EP0155514B1 - System for making a cigarette, method and device using the system - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a system for the self-production of cigarettes according to the preamble of claim 1, and to a method and a device for producing a cigarette using the system.

The manufacture of cigarettes by the consumer has long been known in many forms. This applies above all to the so-called self-rolling of cigarettes using cigarette paper papers provided with adhesive rubber. Rolling cigarettes yourself requires a certain amount of manual skill and time. The cigarettes themselves are very different in size (diameter), strength (plumpness) and filling level over the length of the cigarette, even with practiced self-rolling, and are only a primitive replacement for industrially manufactured cigarettes. Another disadvantage of manual turning is the inevitable crumbling of tobacco, which also affects the tobacco yield. The same problems - albeit reduced - also occur when using self-turning devices.

A relief for the self-rolling of cigarettes was apparently hoped for by the provision of a tobacco product according to NL-A-6 703 935, namely consisting of a tobacco portion adapted to the tobacco filling of a finished cigarette, the outer surface of which was formed from a wrapping of material completely consumable by smoking is, the wrapping is so permeable to air that the tobacco portion as such is not smokable like a cigarette. A conventional cigarette paper sheet should be wrapped around this tobacco portion to produce a smokable cigarette and glued in a manner known per se. This type of self-rolling of cigarettes is not practicable, since it is almost impossible - even for experienced self-movers - to wrap the cigarette paper around the tobacco portion and keep it tight. The cigarette paper always tends to spread flat again. It can therefore not be avoided that the sleeve obtained when the cigarette paper roll is wrapped around has a noticeably larger diameter than the tobacco portion and also varies over the length of the tobacco portion. The consequence of this is that inadmissible secondary air ducts are created, through which the cigarette paper burns out in an uncontrolled manner and the cigarette can no longer be smoked, or can only be smoked to a limited extent and with different qualities. This is certainly the reason why the known system has not found its way into practice, although there was already a strong need for easier self-production of cigarettes both at the time and from a taxation and handling point of view. In addition, conventional cigarette papers are folded lengthways. This longitudinal fold is not completely lost when the cigarette paper papers are wrapped around the tobacco portion, so that an inadmissible secondary air duct cannot be avoided. The known system according to NL-A-6 703 935 is therefore generally more disadvantageous than conventional self-turning with loose tobacco.

Self-stuffing of cigarettes is known as a fundamentally different way of making cigarettes. There are a number of more or less comfortable devices for stuffing cigarette tubes (usually with a filter piece) with tobacco, all common devices having an elongated compression chamber in common, which on the one hand has an approximately semicircular fixed wall part and on the other hand an opposite semicircular surface of a movable press beam is limited, by means of which the press chamber can be closed after filling with tobacco to produce a strand-like tobacco supply. At one end of the press chamber, a plug-in nozzle is provided for attaching and plugging in an empty cigarette tube. At the opposite end, the bale chamber is delimited by a piston-like tobacco ejection slide, by means of which the tobacco supply can be transferred from the bale chamber into the cigarette tube (see, for example, DE-A-2 833 681; DE-C-2 139 242; DE-C-2 064 641; AT-A-146 213; FR-A-427 582; US-A-638 904 or DE-A-3 135 700). To increase the functional reliability, a half-shell-shaped spoon can be attached to the effective end of the ejection slide, which supports the transfer of the tobacco supply from the press chamber into the cigarette tube while maintaining its stability.

These known tamping devices have more or less proven themselves in practice. However, they have the disadvantage that the purchase costs for the initial equipment are relatively high due to the sometimes quite complex construction and mechanics for operating the ejection slide, so that in this regard a certain inhibition threshold for the consumer has to be overcome. Furthermore, a certain degree of contamination of the hands of the user and the environment with tobacco residues or crumbs cannot be avoided when filling the pressing chamber, which is perceived as annoying in part and often prevents the user from using the same. Finally, manual filling means that the degree of filling of the press chamber and thus of the cigarette tube is not always constant. The cigarettes stuffed in this way are therefore characterized by different smoking behavior, namely different train, taste and differently long smoking time. In this respect, the self-filled cigarette behaves similarly to the self-rolled cigarette. The pollutant content of the self-stuffed or rolled cigarette in the conventional way is very different and uncontrolled according to the different filling levels of the cigarette tube.

From CA-A-771 426 a device for transferring a tobacco supply from a cylindrical envelope into an auxiliary packaging is known which should be usable in pipes. In this way, manual pipe plugging should be avoided. The cleaning of the pipes should also be made easier by simply removing the auxiliary packaging with the smoke residues.

