US2994167A - Method of packing cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 1, 1961 Filed Feb. 5, 1960 J. W CHALMERS METHOD OF PACKING CIGARETTES 4 Sheets-Sheet l 1 j -5- 3 2 g l /Nl/EN7'ORS \M, 4/4/12" 54%,!

A TTORN XI Aug. 1961 J. w. CHALMERS 2,994,167

METHOD OF PACKING CIGARETTE-S Filed Feb. 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

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A TTORNE Y Aug, 1, 1961 J. w. CHALMERS 2,994,167

METHOD OF PACKING CIGARETTES Filed Feb. 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 1, 1961 2,994,167 METHOD OF PACKING CIGARETTES John Walker Chalmers, Deptford, London, England, as-

signor to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Filed Feb. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 7,052 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 27, 1959 4 Claims. (Cl. 53-34) This invention concerns an improved method of packing rod-like articles (such as cigarettes) and more particularly a method of packing such articles by wrapping flexible material such as paper or metal foil around a batch of the articles.

It is common to pack cigarettes by such wrapping operations and the normal practice is to advance a batch of cigarettes endwise against a sheet of wrapping material and to bend the sheet into a U about the broad sides of the batch whereafter the material extending beyond the leading face of the batch and the two sides is folded on to the batch so as to contain it in a cup shaped wrapper. Subsequently any wrapping material extending beyond the rear end of the batch is also folded down but the invention is not concerned with such operations.

The material which extends sideways from the leading end of the batch is folded on to the sides of the batch in various ways to form what are usually termed side tucks. If these tucks are made as the first Operation in dealing with the material extending laterally of the batch it will be appreciated that the tucks will lie on the interior of the final cup. This is commonly done but when the finished packet is made of one or more wrappers of flexible material and fairly tight the method has the disadvantage that if a consumer desires to replace an article it is liable to foul a tuck and be obstructed. It is possible to avoid this inner obstruction by folding part of the other laterally extending material first to form one long side fold, then making the tuck and then folding the other long side fold but this method requires fairly elaborate apparatus needing cams or the like for operating it. The side tuck material can be partly separated by a pair of parallel slits transverse to the length of the wrapper and then folded, as just recited, which provides a some- What closer folding of the tuck and two side folds but this again needs elaborate apparatus.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a folding method not requiring elaborate mechanism and while it is primarily intended for folding an inner wrapping about the batch which is thereafter enclosed in an outer packet, made by wrapping about the batch, or otherwise, the method can be applied to a paper wrapper constituting the exterior of the packet and for example enclosing an unwrapped batch.

The invention provides a method of wrapping a batch of rod-like articles (such as cigarettes) in a sheet of flexible wrapping material in which a sheet of wrapping material, having a pair of slits at each side transverse to the length of the wrapper and spaced apart by the thickness of the batch and extending from the edges of the sheet to such distance that the two pairs are spaced apart by the batch width, is folded into a U about the broad faces of the batch on lines coinciding with the inner ends of said slits by advancing the batch against the sheet and between parallel surfaces spaced apart by the batch thickness and wherein the material lying between each of the said pairs of slits is bent at 90 to the plane of the wrapper before the U starts to form and so that the bent parts will lie in advance of the base of the U as the batch continues to move in the folding operation and thereafter folding the material extending laterally of at least one of the broad faces of the batch to form side folds and folding the aforesaid bent parts through to cause them to lie on the outside of the said side folds.

If the sheet of material is to form the exterior of a packet the above-recited method involves folding the material extending laterally of only one broad face to form inner side folds and thereafter folding the aforesaid bent parts through 180 to cause them to lie on the outside of said inner side folds, because it is not desirable for the sake of appearance to have exposed side tucks, but if the wrapping is to constitute an inner wrapping of a packet all the side folds may be made before the said parts are bent through 180 to lie on the outer side folds.

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a sheet of wrapping material.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the sheet just before a batch of cigarettes meets it.

FIGURES 3 to 6 show successive stages in the folding operations.

FIGURE 7 shows a modified method.

