US3089297A

US3089297A - Cigar accumulator

Info

Publication number: US3089297A
Application number: US74564A
Authority: US
Inventors: Francis A Craig; Hollenton Frank
Original assignee: International Cigar Machinery Co
Current assignee: International Cigar Machinery Co
Priority date: 1960-12-08
Filing date: 1960-12-08
Publication date: 1963-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-14
Also published as: SE303957B; DE1189904B

Description

May 14, 1963 F. A. CRAIG ETAL 3,089,297

CIGAR ACCUMULATOR Filed Dec. 8, 1960 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 14 FIG. I

INVENTORS FRANCIS A. CRAIG By FRANK HOLLENTON ATTORN EY May 14, 1963 F. A. CRAIG ETAL 3,039,297

CIGAR ACCUMULATOR Filed Dec. 8, 1960 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS FRANCIS A. CRAIG FRANK HOLLENTON ATTORNEY May 14, 1963 F. A. CRAIG ETAL CIGAR ACCUMULATQR 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 8, 1960 FIG. 3

INVENTORS FRANCIS A. CRAIG By FRANK HOLLENTON ATTCRHEY May 14, 1963' F. A. CRAIG ETAL CIGAR ACCUMULATOR 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 8, 1960 FIG. 4

INVENTORS FRANCIS A. CRAIG BY FRANK HOLLENTON W FA May 14, 1963 F. A. CRAIG ETAL CIGAR ACCUMULATOR 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 8, 1960 FIG.5

FIG. 6

INVENTORS.

FRANCIS A. CRAlG FRANK HOLLENTON ATTORNEY y 1963 F. A. CRAIG ETAL 3,089,297

CIGAR ACCUMULATOR Filed Dec. 8, 1960 8 Sheets-Sheet e INVENTORS.

FRANCIS A. CRAIG BY FRANK HOLLENTON ATTORNEY May 14, 1963 F. A. CRAIG ETAL 3,089,297

CIGAR ACCUMULATOR Filed Dec. 8, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 8 L Z5 INVENTORS.

FRANCIS A. CRAIG BY FRANK HOLLENTON ATTORNEY United States This invention relates to cigar handling machines, particularly to cigar accumulators, and more particularly to apparatus for automatically collecting and stacking cigars in a collection box as the cigars are delivered from a cigar making machine.

Continuous web feeds of reconstituted tobacco binder and wrapper have inaugurated fully automatic cigar machines and this necessitates that means be provided for automatically accumulating and stacking cigars as they are delivered from the cigar machine, and then transferring the stacked cigars into a collection box. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cigar accumulating apparatus of the foregoing type which is fully automatic in operation and may be used with conventional cigar making machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus which is operated independently of the cigar machine, with means on the cigar machine to deliver cigars to the independent accumulator.

Still another object is toprovide a cigar accumulating apparatus which :can collect cigars from a cigar machine without the necessity for accurate timing of the accumulator with the cigar machine.

Yet another object is to provide an apparatus which accumulates cigars delivered from a cigar machine and automatically stacks the cigars in rows of predetermined number.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus with automatic means totrans-fer the stacked rows of cigars into a collection box when a selected number of rows have been stacked, without interrupting the accumulation of cigars from the cigar machine.

A still further object of the invention is toprovide an apparatus for accumulating and stacking cigars and then transferring said stacked cigars to a collection box, in

which apparatus the various operations are automatically controlled by the number of cigars delivered from a cigar machine irrespective of the rate or continuity of such cigar delivery.

It is also an object to provide a cigar accumulator which is ecomonical to construct, readily transportable and conveniently installed adjacent the delivery station of conventional cigar making machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for delivering cigars from a cigar machine to an accumulator, which means are operable in synchronism with the cigar machine independently of the accumulator.

With the foregoing and other object not specifically mentioned in view, the accumulator apparatus of the present invention comprises a pair of endless toothed conveyor belts running over pulleys mounted on a framework which is located adjacent the delivery station of a cigar machine, the belts being motor driven independently of and at a speed of about twice that of the cigar machine. Cigars can thus be collected in the pockets between the teeth of the conveyor belts without the necessity of timing the belts with the rate of cigar delivery from the cigar machine, since each cigar as it is delivered sideways from the cigar machine will fall into a pair of empty belt pockets and then be positively conveyed to a station where the cigars are accumulated side-by-side in rows of predetermined number.

As the cigars are conveyed over one end of the belts atent "ice they are dropped into the path of a reciprocable pushing device, operable in synchronism with the belts, which pushes the cigars sideways onto a pair of parallel runners, during which operation each cigar trips a switch in an electrical control circuit to actuate a counter and step a rotary switch. When a predetermined number of cigars have been advanced along the runners, the rotary switch energizes a relay in a circuit which sets off a single revolution electrical clutch to cause a cam shaft to make one revolution during which a cam and its associated follower actuate linkages causing the cigar runners to momentarily spread apart and drop the row of cigars onto an underlying platform.

Each time a row of cigars is so deposited on the platform, the platform is indexed downwardly a predermined amount corresponding to the diameter of the cigars. To that end, the platform is mounted on a pair of vertical racks which are in engagement with a pair of meshing gears, a single-acting spring clutch on one gear shaft being normally engaged to permit only downward movement of the rack, the predetermined movement being accomplished by means of another single-acting spring clutch on the other gear shaft, which clutch is normally disengaged but operatively engaged to impart a predetermined angular movement to its associated gear from linkages taking their motion from a cam on the aforementioned cam shaft rotatable by the single revolution electrical clutch.

