EP1902636B1 - Device for cutting tobacco articles - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a housing with an insert opening for strand shaped tobacco articles, and a knife (13) relocatably supported in the housing. An edge of the knife is moved through the insert opening to cut an introduced tobacco strand. The blade has a tip (15) that is aligned centrally to the insert opening. Two returning cuts (17) are placed from the tip to the knife and form a nose angle from 30 to 120 degrees.

Description

The invention relates to a device for cutting strand-shaped tobacco articles, in particular of tobacco articles for the self-production of cigarettes. According to a specific use variant, the device according to the invention is intended for use in prefabricated, in particular wrapped, tobacco carriers which are to be portioned for consumption and transferred into cigarette tubes.

In addition to various cutting devices for cigars and cigarillos some cutting devices are already known, which deal with the problem of cutting of such smoking articles, which have a more sensitive, in particular deformable wrapper than cigars.

From the DE 44 06 006 A1 a device is known which serves for the division of tobacco strands. The device should allow a clean cut without squeezing the tobacco strands to be cut. For this purpose, at least one knife is moved relative to the tobacco rod and fixed the tobacco rod during the cut by hold-down. In particular, this application aims to compress the cut ends as small as possible.

The CA 2,124,510 describes a device for cutting cigarettes. The object of the device is to cut cigarettes by means of a clean cut, without compressing the cut ends. For this purpose, the device uses a cutting system of two knives, which are moved by a scissor-like movement against each other and so cut off the cigarette. The Both knives are stored on the arms of a fork-like mechanism that is operated directly by the consumer.

From the DE 43 39 037 A1 , of the DE 43 39 038 C2 and the DE 43 39 039 C2 Devices are known which serve for cutting rod-shaped smoking articles. In particular, overlong smoking articles are intended to be cut, with the angular cutting of the two cutting blades simultaneously achieving a targeted frustoconical deformation on both cut ends in order to facilitate the insertion of the smoking article sections into the cigarette tube and at the same time the end failure of the smoking article section on the open cigarette tube to reduce. Here are used guillotine-like mechanisms or pliers or scissors-like devices, each with two knives. Preferably, a rounded U-shaped outline is selected for the knife shape.

From the DE 44 14 607 A1 There is a cigarette cutter known that can cut off a cigarette with a movable knife. For this purpose, a U-shaped opening is provided, in which the cigarette can be inserted. By operating a slide, the knife is pushed down and the, in particular burning, cigarette is divided. The knife is shown in this case in all embodiments as a single-edged and bevelled so that the cigarette is pushed during the cutting process in the rounding of the U-shaped opening.

One in the cutting mechanism very similar device is in the DE 572673 described. However, the main difference is one or two circular feeders of different diameters for cigars, which can be used alternately.

From the DE 36 21 399 C2 is a device known to improve a well-known cigar cutter. Here, a knife holder is held in a clamshell grip body. The knife holder is similar to one conventional pocket knife folds out and thus releases a transverse opening in the handle body. In this transverse opening of the object to be cut is now introduced and by folding back the knife holder of the object, especially the cigar, cut.

From the DE 26 82 97 and the US 6,062,227 are known cutting devices for tobacco products, in which the cut-off end of the tobacco article is attached to an opening encircling portion of the cutting device. The extending through the opening end of the tobacco article is separated when operating the cutting blade.

From the US 4,160,318 For example, a tobacco article cutting apparatus is known in which a tobacco article to be cut is inserted into a tube-like passage of the device, wherein a cutting knife moving in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the passage cuts through the tobacco article.

The described devices according to the prior art are often difficult to handle or of complicated construction, in particular if several knives are used. It is proposed either to form both sides of the tobacco rod at the interface or to completely omit such shaping. Although a two-sided shaping facilitates the introduction of a tobacco rod in a sleeve, but on the other hand leads to an unaesthetic appearance of the free cigarette end. On the other hand, the complete omission of a molding makes it very difficult to insert the tobacco rod into a cigarette tube. In addition, disadvantages in the actual cutting guide are paid for by the shaping device parts described in the prior art, so that a compromise between cutting guide and shaping always has to be made.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for cutting cord tobacco articles, which overcomes at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

To achieve this object, an apparatus for cutting strand-shaped tobacco articles is provided according to the invention, with a housing having an insertion opening for a string-shaped tobacco article, and with a knife slidably mounted in the housing, the blade can be pushed through the insertion to a introduced therein Tobacco strand to cut, the device having a separate Schnittenden-shaping profile which forms the end of the tobacco article to be cut off and is actuated during the displacement of the knife during the cutting process.