From US-A-1 165 000 it is known to provide pre-portioned tobacco stocks for pipes, the individual tobacco portions each being surrounded by a wrapper made of smokable material, which, however, has the usual air permeability of cigarette paper, so that the tobacco portions corresponding length dimensioning would be smokable.

In addition, the known tobacco portions are intended exclusively for tobacco pipes and are suitable such that, in view of the lack of uniformity of the tobacco receiving space of pipes, the tobacco portions must be dimensioned smaller in cross section in order to then adapt them to the receiving space in cross section by finger pressure. Only then can such a "stuffed" pipe be smoked.

Such a procedure would not be possible with a wrapping of tobacco portions with cigarette paper because of their low strength.

The situation is quite similar with the pre-portioned pipe tobacco supply according to DE-A-822 964, US-A-1 144 824 and US-A-1 989 130.

DE-A-143 462 in turn relates to a pre-portioned tobacco supply for pipes, the smoking material being brought into the shape of a cartridge in the moist or heated state, in which the tobacco layers lie approximately at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge, so that after drying respectively.

The cartridge cools down within the same air ducts, which are also perpendicular to the cartridge axis. As a result, the smoker should have the smell and taste of a freshly stuffed pipe until the cartridge is completely exhausted, since the combustion gases can never pass through the unburned tobacco, but are laterally derived from the latter. A tobacco cartridge designed in this way would be completely unsuitable for filling the extremely unstable cigarette paper tube. If the tobacco leaves fit tightly on the cigarette paper, the cigarette would not be pullable; with a less dense system there would be a risk that the tobacco leaves would fall out of the cigarette paper tube. Accordingly, the known portion of tobacco can at best be used to stopper a solid pipe bowl, which is always held vertically with the opening upwards when smoking.

Finally, mention should be made of US-A-439 004, which relates to a smokable cigarette, the wrapper made of cigarette paper being provided with - inevitably (otherwise the cigarette would not be smokable!) - small perforations through which cold ambient air is to be mixed.

In order to remedy the deficiencies mentioned in the field of cigarette stoppers, a tobacco product for self-production of cigarettes by the consumer is proposed in both DE-U-8 326 921 and DE-U-8 309 186, which is characterized by such as such Non-smoky prefabricated product in the form of a prefabricated tobacco cartridge consisting of an open-ended strand casing with the diameter of the cigarette paper sleeve of the finished cigarette and a strand-like tobacco filling, each corresponding to a cigarette portion, which is provided by an associated piston, adapted to the inside diameter of the strand sleeve, from the strand casing is transferable into an empty cigarette paper tube. This tobacco product is suitable for use in connection with conventional self-filling cigarette tubes as well as in connection with conventional self-rolling papers. According to the basic idea of this proposal, the consumer is provided with a precisely metered amount of tobacco, namely the amount of a conventional industrial consumer cigarette, in the form of a cigarette tobacco cartridge, the tobacco filling of which can be converted into a prefabricated cigarette tube of a commercially available type.

Although the latter proposal is a very considerable improvement over the prior art mentioned, it cannot be overlooked that the tobacco cartridge has an envelope, namely a strand envelope, made of non-smokable material. With regard to the end product "cigarette", the strand casing represents an unnecessary auxiliary material which can only be used once. Furthermore, in the latter proposal, further aids are required for transferring the pre-portioned tobacco supply from the strand casing into the cigarette paper sleeve, at least one ejection slide. The handling of the same without further aids for inserting the filled tobacco cartridge into the empty cigarette paper tube and holding the string envelope of the tobacco cartridge when transferring the tobacco supply should be difficult even for experienced in-house cigarette manufacturers prepare.

The present invention is based on the object of improving the latter proposal to the effect that the tobacco product only consists of constituents that can be consumed by smoking with the exception of a possible filter, and the self-manufacture of cigarettes which are readily comparable to those produced by manufacture from these constituents and a cigarette paper tube is also possible without aids such as ejection slides or the like.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the system specified in claim 1. The device specified in claim 9 serves to facilitate the introduction of the tobacco portion into a cigarette paper tube.