When a selected number of rows of cigars having been stacked on the platform, a pusher plate is actuated to push the stacked cigans endwise off the platform and into a collection box removably supported on a bracket at tached to the frame of the accumulator. The pusher is actuated from the aforementioned cam shaft through linkages normally held against movement by a latch which is releasable by the platform when the latter is in its lowermost position. A

After the pusher plate has unloaded the cigars it reciprocates to the back and off the platform under the action of its associated cam and in the rearmost position urges a pivotally suspended linger downwardly to disengage the normally engaged single acting clutch. A counterweight suspend-ed from a chain passed over the gear hubs and coupled to one of said hubs thereupon is free to drop and thereby raise the cigar stacking platform to its uppermost position. The upward movement of the platform is stopped and the platform again locked against other than downward movement by mean-s of 3. lug on the counterweight chain which trips the aforesaid pivotable finger out of clutch disengaging position against the normally engaged single acting spring clutch.

Means are provided on the cigar machine for delivering cigars to the belts of the independent accumulator, and include a trough-like member into which cigars are dropped from the delivery chute of the conventional cigar knurling device. A reciprocable pushing device, taking its motion from the reciprocable wrapper die cutting rollers of the cigar machine, is adapted to slide the cigans along the trough into the path of vertically reciprocating lifting fingers, operating through slots in the trough in synchronism with the pusher, to raise cigars up over the edge of the trough onto a ramp disposed above the cigar receiving end of the toothed conveyor belts on the accumulator.

The objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the features of construction, combination and arrangement of the parts thereof will be more fully understood from the following description, of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the cigar accumulator 3 positioned adjacent the cigar delivery station of a cigar machine;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the same;

FIGS. 3 and 4 when joined at the line AA show an enlarged end view of the cigar accumulator taken from the right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an intermediate horizontal section showing the arrangement of the platform racks and associated gears and clutches, and the cam shaft and its associated single revolution clutch;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the mechanism for pushing cigars onto the runners of the accumulator, as seen from the rear of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-section through the cigar runners and the stacking platform;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the pusher plate and associated mechanism for sliding stacked rows of cigars off the platform;

FIG. 9 is a front View of the mechanism for delivering cigars from the cigar machine;

FIG. 10 is a side view of same;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary and partly sectional view of the mechanism for pushing cigars onto the accumulator runners; and

FIG. 12 is a pictorial wiring diagram of the electrical control system of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the accumulator apparatus of the present invention is shown mounted in a generally rectangular framework 1 positioned adjacent the cigar delivery station 2 of a conventional cigar making machine. The accumulator frame mounts a pair of

endless conveyor belts

3 and 4 travelling in spaced side-by-side relation respectively over

pulleys

5, 6 and 7, 8 rotating on

shafts

9 and 10 journalled in

brackets

11 and 12 atop the accumulator frame 1. The

belts

3 and 4 are spaced apart less than the length of a cigar and the outer surfaces thereof are provided with toothlike projections 13 forming pockets 14 to receive the ends of cigars 15 and thereby continuously collect them as they are delivered from the cigar delivery station 2 by mechanism to be described hereinafter. Belt pulley shaft 9 is provided with a sprocket 16 coupled by a chain 17 to a sprocket 18 on a shaft 19 extending from a transmission box 20 supported on a bracket 21 in the bottom of the accumulator framework, an'electric motor 22 providing the drive for the

collector belts

3 and 4 through the transmission just described. The

cigar collector belts

3 and 4 are driven at a speed such that the pockets 14 pass the cigar delivery station 2 at a rate about twice that at which cigars are delivered, thereby insuring that each delivered cigar will be collected in a pair of individual pockets 14 without the necessity of timing the

accumulator belts

3 and 4 with the cigar machine, it being a matter of indifference whether or not the cigars are uniformly spaced along the

collector belts

3 and 4. The upper laps of the belts may be steadied by means of an underlying ramp 23 the underside of which is connected to angles 2'4 suitably supported on

rods

25 and 26 extending transversely of and between the belt laps and respectively fixed in a bracket 27 and bosses 28 on the accumulator frame.

As the cigars come off the end of the

conveyor belts

3 and 4 as the latter travel around pulleys 6 and S, the cigar ends are alined and the cigars are then collected in successive rows of predetermined number by means now to be described.

A pair of arcuate guide plates 29 and 3(1 surround the

belts

3 and 4 where they pass around pulleys 6 and 8, the guide plates being Eadjusta'bly supported on a bracket 31. The guide plates serve to contain the cigars in the belt pockets 14 until the cigars reach a position above a shelf 32 where the guide plates terminate and permit the cigars to drop to the shelf.

The means for aligning the cigar ends is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6. The lower laps of the

conveyor belts

3 and 4 respectively pass over cogwheels 33 and 34 mounted on a shaft 35 one end of which is journalled in a bearing 36 on a bracket 37. A gear 38 on shaft 35 meshes with a gear 39 fixed on a shaft 40 journalled in bracket 3-7 and a second gear 41 fixed on shaft 40 meshes with a gear 42 fixed on a shaft '43 also journalled in bracket 37 and mounting a crown cam 44. A lever 45 is fulcrumed at 46 to a bracket 47. One end of the lever 45 is provided with a cam roller 48 which is maintained in contact with the crown cam 44 by means of a tension spring 49 working between the roller end of the lever and the frame member 56. The other end of lever 45 is horizontally and vertically bifurcated and received over a horizontal rod 51 r-eciprocable in a boss 52 on bracket 53, a transverse pin 54 in rod 51 serving to couple the lever to the rod. The rod 51 is positioned to be reciprocated in line with the cigar pockets 14 on the

