DE1954036A1 - Method and device for making cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

Patent attorneys Dipl.-Ing. F. Weickmann, l

Dipl.-Ing. H.Weickmann, Dipl.-Phys. Dr. K. Fincke Dipl.-Ing. F. A. Weickmann, Dipl.-Chem. B. Huber

8 MUNICH 27, DEN

MÖHLSTRASSE 22, CALL NUMBER 48 3921/22

Schu / th

AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, 261 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016, V.St.A.

Method and device for the production of cigarettes.

The present invention "relates to a method and an apparatus for the production of cigarettes and the like, as well as a novel cigarette.

US Pat. No. 3,299,895 proposes the manufacture of cigarettes and cigars from essentially endless strips from a formed tobacco strip or band. According to the present invention, the main aim is a new method and a new device for improving the system proposed there.

In particular, the present invention seeks cigarettes or producing the like directly from a prepared or manufactured tape that enhances uniformity

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Fill thickness and a suitable pressure drop among others Have properties of an economically successful cigarette.

The invention also seeks a method of use a manufactured tobacco ribbon as a filler for cigarettes and the like, in which a device as small as possible and as few machining operations as possible are required for the tape.

The present invention further aims to provide a system for producing cigarettes and the like, which is shown in FIG The manufacture of recycled sabak and the manufacture of various sabaks in a single continuous operation Types of cigarettes includes.

According to the present invention, a new type of cigarette or cigar is also to be specified.

In short, it is proposed according to the present invention, instead of the hitherto customary sliced eabak shavings, the to be used in the previously in operation cigarette machines, a new method, system and a new device to use where a prepared öüabak tape produced, in essentially continuous, narrow strips, which are then united in such a way that they form a continuous strand, cut and then directly the rod-forming one Device is fed to a cigarette making machine. A novel feature of the present invention is that means is provided by which the cut into strips, processed tape under the influence of a air flow is rolled so that a twisted rod of tobacco is formed.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing will. In the drawing shows:

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Pig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a similar view as in Fig. 1, in which a second embodiment of the invention is shown;

3 is a schematic perspective view of an according to Apparatus related to the present invention for feeding, cutting into strips and rolling a prepared ! Eabakbandes; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an open cigarette made in accordance with the present invention.

Various references are made in the following description Parts and partial processes in cigarette manufacture that are known and are therefore not explained in detail here should be. For example, the manufacture of reprocessed strip material is described in U.S. Patents 3,145,716 and 3,295,222; continuously working cigarette making machines are described in U.S. Patents 3,059,650 and 3,030,965, and the attachment of tips Cigarettes are described in U.S. Patent 3,036,581. On these patents as well as on the USA patent 3 299 895 is referred to in the following description, which is pointed out in greater detail.

In Fig. 1, a cigarette manufacturing device 10 is shown, in which the large, unwieldy and complex feed device for the cut tobacco is missing, as it is in the mentioned above. U.S. Patents 3,059,650 and 3,030,965 are shown is. Me cigarette manufacturing device contains a device 12 for the production of a rod, which has a nozzle or funnel-shaped inlet 14, a tobacco compression device 16, a set 18 and a paper feed 20, whose structure is known, and with the help of which the tobacco can be wrapped in a paper or in a tobacco strip

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- 4 make either a cigarette or a cigar stick.

After the rod has been formed, it is fitted with a knife 22 cut into individual pieces and then optionally fed to a device 24 for attaching a point, which also has a conventional structure. The finished cigarettes then become the packaging machines transported to be packaged, labeled and ready for dispatch close.

It has already been mentioned that the production device 10 shown here does not have the usual tobacco feed device. This device is replaced by the new device according to the invention for feeding the strip material, with one Strand-forming table 26 which is arranged immediately in front of the funnel inlet 14 of the cigarette manufacturing machine 10. At the outer end of the table forming the strand is a bobbin unwinding device 28 for feeding the processed Attached tobacco ribbon. Between the bobbin supply 28 and the table 26 is a slitting device 30, such as a disc cutter strip cutting device, arranged. As can be seen from Fig.1, the tape reel can be wider than it is for a Continuous feed is required, and consequently the spool may be pre-slit or cut so that there are several Coils of smaller width is obtained, which are successively fed to the slot device by suitable devices can be.