It is conceivable that the knife of the device is no longer shaped so that it produces a linear contact already during or shortly after hitting the tobacco rod (as in knives with straight or U-shaped cut blades), but it is by the Knife first made a point contact, through the knife tip. As a result, the knife tip will pierce and rupture the tobacco rod or its sheath immediately upon first contact, and the knife may easily continue to cut at the resulting edges of the tear hole without the force applied thereby reshaping the tobacco article at the interface. When the term "substantially centered" is selected, it means that the tip does not have to hit exactly in the center (ie at the apex) of the tobacco rod, but may also be slightly off, as long as it is ensured that the tip initially causes the piercing effect and then allow further cutting at the edges. By this design, the cutting process with little force and easy to carry out, in particular, a single knife is sufficient to achieve a good cut. The substantially round cross-section of the tobacco rod is maintained, that is, the tobacco article is not already deformed by the cutting process itself or by counter-holding forces in the insertion opening.

It is also conceivable that two returning blades are arranged from the top of the knife, which form an acute angle of 30 ° to 120 °, in particular 50 ° to 90 °, especially 60 ° to 80 °. The cutting edges can be ground at least from one flat side, but they can also be advantageously ground from both flat sides. They can also be ground symmetrically from both flat sides in order to form the cutting edge.

While in the prior art attempts to shape the tobacco rod during cutting, either the blades themselves or the insertion aperture are contoured to form particular shapes, the advantages of the inventive device described above are based on providing the former separately Actuation during the displacement of the knife during the cutting process undergoes. This results in a number of possibilities for the arrangement of the molding apparatus, so the cut end molding profile, which in turn result in an increased number of ways in the shaping, but also in leaving the cut end in its cut shape. It is no longer the contour of the knife itself or the contour of the counter-pressure section in the feed opening which determine the shape of the cut tobacco article, but this end shape is determined by a separate cut end forming profile. Thus, cutting and shaping are decoupled and the disadvantages that result in the prior art that compromises between cutting and shaping must be made, can be eliminated. In other words, the improved form no longer needs to be "bought" by a worse cut, and vice versa.

In one embodiment of the device described above, the cutting end forming profile in the region of the insertion opening on a compression structure, which is moved in the displacement of the blade in the cutting process to the insertion opening and to be cut off the tobacco article to take this into engagement. These Compression contour can then be formed in shape depending on the desired end design.

It is possible in the context of the present invention that cut end shaping profile and the knife are held by an elastic train, especially a rubber or spring train, in an initial position in which they do not protrude into the insertion opening. This ensures that the introduction of the tobacco article can take place unhindered.

In one embodiment variant, the cut end shaping profile has two arms which form a constricting receptacle formed as a compression structure in the region of the insertion opening and which is displaced toward the insertion opening during the displacement of the knife during the cutting process and to the tobacco article to be cut off.

In particular, in order to couple the displacement of the knife and the operation of the cut end forming profile, the device is configured so that the knife or a component displaced with the knife shifts the cut end forming profile to a position during the cutting operation Cut end shapes.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the forming area or compression structure of the cut end forming profile is located substantially on one side of the knife cutting plane so that the tobacco article is substantially compressed or compressed only on that side. This shows a particular advantage of the present invention, which is related to the above-mentioned manifold arrangement possibility for the cutting end molding profile. If this profile only works on one side of the knife, the possibility arises to form one cut end and leave the other cut end without shaping. For the resulting tobacco article parts, this means that they on the only cut side of an aesthetically pleasing and undeformed front have, as it is known for example from conventional cigarettes at the ignition ago. Shaping will be done on the other side of the knife, which side can be used to insert the tobacco article, for example, into a cigarette tube, which can be greatly simplified by the compression. Tobacco products can thus be cut so that one end is always compressed and the other end is cut off smoothly.