belts

3 and 4 at a point just before the cigars leave the guide plates 29' and 30 and drop to the shelf 32. The rod 51 is provided with a cap 55. It is obvious that since the rod 51 is .reciprocable through the kinematic .tr-ain just describedin timed relation with the speed of the

collector belts

3 and 4, it is adapted to reciprocate forwardly each time it is alined with the pockets 14 in

belts

3 and 4, whereby cigars which may be present in said pockets are gently and slight- -ly pushed lengthwise to a predetermined position such that cigars passing this point in spaced side-by-side relation are positioned with their ends properly alined for subsequent operations in the accumulator apparatus, these being the collection of the cigars in rows of predetermined number, stacking said rows and then transferring said stacked rows into a collection box.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 11, the gear 41 which is rotated from the cogwheel shaft 35 through

gears

38 and 39 is meshed with a gear 56 fixed to a shaft 57 journalled in bracket 37 and to which shaft is fixed a crank disc 58. An adjustable link rod 59 at one end is pivota bly coupled at 60 to the face of the disc 58 and at its other end is adjustably coupled to a slotted arm 61 fixed to a rock shaft 62 which is journalled in a bracket 63 and terminates in a collar 64. Another rock shaft 65 in alinement with rock shaft 62 is journalled in vertical plate brackets 66 and 67 and is provided at one end with a loosely mounted collar 68 which abuts the collar 64 on rock shaft 62. A collar 69 is fixed to shaft 65, spaced from loosely mounted collar 68 and coupled thereto by means of a torsion spring 72 working over shaft 65. Motion from shaft 62 is transmitted to shaft 65 by means of a finger 70 on collar 64 working against a pin 71 on collar 68 which in turn rocks shaft 65 by means of the torsion spring 72 coupling the

collars

68 and 69. This permits lost motion between

shafts

62 and 65 under certain conditions to be described hereinafter.

Fixed to the rock shaft 65 between plate brackets 66 and 67 is an oscillatable arm 73 (FIGS. 2, 3, 6- and 11) which extends upwardly and is coupled to a cigar pushing device 75. The cigar pusher is generally U-shaped in plan, and the horizontal arms 76 and 77 are spaced apart less than the length of a cigar and slidable in

guides

78 and 79 disposed in back of the platform 32 on which cigars are deposited from the

collector belts

3 and 4. The cross member 80 connecting the arms of the pusher 75 is provided with a central boss or block 81 which is bored and slidably received over a rod 82 fixed in a bracket 83. Depending from the block 81 are a pair of spaced bifurcated lugs 84 and 85, between which lugs is received the upper end of arm 73. The arm 73 is retained between the lugs 84 and 85 by means of a pin 74 extending through the bifurcated lugs. As the pusher 75is reciprocated in synchronism with the

collector belts

3 and 4 from which the pusher takes its motion, it pushes cigars deposited on the shelf 32 sideways onto a pair of spaced

parallel runners

87 and 88 to be collected in a row of predetermined number. As may be seen in FIG. 11, each time the pusher arm 73 oscillates forwardly and simultaneously reciprocates the pusher 75 to the position shown in broken lines, a cigar on platform 32 is pushed onto the

runners

87 and 88, only one of which is shown in this view. A gravity biased weight 86 pivotally suspended from a bracket 89 is pushed and swung upwardly out of the way by the movement of each cigar as it is pushed off the platform 32 onto the

runners

87 and 88, the weight swinging back each time to act as a check to prevent cigars returning to the platform 32 after they have been received on the runners. If for any reason a blockage should occur to prevent cigars from being freely pushed onto the

runners

87 and 88, their mutilation by the pusher 7 5 would be prevented because the light torsion spring 72 is adapted to yield under an obstruction to the pusher 75 to provide lost motion between rock shafts 6'2 and 65 through which the pusher 75 derives its movements.

The shelf 32 on which cigars are deposited before being pushed onto the runners is provided with a central slot 90 and extending upwardly therethrough is one end of a finger 91 which is in interfering relation to cigars as they are pushed off the shelf. The other end of the finger is disposed beneath and behind the shelf 32, is pivoted on a shaft 92 and counter-weighted by means of a vertical bar 93 attached to the shaft 92 and depending therefrom. The lower end of the bar 93 is provided with a notch 94 within which is received a pivotable actuating arm 95 of a switch 96 in the electrical control system of the present invention to be described hereinafter. At this point it is sufficient to mention that as each cigar passes over finger 91 it is depressed to actuate the switch 96.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 7, the

cigar runners

87 and 88 consist of a pair of parallel angle irons spaced apart approximately the width of a cigar, a leg of each angle extending horizontally towards one other to support the ends of cigars being pushed therealong. The runners .87 and 88 are respectively connected to

vertical arms

97 and 98 which in turn are fixed to

horizontal shafts

99 and 180 which are oscillatably journalled in brackets 101 and 1102 supported from

horizontal frame members

183 and 184. The

shafts

99 and 188 are adapted to swing apart

runners

87 and 88 to the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 7 in order to drop a row of a predetermined number of cigars onto an underlying platform 185 and then return the runners to the normal position shown in full lines for collecting a further row of cigars, this being accomplished through an electrical control system for the mechanism involved, the switch 106 shown in FIG. 7 as being actuated by the outswing runner 87 being a part of the control circuit.