Through the invention, similar to the proposal according to DE-U-8 309 186, a system for self-manufacturing of cigarettes by the consumer is created, which technically and economically optimally takes advantage of the highly developed, largely automated industrial cigarette manufacturing technology for the needs of increasing number of self-offerers by providing them with a system suitable for the problem-free completion of the cigarette by the consumer. Compared to the known solutions for self-stuffing cigarettes, the invention is further characterized in that apparatus aids for the in-house production of cigarettes are not absolutely necessary and that in particular the industrially prefabricated preliminary products with the exception of the filter - if such a filter is provided or desired, is complete are smokable, d. H. consist of smokable materials. The strand casings proposed according to patent claims 3 and 4 are also smoked in the assembled state. They are therefore no longer needed as disposable tools. It is also no longer necessary to transfer the tobacco supply from the strand casing into the cigarette paper casing, which definitely requires a certain skill, especially if suitable aids or devices are not available for this.

In addition, the effects of moisture on the tobacco supply no longer play a role in the invention when it is transferred to a prefabricated cigarette paper tube. The tobacco supply according to the invention always retains its original shape. If in the known self-tamping systems the tobacco supply has become too dry due to storage, weather or climate, it cannot be compressed in a predetermined manner by transferring it from the strand casing into a prefabricated cigarette paper sleeve by means of an ejection slide, with the result that a so-called tobacco beard protrudes from the cigarette paper sleeve . On the other hand, if the tobacco supply is too moist, it is compressed too strongly by the ejection slide when it is transferred from the strand casing into the cigarette paper casing. The front end portion of the cigarette paper sleeve is then without tobacco. The goal of obtaining a cigarette corresponding to the industrially manufactured cigarette by in-house production has not been achieved.

Of particular interest is the embodiment according to claim 4, according to which the strand casing is formed by a porous and / or perforated, slotted or the like tobacco foil, which is also part of the tobacco supply. In this embodiment, the tobacco rod is made almost entirely of tobacco. The wrapping of the tobacco portion practically does not affect the taste. Because of the porosity and / or the perforations, slits or the like provided in the tobacco film serving as the casing, the tobacco rod as such is not smokable, although it consists entirely of material that can be consumed by smoking. After insertion into a cigarette paper tube, however, the tobacco rod can be smoked as a cigarette. The effect of the porosity or perforations, slits or the like is lost due to the tightly fitting cigarette paper. The use of a tobacco film as a casing is also highly advantageous in terms of production technology, since the tobacco rod according to the invention can be produced in the manner of a cigarette on conventional cigarette machines, and above all very precisely with respect to the circular cross-section adapted to the cigarette paper sleeve. Excellent diameter accuracy is achieved over the entire length of the tobacco rod, which is of the utmost importance for its accuracy of fit within the cigarette paper tube. An envelope with maximum air permeability is preferably used. It only has to be ensured that the tobacco supply, which is in itself loose, is held in a dimensionally stable and dimensionally stable manner by the covering or strand casing. In extreme cases, the covering can therefore also be designed in the form of a net.

When filterless cigarette paper tubes are used, a filter piece of conventional type can be attached to an end face of the tobacco rod to form filter cigarettes.

A funnel-like sleeve is particularly suitable for facilitating insertion of the tobacco rod according to the invention into a prefabricated cigarette paper tube.

For the purpose of facilitating the introduction of the tobacco rod into a prefabricated cigarette paper tube, the tobacco rod can be designed to be somewhat tapered at least at one of its end sections. Then an insertion funnel is the described type even less required.

With the tolerances according to claim 2, any aids for assembling a cigarette are in no case required. A conical tapering of the tobacco rod from one end is also unnecessary.

• Fig. 1 in auseinandergezogener perspektivischer Darstellung ein System zur Selbstverfertigung einer Zigarette gemäß einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform der Erfindung zur Verwendung in Verbindung mit vorgefertigten Zigarettenpapierhülsen der herkömmlichen, von Selbststopfern verwendeten Art;
• Fig. 2 einen Querschnitt durch einen Tabakstrang nach Fig. 1 in vergrößertem Maßstab; und
• Fig. 3 eine Vorrichtung zum erleichterten Einführen eines erfindungsgemäß ausgebildeten Tabakstrangs in eine vorgefertigte Zigarettenpapierhülse mit Filter.

An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawing. Show it:

• Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a system for self-manufacturing a cigarette according to a preferred embodiment of the invention for use in connection with prefabricated cigarette paper tubes of the conventional type used by self-tamper;
• FIG. 2 shows a cross section through a tobacco rod according to FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale; and
• 3 shows a device for facilitating the introduction of a tobacco rod designed according to the invention into a prefabricated cigarette paper tube with a filter.

