US3433054A - Machine for test smoking cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

March 18, 1969 w. F. MUTTER 3,433,054

MACHINE FOR TEST SMOKING CIGARETTES Filed Jan. 24, 1967 Sheet of 5 FIGURE! Mardl 1969 w. F. MUTTER 3,433,054

MACHINE FOR TEST SMOKING CIGARETTES Filed Jan. 24, 1967 Sheet 2 of 5 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 4 /72 March 18, 1969 w. F. MUTTER 3,433,054

MACHINE FOR TEST SMOKING CIGAHETTES Filed Jan. 24, 1967 Sheet 3 of 5 FIGURE 3 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 United States Patent 0 MACHINE FOR TEST SMOKING CIGARETTES Walter F. Mutter, Richmond, Va., assignor to Philip Morris Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Virginia Filed Jan. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 611,383

US. CI. 73-28 11 Claims Int. Cl. G0ln 31/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for smoking cigarettes in which the cigarettes are carried on a wheel which is rotated to bring the cigarettes successively adjacent a puffing unit at which each is puffed. A series of smoke filter units are mounted on a second wheel which is rotated to position the filter units successively in a smoking position at the putting unit so that the smoke puffed from the cigarettes is drawn through them. The two wheels are operated in timed relation with each other in such manner that the first puff taken from each cigarette is drawn through a first filter unit, the second puff taken from each cigarette through a second filter unit, and so on until the cigarettes are smoked completely.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a machine for test smoking a plurality of cigarettes for the purpose of gathering qualitative and quantitative data concerning the solids constituents of tobacco smoke. According to the invention, the machine operates cyclically with one puff being taken successively from each cigarette in the plurality during each cycle. The smoke puffed during each cycle is drawn through one of a series of filter units which are provided to trap and retain substantially all of the solids contained in the smoke. During each succeeding cycle of operation, a different filter unit in the series is used for filtering the smoke puffed from the cigarettes during the respective cycles. Thus the smoke solids contained in the first puff of smoke taken from each cigarette are collected in one filter, the smoke solids contained in the second puff taken from each cigarette are collected in a second filter, and so on. In this manner it is possible to collect analytical data more accurately denoting the smoke composition of each of the smoke puffs taken from a cigarette.

Testing machines for mechanically smoking cigarettes are well known in the art and are widely used in the tobacco industry. Known art machines include types capable of smoking cigarettes either singly or in a plu rality. However, in these machines, the smoke puffed from each cigarette is drawn through either a single, central filter element or through separate filter elements associated with each cigarette. Hence, it is not possible with prior art smoking machines to obtain discriminating analytical data concerning composition of the smoke produced during any particular puff of the cigarette during the course of smoking same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The machine of the present invention is designed to provide an effective. compact machine for test smoking a plurality of cigarettes with the smoke puffed from the cigarettes being drawn through a series of filter units. An important object of the invention is to provide a smoking machine with which the first puff taken from each cigarette is drawn through the same filter unit, the second puff through a second filter unit and so on. In this manner discriminating analysis of the successive smoke puffs is possible.

In general, the machine includes a first wheel which is rotatable on a stationary shaft and which carries the series of filter units spaced circumferentially around one face of the wheel adjacent its periphery. A second larger wheel is also mounted on the stationary shaft and is rotatable thereon independently of the rotation of the first wheel. The second wheel is provided with an axially directed flange at its periphery the arrangement being such that the flange encloses the first wheel. The cigarettes being smoked are supported in passages formed in the flange and extend radially outwardly of the second wheel. A puffing unit is provided for puffing the cigarettes, being fixed to the stationary shaft and extending radially therefrom a distance such that the filter units on the first wheel may be successively stationed adjacent thereto in a smoking position wherein an outlet in each filter unit registers with an inlet to the puffing unit when the first wheel is rotated. The arrangement provides that the first wheel during each complete revolution thereof moves through a number of index positions corresponding in number to the number of filter units in the series thus allowing each to be moved into a smoking position. Similarly, the second wheel during each complete revolution moves through a number of index positions corresponding i number to the number of cigarettes in the plurality thereby allowing each cigarette to be moved into register with the inlet of a fitler unit which is in a smoking position.

The drive means associated with the first and second wheels is effective to continuously index the second or cigarette carrying wheel so that during each complete revolution thereof, each cigarette in the plurality is puffed once. The drive, however, provides that the first wheel is indexed only after each complete revolution of the second wheel and then only one index step so as to advance the next filter unit to a smoking position in order that the smoke puffed from each cigarette during the succeeding revolution of the second wheel is drawn through said next filter unit. The timed relationship of this drive is produced by a Geneva drive unit connected with the second wheel which indexes the second wheel in steps of equal time increments. A Geneva escapement wheel is connected with the second wheel and has mounted thereon, a gear segment which meshes once each time the second wheel completes a revolution with a jacking gear arrangement advancing same a predetermined distance. The jacking gear arrangement includes a bull gear connected to the first wheel and is effective to index the first Wheel one step when the jacking gear arrangement is advanced the predetermined distance.