The

oscillatable shafts

99 and 108 are provided with fixed arms 187 and 1418 the extremities of which are connected by links 1189 and 110 to arms 111 and .112 fixed to an oscillatable shaft 113 journalled on

frame members

103 and 1. An arm 114 fixed to the rear end of the shaft 113 is connected by means of a vertical link 115 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) to one arm of a lever r116 fulcrum ed to the frame at 117 and having on its other arm a roller 118 (FIGS. 4 and 5) following a cam 119 on a hollow cam shaft 120 journalled in frame members 121 and 122. A tension spring 124 (FIG. 1) working between lever 116 and frame member 1125 urges the lever roller 118 against the cam 1119. A switch '123 (FIGS. 1 and 5) forms a part of the electrical system (to be described) and is actuated by an arm 126 carrying a roller 127 in engagement with the cam 1 19.

The shaft 19 extending from the transmission housing 28 of the motor drive is provided with a sprocket 128 connected by a chain 129 to a sprocket 1311 fixed on a shaft 131 extending through and rotatable within the cam shaft 121}. The cam shaft is adapted to be given intermittent rotation through one revolution by means of a single revolution electrical clutch 132, the

members

133 and 134 of which are respectively fixed to drive shaft 131 and cam shaft 1241.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 7, there are shown associated with the

cigar runners

87 and 88 respectively

angle irons

135 and 136 with one leg of each disposed vertically within and alongside the correspondingly disposed legs of the

runners

87 and 88 and the other leg of each extending inwardly thereby forming with the runners means for maintaining the ends of the cigars in alinement during the instant a row of cigars begins to drop as the

runners

87 and 88 swing out. The guide angles 135 and 136 are supported from

brackets

137 and 138 fixed to rods 139 and 140 on the frame 1.

To ensure that each row of cigars is dropped as quickly and evenly as possible to the underlying platform 105, means are provided for engaging the top of the entire row of cigars and following the row of cigars downward to the platform and then returning to elevated position above the next row of cigars to be formed.

The oscillatable shaft 113, which through previously described linkages momentarily spreads apart cigar runners 8'7 and 88, has fixed thereto an arm 141 which as a consequence is oscillata-ble down and up in synchronism with the swinging out and return of the

runners

87 and 88. The end of the arm 141 engages the bottom of a roller 142 on a pin 158 extending through a pair of spaced vertical brackets 1'43 and 144 to the bottoms of which are joined a pair of parallel enlongated bars '145 and 1 46 extending horizontally between

runners

87 and 88, the bottom edges of the bars being disposed close to the top of the row of cigars on the runners. The

brackets

143 and 144 are coupled by parallel links 14 7 and 148 to another bracket 149 fixed to the rod 25 mounted in the frame of the apparatus on a bracket 27. Obviously as the arm 141 oscillates down and up during the opening and closing of the

cigar runners

87 and 88, the bars and 14-6 will follow the top of the cigar row downwardly, snugly position the cigars on the previously stacked rows on platform 1115 and then return to raised position to receive another row of cigars thereunder as the cigars collect on the

runners

87 and 88. As each row of cigars is dropped to the stacking platform 105, the latter is indexed downwardly a predetermined amount corresponding to the diameter of the cigars. When a selected number of rows have been so stacked a large pusher is activated against the ends of the cigars to slide them into a conventional collection box and the platform then is returned to its uppermost or starting position. The mechanism for accomplishing this will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, the platform 105 s mounted on the upper ends of a pair of vertical racks 15 1 and 152 and associated

gears

153 and 154 disposed between the racks and in mesh with each other. The gear 153 is fixed to a shaft 155 provided with a single acting spring clutch 15s normally engaged to permit only counter-clockwise rotation of the gear 153, hence clockwise rotation of gear 154 and downward movement of the

racks

151 and 152. The gear 154 is fixed to a shaft 157 provided with a single acting spring clutch 158 which is normally disengaged and operatively engaged only during downward indexing of the

racks

151 and 152.

"The spring clutch 158 is coupled to an arm 159 which is connected by a link 16% to the slotted end 161 of a lever 16 2 fulcrumed at its other end to the machine frame at 163 and mounting at an intermediate portion a roller 164 which follows a cam 165 on the single revolution cam shaft 124). The roller 164 is biased into contact with the cam by the tendency of the spring clutch 158 to move into engaged position on shaft 157, although this can only occur when the cam roller 164 falls into a low port1on of cam 165 during its intermittent single revolution. The degree of oscillation of arm 159 determines the distance which the platform is indexed downward with each cam shaft revolution.

Associated with the spring clutch 156 on shaft 155 is a clutch disengaging means operative to release the clutch and permit upward movement of the racks (after the cigars stacked on the platform have been transferred therefrom) under the bias of a counterweight 166 hung 7 from a chain 167 which passes slidingly over a collar 168 on shaft 155 and is Med to the hub 169 of gear 154 by means of a screw 170. The disengaging means for spring clutch 156 comprises an arm 171 pivoted at one end to the frame at 172 and having a short arm 173 depending from the pivot 172. This arm 173 is biased to the left (as viewed in FIG. 1) by a tension spring 174, the effect of which is to urge the free roller carrying end 175 of arm 1'71 upwardly, this movement being limited by a stop screw 176 cooperating with arm 173. At an intermediate portion of arm 171 there is pivotally suspended a finger 177 which is adapted to disengage the spring clutch 156 after a stack of cigars has been transferred from the platform 105 to permit the latter to return to its topmost position. This action is controlled by the cigar stack transferring means now to be described.

As the platform 105 is indexed downwardly after each row of cigars is stacked thereon, the platform moves between a pair of

side plates

178 and 179 mounted on

frame members

180 and 181 thus preventing cigars from dropping off the sides of the platform. The rear of the platform is disposed adjacent a vertical stack pushing plate 182 normally held in retracted position and operative to reciprocate to transfer stacks of cigars fromthe platform to a collection box only when the platform 105 has bottomed.

