Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
  • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
  • A24C5/47—Attaching filters or mouthpieces to cigars or cigarettes, e.g. inserting filters into cigarettes or their mouthpieces
  • A24C5/478—Transport means for filter- or cigarette-rods in view of their assembling
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
  • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
  • A24C5/47—Attaching filters or mouthpieces to cigars or cigarettes, e.g. inserting filters into cigarettes or their mouthpieces
  • A24C5/471—Attaching filters or mouthpieces to cigars or cigarettes, e.g. inserting filters into cigarettes or their mouthpieces by means of a connecting band

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and a machine for making filter cigarettes .
• the prior art embraces a method of manufacturing cigarettes with filter tips, whereby the outfeed stage of a cigarette maker is linked to the infeed stage of a filter tip attachment machine in such a way that the production line of the latter machine can be fed with a succession of "double" cigarette rods, that is, rods of which the length measures twice the length of a single cigarette stick that will be joined ultimately to a relative filter plug with a tipping paper and emerge as a conventional filter cigarette.
• the double length cigarette rods are cut transversely in half to form successive pairs of single sticks which are then distanced axially and separated one from another by interposing a double length filter plug, so that each double length cigarette rod will form the basis of an assembly comprising two single cigarette sticks and a double length filter.
• Each assembly is fashioned into a double length cigarette by wrapping a tipping paper around the double filter plug and around a part of the single cigarette stick on either side, as the assembly is caused to advance along an intermediate rolling section of the production line.
• the tipping papers are fed to the intermediate rolling section in such a way that each one will enter into contact with a relative assembly by way of a leading longitudinal edge and thus project initially to the rear of the assembly; accordingly, each assembly must be separated from the assembly next in succession by a distance equal at least to the width of the tipping paper.
• each tipping paper around the relative double filter plug is brought about generally by causing the assemblies to roll against a relative rolling surface, whereupon the double cigarettes thus fashioned are advanced toward an outfeed section of the production line where each double cigarette is cut in half to give two single filter cigarettes, placed end to end, of which one will then be flipped in such a way as to obtain a single succession of cigarettes all with the filter tip oriented in the same direction.
• the rolling step is particularly critical. More exactly, if the speed of the rolling action is allowed to increase beyond a given limit, tobacco may be dislodged from the free ends of the single cigarette sticks, or the cigarette paper may tear, or both.
• each rolling branch will be spaced apart at a distance twice the length of the pitch at which the selfsame assemblies are directed along the infeed section, and the tipping papers can therefore be attached without difficulty.
• the solution in question is one whereby double length cigarette rods taken up onto a roller of the infeed section are ordered into successive pairs, with the two rods side by side and closely spaced.
• the pitch at which the pairs of cigarette rods are caused to advance is substantially equal to the width of one tipping paper.
• the rod of each pair located forwardmost along the direction of rotation of the rollers can receive a relative tipping paper at a given point before its transfer to the respective branch of the rolling section, and more exactly at the roller from which the two rolling branches depart.
• the rearwardmost rod of each pair is furnished in turn with a tipping paper during its passage along the relative rolling branch.
• the double length rods are ordered into successive pairs on the aforementioned roller of the infeed section, each two rods side by side and closely spaced, by means of a transfer unit linking the cigarette maker and the filter tip attachment machine, which is composed of two mutually parallel lines and therefore complicated and costly.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a machine for making filter cigarettes from which the aforementioned drawbacks are absent . Disclosure of the Invention
• -figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention, viewed schematically in a side elevation and with parts omitted for clarity; -figure 2 shows an enlarged detail of figure 1.
• 1 denotes a machine for making filter cigarettes, in its entirety.
• the machine 1 comprises a production line 2 for the manufacture of filter-tipped cigarettes, which in turn comprises a train of rollers rotatable about respective mutually parallel axes extending normal to the viewing plane of figure 1, and two identical devices 3 located on the same side of the production line 2, denoted 3a and 3b respectively, by which tipping papers 4 are fed to the rollers.
• the production line 2 is made up of an infeed section 5, a rolling section 6, and an outfeed section 7.
• the infeed section 5 comprises a first infeed roller 8 connected in conventional manner by way of transfer means, shown schematically as a block 9, to the garniture section 10 of a cigarette maker, shown in phantom lines as a block 11, from which two continuous cigarette rods emerge.
• the first infeed roller 8 is furnished with a plurality of aspirating flutes 12 spaced apart at a predetermined pitch p corresponding to the distance between the two cigarette rods advancing along the garniture section 10, into which discrete rods 13 double the length of a single cigarette stick are directed by the transfer device 9.