The pufiing unit with which the cigarettes are puffed includes means to establish fluid communication between the respective cigarettes, filter units and a source of vacuum during actual pulfing. This is accomplished with a sliding member which operates each time a cigarette is in register with the inlet of a filter unit in smoking position. The sliding member upon being slid into engagement with the outlet of the filter unit in turn causes the inlet of the filter unit to move into tight contact with the inner face of the flange on the second wheel covering the passage therein in which the particular cigarette being smoked is supported. To facilitate the engagement of the respective inlets and outlets of the foregoing elements, the filter units are supported on the first wheel in cradles which allow for limited radial movement of the filter units but prevents any circumferential movements thereof relatively of the first wheel thereby insuring that proper registration of the filter unit and cigarettes occurs with each indexing step. The stroking of the pulling unit sliding member is controlled in timed relation with the indexing movements of the second wheel, being slid in one direction during actual movement of the second wheel between succeeding index positions to disengage it from the filter unit, whereas, during the dwell of the cigarette wheel in each index position, the sliding member is slid in an opposite direction to lock up the filter unit against the second wheel flange. The stroking of the sliding member is effected with an oscillating linkage connected therewith and also connected with an oscillating motion producing cam connected with the drive means operating the Geneva unit.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention will be had from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a cigarette test smoking machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, some parts being broken away for purposes of clarity.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the machine as taken on the line AA in FIGURE 1 as supplemented by a view taken in the direction of arrow Y in FIGURE 1, portions of the machine being broken away to facilitate illustrating the construction thereof.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the machine as taken in the direction of arrow X in FIGURE 1, the side cover plate facing the viewer being removed.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the drive unit employed for operating the Geneva mechanism and pulling unit as viewed in the general direction of arrow Z in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of the periphery of the segment wheel which moves in unison with the cigarette wheel and which serves as the mounting for a gear segment used to drive a stem pinion gear connected with a suitable gear reduction mechanism the latter being ef fective to index the filter wheel one-twelfth of a revolution for each full revolution of the cigarette wheel, the stem pinion being shown in mesh with a notch at the segment wheel periphery as occurs during the indexing of the filter wheel.

FIGURE 6 is the same as FIGURE 5 showing the position of the stem pinion after it is disengaged from drive with the segment wheel in which position it acts as a lockup device during the interval between indexing of the filter unit wheel.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of one of the cradles carried on the filter wheel which is used to support the respective cigarette filter units.

Throughout the description like reference numerals are used to denote like parts in the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The smoking machine of the present invention is described herein in representative embodiment form as being suited for use in test-smoking twenty cigarettes with up to twelve puffs being taken on each cigarette during the course of smoking. Since each of the respective puffs taken from each cigarette is associated with and drawn through a different one of a series of filter units, and since the smoking of the cigarettes can involve taking up to a maximum of twelve puffs on each, the machine is adapted to carry twelve filter units although a lesser number can be employed to that purpose if the test criteria or cigarette length precludes taking a greater number of puffs before the cigarette is smoked to minimum butt length. In consonance with test procedures well established in the tobacco industry, the machine is designed to operate to take one pufi per minute from each cigarette as this is the putfing interval most generally used in the industry during test smoking and substantially approximates the pufiing interval associated with human smoking. It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art, that the machine of the present invention is suited for smoking different numbers of cigarettes, as for example, twelve cigarettes could be smoked and only eight puffs taken on each. Thus the machine can be modified to suit test requirements involving corresponding numbers of cigarettes and filter units associated with the puffs to be taken.

In the preferred embodiment of the machine, the pufiing interval between succeeding puffs on the same cigarette is one minute. Smoking twenty cigarettes thus requires a cigarette wheel indexing interval of three seconds between succeeding indexing steps. As used herein, indexing interval means the time lapse between the initiation of movement of the second or cigarette wheel in moving from one to a succeeding index position and the initiation of the next succeeding wheel movement. The indexing interval of the first or filter unit wheel is one minute. Indexing time is used to denote the actual time involved in moving from one to a succeeding index position. The indexing time of the second or cigarette wheel is one second. Since the first or filter unit wheel must index in a manner that does not encumber the uniform indexing movement of the cigarette wheel, it must have an indexing time that is not greater than one second to provide that a filter unit is always in smoking position whenever a cigarette is in position to be puffed. Indexing dwell is intended herein to mean the time period the repective wheels are at rest in a given index position. The indexing dwell for the cigarette wheel is two seconds and that for the filter unit wheel is fifty-nine seconds. In the course of the description order of puff is intended to denote the respective numbers of the puffs taken from each cigarette. Thus the first order puffs are the first ones taken from each cigarette and so on.

