US3579953A - Cigarette packers - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging machine comprising an endless conveyor having a plurality of successive containers for receiving rodlike articles, such as cigarettes, including means for feeding a predetermined number of rodlike articles to the container from the feeder as the conveyor moves. Particularly, the feeding means comprise a vertical channel in which a plurality of superimposed cigarettes are maintained, said channel being provided with an oscillating support at its bottom which is actuated in synchronism with the passage of the containers to lower and permit the cigarettes to fall into the container.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor GoftredoGianese [50] 53/56,77, 148, 149,150, 151, 236,59; 198/35, 53

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being provided with an oscillating support at its bottom which is actuated in synchronism with the passage of the containers to lower and permit the cigarettes to fall into the container.

53/77, 53/148, [51] Int. B65b 19/04 B l-578L953 PATENTED HAY25 lsm SHEET 1 [IF 3 IN wclv'ron.

GOFFREDO GIANESE NEY PATENTED HAYZS I97! sum 2 OF 3 INVEN'IOR.

GOFFREDO GIANESE A TORNEY SHEET 3 BF 3 PATENTED M25 1971 INVI'IN'I'UR.

GOFFREDO CIANESE ATT RNEY CIGARETTE PACKERS This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 734,371, filed June 4, 1968 and application Ser. No. 734,372, also filed June 4, 1968. The present invention relates to packaging machines for rodlike articles and, in particular, for cigarette packing machines.

In copending application, Ser. No. 734,372 filed June 4, 1968 there is disclosed a packaging machine comprising an endless articulated conveyor having a plurality of successive containers, each designed to receive a neatly arranged group of rodlike articles, such as cigarettes, to be packed. Each container consists substantially of a box which is open on the external side, that is, opposite to the conveyor, and has one or more compartments each capable of containing a stack of superimposed articles, parallel to the bottom of said box.

Articles are fed to the containers from a hopper which extends along a section of the conveyor and which comprises a plurality of successive vertically disposed distributing channels, each capable of containing a stack of superimposed cigarettes and having an outlet at its bottom. When a container passes the successive distributing channels, one cigarette at a time is transferred from each outlet into the container, filling it progressively until the preset number of cigarettes is reached. When the container comprises two or more compartments, these are filled in succession by a corresponding group of distributing channels. The cigarettes are actually introduced into the containers by means of an automatic feeding and ordering device which actually deposits them in the container and which is shown in copending application Ser. No. 734,371, filed June 4, 1967.

According to the last mentioned application, each distributing channel is provided with a shoe adapted to bridge the outlet of the channel and hold the cigarettes therein. The shoe extends forwardly from the outlet to the rear edge of the channel in the receiving direction of the conveyor and comprises one or more elements spaced transverse across the conveyor so that the lowermost cigarette rests securely thereon. The inlet or open end of each container is then provided with one or more extracting teeth spaced so as to move adjacent or between the shoe elements, to thereby engage with the cigarette thereon picking it up and sliding it from the shoe so as to cause it to fall into the container. Each shoe is provided also with a transverse hole connected to a source of suction so that the next succeeding or falling cigarette is caused to be held by the shoe pending its subsequent removal by the next of the successive containers.

In the aforementioned patent, the holding shoes are fixed well below the outlet of the channel to enable contact by the extracting teeth of the container. Thus, after an article or cigarette is extracted, the next succeeding or overlying cigarette is required to fall freely for a certain distance from the outlet of the channel until it, too, comes to rest on the shoe. This arrangement necessitates the application of a high suction through the hole or holes in the shoe to insure secure positioning thereon. It ensues that the cigarettes are consequently liable to damage, not only by the free fall but by the high suction and by the efiect on the extracting teeth when the cigarette is removed from the shoe.

The present invention is aimed at eliminating the above inconvenience and provides a mechanism which reduces the need for high suction to hold the cigarette and prevent free fall of cigarettes from the distributing channel. According to the present invention, the shoe bridging the outlet of the distributing channel is mounted so as to pivot and be caused to oscillate from an elevated or upper position directly adjacent the outlet of the channel in which it supports the stack of cigarettes on of contact with the extracting teeth of the containers passing beneath it, to a descending or lower position removed from the outlet in which the lowermost cigarette resting on the shoe is moved into a position to be engaged ky and removed by the extracting teeth. Further, in accordance with the present invention, the oscillation of the shoe is accomplished as a result and in response to the passing of the container beneath the respective shoe so that the shoe descends to permit the cigarettes to enter the container only when the container is presented beneath the distributing channel and elevates when the container passes thereby so that the next succeeding cigarette in the channel is secured before it falls free therefrom.

