CN117320568A - Apparatus and method for automatically wrapping smoking articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A baling device (10) for automatically baling smoking articles (100). The apparatus (10) comprises a first closing assembly (11) configured to close the smoking article (100) according to a first closing mode, a cutting assembly (12) configured to cut the smoking article (100), and a second closing assembly (13) configured to close the smoking article (100) according to a second closing mode different from the first closing mode, arranged in sequence in a machine direction (X).

Description

Apparatus and method for automatically wrapping smoking articles

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically baling smoking articles, such as cigarettes and the like, each comprising a housing having a front mouth region, possibly provided with a filter, a central region filled with a smokable product, such as tobacco or other non-coherent material, and an empty rear region configured to be selectively closed. The apparatus and method according to the present invention enable the closing of the rear region of each housing by twisting or folding the rear region of the housing after the rear region of each housing is cut to size.

Background

In the automatic production of smoking articles such as cigarettes and the like, particularly when using machines with high productivity, an important aspect that is known to be considered and a technical problem that needs to be overcome subsequently is the aspect related to the last step of packing of the smoking articles, i.e. the aspect related to the closure of the containing material into which the smoking material (for example a non-coherent material such as tobacco, other smokable substances or a combination thereof) has been inserted.

Typically, the containment material consists of very thin and light paper or other suitable material, possibly in the form of a shell, the front mouthpiece area of which comprises or does not comprise filters, and is therefore difficult to handle in an automated manner, especially when there is also the aim of achieving high productivity, and therefore each operation must be carried out in a very short time.

Typically, the baling step occurs after a loading or dosing step in which the smoking material is loaded or inserted into the receiving material. Downstream of the baling device, a station for dispensing is generally provided, and possibly also for packaging the finished smoking articles.

Examples of apparatus and methods for automatically producing smoking article products are described in international patent application WO 2019/183128. Such solutions known in the prior art describe a step of dosing the smoking material inside the smoking article, and a subsequent step of closing the rear area of the article itself after filling with smoking material.

Regarding the technical problem of automatic packing of smoking articles, in particular the closure of the rear region of each shell made of the above-mentioned containing material after the smoking material has been inserted into the central region, it is known to use closure means capable of twisting the rear region, thus creating a closure of the "twist" type known to the person skilled in the art, alternatively to use closure means capable of folding the rear region differently, thus creating a closure of the "Dutch crown" type, also known to the person skilled in the art. It is also known to create a closure of the rear region of each housing manually or with the aid of an operator.

In the known devices, it is therefore necessary to determine whether a "twist" type closure or a "netherlands crown" type closure is obtained, and to prepare the corresponding closure means/closure pattern, even before the device is manufactured. The choice of the type of closure is not only purely aesthetic, but may also be related to the filling degree of each shell.

Furthermore, it should also be considered that, in general, in order to completely solve the technical problem of closing the shells of the smoking article after filling with smoking material, it is also necessary to provide to cut the rear end of each shell to size. In fact, the rear end must be conveniently cut, regardless of the initial length of each housing, depending on the amount of smoking material inserted into the central region of the housing and the type of closure used.

Currently, in the prior art, no bagging apparatus and/or method can automatically and selectively use one of the two types of closures described above (i.e., by twisting or folding the rear end of each shell) to effect closure of the shells.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wrapping apparatus and to perfect a wrapping method for automatically wrapping smoking articles that is capable of performing both types of closure (i.e. by twisting or folding) based on the choice of the operator or in a programmed manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging apparatus and perfecting a packaging method for automatically packaging smoking articles that is very versatile, simple, reliable, and in which the conversion of smoking articles from one type of closure to another does not require mechanical intervention on the same apparatus, but can be simply carried out by setting the desired mode using any electronic input means, even remote input means.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a baling device and to perfect a baling method for automatically baling smoking articles, allowing to achieve a high productivity, for example, estimated to produce about 7000 smoking articles per hour.

The applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

The invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other features of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

According to the above object, a baling device for automatically baling smoking articles according to the present invention, each smoking article comprises a housing having a rear region configured to be closed, the device comprising a first closing assembly, a cutting assembly and a second closing assembly arranged in sequence in a machine direction, the first closing assembly being selectively activatable according to a first closing mode to close the rear region of the housing, the cutting assembly being configured to selectively cut the rear region of the housing by size, the second closing assembly being selectively activatable according to a second closing mode different from the first closing mode to close the rear region of the housing. The second closing assembly is thus arranged downstream of the cutting assembly in the machine direction.

According to one aspect of the invention, the first closing mode provides torsion of the rear region of the housing and the first closing assembly comprises a torsion tool.

According to another aspect of the invention, the twisting means comprise, for each smoking article, a closing device provided with rotation means configured to be activated in rotation so as to twist one end of the rear region of the housing.

According to another aspect of the invention, the first closure assembly further comprises, for each smoking article, a first gripping element configured to selectively grip the respective smoking article and displace it towards the first closure assembly, in particular towards the closure means of the twisting tool.

According to another aspect of the invention, the second closing mode provides at least one fold of at least one flap of the rear region of the housing, and the second closing assembly comprises a folding tool configured to close the rear region by folding the at least one flap of the rear region.

According to another aspect of the invention, the second closure assembly further comprises a second gripping element for each smoking article, the second gripping element being configured to selectively grip the respective smoking article and displace it towards the second closure assembly, in particular towards the folding tool contained therein.

According to another aspect of the invention, each of the housings further comprises a front mouthpiece region and a central region between the front region and the rear region, the central region being filled with a smokable product, the cutting assembly comprising a cutting tool for selectively cutting the rear region of the housing at a desired height, the height being understood as a distance from an end of the central region, the cutting assembly further comprising a suction tool configured to suction any debris generated by the cutting tool.

According to another aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises a control unit operatively connected to at least the first and second closure assemblies and programmed to activate operation of only one of the first or second closure assemblies for each smoking article.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a wrapping method for automatically wrapping smoking articles, each smoking article comprising a housing having at least one rear region configured to be closed. The method comprises at least one closing step in which the rear region of the housing is selectively closed by a first closing assembly according to a first closing mode or by a second closing assembly according to a second closing mode different from the first closing mode, and a cutting step in which the rear region is selectively cut by a cutting assembly in size.

According to another aspect of the invention, the first closed mode provides twisting of the rear region of the housing by a twisting tool.

According to another aspect of the invention, the second closed mode provides at least one fold of at least one flap of the rear region of the housing by a folding tool.

According to another aspect of the invention, the cutting step is performed after the closing step when the closing step is performed according to the first closing mode, and on the other hand, before the closing step when the closing step is performed according to the second closing mode.

According to another aspect of the invention, the method comprises the step of the housing being gripped and displaced towards the first closing assembly when the closing step is performed according to the first closing mode, or the step of the housing being gripped and displaced towards the second closing assembly when the closing step is performed according to the second closing mode.

Drawings

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a front view of an apparatus for automatically wrapping smoking articles according to the present invention, showing a first operating condition;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the first closure assembly of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a front view of the device of fig. 1, showing a second operating condition;

fig. 4 is a three-dimensional view of a second closure assembly included in the apparatus shown in fig. 1 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a machine comprising the apparatus of FIG. 1;

figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a smoking article inserted into the seat of the transport element prior to processing in the apparatus of figure 1;

figure 7 is a front view of the smoking article of figure 6 after its rear region (top in the figure) has been closed by twisting;

figure 8 is a front view of the smoking article of figure 7 after it has been cut to size in the rear region thereof which has been twisted;

figure 9 is a front view of the smoking article of figure 6 after being cut to size in its rear region (top in the figure);

figure 10 is a front view of the smoking article of figure 9 after its rear region (top in the figure) has been closed by folding its ends;

FIG. 11 is a schematic simplified side view of a first closure assembly of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

fig. 12 is a schematic simplified side view of a cutting assembly of the apparatus of fig. 1;

fig. 13 is a schematic simplified side view of a second closure assembly of the apparatus of fig. 1;

fig. 14 is an example block diagram of the operation of the electronic control unit of the device of fig. 1.