The smoking machine of the present invention is a very compact unit and can be located advantageously on a table, workbench or shelf in a laboratory or other testing area with facility. In general, the overall dimensions of the unit need not exceed about three feet square. Referring now to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, the machine includes a base 10 on which it is mounted with suitable fasting means 12, a hollow stationary shaft or upright post 14. The post serves as the support on which is mounted the cigarette and filter unit wheels to be described shortly, providing a common axis about which the two wheels can rotate. Mounted at the upper part of the stationary shaft 14, is a first tubular hub member 16, which as may be noted best in FIGURE 2, is supported to rotate about the axis of the stationary shaft. The assembly mounting the first hug 16 on the stationary shaft includes upper and lower bearing units 18 and 20, a bearing spacer element 22 extending between the bearing units 18 and 20 and a retainer ring 24 which can be fixed to the stationary shaft in known manner to prevent axial movement of any of the elements in the assembly. The first hub member 16 has an annular flange 26 at the upper end thereof to which is fixedly connected a disc 28 constituting a first wheel hereinafter referred to by way of convenience as the filter wheel. Thus the filter wheel 28 is rotatable about the axis of the stationary shaft 14 and in operation can be indexed in the manner to be described later on. The first hub member 16 also serves as a support on which is mounted a second hub member 30, the second hub member being rotatable independently of the first hub member and also rotatable about the stationary shaft. The second hub member 30 is secured on the first hub member by an assembly which includes upper and lower bearing units 32 and 34, a spacer sleeve 36 and a retainer ring 38, with a bull gear 40 intervening between the retainer ring 38 and the spacer sleeve 36 as shown. The second hub member 30 is formed with upper and lower annular flanges 42 and 44 with a sec- 0nd larger disc 46 being secured to the upper flange 42 on the second hub member and serves as a cigarette wheel, that is, it supports the cigarettes 48 to be smoked.

The filter unit wheel 28 is designed to carry a series of cigarette filter units 50 adjacent the periphery thereof with the cigarette filter units being supported in cradles 52 at uniformly circumferentially spaced locations on the upper face of the filter wheel 28 in the manner best seen in FIGURE 1. The filter units 50 used with the cigarette testing machine of the present invention are of conventional construction being known in the art as Cambridge filters. Each Cambridge filter unit is comprised of two body portions 54, S6 of substantially cylindrical cup shape which screw together to form a fluid tight body of circular cross section. The fluid tight body is provided at opposite ends with a hollow inlet stem 58 and a hollow outlet stem 60 as shown best in FIGURE 2. The filter unit itself includes an internal filter media 62 which generally is a disc of cotton or similar fibrous material, the disc being used to trap and retain substantially all of the solids particles contained in cigarette smoke. In accordance with procedures known in the art, the disc 62 are removed from the respective filter units at the end of a test and Weighed and subjected to other testing procedures to analyze the composition of the solids which have been trapped therein. The smoking machine of the present invention is intended to answer the requirements of tobacco industry testing procedures for large volume smoking capacity. Thus a feature of the unit is the speed and facility with which the filter units 50 can be replaced at completion of a smoking test. The cradles 52 used on the unit not only make for rapid filter unit replacement, but they function to hold the filter units securely without hazard of circumferential movements on the filter wheel 28 while at the same time allow for some radial sliding of the filter units as occurs as an adjunct of the pulling operations. As seen in FIGURE 7, each cradle 52 is comprised of a lower body portion 64 having opposed side walls 66 and 68, the side walls being provided with aligned notches 70 corresponding in shape to the outer surface configuration of the inlet and outlet stems, 58 and 60 respectively, of the filter units and constituting nesting surfaces for supporting the filter units. The upper body portion of the cradle is formed of a generally U- shaped clamp element 72 which is similarly notched as at 70a to allow for tight abutment of its structure against the filter unit stems to securely hold each filter unit against circumferential movement within the cradle. It will be apparent, however, that the foregoing described structure permits the filter units 50 to slide axially Within the cradle structure and radially relatively of the stationary shaft 14. The clamp element 72 is pivoted to the lower body portion 64 at one end as at 74, and is normally held in closed position by means of a spring 76.

Turning now to the specific constructionad details of the second or cigarette wheel 46, which are best seen in FIGURES l and 2, the cigarette Wheel includes an axially directed flange 78 which extends around the periphery thereof and is secured to the upper face of the wheel with machine screws 80 or other suitable fastener means. The flange serves 78 as a supporting structure in which is received the cigarettes 48 to be smoked, and to that purpose is provided with passages 80 which are circumferentially uniformly spaced around the flange and which are directed radially of the cigarette wheel so as to have an outer or cigarette receiving end and an inner or outlet end adapted to be engaged by the inlet stems 62 of the filter units 50 in the manner as will appear later in the description. The passages 80 each receive one of the cigarettes in the plurality to be smoked with the passages having resilient inserts 82 therein which facilitate ready insertion of the cigarettes on the cigarette Wheel and which grip the cigarettes sulficiently tightly to preclude external aspiration during puffing. The manner of mounting the cigarettes 48 on the cigarette wheel 46 provides that they extend a distance radially outwardly of the cigarette wheel as shown in FIGURES l and 3 and above a pan 84 in which the ashes accumulating during smoking are collected. Since the cigarette Wheel 46 has a larger diameter than the filter unit wheel 28, the flange 78 of the former encloses the filter unit wheel and during the course of the rotation of the cigarette wheel, the cigarettes carried thereby are successively advanced into a position adjacent to and in register with the inlet 62 of each smoke filter unit 50 when the latter are in a smoking position.

