Device and a method for storing and making available semi-manufactured tobacco products

Abstract

Semi-manufactured tobacco products are stored and made available by a device comprising a plurality of storage units filled directly from a maker machine, at least one bin containing the storage units in ordered arrangement, and at least one mobile collection unit by which a given number of storage units can be taken up from the bin. Operating in conjunction with first, second and third guidance systems, the collection unit can be moved from the bin to at least one holding store, from the store to at least one machine by which the semi-manufactured tobacco products are processed further, and from this machine back to the bin; accordingly, the device is able to link any given number of machines turning out semi-manufactured items to any given number of machines for subsequent processing of the semi-manufactured items.

1 . A device for storing and making available semi-manufactured tobacco products, comprising: 
 a plurality of storage units fed directly by a machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products;    at least one transporter unit serving to carry the plurality of storage units, in ordered arrangement;    first guidance means by which the transporter unit is directed to at least one holding store;    second guidance means by which the transporter unit is directed from the at least one holding store to at least one machine by which the semi-manufactured tobacco products are processed further.    
     
     
         2 . A device as in  claim 1 , comprising third guidance means by which the transporter unit is transferred from the at least one machine for further processing of the tobacco products to the machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products.  
     
     
         3 . A device as in  claim 1 , comprising a loading station operating between the machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products and the transporter unit, at which semi-manufactured tobacco products are fed to the storage units.  
     
     
         4 . A device as in  claim 1 , comprising an unloading station operating between the machine by which semi-manufactured tobacco products are processed further, and a transporter unit, at which semi-manufactured tobacco products are transferred to the further processing machine.  
     
     
         5 . A device as in  claim 3 , wherein the loading station comprises means by which to supply a storage unit with semi-manufactured tobacco products and the unloading station comprise means by which tobacco products are taken up from a storage unit.  
     
     
         6 . A device as in  claim 5 , wherein take-up means and supply means comprise a respective double conveyor preferably of belt type, of which a first end is positionable relative to a storage unit in such a way that tobacco products can be taken up from or supplied to the selfsame unit.  
     
     
         7 . A device as in  claim 6 , wherein each transporter unit comprises means by which motion is induced selectively in each storage unit in such a way as to present the selfsame units to the first end of the double conveyor in ordered sequence.  
     
     
         8 . A device as in  claim 7 , wherein motion-inducing means comprise a passive supporting element by which at least one storage unit can be retained in a position distanced from the first end of the double conveyor, and an active supporting element by which at least one storage unit can be retained in a position of interaction with the first end of the double conveyor.  
     
     
         9 . A device as in  claim 8 , wherein the active supporting element comprises first drive means by which at least one storage unit is transferable through a plurality of operating positions along the transporter unit.  
     
     
         10 . A device as in  claim 9 , wherein the passive supporting element and the active supporting element are equipped with respective coupling mean, such that each can be anchored to a respective storage unit.  
     
     
         11 . A device as in  claim 1 , wherein each transporter unit comprises stacking means by which the storage units are ordered one on top of another.  
     
     
         12 . A device as in  claim 1 , wherein each storage unit comprises a spiral track accommodating the tobacco products.  
     
     
         13 . A device as in  claim 10 , wherein the active supporting element comprises second drive means by which the spiral track is set in rotation relative to the stacking means.  
     
     
         14 . A method of storing and making available semi-manufactured tobacco products, including the steps of: 
 feeding semi-manufactured tobacco products to a plurality of storage units, unit by unit, placed on a plurality of transporter units;    transferring the transporter units to at least one holding store;    transferring the transporter units selectively from the holding stores to at least one machine for further processing of the semi-manufactured tobacco products; and    unloading the tobacco products from the storage units to supply the further processing machine.    
     
     
         15 . A method as in  claim 14 , including the step of transferring each transporter unit from the further processing machine to at least one machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products, in readiness for the step of feeding semi-manufactured tobacco products into the storage units.  
     