In consequence, the present device eliminates the free fall of cigarettes from the outlet of the channel. It simultaneously maintains the lowermost cigarette in positive securement on the shoe while it is being transferred from the channel to the container. Thus, less suction is required, a positive transfer is accomplished and less damage, resulting from the action of the extracting teeth on the cigarette, is obtained.

An additional inconvenience is found in the aforementioned application Ser. No. 734,371 Namely, in the embodiment shown there-the extracting teeth themselves are mounted so as to pivot or oscillate beneath the distributing channels so that they may be caused to be fixed out of engagement with the cigarette or containers as desired. The present invention provides an additional advantage, in that, since the shoe can oscillate, the extracting teeth may be made much simpler and fixed. The oscillating shoe may be provided with remotely operated locking means to fix their position so that when it is desired that no cigarettes be transferred, they may be locked out of action. The remote controlled locking means may be actuated further to provide selective locking so that only selected containers may be filled or not filled.

These andvother features of the invention and the resulting advantages may be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated as a nonrestrictive example in the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a distributing channel of the automatic cigarette-feeding and ordering device hopper, according with an oscillating cigarette-holding shoe associated with said channel;

FIGS. 2 to 5 show in vertical section the upper part of a cigarette container with the respective cigarette-extracting teeth and with the oscillating cigarette-holding shoe associated with a distributing channel, in four successive phases.

FIG. 6 illustrates a detail of the oscillating cigarette-holding shoe actuator in cross section taken along the lines VI-Vl of FIG. 1 and in larger scale.

As regards the general description of the packing machine and cigarette-feeding and ordering device, reference is made to the aforementioned patent applications for further details. The parts already described in these two applications are indicated with the same reference numbers in this description. In particular, item 8 is one of the containers which are fastened, one after the other, to an endless articulated chain and are destined to receive individually a neatly arranged group of cigarettes. A substantially horizontal run of this chain of containers passes in the direction of arrow F under the cigarette-feeding and ordering device consisting of a hopper 10 which extends along said horizontal run of the chain and the bottom 104 of which has a plurality of successive vertical distributing channels 11, each capable of containing a stack of superimposed cigarettes arranged horizontally and transversely to the running direction F of the chain. In FIG. 1, item 102 indicates a longitudinal sidewall of hopper 10. The upper inlet of each distributing channel 11 provided at the bottom 104 of the hopper is delimited by a pair of rollers 64, spaced equidistantly in a substantially horizontal plane and impressed with an oscillating rotary motion, that is, reciprocating, the amplitude of which can be adjusted according to the diameter of cigarettes S. These rollers 64 facilitate the descent of cigarettes S in hopper 10 and facilitate their entrance into the distributing channels 11.

Container 8 consists of a box open at the top, that is, at the outer side opposed to the articulated chain, as well as at either sides. This box is subdivided by two transversal partitions 51, into three compartments 108, 208, and 308, each capable of containing a stack of superimposed cigarettes S, parallel to the bottom of container 8 and transversal to its running direction F. Each container 8 is housed within a cage 57 which is fitted and guided, free to slide, forward and backward in relation to the direction of container 8. This cage 57 has a cover 157 which closes the inlets of compartments 108, 208 and 308 of the container. Cover 157 of cage 57 is provided with a transversal slot 58 the width of which corresponds substantially to the width of the inlet of a compartment 108, 208 and 308 of container 8 and consequently to the diameter of a cigarette S. The cigarettes are introduced into container 8 through slot 58 which can be adjusted over the inlet of one or the other compartment 108, 208 and 308 of container 8 by displacing cage 57.