The back of the pusher plate 182 is provided with a vertical pivot rod 183 to which is hinged one edge of a vertical plate 184 pivoted at its other edge at 18 to one edge of another vertical plate 186 which in turn is pivoted at its other edge to the machine frame at 187. The efiect of this arrangement is to provide an extensible stiffener member for the pusher plate 182 as it reciprocates during the transfer of cigars from the platform 105 into a collection box 188, the partial transfer of a stack of cigars being shown in FIG. 8. The rear of the pusher plate 182 is provided with bottom brackets 189 and 190 to which are hinged

arms

191 and 192 which extend diagonally up rearwardly and are pinned to a shaft 193 one end of which carries a fixed sprocket 194 connected by a chain drive 196 to a sprocket 195 fixed against rotation by means of screwed connections 197' to a bracket 198. Additionally, a shaft 199 freely oscillatable in the sprocket 195 is provided with a fixed arm 200 which extends to and freely receives shaft 193 therethrough. The arrangement just described is adapted to open and close the

arms

191 and 192 with respect to arm 200 as shaft 199 is oscillated so as to reciprocate the pusher plate 182 to and fro over the platform 105 when the latter is bottomed as shown in FIG. 8. The shaft 199 derives its oscillatory motion from the cam shaft 120 through a cam 201 and its associated follower or roller 202 mounted on one end of a lever 203 fulcrumed on a shaft 204 and coupled at its other end by means of a vertical link 20 5 to a slotted arm 206 fixed to the shaft 199. A tension spring 207 working between the arm 206 and a lug 208 at the bottom of the accumulator frame tends to urge the cam roller 202 into engagement with cam 201 so that each time the roller passes over a low spot on the cam it will result in an oscillation of the pusher plate actuating shaft 199* to reciprocate the pusher plate 182. This action is only required when the platform 105 is bottomed, so that the cam lever 203 is normally inactivated by means of a latch 209 (FIGS. 1 and 4) in the form of a depending arm 210 pivotally supported at 211 from a frame member 212 and being provided at its lower end with a shoulder 213 which engages the underside of lever 203 and is normally so held by means of a U-shaped spring one end of which is fastened to an extension 215 of arm 210, the other end working against a pin 216 on frame member 212. It is only when the platform 105 is bottomed and presses down on spring 214 that the latch 209 is swung away to release the cam lever 203 whereby the pusher plate 182 may be reciprocated to transfer cigars from the platform 105 to a collection box. Remaining features of 8 the apparatus of the present invention will be described in connection with the following description of the operation of the apparatus in conjunction with the electrical control system illustrated in the wiring diagram of FIG. 12.

Each time a cigar deposited on shelf 32 is pushed into the

runners

87 and 88 the finger 91 extending through the shelf closes the switch 96 to cause a counter or totalizer 217 to register the count and a stepper coil 218 to advance a rotary switch 219* one segment. This continues until the rotary switch 219 reaches the contact F to which a full row lead 220 is connected. Upon con tact with the full row lead 220, a holding relay 221 is energized to close relay contacts CR CR and CR with the following results: Contact CR energizes a reset coil 222 returning the rotary switch to zero; contact CR holds the circuit on the relay; and contact CR sets off the single revolution electrical clutch 132 by means of a solenoid 228 to cause one complete turn of the cam shaft 120. When this occurs,

runners

87 and 88 swing apart to cause a row of cigars to drop on the stacking platform and simultaneously runner 87 actuates the switch 10-6 to break the circuit on the holding relay 221 causing the contacts CR CR and CR to open. Just before this breaking of the holding relay circuit, switch 123 is actuated by cam 119 to close and maintain the relay circuit closed on the electrical clutch for the completion of one revolution. Switch 123 is only needed if an electrical clutch is employed.

As the row of cigars is dropped to the platform 105 the latter is indexed downward during the single revolution of the cam shaft 120. This sequence automatically repeats itself until the required number of full rows of cigars have been deposited on the platform 105.

If the required number of cigars to be stacked on the platform 105 is such in relation to the width of the platform that the uppermost row must be only partially filled, there is provided a partial row lead 223' to that segment P of the rotary switch corresponding to the number of cigars in a partial row. A switch 224 (see FIG. 1) in the partial row lead circuit 223 is adapted to be closed by an adjustable actuator 225 on platform rack 151 as the platform is indexed downward after the loading of the last full row of cigars. Thus the rotary switch 219 will energize the holding relay 221 when the count of the row of cigars on the

runners

87 and 88 corresponds to the partial number required.

As the last row of cigars is dropped to the platform, be it a complete or partial row, the platform is indexed downward by the single revolution clutch on cam shaft 120. This causes a switch 226- (FIG. 1) to be closed by an actuator 227 adjustably mounted on the platform rack 152. This energizes a row-dropper lock-out solenoid 229 and maintains continuous or clutching rotation of cam shaft whereby the platform 105 keeps indexing downward until it is almost level with the bottom 230 of the collection box 188 removably supported on a bracket 231. At this level the platform biases the pusher plate lever latch spring 214 downwardly causing the latch 209 to swing out and release the lever 203 through which, during a single revolution of the cam 201 on shaft 120, the pusher plate 182 is caused to reciprocate forward and back over the platform 105, as best seen in FIG. 8, thereby transferring the stacked cigars to the collection box 188 by pushing against the ends of the cigars. The collected box of cigars may then be removed and an empty box mounted on the bracket 231 to receive the next stack of cigars.

