& & & &

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a machine for packaging products of the tobacco industry, particularly snus.

The solution described here has been devised for a particular application in which snus is fed to the packaging machine inside containers (also called pockets).

The object of this solution is to provide a packaging machine capable of transferring the products from the containers into packages being formed inside the machine, without adversely affecting the operating cycle of the machine.

A preferred embodiment of the solution described here relates to a machine for packaging the products in loose form in sachets or pouches.

The aforementioned object is achieved by using a packaging machine having the characteristics specified in Claim 1.

The present invention also relates to a method according to Claim

10.

The claims form an integral part of the teachings provided here.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, which refers to the attached drawings provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the machine described here, in an axonometric view;

- Figure 2 shows a side view of the machine of Figure 1;

- Figures 3a to 3g show successive steps of the operation of the machine of Figure 1.

The following description illustrates various specific details intended to provide a deeper understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments may be realized without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components or materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail, to avoid obscuring various aspects of the embodiment.

The references used here are purely for convenience and therefore do not define the scope of protection or the extent of the embodiments.

As mentioned above, the packaging machine described here has been devised for a particular application in which the products to be packaged are fed to the packaging machine inside containers.

Inside the containers, the products to be packaged are arranged in groups corresponding to the groups of products to be packaged in the individual packages.

The solution described here transfers each group of products from its respective container to a respective pre-formed package.

In a preferred embodiment, the packaging machine described here operates to package the products in loose form in sachets or pouches.

With reference to Figure 1, in general terms, the machine described here - indicated in the figures by the reference numeral 10 - comprises:

- at least one conveyor 30 for feeding a plurality of containers 100 containing the products S along a conveying path T ;

- a unit 40 for feeding packages 200 along a feeding direction K; and

- an overturning unit 20, which is positioned along the conveying path T and is arranged to receive at least one container containing a group of products S and to overturn it to discharge the products into one of the packages advancing along the feeding direction K.

The overturning unit 20 comprises a rotor 21 comprising a first housing 22, for receiving at least one first container, and a second housing 23 for receiving at least one second container.

The rotor 21 is rotatable around a horizontal rotation axis I for making the first and the second housing 22, 23 reciprocally swap positions, between a first position PI for loading the containers 100 and a second position P2 for discharging the products from the containers 100 into the packages 200 that are fed along the feeding direction K.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as that which is illustrated, the housings 22, 23 are positioned diametrically opposite each other with respect to the axis of rotation I of the rotor. Preferably, the positions PI and P2 are defined on the same vertical line. In one or more preferred embodiments, such as that which is illustrated, the second housing 22 is delimited by a bottom 22A and by two lateral abutment parts 22B, which are opposed to each another with respect to the bottom 22A. The bottom 22A and the lateral parts 22B extend along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation I.

The housing 23 has an identical configuration and is, in particular, delimited by a bottom 23A and by two lateral abutment parts 23B.

The two housings 22, 23 are oriented in opposite directions around the rotation axis I of the rotor so that the housing 22 or 23 that is in position PI has its lateral parts 22B, 23B above the bottom 22A or 23 A, and the housing 23 or 22 that is in position P2 has its lateral abutment parts 23B or 22B below the bottom 23A or 23B.

In the loading position PI, the housings 22 and 23 each receive a predetermined group of containers in an arrangement in which the containers rest on the bottom 22A or 23A, with their respective upper openings facing upwards, and are ordered in line along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation I.

In a preferred application, the individual container 100 has an internal wall that divides it into two compartments 100A, 100B, each intended to receive a group of products to be packaged in a respective package 200.

The internal wall also divides the upper mouth of the container into two separate upper openings 100Ά, 100’B.

Also according to this preferred application, within the housings 22, 23 the containers 100 are arranged with their respective internal walls parallel to the lateral parts 22B or 23B, so that one of the respective compartments 100A, 100B is positioned nearer to one lateral part of the housing, while the other is positioned nearer to the opposite lateral part.

The overturning unit 20 also comprises closing members 25 A, 25B and 26A, 26B associated with the housings 22 and 23 respectively, which perform the function of selectively opening and closing the upper openings 100Ά and 100’B of the containers 100 arranged in the housings 22, 23.

In particular, the two closing members 25 A, 25B are positioned on opposite sides of the housing 22, outside the lateral parts 22B, and are mounted on the rotor 21 in a pivoting manner about respective axes of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation I.

Respective actuators 27 drive the two closing members 25A, 25B between a position for closing the containers 100, in which the two members 25 A, 25B are placed against or close to the corresponding lateral parts 22B, and an opening position, for discharging the products from the containers 100, in which the two members 25 A, 25B are spaced apart from the lateral parts 22B.