1 shows an industrially prefabricated, dimensionally stable tobacco rod 10 in association with a likewise industrially prefabricated cigarette paper tube 11 with filter 12, of the conventional type used by self-tamper. The essential element of the system is the dimensionally stable tobacco rod, which cannot be smoked as a cigarette outside the cigarette paper tube 11 , but otherwise consists entirely of smoking consumable material. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tobacco rod 10 consists of a strand casing 13 made of thin tobacco foil material, which is provided with perforations 14. According to FIG. 1, the perforations 14 extend over the entire length of the tobacco rod 10. The perforations 14 are preferably arranged approximately uniformly distributed over the length and the circumference of the tobacco rod 10. Instead of perforations, a porous tobacco film material can also be used as the strand casing 13. The strand casing 13 contains a strand-like tobacco filling 15 introduced by the manufacturer. The tobacco filling 15 in the strand casing 13 is packed approximately as tightly as in an industrially manufactured cigarette. The tobacco rod has a length that corresponds approximately to the length of the tobacco receiving space 16 of a commercially available cigarette paper tube 11. The outer diameter of the tobacco rod is slightly, preferably about 1/20 - 3/10 mm smaller than the inner diameter of the cigarette paper tube 11, so that it can be inserted or inserted into the cigarette paper tube 11 without any problems. The tobacco filling 15 corresponds in terms of quantity to the tight packing of the cigarette tube 11 desired for the finished cigarette, specifically - as explained - in accordance with a normal factory-made cigarette. The cross section of the tobacco rod 10 is circular in shape to match the free cross section of the cigarette paper tube 11 over the entire length, so that it can be inserted into the cigarette paper tube without damaging the cigarette paper tube, with a tight fit against the inside of the cigarette paper tube.

Instead of a tobacco foil material for forming the strand casing 13, porous and / or cigarette paper provided with perforations, slits or the like can be used. It is also conceivable to design the strand casing as a net or as an air-permeable film-like coating. It only has to be ensured that the strand casing consists of smokable material and is so permeable to air over the entire length that smoking the tobacco rod in the manner of a cigarette is not possible.

It can be seen that in the system described no strand casing remains as a disposable part. In this respect, the system described represents a significant advance over the previously known solutions in terms of material consumption and manufacturing and handling technology.

The self-manufacture of a cigarette with the aid of the system according to the invention using an insertion funnel, which is identified by reference number 18, is explained with reference to FIG. 3. The insertion funnel 18 comprises a funnel section 19 and at its smaller end 20 a cylindrical sleeve section 21 onto which the cigarette paper sleeve 11 is pushed. The length of the sleeve section 21 is about 8 to 12, preferably about 10 mm, so that the pushed-on cigarette paper sleeve 11 comfortably between two fingers, preferably index finger 22 and thumb 23, on the sleeve section 21 or insertion funnel 18 during the insertion of the tobacco rod 10 into the Empty cigarette paper tube 11 can be clamped or held. The tobacco rod 10 is inserted into the cigarette paper tube 11 both in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 3 in the direction of the arrow "P".

The special feature of the insertion funnel are the knife-like projections 24, which are arranged on the inside of the cigarette or at the end of the cylindrical sleeve portion 21 facing away from the funnel section 19 and which slit the outer strand casing 13 of the prefabricated tobacco rod 10 through the insertion funnel 18 when it is inserted into the cigarette paper tube 11 that the tobacco supply 15 can expand radially outward within the tobacco receiving space of the cigarette paper tube 11, as a result of which it is held securely and snugly in the cigarette paper tube 11. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, two diametrically arranged cutting knives 24 are provided. Basically, a single cutting knife is sufficient. Preferably three are distributed approximately evenly over the circumference arranged separating knives are provided, which are each formed like a razor blade. Instead of the cutting knife 24, needle-like projections can also be used to slit or tear open the strand casing 13. The separating device is also advantageous if the tobacco rod is held together by the tobacco fibers, which are inherently smokable binders, to form a dimensionally stable tobacco rod. A slight radial expansion of the tobacco rod within the cigarette paper tube is sufficient to ensure that it is securely held in the cigarette paper tube.