Cage 57 is brought first into a position in which slot 58 of its cover is at the inlet of a compartment of container 8, for example, over compartment 108. When a container 8 passes under hopper 10, a cigarette S is picked from each of the successive distributing channels 11 of said hopper and introduced through slot 53 into compartment 108 until the desired number of cigarettes is reached in this compartment. Cage 57 is, then, automatically displaced during a step of the motion of the chain of containers 8, which brings cigarette-introduction slot 58 into the area of the next compartment 208 of container 8. Compartment 208 is then filled similarly to the first one 108, by picking up, during the further motion of the container under hopper 10, a cigarette from each successive distributing channel 11. Cage 57 moves then a further step in order to adjust slot 58 over the inlet of the third compartment 308 which is then filled in the same manner.

In accordance with the present invention, two oscillating cigarette-holding shoes 165, interspaced transversely to the running direction F of container 8 are provided in the area of the lower outlet of each distributing channel 11 for picking the individual cigarettes S from distributing channels 11 and introducing them into compartments 108, 208 and 308 of container 8. These cigarette-holding shoes 165 are housed in corresponding lower recesses 106 of bottom 104 of hopper and fastened to a common shaft 107 mounted, free to rotate, in bottom 104 of hopper 10. The cigarette-holding shoes I65 extend forward from the rear edge of the outlet in the running direction F of container 8 and hold the stack of superimposed cigarettes S in the distributing channel 11, preventing them from falling. The front end of each cigarette-holding shoe 165, protruding under the outlet of the respective distributing channel 11, presents an upper cradle-shaped surface which accommodates the lower cigarette S of distributing channel 11. To ensure the exact positioning of this lower cigarette, a suction hole 67 is provided in the cradle-shaped surface of each cigarette-holding foot 165 which is connected to a suction source by means of a duct 109 provided in the corresponding cigarette-holding foot 165 and by means of a longitudinal duct 111 provided in shaft 107.

The cigarette holder consisting of the pair of shoes 165 can oscillate upward and downward, assuming a lifted or elevated position (see FIG. 2 on the right) and a lowered or descending position (FIG. 3-5). The oscillation of shoes 165 can be obtained through any suitable means. In the illustrated embodiment, feet 165 are pushed downward by springs 113, located between feet 165 and bottom 104 of hopper 10, while they are lifted against the force of these springs 113 by means of a cam 114 which acts on a side lever arm 115 ofa block 117 fastened to shaft 107 of feet 165. Cams 114, associated with cigaretteholding feet 165 of the various successive distributing channels 11 of hopper 10 are fitted to a single shaft 119 which extends along hopper 10. The axis of rotation of cams 114 is therefore transversal to the axes of oscillation (shafts 107) of cigarette-holding shoes 165. Consequently, the oscillation of shaft 107 determines an inclination of lever arm 115, transversely to the active surface of respective cam 114. To compensate for this inclination, cam 114 does not act directly on lever arm 115 but on a pin 120 parallel to shaft 107 and mounted, free to rotate, around its own axis, in lever arm 115. For this purpose, lever arm 115 has a fork shape. Pin has a flattened part which adheres to cam 114, as it evidently appears particularly in FIG. ti.

The pair of cigarette-holding feet 165 can be held in its lifted position (FIG. 2) by means of any locking means. In the illustrated embodiment, this device consists of a movable hook 121 which cooperates with a tooth 123 of lever arm and is driven by a solenoid 124. When solenoid 124 is deenergized, hook 121 disengages from tooth 123 and allows the free rotation of lever arm 115 and consequently of cigarette-holding feet 165. When solenoid 124 is energized, hook 121 moves to a position in which it engages tooth 123 when level arm 115 is pushed downward by cam 114, thus locking cigarette-holding feet in their lifted position.

On the outside of cover 157 of cage 57, in the area of the rear edge of transversal slot 58, there are two or more fixed extracting teeth 168, interspaced transversally to the running direction F of container 8 and staggered in relation to the overlying cigarette-holding shoe 165. Preferably, extracting teeth 168 are so located that when container 8 passes under a distributing channel 11 of hopper 10, each cigarette-holding shoe 165 gets between two extracting teeth 168. On the opposite or front edge of cover 157 of cage 57 in front of extracting teeth 168, there is provided a pair of pressing elements 71, each fastened to the free end of an elastic strip 72 which is engaged with its other end to cage 57. The elastic strips 72 tend to bring pressing elements 71 into lifted position, in front of extracting teeth 168, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Each pair of oscillating cigarette-holding shoes 165 is actuated by the corresponding cam 114 in synchronism with the motion of containers 8 along hopper 10 in such a way as to obtain the following operation.