We must clarify that the words and terms used in the present description and claims, such as the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "front", "rear", "high", "low" and "inner" and their inclinations, have only the function of better illustrating the invention with reference to the attached drawings, and should not be used in any way to limit the scope of the invention itself or the protection scope defined by the appended claims.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain dimensions or features in the drawings may have been enlarged, distorted or shown in an irregular or non-to-scale to provide a more readily understood version of the invention. When dimensions and/or values are specified in the following description, these dimensions and/or values are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention unless these dimensions and/or values are presented in the appended claims.

Before describing embodiments of the invention, we must also clarify, and not limit its application to the details of construction and arrangement of components described in this specification using the drawings. Indeed, the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various other equivalent ways.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is to be appreciated that elements and features of one embodiment may be conveniently combined or incorporated in other embodiments without further description.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1 and 3, the apparatus 10 according to the present invention may be used for automatically wrapping smoking articles 100, in particular for closing an open rear zone Z3 thereof, as will be described in detail below.

Furthermore, as shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 10 is configured to form part of a machine 200 for preparing smoking articles 100, for example comprising, in sequence, a feeding station 201, a loading station 202, both arranged upstream of the apparatus 10, and a dispensing station 203 arranged downstream of the apparatus 10, the dispensing station 203 being able to deliver the finished smoking articles 100 to a packaging station 205, the packaging station 205 being able to be located outside the machine 200 as well. Furthermore, in the machine 200, there is a transport device 206 having the function of transporting the smoking articles 100 along the whole processing line from the feeding station 201 to the packaging station 205, for example in the processing direction X, preferably rectilinear and horizontal.

The supply station 201, the filling station 202, the distribution station 203, the packaging station 205, and the transport device 206 may be of any known type, or of a type that will be developed in the future. Alternatively, the supply station 201, the filling station 202, and/or the transport apparatus 206 may be those described in related patent applications, such as the industrial invention filed by or assigned to the applicant of the present patent application.

For example, the transport apparatus 206 includes a transport member 207 (fig. 1 to 6), the transport member 207 having a shape and a function of a shuttle and being configured to slide on a fixed rail 209 in the machine direction X. In the example provided herein, the transport element 207 comprises four seats 210, which are hollow and through, each of which is truncated cone-shaped, the dimensions of which match those of the smoking article 100, or at least of the lower part thereof. In the example provided herein, each mount 210 is sized such that each smoking article 100, when inserted into the mount 210, protrudes not only from the upper surface of the transport element 207, but also from the lower surface of the transport element 207 by a few millimeters (fig. 6).

Obviously, the number of seats 210 may also vary from four, it being understood that the number thereof affects the hourly productivity of the machine 200. In fact, if a processing cycle is carried out in each of the different processing stations 201, 202, 203 and 205 and in the apparatus 10 or in the slower one, a determined cycle time TC expressed in seconds is required, the hourly production rate of the machine 200 will be equal to 3600 seconds divided by the cycle time TC, multiplied by the number of seats 210 per transport element 207. In fact, in the four bases 210, the machining is performed in parallel.

Each chassis 210 is symmetrical about a substantially vertical axis Y and is configured to receive a smoking article 100 (fig. 6) that can be inserted from the top downwards with the rear region Z3 facing upwards.

The distance D (fig. 1) between two adjacent seats 210 is defined at the design stage of the machine 200 and is suitable for managing a plurality of smoking articles 100, as will be described in detail below.

By way of non-limiting indication, the machine 200 can prepare each smoking article 100 in a very short time, i.e. in the case of a cycle time TC of about two seconds, it can therefore have a productivity of about 7000 smoking articles 100 per hour, precisely because four smoking articles 100 are processed simultaneously in each processing station 201, 202, 203 and 205 and in the apparatus 10.

Before describing in detail the apparatus 10 and corresponding method for automatically closing the smoking article 100, for a better understanding of the present invention, we will now schematically describe the smoking article 100 by way of non-limiting example (fig. 6 to 10).