Each closing member comprises a covering body 25’ which, in the aforesaid closing position, projects beyond the corresponding lateral part 22B, to close the upper openings 100Ά or 100’B of the containers 100; in particular, the covering body 25’ of the member 25 A closes the upper openings 100Ά, which the covering body 25’ of the member 25B closes the upper openings 100’B.

The two closing members 26A, 26B are mounted at the housing 23 in a similar arrangement and have an identical configuration; in the figures, the corresponding covering bodies are indicated by the reference numeral 26’.

In operation, each pair of members 25 A, 25B or 26A, 26B is brought to the opening position when the respective housing 22 or 23 is in the loading position PI for receiving the containers 100.

The two members 25A, 25B or 26A, 26B are then brought to the closing position, this taking place before the rotor 21 is rotated to swap the positions of the two housings 22, 23.

The rotor 21 is then rotated to swap the positions of the two housings, bringing the housing 22 or 23 into the discharge position P2.

When the housing 22 or 23 is in the position P2, the two members 25A, 25B or 26A, 26B are brought back to the opening position individually, at two successive moments, to discharge the products of compartments 100 A in a first step, and to discharge the products of compartments 100B in a second step.

The groups of products discharged during the first step are made to fill respective containers 200 brought to position P2 by the feeding unit 40, and the groups of products discharged in the second step are made to fill further packages 200’ which are subsequently fed to position P2 by the feeding unit. Preferably, funnel-like bodies 28 are positioned under the rotor 21 to guide the products in free fall and to ensure that they enter the respective packages 200 or 200’.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as that which is illustrated, the covering bodies 25’ and 26’ have an extension such that they project beyond the corresponding lateral part 22B or 23B even in the opening position of the closing member. Thus, by means of the respective bodies 25’, 26’, the closing members can support the containers 100 vertically when the housing 22 or 23 is in position P2 and the containers 100 are therefore upside down.

In one or more preferred embodiments, such as that which is illustrated, the packaging machine comprises an inlet channel 31 for bringing the containers 100 containing the products S to the overturning unit 20, and an outlet channel 32 for bringing the empty containers to an outlet of the machine. The two channels 31 and 32 form the aforementioned conveyor 30 for making the containers 100 advance along the advance path T.

In position PI, the housing 22 or 23 joins the inlet channel and the outlet channel to each other.

The machine also comprises a drive device 60 for picking the group of containers 100 from the inlet channel and bringing it into the housing 22 or 23. By the same action, the drive device simultaneously removes from said housing the group of empty containers whose products have already been discharged, and releases them into the outlet channel 32.

The drive device 60 comprises a series of equally spaced engagement members 62, for simultaneously engaging with the containers of the group to be picked, spacing them apart by a predetermined interval F. Thus the containers 100 can be positioned inside the housings 22, 23 at the same spacing.

The interval in question may be determined on the basis of the interval between the upper openings of the packages 200 fed by the feeding unit.

The packaging machine comprises a control unit 50 capable of operating the actuators and devices described above in a coordinated way, for executing the packaging method described here. Preferably, the control unit 50 is designed to receive a signal W1 indicative of the angular position of the rotor 21, and to cause the closing members 25 A, 25B, 26A, 26B to open in accordance with said signal.

In one or more preferred embodiments (see Figure 3), the packaging method comprises the following steps:

- by means of the drive device, picking a group of containers from the inlet channel and bringing it into the housing 22 or 23 of the overturning unit 20 (steps a) and b) in Figure 3);

- rotating the rotor 21 around the axis of rotation I until the housing 22 or 23 is brought into position P2 and the housing 23 or 22 is simultaneously brought into position PI (step c) of Figure 3);

- feeding a number of packages equal to the number of containers 100 loaded into the housing 22 or 23, at position P2 (step d) of Figure 3);

- driving the closing member 25A or 26A from the closing position to the opening position, so as to discharge the products of compartments 100A of containers 100 into the packages 200 in position P2 (step e) of Figure 3);

- feeding further packages 200’, again in a number equal to the number of loaded containers 100, to position P2 (step f) of Figure 3);

- driving the closing member 25B or 26B from the closing position to the opening position, so as to discharge the products of the compartments 100B into the packages 200’ in the discharge position P2 (step g) of Figure

3)·

Preferably, during the two steps of discharging the products from the containers 100 at position P2, the drive device picks a new group of containers 100 from the inlet channel and brings it into the housing 23 or 22 which is located in position PL

In general terms, it should be noted that there are other possible applications in which the containers 100 each have a single compartment. For these applications, the overturning unit 20 may comprise a single closing member associated with each housing 22 or 23, and a single step of discharging the products at position P2 is carried out during operation.

It is also possible to envisage embodiments of the packaging machine in which one container at a time is loaded into the housings, and the housings therefore have a reduced extension (along the axis of rotation I) which is sufficient for housing a single container.

Clearly, provided that the principle of the invention is retained, the details of construction and forms of embodiment can be varied, even to a significant degree, from what has been illustrated herein purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the attached claims.