When oscillating shoes 165 are in the elevated position, they hold the lower cigarette S of respective distributing channel 11 lifted out of the trajectory of extracting teeth 168 of containers 8 which transit under hopper 10, as illustrated on the right side of FIG. 2. Every time a container is about to transit under a distributing channel 11, cam 114 causes the lifting of lever arm 115 and the pair of shoes 165 oscillates, due to the action of springs 113, into its lowered position (FIGS. 3 to 5) causing the descent of cigarettes S in distributing channel 11. Thus, the lowermost cigarette in the channel 11 (supported by the cradle-shaped ends of shoes 165 and held on it by suction applied through holes 67) is accompanied and guided during its descent by the cigarette-holding shoes 165 whereby no free fall of the cigarettes is experienced. When shoes 165 are in the lowered position, the cigarette supported by them moves in the trajectory of the extracting teeth 168 of the container which is about to pass under distributing channel 11 (FIG. 3). The overlying cigarettes in the distributing channel 11 continue to stand on the lowermost cigarette supported by shoes 165.

To facilitate the transfer of cigarettes from the shoe 165 into the container, there is provided a resilient gauge element 71 mounted on the outside of the cage cover 57. The gauge element 71 is engaged by the undersurface of the shoe 165 before the cigarette S is removed therefrom and is depressed (FIG. 3) against the action of spring 72. As the conveyor moves and the shoe 165 passes over the gauge element 71, the spring 72 forces the element 71 upwards (FIG. 4). At this moment, the extracting teeth 168 passing the lowered shoe 165, meet cigarette S and push it forward sliding it past the free front end of shoe 165 into the container (FIG. 5). The cigarette falls by gravity through the upper slot 58 of cage 57 into the underlying compartment 108 of container 8. The gauge element 71, by tripping up in front of the cigarette supported by shoe 165 before it is contacted by the extracting teeth 168 prevents the cigarette from jumping forward past slot 58 of cage 57 due to the shock received from the extracting teeth 168.

As the cigarette is removed from the lowered shoe 165, extracting teeth 168 insinuate themselves with their flat backs under the next lower cigarette in distributing channel 11 thus supporting it in its position within the channel (FIG. 5) after the removed cigarette falls from the lowered cigarette-holding shoe 165 and in any case, before the backs of the extracting teeth move away from the following overlying cigarette in distributing channel 11, earn 114 lowers lever arm 115, thus causing shoe 165 to oscillate upward, bringing the shoe 165 back into their lifted position, securing in their cradle-shaped ends the following cigarette (HO. 2). This next following cigarette is thus supported and gripped through suction by the lifted shoe 165 which accompany it in the descent with their downward oscillation during the transition of the following container.

As described in the first of the aforementioned applications, there are cases in which a container 8 must not be filled with cigarettes. For this purpose, when a not-to-be filled container 8 is about to pass under a distributing channel 11 of hopper 10, cigarette-ho ding shoes 165, instead of oscillating into their lowered position and thus bring the cigarette in the trajectory of the extracting teeth, are held in the lifted position by means of hook 121 which engages with tooth 123 of lever arm 115 and prevents the upward oscillation of lever arm 115. Locking of cigarette-holding shoes 165 in the lifted position is determined by the temporary energization of solenoid 124, during an interval of time corresponding to the transition of container 8 under distributing channel 11. The pairs of cigarette-holding shoes 165 associated with the various successive distributing channels 11 of hopper are temporarily locked, one after the other, in the lifted position, in synchronism with the transition of the not-to-be-filled container 8. This is obtained with the cascade energization of solenoids 124 associated with the cigarette-holding feet 165 of the successive distributing channels 11.