     
         16 . A method as in  claim 14 , wherein the step of feeding semi-manufactured tobacco products to the storage units includes the steps of positioning one end of a double conveyor carrying tobacco products on an inclined portion presented by a spiral track of a storage unit, and simultaneously setting the spiral track of the storage unit in rotation.  
     
     
         17 . A method as in  claim 16 , wherein the step of unloading the tobacco products from the storage units includes the steps of positioning one end of a double conveyor on the inclined portion presented by the spiral track of the storage unit, and simultaneously setting the spiral track of the storage unit in rotation.  
     
     
         18 . A method as in  claim 17 , wherein the step of feeding tobacco products to the storage unit involves causing the spiral track to rotate in the direction opposite to that in which the selfsame track is caused to rotate when unloading tobacco products from the storage unit.  
     
     
         19 . A method as in  claim 16 , wherein the step of positioning the end of a double conveyor carrying tobacco products on the inclined portion presented by the spiral track, in order to load tobacco products into the storage unit, includes the steps of lowering one empty storage unit onto the storage unit last filled with tobacco products and holding other empty storage units in an elevated position, distanced from the unit about to be filled, so that the end of the double conveyor can be offered to the spiral track of the unit about to be filled.  
     
     
         20 . A method as in  claim 17 , wherein the step of positioning the end of a double conveyor carrying tobacco products on the inclined portion presented by the spiral track, in order to unload tobacco products from the storage unit, includes the steps of lowering a full storage unit onto the storage unit last emptied of tobacco products and holding other full storage units in an elevated position, distanced from the unit about to be emptied, so that the end of the double conveyor can be offered to the spiral track of the unit about to be emptied.  
     
     
         21 . A storage unit for tobacco products, comprising a spiral track along which tobacco products are accommodated in ordered arrangement.  
     
     
         22 . A storage unit as in  claim 21 , wherein the spiral track comprises an inclined portion such as will receive the end of a double conveyor.  
     
     
         23 . A storage unit as in  claim 22 , wherein the inclined portion comprises a ramp allowing the end of a double conveyor to locate internally of the spiral track.  
     
     
         24 . A storage unit as in  claim 23 , wherein the spiral track affords a center hole, by which the relative storage unit is rendered positionable on a column and stackable with other storage units.  
     
     
         25 . A device for storing and making available semi-manufactured tobacco products, comprising: 
 a plurality of storage units fed directly by a machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products;    at least one bin containing the plurality of storage units in ordered arrangement;    at least one collection unit in receipt of a plurality of storage units from the bin;    first guidance means by which a collection unit filled from the bin is directed to at least one holding store;    second guidance means by which the collection unit is directed from the at least one store to at least one machine by which the semi-manufactured tobacco products are processed further.    
     
     
         26 . A device as in  claim 25 , comprising third guidance means by which the collection unit is transferred from the at least one machine for further processing of the tobacco products, to the bin.  
     
     
         27 . A device as in  claim 25 , comprising a plurality of bins each associated with a machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products of one type.  
     
     
         28 . A device as in  claim 25 , wherein the bin comprises a first opening through which the storage units are received, a second opening through which the storage units are released, and means by which the storage units are transferred in ordered sequence from the first opening to the second opening.  
     
     
         29 . A device as in  claim 25 , comprising a loading station operating between the machine turning out semi-manufactured tobacco products and the bin, at which the storage units are filled with semi-manufactured tobacco products.  
     
     
         30 . A device as in  claim 25 , comprising an unloading station operating between the bin and one of the collection units, at which the storage units are transferred to the collection unit.  
     
     
         31 . A device as in  claim 25 , wherein the collection units comprise means by which to stack the storage units in ordered sequence, and means by which the selfsame storage units are released in ordered sequence, so that the plurality of storage units can be loaded and unloaded in ordered sequence.  
     
