US2830595A - Method and means for manufacturing filter mouthpiece cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

April 15, 1958 KGRBER 2,830,595

METHOD AND MEANS FOR MANUFACTURING FILTER MOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES Filed June 22, 1954 2,830,595 Patented Apr. 15, 1958 Fine METHQD AND MEANS FOR MANUFACTURING FILTER MOUTHPKECE CIGARETTES Kurt Kdrher, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, assignor to Kurt Kiirber & Co. K.-G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Application June 22, 1954, Serial No. 438,532

Claims priority, application Germany September 22, 1953 V Claims. (21. 131-94 The invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of filter mouthpiece cigarettes or the like, and has particular reference to a method and means by which an assemblage consisting of two cigarettes arranged in spaced axial alinement with a mouthpiece of double length therebetween is formed on rotary members and the mentioned cigarette parts are joined together by a glued connecting band and thereafter the assembly is divided in the center of the mouthpiece so that two cigarettes each having a mouthpiece are produced.

The present invention difiers basically from known machines and methods of this kind in that first the mouthpieces of double length are deposited on a rotary member and are brought into contact with the glued connecting bands, whereupon the latter are deposited upon a second rotary member on which the cigarettes supplied from two sides are laid down on the end portions of the connecting bands projecting beyond the mouthpieces. The end portions of the connecting bands extending laterally beyond the ends of the cigarettes-mouthpiecegroups are then wrapped around the abutting joints between the mouthpieces and the two adjacent cigarettes on the same rotating member, thereafter the assemblages thus formed are severed in the center of the mouthpiece and the mouthpiece cigarettes formed in this manner are conveyed to a place of deposit.

This and other objects of the invention are described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of a machine of the invention:

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically a side view of a machine, partly shown in sectional view; and,

Fig. 2 represents a top view, with the magazines for mouthpieces and cigarettes cut away for sake of clarity.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the magazine 1 contains the mouthpieces M of double-length which pieces are deposited at Mi into trough-like grooves 2a on the circumference of a rotary drum 2 rotating in the direction of the arrow 2 (counterclockwise).

In order to obtain an accurate placement of the mouth pieces into the grooves 211, there are provided lateral guide plates 3a and 3b (Figs. 1, 2) between which said mouthpieces M are passed through when the drum 2 revolves, permitting the mouthpieces to accurately adjust themselves in the grooves 2a of the drum 2. There are also provided two arcuate strips 30 and 3d Which prevent the mouthpieces from dropping out of the grooves when the drum is rotated.

Suction ducts 2b communicate with the bottoms of the grooves 2 in a manner known per so, which ducts after the drum 2 has been rotated beyond the guide strips 30, 3d are brought into communication with a connecting passage 20 which communicates with a source of suction through a duct 2d. The mouthpieces are thus retained in the grooves 2:1 by means of the applied suction force, after they have passed the guide strips 30, 3d.

At the point M2 glued connecting bands 4a are afiixed to the mouthpieces, which bands, are cut-off at 5 from a paper tape 4 unwinding by action of driver wheels 5a from a supply spool 45 in the direction of the arrow 4b. The individual bands 4a are deposited on a rotary suction drum 6 by action of wheels 5b.

The suction drum 6 also is provided with suction ducts 6a which communicate through a connecting duct 6b with a suction pipe 6c and thus retain the severed connecting bands 4a on the drum 6. These connecting bands are at 4a coated by a drum 7 with an adhesive which by the intermediary of a drum 8 is supplied by a drum 9 with adhesive contained in the receptacle 10.

After the mouthpieces M together with the connecting bands 4a adhering thereto have been moved by the rotary drum 2 from the place M2 to the place M3, the connecting bands together with the mouthpieces adhering thereto are deposited on a rotary drum 11 which rotates clockwise in the direction of the arrow 11'.

The rotary drum 11 is so wide that it is possible to place groups of two axially spaced and axially alined cigarettes Z thereon, with the mouthpiece M therebetween. For this purpose there are provided at each of the two ends of the mouthpieces M around the periphery of the drum 11 two rings 11a, 11b and 11c, 11d, respectively, which are provided with axially extending grooves. At the point Z the cigarettes Z are deposited in pairs into the grooves in these rings 11a, 11b and 11c, 11d, respectively, from two magazines 12a and 1211 (see also Fig. 2) so that they come to rest with one of their ends, which face the mouthpieces M upon the projecting end portions of the connecting bands do to the center portions of which the mouthpieces are adhering. 1

Furthermore the provision is made that the discharge supports 1211 and 12b; of the magazines Ru and 12b are inclined as shown at Hil and 12b (see Fig. 2), towards the mouthpiece M, in order to assure that the cigarettes Z are moved into abutting engagement with the ends of the mouthpiece. The cigarettes leaving the dis charge branch of the magazine thus hit against the respective end portion of the mouthpiece and later come to rest upon the connecting band.

