Field of the invention
[0001] The field of the invention relates to apparatus and methods for making cigarettes,
and more particularly to making cigarettes with a central hollow cylindrical tube.
[0002] A process for manufacturing a rod of smoking material with an axially extending insert
is disclosed in
GB 2260887.
Summary of the invention
[0003] Methods are provided for making cigarettes which comprise a hopper section that feeds
tobacco, and a rod forming section that wraps the tobacco with paper. A porous belt,
through which air is drawn, runs on two wheels and tobacco is fed to the porous belt
through a tobacco feed chamber. As the porous belt passes over the chamber, a tobacco
column builds up on the porous belt. The tobacco column travels with the belt and
is contained by the front and rear rails. In addition, the tobacco column feeds through
two trimming discs where the column is trimmed to a specific weight/volume. The trimmed
tobacco column then passes under the left wheel where it is scraped off the belt by
a scraper. At the same time, paper, which is pulled by a drive belt, is pulled under
the tobacco column by the rod forming section of the maker.
[0004] The scraper, which is flat at the entrance and concave at the exit, forms the top
of the tobacco column into a cylindrical shape. At the same time the paper and drive
belt under the tobacco column enter a garniture that supports the drive belt and paper.
As the tobacco column leaves the scraper it passes under a tongue that maintains the
cylindrical shape of the top of the tobacco column. As the tobacco column travels
through the tongue area the drive belt and paper under the tobacco column are formed
by the garniture around the tobacco column to produce a cylindrical shape on the lower
half of the column.
[0005] At this point the tobacco column has been transformed into a tobacco cylinder. Front
and rear side rails/folders attached to the garniture press in on the drive belt and
keep the paper tight against the tobacco cylinder. As the tobacco cylinder leaves
the tongue the rear folder forces the drive belt and paper to wrap over the top of
the tobacco cylinder. The tobacco cylinder and paper continue to travel down the garniture
and glue is applied under the front edge of the paper. The front folder then wraps
the front edge of the paper over the rear edge as the rear folder releases the drive
belt.
[0006] Heretofore, there has been a need to provide an efficient way to provide a hollow
passageway in the tobacco rod, and for a method for producing a tobacco rod with a
hollow cylindrical tube extending therethrough.
[0007] The present invention is intended to intermittently insert and accurately position
objects in a tobacco rod being produced by a tobacco rod maker equipped with a dual
(or multiple) path suction rod conveyor.
[0008] According to the invention there is provided a method for making cigarettes comprising
configuring wheels of a conveyor to allow two porous belts to run in parallel to one
another, adding a rear rail, front rail and center divider rail to the conveyor to
form a separate tobacco column on each porous belt, feeding tobacco to an updraft
chamber located below the porous belts while the belts are moving, building-up tobacco
columns on each of the porous belts, trimming the tobacco columns with rotating trimmer
disks and producing accurate tobacco weight, moving the trimmed tobacco columns along
the porous belts until the tobacco columns reach drive wheels, feeding paper under
the tobacco columns at the drive wheels and removing excess tobacco from the porous
belt with a scrapper, depositing the tobacco on moving paper and around a hollow cylindrical
tube, flowing the tobacco, tube and paper into a garniture, forming the tobacco tube
and paper into a cylindrical shape, feeding the cylindrical shaped rod through folders
and past a glue applicator that seals the paper and producing a finished tobacco rod
for cutting into individual tobacco rods.
[0009] Preferred methods of supplying the tubing include the following.
[0010] Cutting tubing to a certain length and loading the tubing into a hopper; picking-up
the tubing with a vacuum drum and moving the tubing down vertical ducts by friction
belts; propelling pieces of the tubing with a propulsion wheel that transports the
tubing; separating the tubing with a friction spacing wheel; registering the tubing
with a lugged belt; and entering the tubing into a garniture and tongue area.
[0011] Feeding tubing piece-by-piece to a vertical duct by opening and closing-timing gate
operated by cam; accelerating tubing down to the vertical duct, with the help of vertical
accelerator belts until the tubing becomes captured into the hopper holder; picking
the tubing with an articulate tubing holder located on a transferring drum, lowering
to the garniture; and releasing the tubing under the registration lagged-belt.
[0012] Feeding tubing piece-by-piece to a vertical duct by opening and closing timing gate
operated by cam; accelerating tubing down to the vertical accelerator belts until
it comes to rest on tubing position supports or slanted toward the garniture; accelerating
tubing horizontally in direction of tobacco flow with horizontal acceleration pusher;
and capturing the tubing by registration lagged belt.