As was previously mentioned, the cigarette test smoking machine is designed to provide for the smoking of twenty cigarettes with up to an average of twelve puffs being taken on each cigarette 48 during the course of smoking with the first pull from each cigarette being drawn through one filter unit 50, the second puff from each cigarette through a second filter, and so on for the succeeding orders of puffs. Furthermore, as was mentioned, the interval between the pulls taken on each cigarette is one minute. Thus, the cigarette wheel 46 has to rotate during the course of the test smoking at a speed of one revolution per minute to present each of the twenty cigarettes carried thereby adjacent to and in register with the inlet stern of the filter unit associated with the particular order of pulls being taken at any given moment. On the other hand, the number of filter units employed is only twelve for the reason that on the average, not more than twelve pufls can be taken from a cigarette before it has been smoked down to a butt size considered no longer representative of that produced in the course of human smoking. This then requires that the respective wheels be rotated at different speeds and that the rotation of each be according to a specific and exact timed relationship.

The drive means employed for indexing the cigarette Wheel 46 and filter unit wheel 28 will be described herein in a preferred embodiment thereof. However, it will be readily discerned by those skilled in the art that various drive means can be used for generating intermittent rotational movement of each wheel provided it is effective to operate the respective wheels in the timed relationships to be described herein.

The manner in which the different rotational speeds of the cigarette wheel 46 and the filter unit wheel 28 are produced will now be described. As seen in FIGURES l to 3, the machine includes a constant speed drive motor 86 which powers all the operating devices in the machine and is mounted on the base plate 10 in the manner illustrated at the left-hand side of FIGURE 3. The output shaft 88 of this unit rotates at a constant speed of 60 rpm. and carries a pulley 90 which is used to drive by means of a belt 92, a larger drive wheel 94 shown at the right-hand side of FIGURES 1 and 2. The drive wheel 94 is mounted in a mounting frame structure 96 secured to base plate 10 and having a number of journal brackets thereon as at 98 and 100. The drive wheel 94 is mounted on the horizontal shaft comp nent 102 of a right angle drive unit 104 fixedly connected to the upright 106 of the mounting frame structure 96. The speed reduction between the pulley 90 and the drive Wheel 94 is 3 to 1 so that the drive wheel and the horizontal shaft component 102 of the right angle drive unit rotate at a constant speed of 20 rpm. The right angle drive 104 also includes a vertical shaft component 108 driven by the horizontal shaft component without speed reduction and utilized for rotating the cigarette wheel 46 one revolution per minute in the manner to be described shortly. In addition to being rotated at 1 rpm, the cigarette wheel must have a rotational movement of an intermittent nature, that is. it must be indexed in steps to bring each of the twenty cigarettes 48 to the correct smoking position. The indexing of the cigarette wheel can be achieved advantageously with a Geneva drive mechanism. As was mention, right angle drive unit 104 has a vertical output shaft component 108 to which is connected a Geneva drive disc 110, the disc carrying a drive pin 112 at the periphery thereof. The drive pin 112 in turn is adapted to engage periodically in each of the slots 114 of a Geneva escapement wheel 116 which is fixedly secured to the lower flange 44 of the second hub member 30 and thereby rotatable therewith. The escapement wheel 116 has twenty drive slots 114 associated each with one of the cigarettes in the plurality being smoked and corresponding to an index position of the cigarette wheel. Since the vertical shaft component 108 of the right angle drive unit 104 rotates at a speed of r.p.m., the Geneva drive disc 110 makes one revolutiton in three seconds, the time period corresponding to the indexing interval of the cigarette 'wheel. During the course of each revolution of the Geneva drive disc 110, the pin 112 thereon will engage in one of the Geneva escapement wheel slots 114 and will rotate it, the second hub member to which it is secured, and consequently, the cigarette wheel 46 a distance corresponding to ,5 of the circumference of the cigarette wheel. The Geneva drive disc is effective to rotate the escapernent wheel 116 for a period of one second which is the time period involved in moving the cigarette wheel from one to a succeeding index position and referred to herein as the indexing time of the cigarette wheel. During the remaining two seconds of the three-second cycle of the revolution of the Geneva drive disc 110, the pin 112 is out of contact with the Geneva escapernent wheel 116, and the escapement wheel and hence the cigarette wheel 28 does not move, but remains stationary for the indexing dwell period.