The invention provides also a safety device which automatically stops the movement of the chain of containers 8 and the associated mechanism when a cigarette S does not fall immediately into the respective container 8 but remains on cage 57 and is dragged forward, for example, by extracting teeth 168. For this purpose each pair of cigaretteholding shoes 165 is provided with an associated detecting lever 125 (FIG. 1), keyed to a freely rotatable shaft 126.'The shaft 126 rotates and extends transversely at bottom 10 3 of hopper 10 to the running direction F of containers 8, that is, parallel to shaft 107 of feet 165. Lever 125 is located in the center between the two cigarette-holding feet 165 and is inclined downward in a forward direction, that is, in the running direction F of container 8. laterally, on shaft 126 there is keyed another lever 127 connected to a spring 128 which is anchored to a rod 129 fastened in bottom 104 of hopper 10.

On an end of shaft 126, adjacent side lever 127, there is rotatably mounted a grooved pulley 130, coaxial to said shaft. Another grooved pulley 131 is mounted on the side of lever 127, eccentrically to shaft 126. Over pulley 130 and under pulley 131 is passed a thin cable 132 or the like, which extends along the entire hopper 10 of the cigarette feeder. One end (not illustrated) of this cable 132 is anchored to a fixed point, while the other end is connected to the actuating lever 133 of a microswitch 134. This cable 132 thus engages by virtue of the two pulleys 130, 131 of all the safety devices associated with the various successive pairs of cigarette-holding shoes 165.

The springs 128 normally hold the side lever 127 in an angular position of rest in which the free end of the inclined detecting levers 125 is slightly underneath cigarette S, supported by each pair of shoes 165 in the lowered position. In the meantime, pulleys 131 of said side levers 127 stand with a light pressure on cable 132, keeping it stretched. This light rest tension of cable 132 is not, however, sufficient to move the actuating lever 133 of microswitch 134 whereby the latter is in a condition corresponding to the packer in operation.

When a cigarette, picked up by extracting teeth 168 from the lowered cigarette-holding shoes 165 does not fall into container 8 but is moved forward by the extracting teeth, it meets the inclined detecting lever associated with the pair of cigarette-holding feet 165 of the successive distributing channel 11, thus lifting said lever 125 against the action of the respective return spring 128. Consequently, also side lever 127, keyed to shaft 126 of lifted detecting lever is caused to oscillate. Thus, pulley 131 carried by side lever 127 presses against cable 132 and stretches it with such a force that it moves lever 13 which actuates microswitch 134, determining the stoppage of the machine.

The cigarette which has been removed from the lowered feet of a distributing channel 11 but which has remained out of container 3 and has been moved forward by extracting teeth 168, meets detecting lever 125 associated with the successive distributing channel 11 preferably before the cigarette-holding shoes 165 of the latter distributing channel have moved, by means of cam 114 and springs 113, to their lowered position. The actuation of microswitch 134 causes, then, in conjunction with or prior to the stoppage of the machine, also the energization of solenoid 124 associated with this successive distributing channel, locking the respective cigarette-holding feet 165 in their lifted position, thus preventing the cigarette supported by them from being engaged and caused to fall prematurely, by the previous cigarette picked up and moved by extracting teeth 168.

It will thus be seen that an improved mechanism for transferring cigarettes has been devised.

It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment which has been described and illustrated but that many changes could be made, mainly as regards construction, without departing from the spirit of the invention as illustrated above and as defined in the following claims.

lclaim:

1. In a packaging machine for rodlike articles comprising a hopper having a plurality of serially arranged vertical channels, each adapted to contain a stack of said articles superimposed one upon another, support means at the bottom of each of said channels for supporting said articles thereon, an endless conveyor on which is carried a plurality of containers past the bottom of said channels and means mounted on each of said containers for removing the article from each of the support means and causing it to drop into said container on movement of a container past said channels, the improvement comprising means pivotally mounting said support means at the rear edge of said channel so that said support means extend forwardly in the direction of motion of said conveyor and oscillate vertically from an upper position maintaining said articles within said channel and out of contact with said articleremoving means to a lower position in which the lowermost article supported by said support means is positioned in the path of said removing means.

2. The device according to claim 1 including means for synchronizing the oscillation of the support means with the movement of said container so as to lower said support means on presentation of a container beneath the channel and to raise said support means on passage of said container therefrom.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein the articleremoving means comprise one or more extracting teeth mounted on the top of said container, said teeth having flat edges and being of such height as to be caused to insinuate themselves between the lowermost article supported on said support means and the next lowermost article thereby acting to remove said lowermost article from said support while itself supporting said next to the lowermost article until said support means is caused to oscillate to its upper support position.