[0013] Getting tubing picked from mass flow hopper by vacuum drum; transferring tubing to
a locating drum with vacuum or mechanical retention mechanism; turning the tubing
holder of the locating drum at least 90 degree in the horizontal plan and at least
180 degrees in vertical plane; and depositing a plug under the registration lagged
belt inside of the garniture.
[0014] Getting tubing picked from mass flow hopper by vacuum drum; transferring tubing at
least 180 degrees in the vertical plane and accelerated down to the vertical duct
with compressed air until it become rested on tubing positioning supports and slanted
toward the garniture; and accelerating tubing horizontally in the direction of tobacco
flow with horizontal acceleration pusher until it become captured by registration
lagged belt.
Brief description of the drawings
[0015] The invention can be described in greater detail with the aid of the following drawings.
FIG. 1A shows an exemplary apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention.
FIG. 1B shows an exemplary flow diagram of a method of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows an exemplary tobacco feed flow with a right updraft.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary tobacco feed flow with a left updraft.
FIG. 4 shows an an exemplary apparatus for carrying out the method of the present
invention where the tobacco columns are trimmed.
FIG. 5 shows an exemplary apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention
that utilizes a wheel.
FIG. 6 shows an exemplary tobacco rod with a hollow center mandrel.
FIG. 7 shows an exemplary finished tobacco rod with a hollow center mandrel.
FIG. 8 shows an exemplary tobacco rod with a finished hollow core tobacco rod where
the tube extends from one end to the other.
FIG. 9 shows an exemplary tobacco rod with a finished hollow core tobacco rod where
both ends of the tube are crimped closed.
FIG. 10 shows an exemplary apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention
where hollow tubes of discrete length are intermittently fed into the tobacco machine
by a feed drum.
FIG. 11 shows an exemplary tobacco rod where the tobacco rod is cut to specified lengths
and the tubes are inwardly spaced from the ends of a double length tobacco rod.
FIG. 12 shows an exemplary tobacco rod where each tobacco rod is cut in half.
FIG. 13 shows additional detail of an exemplary apparatus for carrying out the method
of the present invention.
FIG. 14A illustrates an exemplary apparatus for intermittently feeding hollow tubes
of discrete length into tobacco rod forming machinery.
FIG. 14B illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for a method for the alternate arrangement
of FIG. 14A.
FIG. 15 shows additional detail of FIG. 14A.
FIG. 16 shows additional detail of of FIG. 14A.
FIG. 17A shows another exemplary apparatus for intermittently feeding hollow tubes
of discrete length into tobacco rod forming machinery.
FIG. 17B shows an exemplary flow diagram for intermittently feeding hollow tubes of
discrete length into tobacco rod forming machinery.
FIG. 17C shows another exemplary flow diagram for intermittently feeding hollow tubes
of discrete length into tobacco rod forming machinery.
FIG. 17D shows yet another exemplary flow diagram for intermittently feeding hollow
tubes of discrete length into tobacco rod forming machinery.
FIG. 18 illustrates a timing gate controlled by a cam.
FIG. 19 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 18.
FIG. 20 illustrates a tubing placing and registration diagram.
FIG. 21 is a section view of FIG. 20.
FIG. 22 shows an exemplary tubing placement diagram with vacuum drum and horizontal
acceleration kicker cam.
FIG. 23 shows an acceleration kicker cam.
FIG. 24 is an enlarged detail of the sprocket or lag belt.
FIG. 25 shows an exemplary tubing placement diagram with vacuum drum and locating
drum.
Detailed description of the preferred embodiment
[0016] FIG. 1-9 show a continuous hollow tube fed into a tobacco rod forming machine where
tobacco is positioned around the tube. Specifically, FIG. 1A shows an apparatus for
carrying out an embodiment of the present invention embodiment that implements what
will be referred to as the mandrel method. In FIG. 1, a rod 39 is added to the end
of the center rail 41. The rod 39 extends into the tobacco flow between the tongue
12 and the garniture 17. The rod 39 serves as a mandrel, about which the tobacco flows
between the tongue 12 and the garniture 17. In addition, tobacco gathers around the
rod/mandrel 39 and is formed into a cylindrical shape by the garniture 17 and the
tongue 12. The rod/mandrel 39 is typically sealed and cylindrical in shape. As the
tobacco leaves the rod/mandrel 39, a hole remains in the tobacco cylinder.