The filter unit wheel 28, on the other hand, is required to be rotated at of a revolution per minute having, therefore, an indexing interval of one minute, i.e., it is indexed one step each time the cigarette wheel 46 makes one complete revolution since it is only after each cigarette in the plurality has been puffed once, that a fresh filter unit 50 is moved into place to filter the smoke drawn on the next order of puffs. The manner and mechanism for indexing the filter unit wheel 28 will now be described. The first hub member 16 to which the filter unit wheel is connected and which rotates with the hub member, carries a bull gear 40 which is keyed to and rotates with the first hub member, the bull gear being keyed to the hub as at 118. In mesh with the bull gear is a jack pinion gear 120 which has a diameter only .4 that of the diameter of the bull gear so that for each revolving movement of the jack pinion a predetermined distance, the bull gear will rotate only A as far. As will appear later in the description, the jack pinion 120 is rotated by other gear means rotated in timed relation with the indexing of the cigarette wheel and connected with the jack pinion and accounting for a further 3 to 1 reduction between the cigarette wheel and bull gear so as to produce only of a revolution of the bull gear for each complete revolution of the cigarette wheel. The jack pinion 120 is supported for rotation in the machine in the manner shown in detail in FIGURE 2. From that figure it will be noted that the jack pinion is connected to a jack shaft 122 which in turn is supported by means of ball bearing units 124 in a vertical tubular pedestal 126 fixed to the base plate 10. The jack shaft 122 is fixed to the jack pinion 120 by means of a pin as at 128, with the jack pinion having an enlarged top structure formed as a stem pinion 130. The construction of the latter will be described in detail shortly. An essential requirement for supporting the jack pinion 120 is that it be capable of rotating about an axis extending parallel with the axis of the stationary shaft. Since the jack pinion is fixed to the jack shaft and since the latter includes as an integral part thereof, stem pinion element 130, the latter will rotate in unison with the jack pinion. The stem pinion 130 has two portions, :1 lower portion 132 which is provided with six teeth, and an upper portion 134 which is provided with only three teeth, the teeth being of the same size on each portion so that the three teeth on the upper portion are in superposition with alternate teeth on the lower portion. The reason for this latter arrangement of the teeth will be made apparent shortly. The stem pinion 130 is used to transmit drive from the escapement wheel 116 of the Geneva mechanism to the bull gear 40 in a timed relation. For that purpose, the escapement wheel 116 carries secured at the underside thereof a segment wheel 136 of disc shape having smooth upper and lower faces as well as a smooth outer periphery with the exception that a single notch 138 is formed therein, the notch conforming in shape with the profile of the teeth on the stem pinion 130, its actual shape being more readily discernible in FIGURES 5 and 6. The segment wheel 136 in turn carries a gear segment assembly 140 secured to the lower face of the segment wheel adjacent the periphery thereof. with the planar outline of the gear segment assembly being best seen in FIGURE 1. The gear segment assembly 140 essentially is a block-like element, the pair of gear teeth 142 and 144 thereon being of the same profile as the teeth on the stern pinion and adapted to mesh therewith. The gear segment assembly 140 is connected with the segment wheel 136 at a location such that the space intermediate the two teeth 142 and 144 corresponds in shape with and is in planar alignment with the notch 138 formed at the periphery of the segment wheel. The gear segment assembly is designed to mesh with the teeth on the lower portion 132 of the stern pinion and by this motion cause indexing of the filter wheel 28 in the following manner. After the cigarette wheel 46 has rotated one complete revolution, the gear segment assembly 140 will be located just to the left of the top dead center position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1 which position corresponds to the commencement of a new smoking cycle. During the indexing time that the cigarette wheel 46 is indexing from a position corresponding to the twentieth cigarette in smoking position in one cycle to a first cigarette in smoking position in a succeeding cycle of cigarette wheel rotation, the right hand tooth 142 on the gear segment assembly will strike one of the six teeth on the lower portion of the stern pinion and initiate rotation of the stem pinion unit. The next succeeding tooth of the six teeth on the stern pinion lower portion then comes into mesh in between the two teeth on the gear segment assembly and in turn is struck by the advance of the lefthand tooth 144 of the gear segment assembly as the latter moves out of mesh with the stem pinion thus effecting a rotation of the stern pinion 130 a predetermined distance which in this instance is /3 of a revolution. Since the stem pinion 136 is fixed to rotate in unison with the jack pinion 120, the jack pinion also will rotate Va of a revolution. Since the gear reduction between the jack pinion and the bull gear is 4 to l, the first hub member 16 will be caused to rotate A of a revolution. This corresponds with a magnitude of revolution sufficient to advance a succeeding filter unit into a smoking position. A filter unit 50 is in smoking position when the outlet stem 60 thereof is in register with the inlet of the pufling unit forming part of the machine and to be described later on in the description.