According to the invention, there is also the advantageous possibility of shaping the cut end shaping profile or its compression structure in the region of engagement with the tobacco part in a desired configuration. This embodiment may be, for example, cylindrical or widened away from the cutting plane, in particular widened conically. This shows the advantage that, according to the present invention, only different cut-end forming profiles with changed compression contours have to be provided if one wants to change something in the compression shape of a cigarette end.

Figur 1

eine Schrägansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung von oben in drei Bedienungsphasen;

Figur 2

eine Ansicht der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung von oben mit abgenommenem Gehäuseoberteil, sowie eine entsprechende verkleinerte Ansicht, welche die Betätigungsphase der Vorrichtung darstellt;

Figur 3

eine Ansicht von unten auf die erfindungsgemäße Vorrichtung mit abgenommenem Gehäuseunterteil, sowie eine entsprechende verkleinerte Darstellung, welche wiederum die Betätigungsphase zeigt; und

Figur 4

einen Längsschnitt durch eine erfindungsgemäße Vorrichtung entlang der Schnittebene A-A die an der links aufgezeigten, verkleinerten Darstellung aufgezeigt ist.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It may include all features described herein individually, as well as in any meaningful combination. In the drawings show:

FIG. 1

an oblique view of a device according to the invention from above in three operating phases;

FIG. 2

a view of the device according to the invention from above with the housing upper part removed, and a corresponding reduced view, which represents the operating phase of the device;

FIG. 3

a bottom view of the device according to the invention with removed housing bottom, and a corresponding reduced view, which in turn shows the operating phase; and

FIG. 4

a longitudinal section through a device according to the invention along the sectional plane AA which is shown on the left shown, reduced representation.

In the FIGS. 1a to 1c a device designed according to the invention is shown in three operating phases or operating phases. The device has a housing 1 with an upper housing part 3 and a lower housing part 5, and in the upper region of the housing there is an insertion opening 7, which extends through both housing parts 3, 5 and for inserting the to be separated bwz. to be cut, strand-shaped tobacco article is used. In the illustrated embodiment, the insertion opening 7 is circular in shape, and in particular, the diameter of the insertion opening 7 may be slightly larger than the diameter of a tobacco article to be cut. This achieves good to optimum support during the cutting process over much of the circumference. For ease of introduction, a slight chamfer may be provided in the upper housing part 3 around the insertion opening 7.

Below the insertion opening 7 is a slide 9, which is guided in a groove 11. On the lower side of the groove 11 is still an additional sharpener 35 can be seen, which is designed funnel-shaped.

When the slider 9 from the one end position in FIG. 1 a out to the top and into a middle position FIG. 1b is transferred, the knife 13 is visible in the insertion opening 7. The knife 13 is designed so that the cutting forces act symmetrically on the tobacco rod in the direction of movement. It points to this, as well as in the Figures 2 and 3 can be seen, a tip 15, which lies in the illustrated embodiment on the central knife longitudinal axis and whose movement takes place centrally through the insertion opening 7. The knife 13 has, starting from the tip 15, two returning blades 17, which can generally form an acute angle of 30 ° to 120 ° and in the present case have an acute angle of about 70 °. The two edges are sharpened on both sides of the tip, as well as on the top and bottom of the knife sharp, so that the knife 13 from both sides flat symmetrical pointed, as in particular from the sectional view of FIG. 4 is apparent. A cutting edge geometry, together with the supporting effect of the opening size and geometry, becomes an optimal cutting guide. In the state c in FIG. 1 the slider 9 and the knife 13 have reached the upper end position, in which the opening 7 is completely closed by the knife 13. The cutting 17 and the top 13 are no longer visible, that is, the cut is completed.

In the FIG. 2 is the device with the housing open 1, to see more precisely with the housing upper part 3 removed. In the reduced representation next to the open housing, it is shown that the device is in the state of the operating phase Figure 1c is located where the slider and the knife have gone all the way up.