4. The device according to claim 2 including means for selectively preventing oscillation of each of said article support means notwithstanding passage of said containers.

5. The device according to claim 4 including control means for preventing successive support means from oscillation in cascading manner, each for a predetermined interval of time, corresponding to the passage of a predetermined container.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the article-support means is fastened to a shaft pivotally mounted transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyor and includes spring means for biasing said support means in its downward position, said shaft having a laterally extending lever arm, a rotary cam member engaging said lever arm, said cam being provided with a face adapted to permit said lever arm to selectively depress and raise, and means acting in synchronism with the movement of said conveyor to cause said cam to normally depress said lever and maintain said support means in its upward position, and to permit said lever to raise to cause said support means to lower on presentation of container thereby.

7. The device according to claim 6 including suction holes lever secured to a pivotal shaft mounted transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor above the containers thereon, spring means for normally biasing said detecting lever downwardly to engage an article lying on the top of said containers, lever means extending laterally from said shaft and movable therewith and switch means for preventing operation of said packing machine, operable on movement of said lateral lever means.

10. The device according to claim 9 including a cable extending along each of the vertical channel, each of the lateral lever means extending from the shaft mounting said detecting lever engaging said cable, said cable being connected to the microswitch, whereby movement of any one of said lateral levers actuate said microswitch.

Claims (10)

1. In a packaging machine for rodlike articles comprising a hopper having a plurality of serially arranged vertical channels, each adapted to contain a stack of said articles superimposed one upon another, support means at the bottom of each of said channels for supporting said articles thereon, an endless conveyor on which is carried a plurality of containers past the bottom of said channels and means mounted on each of said containers for removing the article from each of the support means and causing it to drop into said container on movement of a container past said channels, the improvement comprising means pivotally mounting said support means at the rear edge of said channel so that said support means extend forwardly in the direction of motion of said conveyor and oscillate vertically from an upper position maintaining said articles within said channel and out of contact with said article-removing means to a lower position in which the lowermost article supported by said support means is positioned in the path of said removing means.

2. The device according to claim 1 including means for synchronizing the oscillation of the support means with the movement of said container so as to lower said support means on presentation of a container beneath the channel and to raise said support means on passage of said container therefrom.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein the article-removing means comprise one or more extracting teeth mounted on the top of said container, said teeth having flat edges and being of such height as to be caused to insinuate themselves between the lowermost article supported on said support means and the next lowermost article thereby acting to remove said lowermost article from said support while itself supporting said next to the lowermost article until said support means is caused to oscillate to its upper support position.

4. The device according to claim 2 including means for selectively preventing oscillation of each of said article support means notwithstanding passage of said containers.

5. The device according to claim 4 including control means for preventing successive support means from oscillation in cascading manner, each for a predetermined interval of time, corresponding to the passage of a predetermined container.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the article-support means is fastened to a shaft pivotally mounted transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyor and includes spring means for biasing said support means in its downward position, said shaft having a laterally extending lever arm, a rotary cam member engaging said lever arm, said cam being provided with a face adapted to permit said lever arm to selectively depress and raise, and means acting in synchronism with the movement of said conveyor to cause said cam to normally depress said lever and maintain said support means in its upward position, and to permit said lever to raise to cause said support means to lower on presentation of container thereby.

7. The device according to claim 6 including suction holes provided in said support means connected to a source of suction by means of a duct through the transverse shaft to thereby hold the article on said support means.

8. The device according to claim 1 including means for sensing the presence of an article on the upper surface of said container and for emitting a signal, means responsive to said signal for preventing oscillation of the article-support means.

9. The device according to claim 6 including a detectiNg lever secured to a pivotal shaft mounted transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor above the containers thereon, spring means for normally biasing said detecting lever downwardly to engage an article lying on the top of said containers, lever means extending laterally from said shaft and movable therewith and switch means for preventing operation of said packing machine, operable on movement of said lateral lever means.

10. The device according to claim 9 including a cable extending along each of the vertical channel, each of the lateral lever means extending from the shaft mounting said detecting lever engaging said cable, said cable being connected to the microswitch, whereby movement of any one of said lateral levers actuate said microswitch.

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