In order to facilitate the insertion of the insertion funnel 18 or sleeve section 21 onto the front opening of the empty cigarette paper sleeve 11, the outer lateral surface of the sleeve section 21 is preferably slightly tapered towards the free end. For the rest, the wall thickness of at least the cylindrical sleeve section 21 is minimal. It is approximately 0.15 to 0.3 mm. The dimensional stability of the sleeve section 21 is ensured by the circular cross-sectional shape and the connection to the funnel section 19, which preferably has a somewhat larger wall thickness. The insertion funnel 18 can be made of stainless steel sheet or plastic. The inside transition between the cylindrical sleeve section 21 and the funnel section 19 (in the region of the smaller-diameter end 20 of the funnel section 19) is rounded off, so that the tobacco rod 10 can be easily inserted into the cigarette paper sleeve 11 through the insertion funnel 18. In the area of the smaller diameter end 20 of the funnel section 19 or in the area of the connection of the cylindrical sleeve section 21 to the funnel section 19, an outer ring flange 25 is provided which serves as a stop for the cigarette paper sleeve 11 pushed over the sleeve section 21.

• - Exakte Tabak-Vorportionierung durch industrielle Fertigung;
• - stets gleichbleibender Geschmack;
• - gleichbleibendes Rauchverhalten (Abrauchdauer, Zug) ;
• -gleichbleibender vorbestimmter Schadstoffgehalt, bezogen auf eine bestimmte Zigarettenpapierhülle,
• -extrem einfache Herstellung einer mit einer fabrikatorisch hergestellten Zigarette ohne weiteres vergleichbaren Zigarette;
• - keine Stranghülle als Wegwerfteil; und
• -günstigere steuerrechtliche Bewertung im Vergleich zu industriell gefertigten Zigaretten.

In summary, the system according to the invention has the following advantages:

• - Exact tobacco pre-portioning through industrial production;
• - constant taste;
• - constant smoking behavior (smoking time, draft);
• constant predetermined pollutant content, based on a specific cigarette paper wrapper,
• -Extremely simple manufacture of a cigarette readily comparable to a factory-made cigarette;
• - no strand casing as a disposable part; and
• -expensive tax assessment compared to industrially manufactured cigarettes.

The system according to the invention is also, for. B. suitable for the in-house production of cigars or the like.

Claims (9)

1. A system for making one's own cigarettes, more particularly filter cigarettes, consisting of:

a) a cigarette paper tube (11),

b) a tobacco portion (15) which is adapted to the tobacco filling of a finished cigarette and the outer surface of which is airpermeable so that it cannot be smoked as such; characterised in that

c) the outer surface of the tobacco portion (15) is formed from a covering (13) of completely smokable material so that the tobacco portion (15) together with the covering (13) is consumable by smoking as a whole and

d) the tobacco portion (15) is dimensionally stable and its cross-section and length are adapted to the tobacco receiving space (16) of the cigarette paper tube (11) in such manner that the outer surface bears in sealing-tight relationship against the inner surface of the cigarette paper tube (11) while the given form of the tobacco portion (15) in respect of length and cross-section is maintained.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the tobacco portion (15) has a circular cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the cigarette paper tube, the diameter of the tobacco portion (15) being only slightly smaller, about 1/20 - 3/10 mm smaller, than the inside diameter of the cigarette paper tube (11), so that snug enclosure of the tobacco portion (15) by the cigarette paper tube (11) is guaranteed after introduction.

3. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the covering (13) is formed by cigarette paper or a film-like coating which is so porous and/or provided with perforations, slots or the like that the tobacco portion (15) enclosed in said paper or said coating is not smokable as such.

4. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the covering (13) is formed by a porous tobacco foil provided with perforations, slots or the like.

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a filter tip of conventional type is attached to one end face of the tobacco portion (15).

6. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the tobacco portion (15) tapers substantially conically at least at one of its end face portions.

7. A method of making one's own cigarettes or filter cigarettes by the user using a system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
characterised in that the tobacco portion (15) is introduced directly into a pre-fabricated cigarette paper tube (11).

8. A method according to claim 7, characterised in that the tobacco portion (15) is pushed into the cigarette paper tube (11) using an entry funnel (18) or the like which is attachable to the end face opening of the cigarette paper tube (11).

9. Apparatus for introducing the tobacco product according to any one of claims 1 to 6 into a prefabricated cigarette paper tube (11) to perform the method according to claim 7 or 8, characterised by a funnel-like tube (18), a smaller-diameter end (20) of which is attachable to the end face opening of the cigarette paper tube (11), the inside diameter of this end (20) being substantially equal to the inside diameter of the cigarette paper tube (11), and a device, preferably in the form of at least one inwardly projecting blade-like knife (24), a projection in the form of a needle, or the like, is provided on the inside at that end of the cylindrical tube portion (21) which is remote from the funnel portion (19) of the entry funnel (18), said device slitting or tearing the tobacco portion (15) along its covering (13) when it is introduced into the cigarette paper tube (11).

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