[0017] FIG. 1A also includes a center rail 41, rear rail 50 and front rail 48 (not shown)
that enclose trimmed tobacco columns 51, 52. Porous belts 27, 28 are located below
a wheel 25. Also shown in the FIG. 1A are the rod/mandrel 39, paper 23 and porous
drive belts 27, 28 each of which interface to a wheel 25, 37.
[0018] Furthermore FIG. 1A shows a glue applicator 11, folders and a spinning trimming disk
4. Moreover, FIG. 1A shows a tobacco feed flows with a right updraft 45 and left updraft
43 conductive chambers; and porous belts 27, 28 that allow air flows, as indicated
by arrows 29, 31, 33 and 35. The details of sections 2-2 to 7-7 of FIG. 1A are shown
in detail in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, respectively, and further discussed below.
[0019] FIG. 1B shows an exemplary method associated with the embodiment of FIG. 1A. As shown
in FIG. 1B, step 1001 is configuring drive wheels of a conveyor device to allow two
porous belts to run in parallel to one another. Adding a rear rail, front rail and
center divider rail to the conveyor to form a separate tobacco column on each porous
belt occurs in step 1003. In step 1005, tobacco is fed to an updraft chambers for
each of the porous belts. Two tobacco columns build-up on the porous belts in step
1007. Step 1009 is trimming the tobacco columns with two rotating trimmers in order
to produce an accurate tobacco weight in the tobacco rod. Moving the trimmed tobacco
columns along the porous belts until the reach the drive wheels occurs in step 1011.
Step 1013 comprises feeding paper under the tobacco columns of the drive wheels and
removing the tobacco from the porous belts with a scrapper. Depositing the tobacco
on the moving paper and around the continuous hollow tube occurs in step 1015. In
step 1017, the tobacco, tube and paper are flowed into the garniture. Step 1019 comprises
forming the tobacco tube and paper into a cylindrical shape. Feeding the cylindrical
shaped rod through folders and past a glue applicator where the paper is sealed occurs
in step 1021. Step 1023 comprises producing a finished tobacco rod for cutting to
produce individual tobacco rods.
[0020] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a tobacco feed flow 67 with right updraft 65 and left updraft
66 conductive chambers, respectively. A front rail 51, center rail 55 and rear rail
57 enclose tobacco columns 63, 64. In addition, a hollow passageway 53 extends through
the center rail. Porous belts 27, 28 are located at the bottom of vacuum chambers
50, 59 that allow air flows 152, 154, as indicated by the designated arrows.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows apparatus for carrying out an embodiment of the present invention where
the tobacco columns 63, 64 are trimmed. Tobacco flow 73 and air flows 152, 154 are
indicated by the designated arrows. A front rail 151, center rail 55 and rear rail
57 enclose the trimmed tobacco columns 63, 64. Porous belts are located at the bottom
of vacuum chambers 50, 59 and allow air flows 152, 154 as indicated by the designated
arrows. Also shown in the FIG. 4 are a front disk 60 and a rear disk 58.
[0022] FIG. 5 shows apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention that
utilizes a wheel 25. In addition, FIG. 5 shows a front rail 151, center rail 55 with
a hollow passageway 53 and rear rail 57 enclose the trimmed tobacco columns 63, 64.
Porous belts are located below the wheel 25. Also shown in the FIG. 5 are a mandrel
center rail, paper and porous drive belts each of which is located below the wheel
25.
[0023] FIG. 6 shows a tobacco rod 82 with a hollow center mandrel 91. In particular, FIG.
6 shows a front folder 79, rear folder 87 resting on top of a garniture 89. FIG. 6
also shows the paper 81, tongue 83, drive belt 85 all positioned within the garniture
89.
[0024] FIG. 7 shows a tobacco rod 82 with a hollow center mandrel 91. In particular, FIG.
7 shows a front folder 79, rear folder 87 resting on top of a garniture 89 and a drive
belt 85 with the sealed tobacco rod 82 positioned within the garniture 89.
[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a finished hollow core tobacco rod
where the tube extends from one end to the other. In particular, FIG. 8 shows a hollow
core tobacco rod comprising: paper 93; an inner hollow tube 95; and tobacco regions
97 without dense ends.
[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of finished hollow core tobacco rod without
dense ends. In particular, FIG. 9 shows the hollow core tobacco rod comprising: paper
93; an inner hollow tube 95; and tobacco regions 97, wherein opposite ends of the
inner hollow tube 95 are crimped closed.
