US1971868A - Machine for wrapping cigarette packets or similar articles - Google Patents

Description

8 w. MoLlNs Aug. 28, 1934.

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTE PACKETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May 3l. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l lllllllllllllllllllll W. E. MOLINS Aug. 28, 1934.

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTE PACKETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May 3l. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W. E. MOLINS Aug. 28, 1934.

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTE PACKETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES s sheets-sheet s Filed May 3l. 1932 l l l WNN T'OR M@ wmwmww Patented Ang. 28, 1934 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE Walter Everett Molins, Deptford, London, England Application May 31, 1932, serial No. 614,497 In Great Britain June 1, 1931 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved machine for wrapping cigarette packets or similar articles in envelopes which are air-tight and may, if desired, be rendered moisture-proof, the envelopes being independent of the packet and readily detachable therefrom.

The invention consists of a machine for wrapping cigarette packets in air-tight envelopes of the kind described, comprising means for folding a rectangular sheet or blank around the packet to form a block ended envelope, and means for applying a sealing uid to the wrapper at any convenient stage of the operations in such a manner that each wholly or partly exposed fold of the finished envelope is secured when the said fiuid dries to the wrapper surface or surfaces in contact therewith to form an envelope which is airtight and independent of the packet and readily detachable therefrom.

Two ways of carrying the invention into effect will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a fragment of o Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of a blank showing one stage of the operations.

Figs. 4a, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show further consecutive stages in the folding operations.

Fig. 9 shows a similar View to Fig. 2 taken Y slightly in advance of that figure, partly in section, of an alternative construction.

Fig. 10 is a plan of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is another view of a blank.

Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 show another series of consecutive operations in the folding of the blank.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 8, a sheet or blank 1 of thin transparent paper or similar material is severed from a web 1a and passes down through a slot in the bed 2 of the machine into the path of the oncoming packets which are fed from a pile in the magazine 3 by pusher pieces .4 carried on a chain conveyor 5.

The gum or other adhesive may be partly or entirely applied to the blank before the same is cut from the web, and in the example shown in Fig. 1 it is applied by a gumming roller 6 having ridges corresponding to the various patches of gum to be applied, and receiving a supply of gum from a roller 7 rotating in a gum bath 8. The gum is, in the present case, applied in two streaks lb as shown in Fig. 4, which extend from a point close to one end of the blank to a point situated beyond the mid-length of the sheet by a distance of about half the packet thickness.

The blank is carried by the moving packet through folding mechanism 9 of the usual type except that the folders for performing this opera. tion are hollowed out on their working faces so that they only contact with the .paper on sharp edges which do not pick up any appreciable quantity of gum.

It will be observed that as the wrapper strikes the edges of the folders 9 the streak of gum which extends across the base of the packet will contact with them, and in order to minimize the effect of this, the corners of the folders which the packet first strikes are preferably formed by rollers 9a mounted in the body of the folder and tangential therewith. As the packets pass, the rollers rotate, and any gum they pick up may be removed by Scrapers.

As the blank is carried by the packet which is moved along by the pusher piece, it is first formed into a U shape as shown in Figure 4a after which the portions of the wrapper overlapping the width of the packet at the leading end are folded down on to the sides of the packet to form narrow tucks 10 at the block end thereof as in Figure 5.

The side portions 11 of the wrapper which extend beyond the width of the packet and which carry the gum for sealing the side folds are then folded up on to the packet as in Figure 6, after which the corresponding portions 12 which are ungummed are folded down.

The open end of the U shaped envelope is then folded by rst making the narrow side tucks 13, and in the example shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, mechanism such as that described in my prior Patent No. 1,517,307 is used for this purpose with certain additional parts, about to be described.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be observed that the corners of the broad naps at the open end of the packet are entirely covered with patches of gum 14, and in order to apply these patches of gum, the tucking pawls 15, which are carried by the wheels 16 and serve to make the narrow tucks 13, have gum applied to them. The gum is applied by the large gum wheel 17 rotating in a gum bath 18 and arranged so that the lower face of the pawl 15 contacts therewith, and a. small gum wheel 19 which is operated by a cam 20 xed to spindle 20El to move periodically into contact with the gum wheel 17, applies gum to the upper face of the pawl 15, the wheel 19 being in the position shown between the two wheels 17 and 19.

As the tuckers 15 fold in the narrow tucks 13, they transfer gum to the paper and after the gum has been applied, the packet is moved beneath the stacker 21 and is moved Aupwards into the interior of the stacker by a table 22 which is reciprocated by the cam 23. Immediately before the packet moves upwards, the lower broad hap-24, Fig. 7, is folded upwards against the end of the packet and gum is simultaneously applied to this iiap as shown at 24 Figure 8 by a roller 25 which moves periodically into engagementwith the roller 25 rotating in a gum bath 27.

The upward movement of the packet causes the remaining broad flap 26 to be folded down by the edge of the stacker, and owing tothe manner in which the gum has been applied, the packet will be found to be tightly sealed and air-tight.

Referring to Figs. 9 to l'l, in this case,the

`blank 1 in addition to having side streaks of gum 1b applied by the roller 6, has other patches 1c applied by cross ribs incorporated with the roller 6.