In this view, the knife 13 is now completely visible above the slide 9 now. The slider 9 and the knife 13 are mounted on a blade carrier 19, which in turn can be moved in the guide 21 slidably. At the lower end of the guide 21, a stop 23 is provided for the blade carrier 19, which controls the movement of the blade carrier 19 in the FIG. 2 The lower side of the case is limited. At the upper end of the blade carrier 19, this two fork-like arms 25, which in turn have holders 27 for an elastic band 29, wherein the brackets 27 in FIG. 3 better to see. The elastic band 29 is connected via the holder 27 to the arms 25 and tensioned via a suspension 31 at the bottom in the housing so that the blade carrier 19 rests against the stop 23 in the unloaded state in the lower end position.

However, the blade carrier 19 with its arms 25 has an additional task, namely the shape of one of the cut ends of the tobacco article, and this operation is from the FIG. 3 seen. In the FIG. 3 is again the open housing 1 to see, but this time from the lower side of the housing, the lower housing part 5 is removed. The operating phase is again identical to the FIGS. 1c and 2 and in the small illustration next to the opened housing, this is shown from the back of the device.

In the presentation of the FIG. 3 It can be seen that the knife is located below the blade carrier 19. The arms 25 lying above the knife have a narrowing recess in the area of the cutting edges 17, which results in a compression contour 33. When the knife with the blades 17 is pushed forward by the slider 9 ( FIGS. 1a to 1c and 2 ), it takes the blade carrier 19 in a further narrowing below the compression contour 33 with, and while the tobacco article is first pierced and then cut, it is on the side which in FIG. 3 can be seen above, formed by the compression contour 33. The compression contour 33 is designed so that the front portion of the cut tobacco article is conically or cylindrically compressed on this page, so that this end face of the cut tobacco article can be easily inserted into a filter sleeve.

On the other side, namely on the side that is in FIG. 2 can be seen above, the compression structure 33 does not protrude beyond the upper blade surface and therefore the tobacco rod is cut straight and without compression, so that a smooth front end is created, which has as attractive as the ignition of a cigarette aesthetic form, as they are from machine-made cigarettes.

This design of the device according to the invention makes it possible to give the two cut surfaces on the parting plane different designs. The centrally located knife tip ensures a piercing and a light Cut that does not change the form at the cut end by the cutting forces alone. The inventive design cut and shape are decoupled and better and more reproducible than in the known from the prior art technologies that use mostly faceted cutting surfaces.

In the Figures 2 and 3 At the upper corners of the housing openings are still provided, which serve as Ausklopföffnungen 37 for the removal of possibly accumulating in the housing tobacco particles.

The FIG. 4 shows a section through the upper part of the device according to the invention according to the FIGS. 1 . 2 and 3 , wherein it is recognizable how the previously described device elements are superimposed. The sectional plane AA is recognizable in the smaller reproduction shown on the left.

Claims (7)

1. A device for cutting strand-shaped tobacco articles, comprising a housing (1) with an inlet orifice (7) for a strand-shaped tobacco article, and comprising a blade (13) mounted so as to be displaceable in the housing, the cutting edge of which can be pushed through the inlet orifice (7) in order to cut a tobacco strand introduced into it, characterised in that it has a separate cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33) which shapes the end of the tobacco article to be cut and is activated as the blade (13) is displaced during the cutting process.
2. The device according to claim 1, characterised in that the cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33) has a compressing contour (33) in the region of the inlet orifice (7), which is moved towards the inlet orifice (7) and pushed against the tobacco article to be cut, in order to engage it, as the blade (13) is displaced during the cutting process.
3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33) and the blade (13) can be held in an initial position, in which they do not project into the inlet orifice (7), by means of an elastic pull, specifically a rubber or spring pull.
4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33) has two arms (25) which form a tapering holder in the region of the inlet orifice, wherein said holder is constituted as a compressing structure (33) and is pushed towards the inlet orifice (7) and placed against the tobacco article to be cut, as the blade (13) is displaced during the cutting process.
5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the blade (13) or a component which is pushed with the blade (13) pushes the cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33), during the cutting process, into a position in which it shapes the cut end.
6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the shaping region or compressing structure of the cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33) lies on one side of the blade cutting plane, such that the tobacco article is shaped and compressed essentially on this side only.
7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the cut-ends shaping contour (25, 33) or its compressing structure (33) widens cylindrically or away from the cutting plane, and in particular widens in a conical shape, in the region in which it engages with the tobacco article.

Images