When the smoking articles reach the respective device 10, for example from the loading station 202 (fig. 5), each smoking article 100 comprises a housing 101 (fig. 6), for example made of very thin and light paper or other suitable material. Each housing 101 comprises a front mouthpiece region Z1, which may be provided with a filter 102, a central region Z2, and a rear region Z3, the central region Z2 having been filled with a non-coherent material M, such as tobacco, other smokable substance, or a combination thereof, when the smoking article 100 reaches the respective device 10, the rear region Z3 being open and configured to be suitably closed to prevent the non-coherent material M from exiting the housing 101. Each casing 101 has a determined initial length L1, for example comprised between about 60mm and about 150mm, before its rear zone Z3 is closed, whereas the smoking article 100 has, when completed, a final length LF depending on its form, which in turn depends on both the amount of non-coherent material M inserted in the casing 101 and on the type of closure of its rear zone Z3, i.e. by twisting (fig. 7 and 8) or by folding (fig. 10).

Each housing 101 has a shape (e.g., truncated cone shape) such that it can be easily stacked, and is unfolded from the front region Z1 to the rear region Z3.

The apparatus 10 (fig. 1 and 3) mainly comprises a first closing assembly 11, a cutting assembly 12 and a second closing assembly 13, which are arranged in succession in the machine direction X.

In particular, the first closing assembly 11 is arranged adjacent to the filling station 202 (fig. 5) and is configured to close the rear zone Z3 (fig. 6) of the casing 101 according to a first closing mode (i.e. closing by torsion); the second closure assembly 13 is arranged adjacent to the dispensing station 203 (fig. 5) and is configured to close the rear zone Z3 (fig. 10) of the casing 101 according to a second closing mode, i.e. by folding its ends closed; and the cutting assembly 12 is disposed between the first and second closure assemblies 11 and 13 and is configured to cut the rear region Z3 of the housing 101 in size.

The first closing assembly 11 (fig. 1, 2) comprises four closing devices 15 identical to each other and each arranged along a respective vertical axis R. The distance D between the four vertical axes R is the same as the distance between the bases 210 of the same transport element 207. Between each closing device 15 and the fixed rail 209 there is a first grip element 16, which is also aligned with the respective vertical axis R.

Each closing device 15 comprises a rotary grip 17, of known type, provided with jaws 19, inside which jaws 19 there is a lining of high grip material, such as coarse rubber.

According to a further alternative embodiment of the invention, not shown in the figures, each closing device 15 may comprise a series of grips provided with jaws, on which a rotating element is mounted, for example more than one roller.

Each rotary grip 17 is configured to fasten the rear zone Z3 of each housing 101 between its jaws 19 and twist the rear zone Z3 about the vertical axis R while the smoking article 100 is held stationary by the respective first grip element 16.

The first actuator 20 (fig. 11) is mounted on a first vertical plate 21 of the fixed structure and is configured to command four rotary grips 17 simultaneously.

The four first gripping elements 16 in the idle position PH1 are arranged on the same horizontal plane and have the function of lowering to the lowered position PA1 to pick up simultaneously the four smoking articles 100 housed in the seats 210 of the transport element 207 temporarily below them and place them in the raised position PS1, in correspondence with the rotary grip 17.

The simultaneous lowering and raising of the four first gripping elements 16 is commanded by first moving means 22, the first moving means 22 comprising a first slider 23, the first slider 23 sliding vertically with respect to the first vertical plate 21 and being driven by a second actuator 26 of known type, the second actuator 26 being mounted on the vertical plate 21.

Each first gripping element 16 comprises at least two gripping jaws 27, the inner portions of which are shaped in such a way as to be semi-cylindrical grooves, the grooves being opposite each other and being mirror images, such that when the two gripping jaws 27 are fastened to each other, the grooves thereof form a gripping seat suitable for gripping the smoking article 100, without compromising the structural integrity of the housing 101. Also in this case, in order to improve the grip, the inner part of the jaw 27 is lined with a high grip material, such as coarse rubber.

The opening and closing of the jaws 27 of the four first gripping elements 16 is obtained simultaneously by means of two substantially horizontal slides 29 and 30, the slides 29 and 30 being axially slidably mounted on the first slider 23. The two slides 29 and 30 are driven by command elements of known type, for example electric motors or linear actuators of pneumatic or hydrodynamic type, not shown in the figures.