As the pusher plate 182 reciprocates forwardly to transfer cigars from the platform 105 to the collection box 188, a horizontal flange 232 extending from the bottom of the pusher 182 rides off the roller on the arm 171 associated with the disengaging means for the single acting spring clutch 156 on gear shaft 155. As this action takes place the arm 171 pivots upward as viewed in FIG. 1 whereby its suspended finger 177, normally in idle position alongside a clutch disengaging pin 233 on spring clutch 156, swings over the pin to the position shown in FIG. 1. As the cigar stack pusher plate 182 reciprocates back after unloading a stack of cigars from the platform 195, the bottom flange 232 of the pusher again rides over the roller 175 on arm 171 causing the finger 177 to press against a pin 233 to disengage the clutch 156. When this occurs, the platform 105 is mechanically raised to its uppermost position under the influence of the counterweight 166, the upper position being determined by a lug 234 on counterweight chain 167 which strikes a pin 235 on the finger 177 to trip the finger away from the clutch 156, thereby permitting it to go into engagement and arrest the upward motion of the platform 105.

As the platform 105 begins to rise to starting position, the latch 209 associated with the pusher plate lever latch 209 is permitted to swing back into normal locking engagement with the pusher plate lever 203, and then there is repeated the entire sequence of collecting cigars in rows, stacking the rows on the platform 105 and indexing same downward, pushing a complete stack from the platform into a collection box and then returning the platform to starting position.

It should be noted that the sequence of the foregoing operations is controlled solely by the number of cigars pushed olf the shelf 32 onto the

runners

87 and 88 beneath the endless collector belts. Therefore, the rate .and continuity of cigar delivery to the accumulator is of no consequence. Moreover, cigars may also be removed from the top laps of the collector belts for occasional inspection without disrupting the operation of the accumulator, and cigars that pass inspection may then be replaced in the belt pockets since the speed of the belts in relation to the delivery of cigars thereto insures generally empty belt pockets between cigars.

The present invention also envisions improved means at the delivery station of a conventional cigar machine for transferring cigars to the independently operated accumulator of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 9 and 10, the improved cigar delivery means 2 is operated in synchronism with the cam drive of the wrapper die cutting rollers of a conventional cigar making machine such as is disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Letters Patent 2,405,867 granted August 13, 1946 to H. H. Wheeler. A wrapper die cutter cam 236 on a shaft 237 is provided with a slot 233 which is tracked by a roller 239 on an arm 240 extending from a rock shaft 241. To the latter shaft is also affixed a second arm 242 mounting at it's extremity a pin 243 received between the bifurcations of a lug 244 depending from a boss 245 slidable on a horizontal rod 246 disposed transversely of rock shaft 24-1 and fixed in

brackets

247 and 2 48 mounted on the cigar machine frame 249. An integral upward extension on boss 245 terminates in another boss 250 in which is fixed one end of a horizontal rod 251 reciprocable in a boss on bracket 248 and extending therethrough and terminating in a cap 253. The cap of the rod is reciprocable along the bottom of a metal trough 254 mounted on the cigar machine frame 249 beneath and extending across and beyond a ramp or delivery chute 255 leading from the cigar knurling station of the cigar machine. As cigars are delivered onto ramp 255 they roll down the inclined top edges of a pair of spaced

plates

256 and 257 mounted on the frame 249 in alignment with the sides of the ramp 2.55, whereby the cigars are smoothly transferred to the sloping side of trough 2'54 and roll to the bottom of the latter. The reciprocating pusher rod 251 is synchronized to push the cigars lengthwise along the bottom of the trough 254 to a location (see FIG. 2) where the cigar ends are properly aligned with the

accumulator collector belts

3 and 4 for transfer thereto.

A sprocket 258 journalled on cam shaft 237 is coupled by a chain drive 25 9 to a sprocket 260 fixed to a shaft 261 which mounts a cam 262. One arm 263 of a bell crank 254, pivoted at 266 in bracket 26 5, is provided with a cam roller 267 biased against the cam 262 by means of a tension spring 269 working between a pin 268 in the end of the other crank arm 270 and a pin 271 extending from bracket 248. The crank arm 270 is coupled by a link 272 to one arm 273 of a lever 274 fulcrumed to the machine frame at 275. The end of the other lever arm 276 is linked to the bottom of a vertical rod 277 reciprocable through a guide lug 278 extending from a bracket 279 and having fixed at its upper end a horizontal bracket from which depend three finger-like rods 281 which extend down through transverse slots 282 in trough 25 4. The bottom of the rods 28-1 are sloped forwardly in oblique relation to trough wall 283 whereby upon vertical reciprocation of the rods 281 cigars positioned before the rods by push rod 251 are raised to the top of trough wall 286 whereupon the cigars roll down an inclined trough extension or ramp 284 into the pockets of the

collector belts

3 and 4 at a location near the top of

belt pulleys

5 and 7.

The preferred embodiment of the invention described and exemplified herein is illustrative only, as persons skilled in the art will have recourse to various modifications and equivalent constructions within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for accumulating cigars as they are delivered from a cigar making machine, comprising an endless conveyor disposed adjacent the cigar delivery station of a cigar making machine to collect delivered cigars and convey them sideward to a discharge station, means for continuously driving said conveyor, means adjacent the discharge station of the conveyor for accumulating discharged cigars in a horizontal row, said last mentioned means including a pair of spaced horizontal runners adapted to support the ends of cigars and a reciprocable member operable in timed relation with the conveyor for pushing discharged cigars onto said runners, means for counting the cigars as they are pushed onto said runners, means operable after a predetermined number of cigars have accumulated on said runners to momentarily spread said runners and drop the row of cigars, a platform disposed beneath said runners fo'r stacking rows of cigars, and means operable in synchronism with the runner spreading means to index the platform downwardly a predetermined distance corresponding to the diameter of a cigar.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 including means operable at the lowermost position of the platform for transferring stacked rows of cigars lengthwise thereof into a removable collection box.