The connecting band deposited on the periphery of the drum 11 together with the mouthpiece M adhering thereto, and as well the cigarettes Z deposited in the grooves of the drum rings 11a, 11b, 11 c and 11d are retained thereon by means of air suction, which in a well known manner is provided through suction ducts Me which are in communication with suction pipe 14 by a connecting channel 13.

After the cigarettes Z abutting in lengthwise direction against the end faces of the mouthpieces M have been deposited at Z1 on the connecting band, the latter is wrapped around the mouthpiece and around the end portions of the cigarettes contacting said pieces by means of folding elements. This is accomplished by the folding element 14a and 14b (shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines), eachof which elements is controlled by a stationary cam 15:; and 15b, respectively. This method of folding the connecting band does not form part of the invention and therefore is not described and shown in detail but is the subject matter of U. S. Patent 2,714,384, issued August 2, 1955.

After the connecting band has been completely wrapped around the cigarettes and the mouthpiece, the latter is cut through at its center by means of a rotary cutting knife 16. Thereafter the suction ducts move out of communication with the connecting duct 13, so that the now completed mouthpiece cigarettes can be deposited onto a chute 17 Which directs the cigarettes onto a conveyor belt 18 which carries the cigarettes to a collecting magazine not shown.

The described machine is driven by a motor 19-which drives the suction drum 6 through an endless belt or chain drive 20, and the conveyor belt 18 through another endless belt 21, while the drum 11 is driven by' an endless belt 22 or the like. Mounted on the shaft ofthe rotary drum 11 is mounted a gear 23 (also see Fig; 2) which is in engagement with a gear 24 on the shaft of the rotary drum 2. The rotary cutter 16 is driven by means of the chain or belt drive 25 or by means of a separate motor.

In the described example of the embodiment of the invention the depositing of the mouthpiece M' onto the drum 2 and the depositing of'the cigarettes Z onto the drum 11 is brought about by a direct feed from the magazines. Of course, provision can alsobe made to first have mouthpieces and cigarettes each placed on additional suction drums, which then in turn deposit'mouthpieces and cigarettes, respectively, upon the drums 2 and 11, respectively.

In the shown and described example of embodiment of the invention the connectingband 4a together with the double length filter mouthpiece adhering thereto is delivered atthe point M3 to the drum 11 in such a manner that it comes to lie against the drum circumference in plane and fiat condition. However, there might be provided grooves on these points on the circumference of the drum 11, which grooves have a shallow depth for the reception of the connecting bands so that the connecting band when placed with the mouthpieces into these shallow grooves will be somewhat curved to surround the end portions of the two cigarettes by a fraction of their circumference.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made to the specific construction described in that example, without departing from the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A method of manufacturing filter mouthpiece cigarettes, including the steps in sequence of feeding to a circuitous pathway a filter mouthpiece having a length of twice the one of the filter mouthpiece in the complete cigarette, depositing upon the circumference of said mouthpiece while on said pathway a fiat piece of adhes'ively coated connecting band so that the band extends beyond both ends of said mouthpiece, transferring said mouthpiece and connecting band to another circuitous pathway for reversing said mouthpiece filter with the connecting band so that the adhesive side is outermost, feeding onto said connecting band two axially spaced and axially alined cigarettes having an axial spacing of at least the length of said double length filter mouthpiece and moving both said two cigarettes during said feeding movement simultaneously transversely to their length toward said filter mouthpiece until the latter occupies the space formed between said' two axially alined cigarettes and the latter engage the ends of the connecting band extending from the mouthpiece, wrapping said connecting band around the axially alined cigarettes and filter mouthpiece, and then severing the formed cigarette and mouthpiece assembly by cutting through the center of the filter mouthpiece, thereby forming two complete filter mouthpiece cigarettes.