The cutting assembly 12 (fig. 1, 3 and 12) mainly comprises more than one cutting element 31 (fig. 12), for example each cutting element consisting of a blade or scissors of a known type, configured to cut simultaneously the rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 of the four smoking articles 100 housed in the transport element 207, after the rear zone Z3 is twisted by the first closing assembly 11, or before the rear zone Z3 is closed by the second closing assembly 13, as will be described in detail below.

In the example provided here, the cutting element 31 is mounted on the second slider 32, substantially the same width as the transport element 207, and is simultaneously driven by a third actuator 33, the third actuator 33 also being mounted on the second slider 32.

The second slider 32 is also fitted with a suction element 35 of a known type and provided with a suction duct 36, one end of which is arranged in the vicinity of the cutting-occurrence area, to suck the cut portions or chips produced by the cutting element 31.

The second slider 32 together with the cutting element 31 and the suction element 35 is selectively movable with respect to the second vertical plate 37 of the fixed structure between a rest position PR (fig. 12), in which it is outside the overall dimensions of the smoking article 100 on the transport element 207, and an operating position PO, in which the cutting element 31 can cut the rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 by size, and vice versa. The movement of the second slider 32 between the idle position PR and the operating position PO by the fourth actuator 38 occurs in a direction perpendicular to the machine direction X, which will be described in detail below.

The movement of the second slider 32 and the activation of the cutting element 31 are coordinated with the movement of the transport element 207, as will be described in detail below.

The second closure assembly 13 comprises four folding devices 39, which are identical to each other and each of which is arranged along a respective vertical axis T. The distance D between the four vertical axes T is the same as the distance between the bases 210 of the same transport element 207. Between each folding device 39 and the fixed rail 209 there is a second gripping element 40, also aligned with the respective vertical axis T (figures 3 and 4).

Each folding device 39 is configured to perform an inward folding of the flaps of the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101, the rear zone Z3 having been cut to size by the cutting assembly 12.

The four folding means 39 may be of any known type, or of a type to be manufactured in the future, capable of performing a so-called "dutch crown" folding of the end of the rear zone Z3, for example commanded by a fifth actuator 41 (figures 4 and 13) mounted on a third vertical plate 42 of the fixed structure.

In the idle position PH2, the four second gripping elements 40 are arranged on the same horizontal plane and they are first configured to be lowered together towards a lowered position PA2, in which they can pick up simultaneously four smoking articles 100 housed in the seats 210 of the transport element 207 temporarily underneath them, and then rise to a raised position PS2 above the idle position PH2, in which raised position PH2 the four smoking articles 100 picked up correspond to the four folding devices 39.

The simultaneous lowering and raising of the four second gripping elements 40 is commanded by the second moving means 43, the second moving means 43 comprising a third slider 45, the third slider 45 sliding vertically with respect to the third fixed vertical plate 42 and being driven by a sixth actuator 47 of known type mounted on the third fixed vertical plate 42.

Each second gripping element 40 comprises at least two gripping jaws 49 (figures 3 and 4), the inner portions of which are shaped in such a way as to be semi-cylindrical grooves, the grooves being opposite each other and being mirror images, such that when the two gripping jaws 49 are fastened to each other, the grooves thereof form a gripping seat suitable for gripping the smoking article 100, without damaging the structural integrity of the housing 101. Also in this case, in order to improve the grip, the inner part of the jaw 49 is lined with a high grip material, such as coarse rubber.

The opening and closing of the jaws 49 of the four second gripping elements 40 is obtained simultaneously by means of two substantially horizontal slides 50 and 51, the slides 50 and 51 being axially slidably mounted on the third slider 45. The two slides 50 and 51 are driven by command elements of known type, for example electric motors or linear actuators of pneumatic or hydrodynamic type, not shown in the figures.

According to another aspect of the invention, in order to close by correct folding and in order to enable four second gripping elements 40 to grip four respective smoking articles 100 in the central zone Z2 of the housing 101, regardless of their form, more than one lifting device 52 of known type is arranged below the fixed rail 209, configured to lift the same smoking articles 100 simultaneously. In the example given here there are four lifting devices 52, but even a single lifting device 52 may be provided, which is configured to perform the same function.

The lifting means 52 are arranged on a fixed horizontal plate 53 and they are driven simultaneously by a seventh actuator 55, which is also arranged on the fixed horizontal plate.

The apparatus 10 further comprises an electronic control unit 56 (fig. 14), for example of a programmable type, configured to control the operation of the first closing assembly 11, the cutting assembly 12 and the second closing assembly 13, to selectively activate either the first closing assembly 11 or the second closing assembly 13, depending on the mode of closing the smoking article 100 that has been selected, as will be described in more detail below with reference to the operation of the apparatus 10.

In particular, the electronic control unit 56 is configured to command the actuators 20, 26, 33, 38, 41, 47, and 55, and thus other machine tools operatively connected thereto.

The operation of the apparatus 10 described above, corresponding to the method of the present invention, comprises the following steps.

In the initial or idle state, the first and second gripping elements 16 and 40 (fig. 11 and 13) are in their idle positions PH1 and PH2, respectively, and the second slider 32 of the cutting assembly 12 is in the idle position PR (fig. 12).

Before starting the operation of closing the casing 101 and cutting its rear zone Z3 by size, the electronic control unit 56 is set so as to activate one of the first closing assembly 11 or the second closing assembly 13. Thus, the device 10 will have two different operations, depending on whether each rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 is closed by twisting or by folding.

In fact, if the closing mode by torsion has been set, the transport element 207 is transported to the first position P1 (fig. 1) directly below the first closing assembly 11. In this position, the four vertical axes R of the closing means 15 coincide with the axes Y of the four seats 210.

The closing step then takes place under the control of the electronic control unit 56, during which the transport element 207 remains stationary in the first position P1 for a time interval equal to the cycle time TC required by the first closing assembly 11 to simultaneously close the four rear zones Z3 of the shells 101 of the same number of smoking articles 100 (fig. 6), the smoking articles 100 being housed in the seats 210 of the transport element 207.

The second actuator 26 (fig. 11) then lowers the first slider 23 and the four grip elements 16 mounted thereon from the idle position PH1 to the lowered position PA1, in which the slides 29 and 30 are then driven so that they move relative to each other to slightly tighten the four smoking articles 100 in the seats 210 of the transport element 207 between the jaws 27.

Subsequently, the second actuator 26 lifts the first slider 23 and the four smoking articles 100 gripped by the first gripping elements 16, placing the smoking articles 100 from the lowered position PA1 to the raised position PS1, so that, in the raised position, the rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 is located between the jaws 19 of the respective openings of the four rotary grips 17.

Then, the first actuator 20 closes the jaws 19 on at least a portion of the rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 and the four rotary grips 17 simultaneously rotate about their vertical axis R, thus twisting the four rear zones Z3 (fig. 7), closing them.

Then, with an operation opposite to the above operation, the rotary grip is stopped, the jaws 19 are reopened, and the first slider 23 is lowered to return the four already closed smoking articles 100 to their initial position, i.e. inside the seat 210 of the transport element 207, after which the first grip element 16 is returned to the idle position PH1.

Once the above-described closing step is completed, the transport element 207 (fig. 1) is displaced in the machine direction X towards the cutting assembly 12 by a pitch PT, in the example provided herein, equal to four times the distance D between two adjacent seats 210 of the transport element 207, to reach a second position P2, which is located directly below the centre of the cutting assembly 12.

The cutting step is then carried out under the control of the electronic control unit 56, during which the fourth actuator 38 lowers the second slider 32 together with the cutting element 31 from the idle position PR to the operating position PO, which corresponds exactly to the point of the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101, at which the cutting takes place.

Then, in the operating position PO, the third actuator 33 and the suction element 35 are driven, the third actuator activating the cutting element 31 to cut the rear zone Z3 by size, the suction element sucking and removing the cut portions or fragments of the same rear zone Z3, thus causing the four smoking articles 100 to assume the final length LF (fig. 8).

Once the cutting step has been completed, the fourth actuator 38 lifts the second slider 32 together with the cutting element 31 and puts them back into their initial idle position PR (fig. 12). Furthermore, after having passed through the second closing assembly 13 without stopping there, the transport element 207 is displaced in the machine direction X by two further distances PT up to the dispensing station 203 (fig. 5).

