feature in Figure 1 but starting with
"2" or "3" respectively instead of "1".
[0024] Referring specifically to Figure 2 there is shown a gantry 2160̸ supporting upper
and lower respective opposed arrays 2110̸, 2112 of transverse rollers 2140̸, 2142
defining a progressively narrowing horizontally disposed channel 2114. Wrapped bundles
of packets of cigarettes are fed into the channel 2114 in the direction of arrow 7
by means of a motor-driven infeed belt 220̸6.
[0025] The spacing of the upper array 2110̸ from the lower array 2112, and the angle between
them, are adjustable by screw devices 2162 in the gantry supports 2160̸, thus enabling
the ends of the upper array to be slid up and down as necessary in slots 2210̸ in
the gantry. The rollers 2140̸, 2142 are driven as sets by electric motors 220̸2, 220̸4
respectively so as to urge a bundle of packets along the channel 2114 in the direction
of arrow 7.
[0026] The speeds (in r.p.m.) of the top rollers 2140̸ are stepped by gears in the following
manner in the direction of arrow 7: 71, 77, 61, 66, 52, 57, 45, 48, 38, 42, the rotational
speed of each alternate roller being higher than the speeds of the rollers immediately
preceding and succeeding it , but the rotational speeds of the set of top rollers
nevertheless exhibiting an overall decrease along the channel 2114 from entrance to
exit. The speeds of the lower rollers 2142 in contrast exhibit a gradual increase
from 71 to 143 r.p.m. along the channel 2114 in the direction of arrow 7; this, in
combination with the overall decrease in speed of the top rollers, exerts twisting
and shearing forces on the bundles within the channel 2114 and teases the wrapping
from the bundles.
[0027] When the separated packets and wrapping are discharged from the channel 2114 a blower
220̸8 blows the wrapping through a duct 2130̸ into a perforated waste bag 2162. The
packets, being heavier than the wrapping, simultaneously drop into a packet trolley
2164, or onto an elevator (not shown in Figure 2), for subsequent transport to the
packet opening apparatus of Figure 3.
[0028] Referring now to Figure 3 there is shown a gantry 3160̸ supporting upper and lower
respective opposed arrays 3110̸, 3112 of transverse rollers 3140̸, 3142 defining a
progressively narrowing horizontally disposed channel 3114. Packets of cigarettes
are fed into the channel 3114 in the direction of arrow 7 via a band conveyor 3292
from an elevator 3290̸.
[0029] The spacing of, and angle between the arrays 3110̸, 3112 is adjusted in a similar
manner to that described in Figure 2. The rollers 3140̸, 3142 are likewise driven
as sets by electric motors 320̸2, 320̸4 respectively so as to urge the packets along
channel 3114, and are of similar size, speed, gearing and configuration to those described
in Figure 2.
[0030] As the packets pass between the arrays 3110̸, 3112 of rollers, the packets are split
open in the same fashion as the bundles described above and the packet wrapping is
teased away from the cigarettes within. Packet wrappings and cigarettes then fall
into an inclined slatted rotary drum 330̸0̸ where the cigarettes fall through the
slats onto a cigarette take-off conveyor 3134 below and the packet wrappings travel
through to the end of the drum where they are discharged as waste.
[0031] In a modification of the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3 the roller diameters are 67
mm, the speeds in r.p.m. of the top rollers (2140̸, 3140̸) are: 70̸, 55, 60̸, 45,
55, 40̸, 45, 35, 40̸, 35 from infeed to discharge, and the speeds in r.p.m. of the
bottom rollers (2142, 3142) are: 10̸5, 115, 130̸, 140̸, 160̸, 170̸, 195, 215, 240̸,
265 from infeed to discharge. In this modification an air separation device is provided
at the discharge end of the drum 330̸0̸ to allow any unopened packets to fall vertically
from the drum through the curtain into a bin for adding back to the elevator 3290̸
for a second pass through the rollers, while the opened packets (the waste) is blown
as it passes through the air curtain into a separate bin for disposal.
[0032] If required, a further channel defined by further arrays of rollers may be provided
to separate cigarettes into tobacco and waste wrapping, the waste wrapping comprising
cigarette paper and filter plugs.
[0033] In alternative embodiments one array of rollers may have a constant overall peripheral
roller speed while the overall peripheral roller speed of the other array increases
or decreases from the entrance to the exit of the channel, or both arrays of rollers
may each have an overall decrease in peripheral roller speed in the same direction
along the channel but the peripheral roller speed of one array decreases at a greater
rate than that of the other, the overriding principle being that there is an overall
peripheral speed differential between the arrays of rollers along the channel.
[0034] In an alternative embodiment the roller means in an array may be provided by a series
of conveyor belts or bands, the peripheral speed of each belt being controlled individually
by a motor or by gearing.
[0035] In alternative applications of the invention to packaged articles that are not of
the tobacco industry the peripheral speeds and diameters of the rollers will depend
on the circumstances, in particular the dimensions of the articles being dewrapped
and the nature of the wrapping material.
1. An apparatus for opening a wrapped package of articles (1116) and separating the
wrapping from the articles , the apparatus comprising first and second opposed longitudinal
arrays (1110̸,1112,1120̸,1122) of transverse roller means (1140̸,1142,1144,1146) defining
a progressively narrowing channel (1114,1124) adapted to receive said wrapped package,
means (220̸2) for positively driving the roller means so as to move the package through
the channel towards the narrow end of the channel, characterised in that the arrangement
is such that the peripheral speeds of at least one pair of opposed individual roller
means are unequal, thereby to exert a twisting or shearing action on the package as
it passes along the channel so as to remove wrapping material from the package.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the peripheral speed of the roller means
(1140̸) in said first array (1110̸) decreases overall along the channel (1114) relative
to the overall peripheral speed of the roller means (1142) in said second array (1112).
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the peripheral speed of the roller means
(1142) in said second array (1112) increases overall along the channel (1114) from
the exit towards the entrance of the channel.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the peripheral speed of the roller means
(1142) in said second array (1112) is substantially constant.
5. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, in a said array (1112,1122)
of roller means that has an overall increase in peripheral speed of the roller means
along the channel (1114), the rotational speed of each alternate roller means (1142,1146)
is higher than the rotational speeds of the roller means immediately preceding and
succeeding said alternate roller means.
6. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the roller means are rollers
(1140̸, 1142, 1144, 1146).
7. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein there is provided means
(1132, 220̸8) to separate unwrapped wrapping material from the package.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the separation means is provided by
an air blower (220̸8).