As was previously described, the sequence of the events involved in advancing the cigarette wheel between index positions requires three seconds. One second of this (indexing time) is required to actually advance or index the wheel 46 to bring a succeeding cigarette to smoking position. During the other two seconds of that time period (indexing dwell), the putfing of the cigarette is effected. As seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the test smoking machine includes a putfing unit 146 which comprises a housing 148 secured to the top of the stationary shaft 14 and having a lower housing portion or base 150 directed radially of the cigarette wheel 46 and filter wheel 28, the base being spaced at distance from the upper face of the filter wheel. Included as part of the housing is a slide member 152 which slides in the base 150 of the housing in a direction radially of the stationary shaft 14 along a fixed line of movement. Secured to the outer end of the slide member is a seal block 154 which has a suitable passage 156 formed therein, the passage terminating at one end at the outer face of the seal block. The seal block 154 includes a seal ring 158 of resilient material which extends around the inlet to the passage 156 and which serves to effect a tight fluid seal of the block 154 when the latter is forced into contact with the outlet stem 60 of a filter unit which is in a smoking position. During the two-second indexing dwell of the cigarette wheel, it is necessary to move the slide member 152 radially outwardly relatively of the cigarette and filter unit wheels so as to force the filter unit in a smoking position at its inlet end against the resilient insert 82 in the corresponding passage of the cigarette wheel and also to bring the seal ring in the seal block into fluid tight contact with the outlet of the filter unit establishing an intimate fluid communication between said filter unit, the puffing unit and a cigarette, so that a puff of smoke can be taken on the cigarette by means of a constant suction source which is placed in communication under continuous condition with the seal block passage by means of a flexible hose 160. The respective filter units 50 are in smoking position when the inlet and outlet stems 58 and 60 thereof are aligned with the inlet to the seal block passage 156 in the manner shown in FIGURE 1 in dashed lines as applicable to the stems 58a .and 60a of filter unit 50a which in FIGURE 1 is shown just forward of its smoking position, FIGURE 1 illustrating the filter wheel in a position about midway between two index positions. At the end of the two seconds of indexing dwell associated with the puffing of each cigarette, the beginning of the next indexing step of the cigarette wheel 46 occurs and as a consequence the slide member 152 must be retracted inwardly relatively of the cigarette and filter unit wheels to free the filter unit which is in smoking position from the condition of fluid tight contact with the putting unit to permit the cigarette wheel to rotate unencumberedly.

The manner in which the slide member is stroked will now be described. The mechanism for effecting this motion is constituted of an oscillating linkage which includes an upper connecting rod 162 which is slidably fixed in the puffing unit housing as at 164 and secured at one end to the slide member 152. The upper connecting rod 162 in turn is connected at its opposite end to the upper part of an oscillator shaft 166 supported within the hollow stationary shaft 14 on a pivot 168 extending through both and arranged perpendicular to the axis of the stationary shaft. The lower end of the oscillator shaft 166 in turn is connected with a turn buckle rod assembly 170 in the manner shown in FIGURE 2 with the outer end of the turn buckle rod assembly being connected with a rocker arm 172. The rocker arm 172 in turn is connected to one end of a rocker shaft 174 which is rotatably mounted in the journal brackets 98, 100 of the mounting frame 96 secured to the base plate 10. The opposite end of the rocker shaft 174 supports a follower arm 176 which has secured to the lower end thereof a roller type cam follower 178. The roller type cam follower 178 in turn is maintained in constant engagement with the camming surface of a rotary cam member 180 which is designed to produce oscillatory motion. Constant engagement of the cam follower with the rotary earn 180 is provided by means of a spring 182 secured to the mounting frame 90 and the rocker arm 172. The effect of the spring is to tend to rotate the rocker shaft 174 clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 2, hence tending to rotate the follower arm in the same direction. The rotary cam member 180 is fixed to the horizontal shaft component 102 of the right angle drive unit 104 in the manner best seen in FIGURE 4, being located behind the drive wheel 94 and thus it rotates at the same speed as the Geneva drive disc 110', Le,