As an alternative to the above, if a closed mode by folding is set in the electronic control unit 56, the transport element 207 is not transported to the first position P1 (fig. 1) but directly to the second position P2 (fig. 1 and 3), in which the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101, which is still open and not twisted, is cut.

For this closed mode, the cutting step is the same as described above.

Subsequently, once the cut is completed, the transport element 207 is transported from the second position P2 to a third position P3 (fig. 3), which is located directly below the second closure assembly 13. In this position, the four vertical axes T of the folding means 39 coincide with the axes Y of the four seats 210 of the transport element 207.

The closing step then takes place under the control of the electronic control unit 56, during which the transport element 207 remains stationary in the third position P3 for a time interval equal to the cycle time TC required for the second closing assembly 13 to simultaneously close the four rear zones Z3 of the shells 101 of the same number of smoking articles 100 (fig. 9) by folding, the smoking articles 100 being housed in the seats 210 of the transport element 207.

The sixth actuator 47 (fig. 13) then lowers the third slider 45 and the four second gripping elements 40 mounted thereon from the idle position PH2 to the lowered position PA2, in which the slides 50 and 51 are driven in mutual movement with respect to each other to slightly tighten the four smoking articles 100 in the seats 210 of the transport element 207 between the jaws 49.

If necessary, at the same time as the third slider 45 is lowered, the four second gripping elements 40 are also lowered to the lowered position PA2, the seventh actuator 55 driving the lifting means 52 to simultaneously lift the four smoking articles 100, so that the gripping of the jaws 49 takes place in the central zone Z2 of the housing 101.

Subsequently, the sixth actuator 47 lifts the third slider 45 together with the four smoking articles 100 gripped by the second gripping element 40, placing them from the lowered position PA2 to the raised position PS2, so that in the raised position the rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 corresponds to the four folding devices 39.

The fifth actuator 41 then drives the four folding means 39 which fold at least one tab of the rear zone Z3 of the housing 101 of the four smoking articles 100 (figure 10).

Then, with an operation opposite to the above described one, the third slider 45 is lowered to return the four already closed smoking articles 100 to their initial position, i.e. inside the seat 210 of the transport element 207, after which the second gripping element 40 is returned to the idle position PH2.

Once the closing step by folding has been completed, the transport element 207 is displaced in the machine direction X towards the dispensing station 203 (fig. 5) by a further pitch PT (fig. 3).

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts or steps may be made to the apparatus 10 and method as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims.

For example, the electronic control unit 56 may be set such that, after the first closing assembly 11 is activated to close the rear zone Z3, and after the cutting assembly 12 is driven, the second closing assembly 13 is also activated, but does not close the rear zone that has been closed, but folds only the portion of the rear zone that has been twisted and has been cut to size.

Thus, the apparatus 10 allows four different types of smoking articles 100 to be produced in a very versatile manner, wherein the housing 101 is closed according to the first mode or the second mode.

These four types are listed below:

a-standard closure (torsion) by simply twisting the rear zone Z3 of each housing 101;

b-closing of the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101 by twisting as in a (twisting) and then cutting off the excess portion of the same rear zone Z3;

c-closure by twisting as in a or B followed by folding;

d-by folding the closure of the rear zone Z3 of each shell 101 (the netherlands crown), it is possible to cut in advance to size.

In a smoking article 100 as closed in A, B or C, the rear zone Z3 is closed by twisting, possibly cutting (in B) and/or optionally folding (in C). On the other hand, in the smoking article 100 closed as in D, the rear zone Z3 is closed by folding after being suitably cut.

As can be seen from the foregoing detailed description, in the closed mode indicated by the above-mentioned point a, the electronic control unit 56 drives only the first closing assembly 11, in the closed mode indicated by the above-mentioned point B, the electronic control unit 56 drives the first closing assembly 11 and the cutting assembly 12, in the closed mode indicated by the above-mentioned point C, the electronic control unit 56 drives all three assemblies 11, 12 and 13, and in the closed mode indicated by the above-mentioned point D, the electronic control unit 56 drives only the cutting assembly 12 and the second closing assembly 13.