FIGURE 8 shows part of a modified sheet of Wrapping material.

FIGURES 9l2 are perspective views corresponding substantially to FIGURES 3-6.

FIGURE 13 is a perspective view corresponding to FIGURE 7.

Referring to the drawings 1 FIGURE 1 is a sheet of metal foil and the broken lines 2 and broken lines 3 show the lines on which the sheet will be folded about a batch of cigarettes and thus the distances between these lines define respectively the width and thickness of the batch. The sheet has pairs of slits 4 at each side extending from the edges inwards as far as the lines 2 and in alignment with the lines 3 thus providing two flaps 5. No other folding lines have been indicated as they are not necessary for understanding the invention and moreover they depend on the closure, if any, of the finished article.

The flaps 5 between the pairs of slits 4 which eventually will form side tucks is folded at right angles to the plane of the wrapper. This can be done at any convenient time but is preferably done before a cigarette batch 6 FIGURE 2 contacts with the sheet. Normally it will be done as the sheet is fed into the position indicated in FIGURE 2. Progressive movement of the cigarette batch causes the sheet to be folded into a U as it is moved between surfaces 7. In FIGURE 3 the batch is shown in a position where the U is nearly complete and it will be seen that the flaps 5 to constitute the side tucks are leading. This stage of the folding operations is clearer from FIGURE 9 which shows the condition a little later than in FIGURE 3. The material extending laterally of the lower broad face of the batch is then folded to constitute inner side folds, see 8, FIGURES 4 and 10, then the material extending laterally of the upper broad face of the batch is folded to constitute outer side folds see 9, FIG- URES 5 and 11, and finally the flaps 5 are swung backwards through 180 as indicated by the arrows in FIG- URE 11 so that they lie outside the outer side folds as shown in FIGURES 6 and 12.

If it is desired to have the material 5 between the folds 8 and 9, as will be practically essential if the wrapper is to form an exterior packet, the folding order is modified as shown in FIGURES 7 and 13 where the 180 movement follows the folding of the side fold 8.

Instead of cutting the slits 4 at right angles to the sides of the wrapper 1 as shown in FIGURE 1 they may be cut as shown in FIGURE 8, when they are marked 14 to diverge from the edges of the sheet to their inner ends where they are spaced apart by the batch thickness and the piece to be tucked is marked 15. This makes the slitting operation rather easier as the cut is made progressively as the web passes through the cutting rollers and tucking is easier than with a parallel tuck.

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

1. A method of wrapping a batch of rod-like articles (such as cigarettes) in a sheet of flexible Wrapping material in which a sheet of wrapping material, having a pair of slits at each side transverse to the length of the wrapper and spaced apart by the thickness of the batch and extending from the edges of the sheet to such distance that the two pairs are spaced apart by the batch width thereby providing a flap at each side of the sheet, is folded into a U about the broad faces of the batch on lines coinciding with the inner ends of said slits by advancing the batch against the sheet and between parallel surfaces spaced apart by the batch thickness characterized in that flap lying between each of the said pairs of slits is turned through 90 to the plane of the Wrapper before the U starts to form and so that the said flaps will lie in advance of the base of the U as the batch continues to move in the folding operation and thereafter folding the material extending laterally of at least one of the broad faces of the batch to form side folds and folding the aforesaid flaps through 180 to cause them to lie on the outside of the said side folds.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the mai terial extending laterally of one broad face of the batch is folded to form inner side folds and the said flaps are folded to lie on said inner side folds Whe-reafter the material extending laterally of the other broad face of the batch is folded to form outer side folds.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the material extending laterally of one broad face of the batch is folded to form inner side folds and the material extending laterally of the other broad face of the batch is folded to lie on the said side folds and constitute outer side folds, whereafter the said flaps are folded to lie on the said outer side folds.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said slits are cut to diverge from the edges of the sheet to their inner ends where the slits are spaced apart by the batch thickness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,115,407 Escobales Oct. 27, 1914 1,175,142 Fischer Mar. 14, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,127,207 France Dec. 11, 1956

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