one revolution each three seconds. The rotary cam is designed such that its camming surface high point engages the roller cam follower 178 during the one second indexing time of the cigarette wheel. The camming surface high point causes the follower arm 176 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGURE 2 so that this movement when translated through the rocker arm 172 to the oscillating linkage is effective to move the slide member 152 from right to left as shown in FIGURE 2 and out of engagement with the outlet end of the filter unit. On the other hand, during the two seconds on indexing dwell of the cigarette wheel in which period the puffing of the cigarette occurs, the spring member 182 connected with the rocker arm 172 maintains the roller cam follower in contact against the low point on the rotary cam so that the oscillating linkage is caused to pivot in a clockwise direction and slide member is slid radially outwardly relatively of the stationary shaft 14 and into firm, fluid tight contact with the outlet stem of the filter unit and in turn causing the filter unit to slide into fluid tight contact at its inlet stem with the resilient insert of the cigarette wheel flange passage holding the cigarette being smoked. A feature of the machine of the present invention is that it incorporates means which preclude spurious rotational movements of the filter unit wheel 28 during its dwell period. This lock up feature is an adjunct of the construction of the stem pinion 130, gear segment assembly 140 and segment wheel 136 and its mode of functioning may be discerned by referring to FIGURES 5 and 6. During the time the two teeth 142, 144 on the gear segment assembly 140 engage in mesh with an upper portion tooth of the stem pinion member 130, the said one tooth on the upper portion enters the notch 138 formed in the periphery of the segment wheel 136 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 5, this occurring during the indexing time of both wheels. On the other hand, as soon as the filter wheel 28 has been indexed one step to present a new filter unit in smoking position and at the commencement of the indexing dwell of said wheel, the said one tooth of the upper portion 134 of the stem pinion rides free of the notch 138, and the other two teeth on the stem pinion upper portion come into contact with the smooth peripheral face of the segment wheel 136 in the manner shown in FIGURE 6. Since these two teeth cannot move. the stem pinion 130 cannot rotate and, therefore, acts as a locking means to prevent spurious rotation of the cigarette filter wheel. In other words, with the two teeth in the position shown in FIGURE 6, the stem pinion 130 and hence the jack pinion 120, bull gear 40 and first hub 16 are locked together as a unit, and no rotation of any of the respective elements can occur. Thus with a filter unit properly positioned adjacent the putfing unit, it is insured that each of the twenty cigarettes will properly register with that filter units inlet end to insure proper pufiing of the respective cigarettes until once again the filter unit wheel is indexed, at which time a stem pinion upper portion tooth can enter the notch in the periphery of the wh el to permit the stern pinion to make V3 of a revolution.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the smoking machine of the present invention offers a number of advantages for the test smoking of cigarettes. It has large capacity allowing for convenient compilation of considerable test data under standardized test conditions. Most notably the machine makes it possible to connect data concerning the composition of smoke of selected puffs of smoke from the cigarettes inasmuch as the smoke is filtered through separate filter collecting media associated with the particular selected pufls.

While there is above disclosed but one embodiment of the smoking machine of the present invention, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the scope of the inventive concept herein disclosed, and accordingly it should be understood that all matter contained in the above description and in accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A machine for test smoking a plurality of cigarettes under test conditions which require that the first smoke pufi puffed from each cigarette be drawn through a first one of a series of smoke filter units, each of which has an inlet and an outlet, and that the succeeding orders of smoke puffs be drawn through a correspondingly different one of the other smoke filter units in said series, said machine comprising:

a stationary shaft,

a puffing unit fixed relative to the axis of said stationary shaft and having an inlet therein,

a first wheel mounted rotatably on said stationary shaft and incorporating means for supporting the filter units at circumferentially spaced locations thereon, said first wheel being indexable in steps to move each of said filter units successively into a smoking position wherein the outlet thereof registers with the inlet of said pulling unit,

a second wheel mounted on said stationary shaft concentric with said first wheel for rotation independent- ]y of said first wheel, said second wheel incorporating means for supporing the cigarettes at circumferentially spaced locations thereon, said second wheel being indexable in steps to position successively each of said cigarettes in register with the inlet of a filter unit which is in said smoking position,

means operable whenever a cigarette is in register with the inlet of a filter unit which is in said smoking position to establish intimate fluid communication between said cigarette, said filter unit and the inlet of said puffing unit,

means for indexing said second wheel,

means for indexing said first wheel one step each time said second wheel is indexed a number of steps corresponding to the number of cigarettes in said plurality, and

means for connecting said puifing unit with a source of suction.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the filter units on said first wheel comprises:

a series of cradles each of which is associated with one of said filter units, said filter units being removably supported in said cradles.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein each of said cradles comprises:

a base fixed to said first wheel on which the associated filter unit rests,

a clamp member pivoted to said base and closable against the filter unit for securing same to the base, and

resilient means connected with said clamp member and normally urging it into closed position, said base and said clamp member having cooperating notches therein conforming with corresponding surfaces of the filter unit and effective to prevent movement thereof circumferentially of said first wheel but adapted to allow movement of said filter unit radially of said first wheel.

4. The machine of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the plurality of cigarettes on said second wheel comprises:

an axially directed flange extending around the pcriphery of said second wheel and having a corresponding plurality of passages extending radially therethrough at uniformly circumferentially spaced locations, said passages each having an outer end for receiving one of said cigarettes. and resilient members supported in each of said passages at the inner ends thereof.

5. The machine of claim 1 wherein said pufiing unit includes a housing fixed to said stationary shaft and having (ill an elongated slide member supported thereon for sliding movement radially of said stationary shaft,

a seal block fixed to said slide member and having a conduit extending therethrough which terminates at opposite ends at an inlet and an outlet formed in the surfaces of said seal member, said source of suction being connected with the outlet of said conduit, movement of said slide member in one direction being effective to move the inlet of said conduit into contact with the outlet of a filter unit which is in smoking position and the inlet of said filter unit into contact with the cigarette in register therewith, the means operable to establish intimate fluid communication between said cigarette, said filter unit and the inlet of said pufiing unit comprising oscillatory linkage including a connecting rod connected with said slide member, and

a motion producing drive means coupled to the linkage for producing oscillatory movement of said linkage effective to slide said slide member in said one direction whenever a cigarette is in register with the inlet of a filter unit which is in a smoking position, said motion producing drive means being effective to slide said slide member in an opposite direction during the movement of said cigarette wheel between successive index positions.