3. An apparatus for stacking cigars as the latter are delivered from a cigar making machine, comprising an endless conveyor for collecting delivered cigars and conveying them laterally to a discharge station, a horizontal support at the discharge station on which cigars are deposited, drive means for said conveyor, a pair of spaced horizontal runners extending from said horizontal support, a horizontally reciprocable pusher disposed above said horizontal support and operable in timed relation with said conveyor to push cigars laterally from the horizontal support onto the runners in a row, means for counting the cigars as they are pushed onto the runners, means operable at a predetermined cigar count to spread the runners momentarily to drop a row of cigars, a horizontal platform mounted below the runners for stacking dropped rows of cigars, said platform being reciprocable vertically, and means operable in synchronism with the runner spreading means for stepping the platform downwardly a distance approximately the diameter of a cigar.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, including a horizontally reciprocable plate mounted vertically adjacent a platform edge transverse to stacked cigars, means operable When the platform has cleared the lower edge 11 of the plate to reciprocate said plate to push stacked rows of cigars off the platform, and removable means mounted adjacent the platform for receiving a cigar stack as it is pushed off the platform.

5.A cigar accumulator of the character described, comprising a support frame, an endless conveyor belt travelling over pulleys mounted on said frame with means for driving said belt, said belt being provided with cigar receiving pockets for conveying cigars laterally, a shelf on said frame adjacent one end of the conveyor'for the deposit of cigars as they are discharged from the conveyor, a pair of parallel horizontal runners extending from said shelf and being spaced apart less than the length of a cigar, a reciprocable cigar pusher mounted for reciprocation over said shelf and operable in timed relation with the conveyor to push cigars laterally onto said runners, means for counting cigars as they are pushed along the runners, a vertically repicrocable platform mounted beneath said runners, means operable at a predetermined cigar count to spread the runners momentarily and permit a row of cigars to drop to the underlying platform, means operable in synchronism with the runner spreading means for stepping the platform down a distance approximately the diameter of a cigar whereby to stack rows of cigars, means operable after a predetermined number of rows have been stacked to maintain the platform stepping means operative and travel the platform down to cigar stack tran fer level, and means operable at said transfer level to push a stack of cigars off the platform.

6. A cigar accumulator according to claim in which the cigar counting means includes a pivotable member yieldably mounted in normally interfering relation to cigars as they are pushed onto the runners, an electrical relay coupled to said pivotable member, and a counter and rotary switch in a circuit controlled by said relay.

7. A cigar accumulator according to claim 6, which includes electro-mechanical means for spreading the runners, said means including a relay circuit energizable when the rotary switch is stepped to the contact which corresponds to the predetermined count of a row of cigars on the runners.

8. A cigar accumulator according to claim 7, which includes electro-mechanical means for stepping down the platform, said means including a relay circuit energizable by the rotary switch.

9. A cigar accumulator according to claim 8, including means for operatively locking the platform stepping means after the last of a predetermined number of rows of cigars have been deposited on the platform and continuously stepping the platform down to cigar stack transfer level.

10. A cigar accumulator according to claim 5, in which the means for pushing a cigar stack off the platform includes a vertical plate mounted alongside a platform edge transverse to stacked cigars, and electro-mechanical means for reciprocating the plate across the platform,

said reciprocating means being normally locked in inoperative position, releasable by the platform at stack transfer level and including a relay circuit energizable by the rotary switch.

11. A cigar accumulator comprising a pair of endless conveyors with means for driving same, mounted sideby-side on a frame for generally horizontal travel and spaced apart about the length of a cigar, one end of said conveyors being adapted to be positioned adjacent the cigar delivery station of a cigar making machine, said conveyors being provided with transversely alined pockets to receive the ends of cigars and thereby convey them laterally to the discharge end of the conveyors, a shelf mounted adjacent and beneath the bottom laps of the conveyors at the discharge end to which cigars are dropped from the conveyors, a pair of horizontal runners extending from the shelf horizontally beneath the conveyors and being spaced to receive the ends of cigars, a reciprocable cigar pusher operated in timed relation with the conveyors to push cigars from the shelf onto the platform, a vertically reciprocable platform mounted below said runners and extending the length thereof, means operatively related to a predetermined number of cigars on the runners to momentarily spread the runners to drop a row of cigars to the underlying platform and to simultaneously step the platform down a distance approximately the diameter of a cigar, means operatively related to the number of rows of cigars stacked on the platform to travel the platform down to a stack transfer level, and means actuated by the platform at said transfer level to slide a stack of cigars off the platform into a collection box removably mounted adja cent the platform.

12. A cigar accumulator according to claim 11, including means for alining the ends of the cigars, said means including a reciprocable member operatively timed with the conveyors and mounted adjacent the discharge end thereof to reciprocate transversely thereof toward and away from one of the conveyors whereby to push ends of cigars to uniformly aline them as the cigars pass said reciprocating member.

13. A cigar accumulator according to claim 11, including stationary guide means at the discharge end of the conveyors to guide cigars to the shelf.