[0027] FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate embodiment where hollow tubes of discrete length
are intermittently fed into the tobacco machine by a feed drum. In particular, the
embodiment of FIG. 10 shows an apparatus with an insert feed drum 149 and insert hopper
151 feeding an apparatus configured to produce a sealed tobacco rod 115. The apparatus
of this embodiment comprising: an inserted object entry guide 139; a lug and cable
entry guide 155; a suction rod conveyor 153 further comprising lugs and flexible cable;
lug and cable dual wheels 125; dual wheels 137; porous belts 127; a left updraft chamber
143; a right updraft chamber 145; a vacuum chamber with air flows 129, 131, 133, 135;
a drive belt 119; a front rail, a sectioned center rail; and a rear rail; a garniture
117; folders 113; a glue applicator; paper 123; and a trimming disk.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 10, the lug and cable dual wheels 125 comprise an additional wheel
about which the lug and cable rotate. The objects to be inserted into the apparatus
are delivered through a feed system of insert feed drum 149 and insert hopper 151.
Alternatively other types of well known feed systems may also be used with this embodiment.
FIG. 13 further illustrates more detail of apparatus for carrying out the method of
the present invention. In particular, FIG. 13 shows the insert hopper 169; insets
167; the lug and cable entry guide 171; the flexible cable 173; lugs 175; the insert
feed drum 177 and the inserted object 179.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 11, a double length tobacco rod with intermittent inserted objects
may be produced by this embodiment. The tobacco rod comprising: paper 161; tobacco
regions 163 and an inserted object 165, wherein the inserted object may be a hollow
cylindrical tube or the like.
[0030] Further, in this embodiment individual tubes may be spaced apart, and when the tobacco
rod is cut to specified lengths, the tubes are inwardly spaced from the ends to form
a double length tobacco rod. When cut in half, each tobacco rod has an appearance
as shown in FIG. 12. In particular, FIG. 12 shows a tobacco rod comprising: paper
161; tobacco regions 163; and an inserted object, such as a hollow tube 165 or the
like.
[0031] FIG. 14 - FIG. 16 illustrate an alternate arrangement for intermittently feeding
hollow tubes of discrete length into tobacco rod forming machinery. In particular,
FIG. 14A shows an apparatus comprising: a wheel and tube belt 193; folders 195; a
garniture; a tongue 197; a registration belt; a dual band suction rod conveyor; a
frictions spacing wheel; a sleeve; a tobacco rod paper bin 189; and paper 191. In
addition, the apparatus of FIG. 14A further comprising: a tobacco hopper 201; a propulsion
wheel 203; a hopper 205; a delivery drum 207; an accelerating belt 209; and a horizontal
acceleration pusher.
[0032] In the above-discussed embodiment, the tubing gets cut to a certain length and loaded
into the hopper 205, picked by the vacuum drum and moved down the vertical duct by
the friction accelerating belts 209. The bottom of the hopper 205 has a cradle-guide
and horizontal accelerating pusher that propels pieces of tubing under propulsion
wheel 203 that transports them thru the tobacco-hopper 201 into the dual band suction
rod conveyor. Further down stream tubing gets separated (e.g., by pulling gaps between
separate pieces) by the friction spacing wheel. At this point the speed of the tubing
slightly exceeds the speed of the suction rod conveyor, which allows it to be registered
with the lugged belt before entering into the garniture and tongue 197 areas.
[0033] FIG. 14B illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for the method of the present embodiment
of the invention. In step 1401, cutting tubing to a certain length and loading the
tubing into the hopper occurs. Step 1403 is picking-up the tubing by the vacuum drum
and moving it down the vertical duct by the friction belts. Propelling pieces of the
tubing with a propulsion wheel for transporting the tubing occurs in step 1405. In
step 1407, the tubing is separated with a friction spacing wheel. Registering with
a lugged belt occurs in step 1409 and entering the tubing into the garniture and tongue
area occurs in step 1411.
[0034] FIG. 15 is a section view of the dual band suction rod conveyor and friction spacing
wheel of FIG. 14. In particular, FIG. 15 shows the spacing wheel 181; belts 183; tubing
185; and tobacco 187. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the registration belt 199 shown
in FIG. 14.
[0035] Apparatus for intermittently feeding hollow tubes of discrete length into tobacco
rod forming machinery is shown in FIG. 17 - FIG. 23. Tubes of discrete length are
dropped into a partially formed tobacco rod and the tobacco is thereafter formed around
the tube in a garniture. In particular, FIG. 17A shows an apparatus comprising a hopper
213; vertical acceleration belts 215, 217; a transferring drum 233; a tuning holder
235 with at least one of a vacuum and mechanical retention; a garniture 237; first
tubing 239; second tubing 243; and a registration belt 241.