6. The machine of claim 5 wherein the means for indexing said second wheel comprises:

a Geneva escapement wheel fixed to and rotatable with said second wheel, said escapement wheel having slots extending circumferentially spaced around the periphery thereof and corresponding in number to the number of cigarettes in said plurality,

a disc rotatable about a fixed axis adjacent said escapement wheel and having a pin at the periphery thereof, said pin engaging in one of said escapement wheel slots each time said disc is rotated one revolution for rotating said escapement wheel whereby said second wheel is advanced from one to a succeeding index position, and

means for rotating said disc.

7. The machine of claim 6 wherein the means for rotating said disc comprises:

a constant speed drive unit having a first drive shaft component connected with said disc, and a second drive shaft component connected with said motion producing drive means.

8. The machine of claim 1 further comprising locking means operable at times other than when said first wheel is moving from one to a succeeding index position to lock said first wheel against rotation.

9. The machine of claim 1 wherein the means for indexing said first Wheel comprises:

a bull gear connected with said first wheel to rotate as a unit therewith,

a jack pinion in mesh with said bull gear,

a stem pinion fixed to said jack pinion and rotatable about a common axis therewith,

a segment of a gear,

means for connecting said segment of a gear with said second wheel whereby rotation of the latter moves said segment of a gear into and out of mesh once with said stem pinion each time said second wheel is indexed a number of steps corresponding to the number of cigarettes in said plurality thereby rotating said stem pinion a predetermined distance, the gear arrangement of said jack pinion and said bull gear being such that said first wheel is rotated from one to a succeeding index position for each rotational movement of predetermined distance of said stem pinion.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein the means for connecting said segment of a gear with said second wheel includes:

a segment wheel connected with said second wheel to rotate as a unit therewith, said segment of a gear being connected to a face of said second wheel adjacent the periphery thereof and having at least two gear teeth, said segment wheel having a notch in the periphery thereof aligned with the space between said two gear teeth, said notch receiving the teeth on said stem pinion when said segment of a gear is in mesh with said stem pinion, the teeth on said stem pinion engaging against the periphery of said segment wheel with said segment of a gear is out of mesh with said stem pinion to prevent rotation of said stem pinion.

11. A machine for test smoking a plurality of cigarettes under test conditions which require that the first smoke puff pufied from each cigarette be drawn through a first one of a series of smoke filter units, each of which has an inlet and an outlet, and that the succeeding orders of smoke puffs be drawn through a correspondingly different one of the other smoke filter units in said series, said machine comprising:

a stationary shaft,

a pntfing unit fixed to said stationary shaft, said putting unit including a housing, and a seal block supported on said housing for movement radially of said wheel, said seal block having a conduit extending therethrough which terminates at opposed ends at an inlet and an outlet formed in the surfaces of said seal member,

a first wheel mounted rotatably on said stationary shaft and incorporating means for supporting the filter units at circumferentially spaced locations thereon and for movement radially of said stationary shaft, said first wheel being indexable in steps to move each of said filter units successively adjacent said puffing unit and into a smoking position wherein the outlet thereof registers with the inlet the conduit in said member,

a second wheel mounted on said stationary shaft concentric with said first wheel for rotation independently of said first wheel, said second wheel incorporating means for supporting the cigarettes at circumferentially spaced locations thereon, said second wheel being indexable in steps to position successively each of said cigarettes in register with the inlet of a filter unit which is in said smoking position,

means operable whenever a cigarette is in register with the inlet of a filter unit which is in said smoking position for moving said seal block in a direction away from said stationary shaft and into contact with the outlet of said filter inlet, the movement of said seal member being effective to urge the inlet of said filter unit into contact with said cigarette whereby intimate fluid communication is established between said cigarette, said filter unit and the inlet of said pufling unit,

means for indexing said second wheel,

means operable during the movement of said second wheel between succeeding index positions to move said seal member in the direction of said stationary shaft,

means for indexing said first wheel one step each time said second wheel is indexed a number of steps corresponding to the number of cigaretes in said plurality, and

means for connecting the outlet of said seal block with a source of suction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,228,216 1/1941 Morgan 73-28 2,722,998 11/1955 Hall 7328 RICHARD C. QUEISSER, Primary Examiner.

C. I. MCCLELLAND, Assistant Examiner.

LAttesting Officer UNITED S'IA'I'ES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,433,054 Dated 317611 1 1969 Inventor(s) W8 Iter F. Mutter It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 30, "purpose" should read --purposes--. Column 4, line 30, "repective" should read --respective--. Column 4, line 53, "hug" should read "hub- Column 5, line 55; "constructionad" should be --constructional-. Column 6, line 75, "mention" should read --mentioned--. Column 7, line 60, after "pinion and before "is" "120- should be inserted.

Column 10, Line 66, "connect" should read --co11ect-- SIGNED AND SEALED MAR 3 I970 U Anew EdwurdMFletcha, It. Innin sum, JR

Commissioner of Patents

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