Fig. 2 shows a similar structure of a cigarette maker and tobacco feeder. In this figure are for the same or similar parts as used in the above figure, the same reference numerals have been used.

In Fig. 2, however, two features are designed differently. The first difference is that the tobacco band of the device is fed directly ven to the tape manufacturing device 32, which is designed similarly to the device, such as

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see them in U.S. Patents 3,145,716j referenced above 3,295,222 ". After the tape has dried and passed over the head roller 34, it is rolled over several Cutting knife 36 guided through which a narrow tape 38 of a suitable size is cut out of the wide tape. As shown in the drawing, a strip 38 is fed directly to the strip cutting device 30 in order to to cut this strip into strips and to form a strand on the device 10. The other tapes 38 are fed directly to other strip cutting devices and cigarette manufacturing devices connected therewith. Thus the second difference is that the reel and winding of the tape are omitted. This is more advantageous Way reduces the number of processing, storage and transport steps currently used in manufacture and use of the tape material for other purposes are common. The width of the tape material is preferable chosen so that at the operating speed its pale per unit length equals the mass per unit length of the cigarette is. Since the thickness and the unit length are substantially uniform, the determining factor is the mass therefore in the width of the band.

In Pig. 3 are details of the strand making seat and seat Spool unwinding device shown. The device has a rectangular, elongated table 26, which consists of a A substantially hollow frame is formed which has a top 42, a bottom 44 and two parallel sides 46. At the front and rear ends of the table there is provided a roller 48 and 50, respectively, over which an endless, non-porous Belt 52 is running. The front roller 48 is driven by a pulley assembly 54 that is associated with the drive device for the cigarette making machine is connected so that the belt is simultaneously with the making device and with a speed with respect to this is driven in the direction of arrow A. Dao Volume 52 has a number of expanded

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ter holes 58, which are arranged along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the belt and connected to the funnel 14 aligned with the rod maker.

The top of the table 42 is preferably made of a wire screen or an open grate part 40 under the holes 58 made so that this part is substantially air-permeable. The bottom 46 of the frame has an opening which is connected via a pipe 56 to a device (suction device) generating a negative pressure. if If a negative pressure is created, a vacuum is created in the frame and air is drawn over the permeable surface sucked into the frame. The tape is usually not porous and so the air only gets through the holes 58 through the tape and into the frame. Along the row of holes 58, but at a distance therefrom, is a vertical guide rail 60 arranged, which at its rear end outwards, in the direction away from the holes expanded.

The strip cutting machine 30 is attached to the table 40 at the rear end of the belt 52. The strip cutting machine has a plurality of knives 62 which are arranged at a close distance from one another and which are mounted on a common shaft are attached. The knives are rotated at a suitable speed via a pulley assembly 66, which is connected to the main drive device for the manufacturing facility, depends on the speed of the manufacturing facility depends. The operating speed of the strip cutting machine can be changed to suit this to adapt different widths or thicknesses of the tape as well as to the desired density of the cigarette; preferably however, the belt and the knives operate at essentially the same speed, this speed being the same the speed of the manufacturing machine.

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The knives 62 of the strip cutting machine rest against fixed, spaced-apart shear blades 68, the position of which is of course adjustable so that they can be adapted to the thickness of the tobacco band and so cooperate with the knives 62 that they cut the band into the continuous strips cut up without destroying the tobacco. A bobbin feed device with an axis 70 on which the bobbin can be held is provided above the strip cutting machine. The shaft 70 can be connected to a drive for rotating the reel in order to support the unwinding of the tape from the reel. The reel drive, if one is used, is of course driven at a variable angular speed in order to take account of the decreasing diameter. Preferably, however, no drive is used for the most common sizes of the reels, but the tape is pulled off the reel solely by the effect of the cutting process. The tension exerted by the knives 62 is usually sufficient to rotate the spool and around. feed the tape freely and at the correct speed into the strip slitter. This pull exerted by the strip sundowner can comfortably drive reels up to a diameter of approximately 56 cm. Larger reels can be unwound in a reel drive device by means of which the circumference of the reel instead of the axis 70 of the reel is driven at the pre-isolated feed speed (this gas oil speed is identical to the rod speed). The drive device follows äem periphery of the coil and remains in contact with äiasem _s' * the diameter rsnn reduced during operation.

The knives of the strip cutting machine are preferably like this adjustable to cut the tape into substantially continuous strips approximately 0.78 to 3.1 mm wide will. The size can of course be changed depending on the final cigarette properties desired. Preferably, the arrangement should be made so that the

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Knife, once set on a particular type of tape no longer need to be changed.

The device is completed by a small air nozzle 72 placed on the side of the table which opposite the vertical rail 60 in order to blow the tobacco cut into strips laterally across the belt 52. At the same time, at a distance above the band 52, there is a flat, plate-shaped one Cover 74 attached to the frame. This cover supports the flow of air which (indicated by arrows B indicated) flows laterally over the surface of the tape into the holes 58. The cover shown is triangular, however, rectangular covers can also be used. Since the cover alone has the task of removing the air from the outside the edge of the tobacco cut into strips inwards to lead against the holes 58, it shields the tape surface from air currents from the environment. When the cover is used, the permeable table surface is sealed at its rear end 76 so that on the cut into strips Tobacco is only exerted a suction force when it falls onto the belt and is moved under the cover. These latter two embodiments are preferably used, but in some cases they can be omitted if the belt speed and the strength of the vacuum are set accordingly.

The holes 58 are axially aligned with the funnel 14 or other receiving point of the cigarette making device, so that the strand formed on the table is fed directly into the cigarette maker.

When the strip of tobacco cut into strips is lowered onto the table belt 52, it is carried away with the belt and entered under the cover 74, where it is directly exposed to the suction force created by the application of the negative pressure will. By the air flow, which is directed laterally and transversely to the belt surface, as indicated by the arrows B.

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is, the strips are progressively advanced and they are compressed and adhere along the longitudinal line of holes 58 together. The longitudinal rail 60 prevents the tobacco from migrating too far and the air flow in the holes 48 takes the wrong direction. As a special feature and as a special consequence of this device results that the substantially endless strips roll as they move laterally and axially along the belt, whereby they twist about helically, helically when they stick together. This way becomes a formed endless strand, which is twisted roughly like a rope, as in Pig. 4 is shown. The strength of the helical Twist or the pitch between the turns can depend on the belt speed and the Negative pressure that is maintained along the belt can be selected and / or adjusted. The narrower the helical Winding, the closer the product is, of course. Furthermore, through the helical Formation essentially produces a uniform strand in which, in a remarkable manner, no cavities or air ducts and there are changes in the bulk density of the tobacco. The helical configuration is retained even when the strand is continued to the cigarette maker is, and the cigarette that finally results has this training in a visible manner.

It can be seen from Fig. 4 that the cigarette compresses the tobacco tape T wrapped in paper. From this exaggerated The illustration shows that the finished cigarette has several axially oriented, continuous strands, that have a slight twist or twist.

In the preferred mode of operation in the Pig. 1 and 3 will approximate Pictured Ausftihrungsform mn a processed tobacco band. ^ 10 to 13 cm in width and 0.5 mm in thickness of a coil in a ScHersehneiäeetreifensch-aeidemaschine 30 is inserted, the daa material in virtually continuous strip-

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cut with a width of 1.55 mm. The coil sits on a freely rotating shaft that moves in the direction of advance of the tape in front of the strip cutting machine and approximately 16 inches above the center line of the slices of the strip cutting machine is arranged.

The spool is practically driven by the strip cutting machine, giving the disks a pulling effect on the tape exercise when this is cut into strips by these slices. Immediately after the coil in continuous Strip has been cut, the strips will hit the surface of the moving horizontally Band 52 led. The belt runs in the same direction and at the same linear speed as the cigarette maker allowed to run, and the strips of tape are collected and placed on the centerline of the funnel section aligned. The tape is sucked off by a centrifugal suction fan (not shown), and the negative pressure is due to the series of holes that are 1.25 cm in diameter and 1.57 cm from their centers exhibit. The tape is otherwise smooth and non-porous, so that the air flow occurring on the surface of the tape is unhindered can run in the transverse direction.

A plexiglass cover is arranged in a horizontal plane approximately 2.5 cm above the surface of the belt. This shield covers practically the entire effective area of the table, and the air is through this shield pressed between this and the tape and moves in a horizontal direction under the shield and over the surface of the tape .

The tobacco band is moved to a width of approximately 10 cm one side of the tape holes out through the strip cutting machine. Due to the horizontal air flow that is moved perpendicular to the tape axis, the strips are over

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swept the table to the row of holes, whereby in the Strand forms a twist so that the cigarette has the shape of a braid.

The twisted strands are then transported along the table, where they are due to the negative pressure in their Position, and they are placed directly in the funnel section of the conventional manufacturing device introduced, in which it is further processed into a cigarette rod and cigarettes through normal operations will.

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Claims (18)

Claims 1. Process for the production of cigarettes and the like, characterized in that a substantially endless band of tobacco leaf material is divided into a plurality of substantially Continuous strips are cut so that these strips progressively into an essentially endless one Strand are collected so that this strand is surrounded with an outer covering and that the covered strand is cut into pieces of a certain length. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the strips are conveyed further on a base and that the strips are under the influence of a stream of air flowing perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strips. 3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tape in one width per longitudinal unit is supplied so that the mass of tobacco material fed in as a result is essentially equal to the mass per unit length of tobacco material of the finished cigarette is. 4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized characterized in that the strips on a conveyor are continuous to a tobacco rod forming device and are continuously twisted into a strand during transport on the conveyor belt. 5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pressure difference between the opposite longitudinal sides of the conveyor belt is maintained. 0/135 (1 6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco band consists of a flat, continuous, consists of a tape consisting of recycled tobacco material. 7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tape is directly from a the Band producing stage is fed from. 8. Device for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by a feed device (28) for linear feeding of the tape, through a strip cutting machine (30) for cutting the tape into a plurality of essentially endless strips, by a transport device (52) for further transport of the strips in essentially its longitudinal direction, and through a direction essentially perpendicular to the (transport device acting means (56, 72) for collecting the strips into a substantially uniform strand during the onward transport by the transport device and by a wrapping device for wrapping the Strand. 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the transport device is a substantially horizontal extending endless conveyor belt (52) has that this belt is movable essentially in a linear direction, that this tape has a plurality of holes (58) formed in a row parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tape are, and that communicating with the holes, a negative pressure generating device (56) is provided is, by means of which air can be extracted through the holes over the surface of the belt. 10. Device rj ^ n einsm of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that that a vertical guide (60) along one side αβ.ν · Iiochrelhe sur prevention of suction 009820/135 0 of air is provided on this side. 11. Device according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized by a cover (74) which is spaced above the belt (52). 12. Device according to one of claims 8 to 11, characterized through an air nozzle (72) which is arranged on one side of the belt (52) and through which an air jet can be generated, which is directed transversely to the longitudinal direction of the tape. 13. Device according to one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the band of endless bobbins (28) is feedable. 14. Device according to one of claims 8 to 13, characterized characterized in that the strip cutting device (30) comprises shear cutting disks. 15. Device according to one of claims 8 to 14 _t, characterized in that the tobacco band, the strip cutting device (30) and the! 16. Device according to one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that that the feed device (28) for the tobacco band directly from the tobacco band producing this Establishment exists. 17. Smoking article, characterized in that its filling consists of essentially contiguous, in the longitudinal direction extending tobacco strips rotated around the central axis of the smoking article. 009820/1350 195403Q 18. smoking article according to claim 17, characterized in that, that the tobacco strips run helically. 0 0 9 8 2 0/1 3 S η