Furthermore, we have to clarify that, although the first assembly 11 for closing by torsion, the cutting assembly 12 for closing by folding and the second assembly 13 have to be arranged in sequence and follow this sequence, they may also be discontinuous. Indeed, other devices, equipment, and/or processing stations of machine 200 may be located therebetween, such as control stations, extrusion stations, and the like.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall be able to realise a number of other equivalent forms of apparatus and methods for packaging smoking articles, having the characteristics described in the claims, and therefore all falling within the protection defined by the claims. In the following claims, the sole purpose of the numerals in parentheses is intended to be convenient to read and should not be construed as limiting factors with respect to the field of protection claimed in the specific claims.

Claims (15)

1. A baling device (10) for automatically baling smoking articles (100), each smoking article comprising a housing (101) having at least one rear region (Z3) configured to be closed, the device comprising a first closing assembly (11) and a cutting assembly (12) arranged in succession in a machine direction (X), according to which the first closing assembly can be selectively activated to close the rear region (Z3) of the housing (101), the cutting assembly being configured to selectively cut the rear region (Z3) of the housing (101), characterized in that the device further comprises a second closing assembly (13) which can be selectively activated to close the rear region (Z3) of the housing (101) according to a second closing mode different from the first closing mode, the second closing assembly (13) being arranged downstream of the cutting assembly (12) in the machine direction (X).

2. The bagging apparatus (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first closing assembly (11) comprises a twisting tool (15, 17, 19).

3. The baling device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that said twisting means comprise closing means (15) provided with rotary gripping means (17, 19) configured to be activated in rotation so as to twist one end of said rear zone (Z3) of said casing (101).

4. The baling device (10) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a first gripping element (16) configured to grip the casing (101) and displace it towards the first closing assembly (11).

5. The packaging apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second closing assembly (13) comprises a folding tool (39) configured to close the rear zone (Z3) by folding at least one flap of the rear zone (Z3).

6. The baling device (10) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a second gripping element (40) configured to grip the casing (101) and displace it towards the second closing assembly (13).

7. The baling device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said housings (101) further comprises a front mouthpiece region (Z1) and a central region (Z2) between said front region (Z1) and said rear region (Z3), at least said central region (Z2) being filled with a smokable product (M), characterized in that said cutting assembly (12) comprises a cutting tool (31) for selectively cutting said rear region (Z3) of said housing (101) at a desired height, said cutting assembly further comprising suction tools (35, 36) configured to suck debris generated by said cutting tools.

8. The baling device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a control unit (56) operatively connected to at least said first closing assembly (11) and said second closing assembly (13) and programmed to activate the operation of only one of said first closing assembly or said second closing assembly (11, 13) for each smoking article (100).

9. A baling method for automatically baling smoking articles (100), each smoking article comprising a housing (101) having at least one rear region (Z3) configured to be closed, characterized in that the method comprises at least one closing step in which the rear region (Z3) of the housing (101) is selectively closed by a first closing assembly (11) according to a first closing mode or by a second closing assembly (13) according to a second closing mode different from the first closing mode, and in that the method comprises a possible cutting step in which the rear region (Z3) is cut by a cutting assembly (12), wherein the first closing assembly (11), the cutting assembly (12) and the second closing assembly (13) are arranged in sequence in a machine direction (X).

10. The baling method according to claim 9, characterized in that said first closed mode provides a torsion of said rear zone (Z3) of said casing (101) by means of torsion means (15, 17, 19).

11. Packaging method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the second closing mode provides at least one folding of at least one flap of the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) by means of a folding tool (39).

12. The bagging method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the cutting step is performed after the closing step when the closing step is performed according to the first closing mode and/or before the closing step when the closing step is performed according to the second closing mode.

13. The baling method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, further comprising the step in which said housing (101) is gripped and displaced towards said first closing assembly (11) when said closing step is carried out according to said first closing mode.

14. The baling method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, further comprising the step in which said housing (101) is gripped and displaced towards said second closing assembly (13) when said closing step is performed according to said second closing mode.

15. Use of the bagging apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or of the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.