14. A cigar accumulator according to claim 11, including a pair of parallel elongated bars mounted with slight clearance above the tops of cigars on runners, and operatively reciprocable down and up during the momentary spread of the runners to engage the tops of a row of cigars and insure their uniform deposition on the platform.

15. A cigar accumulator according to claim 14, in

which the runners are provided with stationary guide members to maintain the. cigar ends in alinement while 'being formed in a row.

tion to permit only downward movement of the racks,

a second single acting clutch operatively coupled to the other gear in normally disengaged position and operative when engaged to rotate its associated gear to move the racks down.

17. A cigar accumulator according to claim 16, in which said second clutch is engageable and oscillatable through an are equivalent to the vertical distance the platform is dropped when a row of cigars is deposited thereon, said oscillating engagement of said second clutch being controlled by means of a single revolution cam shaft and an arm on the clutch linked to a cam follower, said cam shaft being normally rotatable through only onerevolution by the means operatively related to the number of cigars on the runners above the platform.

18. A cigar accumulator according to claim 17, in which the cam shaft is continuously rotatable by the means operatively related to the number of rows of cigars stacked on the platform.

19. A cigar accumulator according to claim 16, in which the means to slide a stack of cigars ofl? the platform includes a vertical pusher plate reciprocable across the platform at the stack transfer level of the latter, including means operable by the platform after being retracted to disengage the first single acting clutch, and biasing means coupled to one gear for rotating said gears to cause upward travel of the racks.

20. A cigar accumulator according to claim 19, in which the biasing means is a counterweight suspended from a chain attached to a gear hub.

21. A cigar accumulator according to claim 20, in which 13 the chain is provided with a lug to trip the means disengaging the first clutch whereby to arrest upward move ment of the platform on the gear racks.

22. The method of accumulating and stacking cigars as they are delivered from a cigar making machine, which comprises delivering the cigars successively to pockets of a conveyor belt of an accumulator driven independently of the cigar machine and at a speed such that the belt pockets pass the cigar delivery station at a rate at least approximately twice that of cigar delivery from the cigar machine, depositing said cigars from the belt onto a horizontal support and synchronously with the rate of travel of belt pockets clearing said horizontal support of a cigar which may be deposited thereon by pushing said cigar into a row former past a counting device, and dropping said row of cigars to a row stacking platform when a predetermined number of cigars have been 14 counted without interrupting the travel of the collector belt.

23. The method of claim 22, which includes indexing the stacking platform down approximately the depth of a row of cigars each time a row of cigars is dropped thereon.

24. The method of claim 23, which includes transferring the stacked rows of cigars to a collection box after a predetermined number of rows have been stacked, and

10 returning the stacking platform to original position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 2,765,896 Peterson Oct. 9, 1956 2,917,156 Pollmann Oct. 15, 1959 2,919,529 Gukknab Jan. 5, 1960 2,938,317 Hillmau May 31, 1960

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR ACCUMULATING CIGARS AS THEY ARE DELIVERED FROM A CIGAR MAKING MACHINE, COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR DISPOSED ADJACENT THE CIGAR DELIVERY STATION OF A CIGAR MAKING MACHINE TO COLLECT DELIVERED CIGARS AND CONVEY THEM SIDEWARD TO A DISCHARGE STATION, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRIVING SAID CONVEYOR, MEANS ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE STATION OF THE CONVEYOR FOR ACCUMULATING DISCHARGED CIGARS IN A HORIZONTAL ROW, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED HORIZONTAL RUNNERS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE ENDS OF CIGARS AND A RECIPROCABLE MEMBER OPERABLE IN TIMED RELATION WITH THE CONVEYOR OF PUSHING DISCHARGED CIGARS ONTO SAID RUNNERS, MEANS FOR COUNTING THE CIGARS AS THEY ARE PUSHED ONTO SAID RUNNERS, MEANS OPERABLE AFTER A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF CIGARS HAVE ACCUULATED ON SAID RUNNERS TO MOMENTARILY SPREAD SAID RUNNERS AND DROP THE ROW OF CIGARS, A PLATFORM DISPOSED BENEATH SAID RUNNERS FOR STACKING ROWS OF CIGARS, AND MEANS OPERABLE IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE RUNNER SPREADING MEANS TO INDEX THE PLATFORM DOWNWARDLY A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DIAMETER OF A CIGAR.

22. THE METHOD OF ACCUMULATING AND STACKING CIGARS AS THEY ARE DELIVERED FROM A CIGAR MAKING MACHINE, WHICH COMPRISES DELIVERING THE CIGARS SUCCESSIVELY TO POCKETS OF A CONVEYOR BELT OF AN ACCUMULATOR DRIVEN INDEPENDENTLY OF THE CIGAR MACHINE AND AT A SPEED SUCH THAT THE BELT POCKETS PASS THE CIGAR DELIVERY STATION AT A RATE AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY TWICE THAT OF CIGAR DELIVERY FROM THE CIGAR MACHINE, DEPOSITING SAID CIGARS FROM THE BELT ONTO A HORIZONTAL SUPPORT AND SYNCHRONOUSLY WITH THE RATE OF TRAVEL OF BELT POCKETS CLEARING SAID HORIZONTAL SUPPORT OF A CIGAR WHEN MAY BE DEPOSITED THEREON BY PUSHING SAID CIGAR INTO A ROW FORMER PAST, COUNTING DEVICE, AND DROPPING SAID ROW OF CIGARS TO A ROW STACKING PLATFORM WHEN A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF CIGARS HAVE BEEN COUNTED WITHOUT INTERRUPTING THE TRAVEL OF THE COLLECTOR BELT.