2. A method of manufacturing filter mouthpiece cigarettes, including the steps in sequence of feeding to a circuitous pathway a filter mouthpiece having a length of twice the one of the filter mouthpiece in the completed cigarette, feeding to said pathway for being deposited on the circumference of said mouthpiece a flat piece of connecting band having an adhesive coating on one side so that theband extends beyond both ends of said mouthpiece, transferring said mouthpiece and connecting band t another circuitous pathway for reversing said mouthpiece filter-with the connecting -bandso that the adhesive side is outermost, feeding two axially spaced and axially alined cigarettes having an axial spacing of at least the length of said double length filter mouthpiece and moving both said two cigarettes during said feeding movement simultaneously transversely to-their length toward said filter mouthpiece until the latter occupies the space formed between said two axially alined cigarettes and the latter engage the ends of the connecting band extending from the mouthpiece, lengthwise moving said two cigarettes toward each other so that the ends adjacent the ends of the mouthpiece are caused to abut said ends of said mouthpiece, wrapping said connecting band around the axially alined cigarettes and filter mouthpiece, and then severing the formed cigarette and mouthpiece assembly by cutting through the center of the filter mouthpiece thereby forming .two complete filter mouthpiece cigarettes.

3. A method of manufacturing filter mouthpiece cigarettes, the steps in sequence comprising: feeding a filter mouthpiece to a circuitous pathway, feeding to said pathway so as to adhere to the circumference of said mouthpiece a flat piece of'connecting band having an adhesive coating on one side so that the band extends beyond both ends of said'mouthpiece, transferring said mouthpiece and connecting band to another circuitous pathway for reversing said mouthpiece filter with the connecting band so that the adhesive side is outermost, feeding to the second pathway two axially spaced and axially alined cigarettes having an axial spacing of at least the length of said filter mouthpiece, and moving both said two cigarettes during said feeding movement simultaneously transversely to their length toward said filter mouthpiece until the latter occupies the space formed between said two axially alined cigarettes and the latter engage the ends of the connecting band extending from the mouthpiece, wrapping said connecting band around the axially alined cigarettes and filter mouthpiece, and then severing the formed cigarette and mouthpiece assembly by cutting through the filter mouthpiece thereby forming two complete filter mouthpiece cigarettes.

4. A method of manufacturing filter mouthpiece cigarettes, including the steps in sequence of feeding to a circuitous pathway a filter mouthpiece, feeding to said pathway and to the circumference of said mouthpiece a flat piece of adhesively coated connecting band so that the band extends beyond both ends of said mouthpiece with the adhesively coated side innermost, transferring said mouthpiece and band to another pathway to reverse the position of said mouthpiece and connecting band, feeding-to said other circuitous pathway two axially spaced and axially alined cigarettes having an axial spacing of at least the length of said filter mouthpiece, and moving both said two cigarettes during said feeding movement simultaneously transversely to their length toward said filter mouthpiece until the latter occupies the space formed between said two axially alined cigarettes and the latter engage the ends of the connecting band extending from the mouthpiece, lengthwise moving said two cigarettes toward each other so that the ends adjacent the ends of the mouthpiece are caused to abut said ends of said mouthpiece, wrapping said connecting band around the axially alined cigarettes and filter mouthpiece, and then severing the formed cigarette and mouthpiece assembly by cutting through the filter mouthpiece thereby forming two complete filter mouthpiece cigarettes.

5. A method of manufacturing filter mouthpiece cigarettes, including the steps in sequence of feeding mouthpiece units of double length to a circuitous pathway, feeding adhesively coated connecting band pieces to said pathway and in timed relation with the feeding of said mouthpiece units so that said adhesively coated connecting band pieces will be united with said filter mouthpiece unit and be afiixed to the periphery thereof such that the connecting band extends beyond the end of the filter mouthpiece unit a slight distance, transferring said filter mouthpiece and united connecting band to another circuitous pathway to reverse the position of said connecting band and mouthpiece such that the adhesively coated side is outermost, feeding two axially aligned and spaced cigarettes to said second circuitous pathway with the spacing of the cigarettes equal to the length of said filter mouthpiece, depositing said spaced cigarettes on opposite sides of the filter mouthpiece in timed relation with its travel around said circuitous pathway so that the inner ends of the cigarettes will be deposited on the adhesively coated side of the connecting wrapper and the filter mouthpiece will occupy the space between the two cigarettes, moving said cigarettes axially during their depositing movement toward said mouthpiece, wrapping said connecting band around the axially aligned cigarettes and filter mouthpiece during their travel around the second circuitous pathway,

and finally severing the formed cigarette and mouthpiece assembly by cutting through the filter mouthpiece intermediate its ends thereby forming two complete filter mouthpiece cigarettes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,999,911 May Apr. 30, 1935 2,002,886 Edwards May 28, 1935 2,150,512 May Mar. 14, 1939 2,162,424 Edwards June 13, 1939 2,166,486 Edwards July 18, 1939 2,188,998 Edwards Feb. 6, 1940 2,194,378 Bernd Mar. 19, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 687,878 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1953

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