The sheet is carried through folding mechanism of the same kind as in the previous case, but further mechanism is necessary owing to the presence of the patches of gum 1c on the outside of the wrapper when the partly finished wrapper in the condition shown in Figs. 13 and 14 passes through the folders which bend down the flaps 12.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the folders for performing this operation are indicated by 28 and are pivoted at 29 to bearings xed to the frame of the machine. Cams 30 mounted on shaft 20a and springs 31 operate the folders so that they move about their pivots. Wire guides 32 retain the gummed flaps 11 in position during this movement.

As the packets enter between the folders the latter are in the position shown in Fig. 10, but as the rear edge of the packet approaches, the folders open to avoid picking up gum from the streaks 1.

The tuckers 15 in this case are hollowed out so that their working faces are in the form of two sharp edges, one at the top and one at the bottom so that they only contact with the paper on the edges and thus do not pick up any quantity of gum.

'I'he broad flaps at the open end of the packet are folded over and gummed, or if desired, a streak of gum for sealing the packet may be applied to the blank shown in Fig. 11 simultaneously with the other gum streaks.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a wrapper made of paper, it will be apparent that moisture-proof material such as regenerated cellulose which may carry on its surface a coating soluble in a suitable solvent. In one commercial form this material comprises a cellulose base and a coating having among its ingredients a nitrocellulose and a wax, the coating being soluble in various organic solvents such as acetone or ethylene glycol monomethyl ether.

When the wrapper is made of paper and is to be waterproof as well as air-tight, wax is applied to the major portion of that side of the blank which is free of adhesive; those portions of the surface which are to adhere to the other side of the blank being left unwaxed. This wax- 1,971,ses

in dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the pawl passesv -ing operation lis preferably carried out by run- 'ning the web of wrapping material over an engraved roller which receives wax from a melted bath of the same and transfers a suitable wax pattern to the web.

What I claim ,as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air-tight block ended wrapper, the combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articles in a predetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines of sealing fluid to a continuous web. `of wrapping material, feeding elements to feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor, cutting elements to sever wrapper lengths from the web, folding elements arranged to fold the wrapper intoja U about the article, rotatable folding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of the wrapper, folding elements operable to form the long side folds of the wrapper, rotary folding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrow end folds at the end of the wrapper oppositev the block end, and sealing uid applying elements operable to apply sealing fluid to the upper and lower faces of said rotary folding elements.

2. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air-tight block ended wrapper, lthe combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articles in a predetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines of sealing fluid to a continuous web of wrapping material, feeding elements to feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor, cutting elements to sever Wrapper lengths from the web, folding elements arranged to fold the wrapper into a U about the article, rotatable folding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of the wrapper, folding elements operable to form the long side folds of the wrapper, rotary folding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrow end folds at the end of the wrapper opposite the block end, sealing fluid applying elements operable to apply sealing fluid to the upper and lower faces of said rotary folding elements, a folding element operable to fold upwardly the lowermost end flap of the wrapper, a sealing fluid applying element operable to apply sealing uid to said upwardly folded end flap, and a further folding element'operable to fold downwardly the remaining end flap of the wrapper.

3. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air-tight block ended wrapper, the combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articles in apredetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines of sealing fluid to a continuous web of wrapping material, feeding elements to feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor, cutting elements to sever wrapper lengths from the web, folding elements arranged to fold the wrapper into a U about the article, rotatable folding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of the wrapper, folding elements operable to fold upwardly the outwardly extending side portions of the lower limb of the U, spring retaining elements arranged to retain said upwardly folded portions in position, movable folding elements operable to fold downwardly the outwardly extending side portions of the uppermost limb of the U, said second named folding elements being movable out of engagement with the rearmost portion of the said last folded portion, and rotary folding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrow end folds at the end of the wrapper opposite the block end,

said last named folding elements having their operative faces separated by recesses, the recesses being formed to avoid the sealing fluid lines on the ena folds so formed.

4. In a machine for Wrapping an article in an air-tight block ended wrapper, the combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articles in a predetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines of sealing uid to a continuous web of wrapping material, feeding elements to feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor, cutting elements to sever wrapper lengths from the web, folding elements arranged to fold the wrapper into a U about the article, rotatable folding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of the Wrapper, folding elements operable to fold upwardly the outwardly extending side portions of the lower limb of the U, spring retaining elements arranged to retain said upwardly folded portions in position, movable folding elements operable to fold downwardly the outwardly extending side portions of the uppermost limb of the U, said second named folding elements being supported for movement out of engagement with the rearmost portion of the said last folded portion, rotary folding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrow end folds at the end of the wrapper opposite the block end, said last named folding elements having their operative faces separated by recesses, the recesses being formed to avoid the sealing uid lines on the end folds so formed, a folding element operable to fold upwardly the lowermost end flap of the wrapper, a sealing fluid applying element arranged to apply sealing fluid to said upwardly folded end flap, and a further folding element operable to fold downwardly the remaining end flap of the wrapper.

5. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air tight block ended wrapper, the combination with means for applying a wrapper to an article with one end of the wrapper open and extending beyond the article, of means for forming side tucks and end flaps in the open end of the wrapper, said means comprising a continuous conveyor for moving said article through a predetermined path with the open end of the wrapper trailing, rotatable elements disposed adjacent the path of movement of the article and supported for movement into said path to engage with the open end of the wrapper at opposite sides of the article, said elements being provided with surfaces engaging the inner faces of the end flaps thus formed on the remaining sides of the wrapper, and means for supplying adhesive to such surfaces.

WALTER EVERETI MOLINS.

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