     
         32 . A device as in  claim 29 , wherein the loading station is supplied with empty storage units by collection units redirected from the machine for further processing of the tobacco products by way of the third guidance means.  
     
     
         33 . A device as in  claim 30 , wherein the unloading station is supplied with empty collection units from which storage units have been released at the loading station.  
     
     
         34 . A device as in  claim 25 , wherein the collection unit comprises motion-inducing means interacting with the first, second and third guidance means to the end of transferring the collection unit.  
     
     
         35 . A device as in  claim 25 , wherein each storage unit comprises a spiral track accommodating the tobacco products, and means by which the tobacco products are loaded onto and unloaded from the spiral track.  
     
     
         36 . A device as in  claim 35 , wherein loading and unloading means comprise a flexible belt engaging slidably with the spiral track, and the tobacco products are placed directly on the flexible belt.  
     
     
         37 . A device as  claim 36 , further comprising motion-inducing means associated with each collection unit and acting selectively on the storage units occupying the collection unit, in such a way that each flexible belt can be extracted from and inserted into the relative storage unit.  
     
     
         38 . A method of storing and making available semi-manufactured tobacco products, including the steps of: 
 feeding semi-manufactured tobacco products to a plurality of storage units, unit by unit;    loading the storage units in succession into a corresponding bin;    transferring a predetermined quantity of storage units from the bin to a plurality of collection units;    transporting the collection units to at least one holding store;    transporting the collection units selectively from the holding stores to at least one machine for further processing of the semi-manufactured tobacco products; and    unloading the tobacco products from the storage units to supply the processing machine.    
     
     
         39 . A method as in  claim 38 , comprising the step of transporting each collection unit from the processing machine to at least one bin in order to fill the transported storage units with semi-manufactured tobacco products.  
     
     
         40 . A method as in  claim 38 , wherein the step of filling the storage units with semi-manufactured tobacco products includes the steps of transferring a plurality of storage units in succession from a collection unit to a loading station, and transferring the tobacco products from a manufacturing machine to one storage unit at a time.  
     
     
         41 . A method as in  claim 40 , wherein the step of transferring the tobacco products to a storage unit includes the steps of placing the tobacco products on a flexible belt and simultaneously directing the flexible belt along a spiral track of the storage unit.  
     
     
         42 . A method as in  claim 41 , wherein the step of transferring a predetermined quantity of storage units from the bin to a plurality of collection units includes the steps of transferring a collection unit from the loading station of the bin to an unloading station of the bin and stacking a predetermined quantity of storage units in ordered sequence on the collection unit.  
     
     
         43 . A method as in  claim 38 , wherein the step of unloading the tobacco products from the storage units to the processing machine includes a step in which a conveyor belt connected to the infeed of the processing machine is positioned in alignment with one of the storage units stacked on the collection unit, and a step of taking up the tobacco products from the storage unit.  
     
     
         44 . A method as in  claim 43 , wherein the step of taking up the tobacco products from the storage unit includes the steps of extracting a flexible belt on which the tobacco products are positioned, from a spiral track of the storage unit, and simultaneously transferring the tobacco products from the extracted portion of the flexible belt to the conveyor belt.  
     
     
         45 . A storage unit for tobacco products, comprising: 
 a spiral track along which tobacco products are accommodated in ordered arrangement; and    means by which the tobacco products are loaded onto and unloaded from the spiral track.    
     
     
         46 . A storage unit as in  claim 45 , of which the loading and unloading means consist in a flexible belt coupled slidably with the spiral track, wherein the tobacco products are positioned directly on the flexible belt, and motion can be induced in the belt to enable its extraction from and insertion into the storage unit.  
     
     
         47 . A storage unit as in  claim 45 , comprising means by which the tobacco products are retained on the flexible belt.  
     
     
         48 . A storage unit as in  claim 47 , wherein retaining means comprise an inflatable spiral coil positioned on the tobacco products, extending parallel with and at a distance from the flexible belt, and anchored to a top wall of the storage unit.