Reservoir for cigarettes with maximum time monitoring

摘要

A reservoir system for rod-like articles such as cigarettes includes a control system which operates to monitor the maximum time any articles can have remained in the reservoir, and initiates a reservoir emptying cycle when necessary so as to avoid occupation in the reservoir by any articles in excess of a predetermined maximum time. The reservoir may take the form of a reversible conveyor for a stream of articles in multi-layer stack formation, or a module for storing articles in containers including a container loading, unloading and transporting unit. A first-in first-out buffer reservoir may be associated with the main reservoir, and may be provided by a variable length portion of a delivery conveyor leading to the reservoir.