• the first roller 8 transfers the rods 13 to a second roller 14, rotating tangential to the first roller 8 and furnished likewise with aspirating flutes 15 spaced apart at the same pitch p as the flutes 12 aforementioned, each accommodating one rod 13.
• the rods 13 occupying the flutes 15 are cut in half transversely by a cutter device 16 of conventional embodiment to produce axially aligned pairs of single cigarette sticks 17.
• the distancing roller 18 is equipped with movable mechanisms 20 of conventional embodiment such as will engage the single cigarette sticks 17 of each pair, as the roller 18 rotates, and separate them by a distance marginally greater than the length of a double length filter plug 21.
• the pairs of cigarette sticks 17 are transferred from the distancing roller 18, as it rotates in the anticlockwise direction, to a fourth roller 23 set in rotation clockwise and furnished with respective flutes 22 spaced part around the periphery at the same pitch p as the flutes mentioned above.
• each flute 22 of the fourth roller 23 receives a double length filter plug 21 from a conventional feed device 21a at a point upstream of the area where this same roller 23 rotates tangentially to the distancing roller 18.
• the two cigarette sticks 17 of each pair combine with a filter plug 21 of double length, interposed between them, to create a respective assembly 24 of three elements 17, 21 and 17 (stick-filter-stick) occupying each flute 22 of the fourth roller 23.
• the assemblies 24 On arrival at a transfer station denoted T, the assemblies 24 pass from the fourth roller 23 to a final roller 25 of the infeed section 5, rotating anticlockwise as seen in figure 1, from which the succession of assemblies 24 will then be directed (as described in due course) onto two branches of the aforementioned rolling section 6, indicated respectively as an upper branch 26 and as a lower branch 27 extending in parallel one with another and converging at the outfeed section 7.
• the final roller 25 is furnished with a set of fixed first aspirating flutes denoted 28, spaced apart at a pitch 2p twice the length of the pitch p first mentioned, and a set of movable second aspirating flutes denoted 29.
• the fixed first flutes 28 are presented by the free ends of respective blocks 30, integral with and projecting substantially in a radial direction from the outer cylindrical surface of the final roller 25, whereas the movable second flutes 29 are presented by the free ends of respective arms 31.
• the arms 31 in question are mounted to respective shafts 32 ordered around the periphery of the final roller 25 and caused by respective actuator means of conventional embodiment (not illustrated) to alternate between two operating positions, pivoting on respective axes 33 disposed parallel to the axis of rotation A of the roller 25.
• each movable second flute 29 occupies an intermediate position between two fixed flutes 28 such that all the flutes 28 and 29 of the roller 25 are spaced apart at the pitch p first mentioned.
• the second operating position is assumed during the rotation of the roller 25 about the relative axis A, at a point downstream of the station T.
• the second flutes 29 are brought closer to the fixed first flutes 28 immediately upstream, relative to the direction of rotation of the roller 25, so that the distance between each pair of assemblies 24 and the pair of assemblies 24 next in sequence will be substantially equal to the width of a single tipping paper 4.
• a cutter roller 35 operating in conjunction with the feed roller 34 to divide the tipping papers 4 from a continuous strip 36 of material.
• each fixed flute 28, containing an assembly 24 that will receive a tipping paper 4, and the movable flute 29 next in sequence is equal to or marginally greater than the width of a single tipping paper 4.
• each fixed flute 28 is furnished with an element denoted 37, which serves to provide a rest for the free end of a respective tipping paper 4 when attached to an assembly 24 occupying the first flute 28, and thus prevent the gummed surface of the tipping paper 4 coming into contact with the relative block 30.
• the assemblies 24 occupying the movable flutes 29 are released at a transfer station denoted T2 to the flutes 38 of an infeed roller 39 forming part of the aforementioned upper rolling branch 26, whilst the assemblies 24 occupying the fixed flutes 28 and furnished already with relative tipping papers 4 will be released at a transfer station denoted T3 to the flutes 40 of an infeed roller 41 forming part of the lower rolling branch 27.
• the arms 31 will pivot anticlockwise in such a manner as to return the second flutes 29 to their initial operating position and thus restore uniform pitch p between the fixed flutes 28 and the movable flutes 29 of the roller 25 as they approach the first transfer station T.

Landscapes

• Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
• Cigarettes, Filters, And Manufacturing Of Filters (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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Family Cites Families (10)

• 2004
  • 2004-08-09 IT IT000521A patent/ITBO20040521A1/it unknown
• 2005
  • 2005-07-25 AT AT05761694T patent/ATE423478T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-07-25 WO PCT/IB2005/002308 patent/WO2006016246A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2005-07-25 EP EP05761694A patent/EP1791446B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2005-07-25 JP JP2007525372A patent/JP4585003B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-07-25 DE DE602005012971T patent/DE602005012971D1/de active Active
  • 2005-07-25 CN CNB2005800265209A patent/CN100512692C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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