[0036] In the embodiment of FIG. 17A, small diameter (i.e., 3mm - 4mm O.D), rigid tubing
with irregular shape is delivered into garniture of tobacco rod making machine for
fabrication of cigarettes with a hollow cylindrical tobacco rod. There are four possible
methods for feeding precut pieces of tubing from mass flow hopper inside of garniture.
These four ways are discussed in the following paragraphs.
[0037] FIG. 17B illustrates a first exemplary method. In particular, step 1701 is feeding
tubing piece-by-piece to a vertical duct by opening and closing-timing gate operated
by cam. Step 1703 is accelerating tubing down to the vertical duct, with the help
of vertical accelerator belts until the tubing becomes captured into the hopper holder.
Picking the tubing with an articulate tubing holder located on a transferring drum
occurs in step 1705. Step 1707 is lowering to the garniture, and releasing the tubing
under the registration lagged-belt occurs in step 1709.
[0038] FIG. 17C illustrates another exemplary method. In particular, step 1711 is feeding
tubing piece-by-piece to a vertical duct by opening and closing timing gate operated
by cam. In step 1713, accelerating tubing down to the vertical accelerator belts until
it comes to rest on tubing position supports or slanted toward the garniture occurs.
Accelerating tubing horizontally in direction of tobacco flow with horizontal acceleration
pusher occurs in step 1715 and capturing the tubing by registration lagged belt occurs
in step 1717.
[0039] FIG. 17D illustrates a yet another exemplary method for this embodiment. In particular,
step 1721 is getting tubing picked from mass flow hopper by vacuum drum. Step 1723
is transferring tubing to a locating drum with vacuum or mechanical retention mechanism.
Further, step 1725 is turning the tubing holder of the locating drum at least 90 degree
in the horizontal plan and at least 180 degrees in vertical plane and depositing a
plug under the registration lagged belt inside of the garniture occurs in step 1727.
[0040] A fourth exemplary method comprises: (1) picking tubing from a mass flow hopper by
vacuum drum; (2) transferring tubing at least 180 degrees in the vertical plane and
accelerated down to the vertical duct with compressed air until it become rested on
tubing positioning supports and slanted toward the garniture; and (3) accelerating
tubing horizontally in the direction of tobacco flow with horizontal acceleration
pusher until it become captured by registration lagged belt.
[0041] FIG. 18 illustrates a timing gate controlled by a cam. In particular, FIG. 18 shows
a cam 219, a timing gate 221; a spacing gate 223 and vertical accelerator belt 225
connected to a vacuum assembly. FIG. 19 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 18. In particular,
FIG. 19 discloses a vertical hopper holder 227; a tubing holder tip 229; and a vacuum
passage 231.
[0042] FIG. 20 illustrates a tubing placing and registration diagram. In particular, FIG.
20 illustrates an apparatus comprising: a registration belt 245; a hopper 249; tubing
position supports 255; a timing gate 253; and a horizontal acceleration pusher 251.
FIG. 21 is a section view of FIG. 20 showing the hopper 257; the spadng gate 259;
the timing gate 265; a control cam; and a garniture 261.
[0043] FIG. 22 shows an exemplary tubing placement diagram with vacuum drum and horizontal
acceleration kicker cam. In particular, FIG. 22 shows a vacuum drum comprising: a
registration belt 245; a hopper 249; tubing position supports 271; and a delivery
drum 273. Fig. 23 shows an acceleration kicker cam comprising: a hopper 275; a refuse
roller 279; a vacuum cam with compressed air 277; and at least one of a sprocket and
lag belt 281 configured for horizontal tubing acceleration. More specifically, FIG.
24 is an enlarged detail of the sprocket or lag belt. Fig. 24 shows detail of the
sprocket 267 and tubing 265 resting on two positioning posts on the bottom of a duct
located before accelerating into the garniture.
[0044] FIG. 25 shows an exemplary tubing placement diagram with vacuum drum and locating
drum. In particular, FIG. 25 shows an apparatus comprising: a hopper 287; a refuse
roller 289; a vacuum drum 285; a locating drum 283; a tubing holder 291 and a garniture
293.
[0045] The foregoing description illustrates and describes the present invention. Additionally,
the disclosure shows and describes only the preferred embodiments of the invention,
but as mentioned above, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use
in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes
or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein, commensurate
with the above teachings and/or skill or knowledge of the relevant art. The embodiments
described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of practicing
the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in
such or other embodiments and with the various modifications required by the particular
applications or uses of the invention. Accordingly, the description is not intended
to limit the invention to the form or application disclosed herein. Also, it is intended
that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments.