EP2355673A1

EP2355673A1 - Device for filling cigarette tubes

Info

Publication number: EP2355673A1
Application number: EP09780373A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Manfred Neumann
Original assignee: Gizeh Raucherbedarf GmbH
Current assignee: Gizeh Raucherbedarf GmbH
Priority date: 2008-09-26
Filing date: 2009-07-09
Publication date: 2011-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2029-07-09
Also published as: WO2010034533A1; EP2355673B1; ES2395086T3; PT2355673E; US8522791B2; HK1157583A1; PL2355673T3; DE202008012816U1; US20110192406A1; CN102164514B; CN102164514A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for filling prefabricated cigarette tubes, having a housing (1), a tobacco chamber (13), a tobacco holder (14) associated with said tobacco chamber, a movable compression bar (18) for forming the tobacco placed in the tobacco chamber (13) into a strand, a stop (23) associated with the tobacco holder (14) for an end of the tobacco strand, and having a slider (8), which can be moved relative to the housing to fill the cigarette tubes with the tobacco strand, wherein the length of the tobacco strand to be formed can be adjusted to different cigarette tube filling chamber lengths by changing the length of the compression bar (18), wherein the tobacco holder (14) is supported such that said tobacco holder can be moved in the movement direction (S) of the slider (8) relative to the stop (23) by a distance which corresponds approximately to the length difference of the different filling chamber lengths.

Description

Device for stuffing cigarette tubes

The invention relates to a device for stuffing prefabricated cigarette tubes, with a housing, a tobacco chamber, a tobacco associated therewith, a movable pressing beam for forming the tobacco in the tobacco chamber inserted tobacco into a strand, one of the tobacco support associated Wischlager for one end of the tobacco rod and a slider for filling the cigarette tube with the tobacco rod relative to the housing movable, wherein the length of the tobacco rod to be formed is adaptable by changing the length of the press beam to different Füllraum lengths of cigarette tubes.

Such a device is known from DE 41 10 830 C1.

In order to be able to adapt the length of the tobacco chamber to different filling-space lengths of cigarette tubes in this device, the abutment is designed as an adjustable part in the longitudinal direction of the tobacco support, for which at least two predetermined latching points are provided corresponding to the number of cigarette tubes of different lengths to be stuffed. Positions are provided. A disadvantage of this device is that it is expensive to manufacture due to the adjustable design of the abutment. In addition, it has been shown that in the event that the user has accidentally brought the abutment in a position determined for a longer cigarette tube, in the case of a prefabricated filter sleeve, the sleeve is destroyed by overfilling, for example by tearing off the filter.

The invention is therefore based on the object, a device for stuffing prefabricated cigarette tubes of the type described above further educate the fact that their functionality is improved.

This object is achieved by the reproduced in claim 1 device.

Because the tobacco support is displaceably mounted relative to the abutment by a distance in the direction of movement of the slide, which approximately corresponds to the length difference of the different filling space lengths, it is no longer necessary to make the abutment adjustable and lockable in certain positions. By displaceable in the direction of movement of the slider arrangement of the tobacco support this shifts automatically into a tobacco available for the available length shortening position, when acting in the displacement direction, a force that exceeds the adhesion of the tobacco coating in the housing, as is regularly the Case is when the abutment end facing away from the tobacco pad comes into contact with the filter of a filter sleeve. By this kind of "floating" storage of the tobacco coating, the length of the tobacco chamber can automatically adapt to the filling space length of the cigarette tube.

In order to be able to adapt the length of the press beam to the filling space length of the cigarette sleeve used in each case, the pressing beam may comprise a fixed part and a movable part optionally complementary to the pressing beam.

Particularly preferred is an embodiment of the device according to the invention, in which the movable part of the press beam about a perpendicular to the movement direction of movement of the slider extending axis between a retracted in the contour of the lid and a pressing bar extending position by about 90 ° is pivotable. As a result of this measure, the movable part of the beam does not appear visually or disturb the operability of the device according to the invention, since it appears either as the filling space length-increasing part of the press beam or not as a protruding component from the outer contour of the device.

In order to allow the user a simple displacement of the movable part between the retracted and the pressing beam complementary position, are the fixed and the movable part of the press bar on a lid which is pivotally hinged to the slider. Both the tobacco chamber for filling, as well as the movable part of the press bar to adapt the device to different Füllraum lengths is particularly simple due to this development.

The operation of the movable part of the press beam is again simplified if an actuator for the movable part of the press beam is provided on the cover. This can-particularly preferably-comprise a toothing, which is in engagement with a toothing of the movable part of the press beam. Due to this measure, it is no longer necessary for the displacement of the movable part of the press beam to transfer it directly from one to the other position, which, in particular, when it is to be moved from the retracted to the supplementary position, special difficulties, but the displacement can be done by actuating the actuator, for example, in an ergonomically advantageous manner with the help of the thumb.

In order to convert the linear movement of the actuating member into the rotational movement of the movable part of the pressing beam, the actuating member and the pressing beam have interlocking teeth, wherein the toothing of the slider is a linear toothing and that of the movable part is a part of a toothed wheel, whose axis of rotation with the axis about which the movable part of the press beam is pivotable coincides.

In order to be able to more easily adapt the quantity of tobacco fed to the tobacco chamber to the length of the cigarette tube used in each case, the tobacco chamber is preferably assigned a cover with which the region of the tobacco chamber adjoining the abutment can optionally be covered over a length approximately equal to that of the tobacco chamber Length difference corresponds to the different Füllraum lengths. In the position covering the tobacco chamber over a certain length, the volume under the cover is at least essentially not filled when the tobacco is introduced, so that overfilling of the antechamber of the cigarette tube or undesirably high compression of the tobacco is reliably prevented.

It is particularly preferred if the cover is arranged displaceably in the direction of movement of the slide in the tobacco chamber, since thus match the operating directions of all devices of the device with the direction of movement of the slider, whereby the handling of the device according to the invention for the user is particularly intuitive and simple.

For holding a cigarette tube during the stuffing process, the device according to the invention may comprise a spout arranged at the end of the spool opposite the abutment, whose outer diameter corresponds approximately to the inner diameter of a cigarette tube and which has a substantially cylindrical inner volume. During the Stopfvorganges then the cigarette tube is held on the spout by a provided on the lid, on the cigarette tube material from the outside acting projection and pulled over the located in the tobacco chamber tobacco rod, which passes through the inner volume of the spout during this displacement or stuffing ,

The mountability of the spout on the slider is particularly simple if the spout - as preferred - is integrally formed on an approximately perpendicular to its longitudinal axis extending retaining plate. The slider then preferably has two on its sides oppositely arranged grooves in which the holding plate with its lateral edges can be inserted. This structural measure not only enables the particularly easy mountability of the spout, but also an easy to replace in the event of damage. In addition, the spout can be made of a different material compared to the slider, which has, for example, for holding the cigarette tube and for carrying out the tobacco rod particularly suitable material properties.

Postponing a cigarette tube on the spout is facilitated if the retaining plate opposite, free end is bevelled sideways.

Very particular preference is given to an embodiment of the spout in which its inner volume comprises an area which widens toward the tobacco chamber at the end region opposite the free end. It has surprisingly been found that due to this measure lower forces are necessary to perform the stuffing process, as if the inner volume of the spout would be completely cylindrical. The effect produced by the widening region is particularly surprising insofar as the tobacco rod is already preformed inside the tobacco chamber due to the pressure exerted by the pressing beam. This particular embodiment of the spout thus also has independent inventive significance, regardless of whether the device comprising such a spout has the features described above or not.

The widening towards the transport chamber area may be conical. However, it is particularly preferred if it is formed curved widening.

In the drawing, an embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view with the lid open;

Figure 2 is the same view of the parts of the housing in an exploded view. Fig. 3 is the same view as in Fig. 1, but in a single representation of

Housing, tobacco support, slide and lid, wherein the lid is in its closed position;

4 shows the cover in a view according to FIG. 3 in an exploded view; FIG.

Fig. 5 is a perspective longitudinal section through the device set for cigarette tubes with a long filling space;

Fig. 6 shows the same view as in Fig. 5, adapted to cigarette tubes with a shorter filling space length and

Fig. 7a to e the spout with plate in a single representation in different views.

The device 100 in the drawing as a whole comprises a housing 1 with a base part 2 and with inserted and latched in this side handle parts 3, 4. Both the base part 2, as well as the side handle parts 3, 4 are made of plastic. The handle parts 3, 4 may be made of a softer material than the base part 2 and in a different color, so as to improve the visual appearance of the device and to make their handling more pleasant.

In the base part 2 of the housing 1, a slider 8 is guided in a straight line in the direction of movement S between its inner side walls 5, 6 and its bottom wall 7. For fixing the slider 8 perpendicular to the bottom wall 7, the slider 8 comprises on both sides an extension of the underside forming projections 9, which engage in complementary grooves in the side walls 5, 6.

At the left in the drawing shown on the left, further designated with the front end of a spout 10 is provided on the slider 8, the outer diameter of such an inner diameter of a prefabricated cigarette tube se is adapted that it can be pushed onto the spout 10 without much game. To facilitate the Aufschiebevorganges the free end of the spout 10 is laterally bevelled.

The spout 10 is formed with its the side beveled free end opposite end to a support plate 32. To fasten the spout 10 with the retaining plate 32 8 grooves 33 are incorporated in the slide (see Fig. 1) in which the retaining plate with its lateral edges 34 can be inserted. In order to avoid unwanted Sichherververlagern the support plate 32 from the grooves 33 at the same time easier usability, 34 hook-like protruding extensions 36 are provided on the lateral edges, which cooperate with the bottoms of the grooves 33 by clamping.

As can be seen in particular from FIGS. 7b and d, the inner volume of the spout 10 at the end region opposite the free end comprises a region 35 which widens toward the tobacco chamber 13. Surprisingly, it has been shown that the actuating forces required for plugging are created by this enlargement a cigarette tube for moving slide and base part must be applied to each other, compared to a conventional, purely cylindrical design of the inner volume of the spout are reduced.

At the rear end of the housing shown on the right in the drawing, a lid 11 is pivotably attached to the slider 8 about a horizontal axis X extending perpendicularly to the direction of movement S.

The slider has an elongated recess 12 in the direction of movement S, which forms a tobacco chamber 13 and extends completely through the slider in the vertical direction.

The bottom of the tobacco chamber 13 forms a trough-shaped tobacco pad 14, which abuts the side almost of the side walls of the recess 12 and the lateral edges of longitudinal projections 15 are covered in the tobacco chamber, so as to avoid tobacco between the lateral edges of the tobacco pad and the Walls of the recess 12 passes. The tobacco support 14 is made of a dimensionally stable material, for example metal and attached in the rear, protruding from the tobacco chamber 13 region 16 on a provided on the bottom wall 7 of the base part 2 pedestal 17 attached. In this case, there is sufficient play between the underside of the tobacco support 14 and the bottom wall 7, that the tobacco support 14 when moving the slider 8 can penetrate unhindered back through the spout 10 therethrough.

On the lower side in the closed state of the cover 11, a pressing beam 18 is formed, the side of which, when closed, points approximately hollow with the same radius as the tobacco support 14. The pressing beam 18 is further dimensioned so that it coincides with the side walls of the recess 12 and the tobacco pad 14, the tobacco chamber 13 in the closed state closes up so that the tobacco chamber has an approximately circular shape in cross section.

At the front end region in the closed state of the lid, a handle 19, which can be displaced towards the rear against an elastic force, is attached to the lid. It has two extensions 20 which engage in against the elastic force to the rearward displaced state of the handle in complementary recesses 21 of the slider 8. By the engagement of the extensions 20 in the recesses 21, the lid is locked against folding about the axis X.

For stuffing a prefabricated cigarette tube with tobacco, the tobacco chamber 13 is loosely filled with tobacco when the lid 11 is open. Subsequently, the open end of a prefabricated cigarette tube is pushed onto the spout 10 and the lid 11 is closed by pivoting about the axis X. The cigarette tube, not shown in the drawing, is held in position on the grommet by pressing on the front portion of the lid 1 1 Anpress- block 22, the sleeve material over part of the circumference against the spout 10 is pressed. In the closed position of the lid of this is locked by operation of the handle 19 and engagement of the extensions 20 in the recesses 21 and then the lid moves together with the slider to the rear, the cigarette tube pulled over the tobacco pad 14 and the tobacco held by a rear end of the tobacco chamber 13 forming abutment 23 and thus the cigarette tube is pulled over the located in the tobacco chamber 13 tobacco rod.

In order to fill cigarette tubes with tobacco intake volumes of two different lengths with the device, the length of the press bar 18 can be changed. For this purpose, the pressing beam 18 has a fixed part 24 and a pressing member 18 optionally complementary, movable member 25. It is in the cover 11 on the side of the fixed part 24 facing the axis X, about an axis Y which is perpendicular to the direction of movement S of the slider or parallel to the axis X, between a position retracted in the contour of the cover 11 6) and a position extending the pressing beam 18 (see Fig. 5) can be pivoted by approximately 90 °.

In order to effect the pivoting movement of the pressing surface 26 opposite end portion of the movable member 25 is provided with a toothing 27 which extends over an angle of about 100 °.

The toothing 27 is in engagement with a linear toothing 28 of an actuator 29 which is mounted displaceably within the lid 11 perpendicular to the axis Y and manually displaceable by a recess 30 in the lid 11 by a distance which is required to the moving part 25 of the press bar 18 between the illustrated in Fig. 5, the pressing bar 18 extending position and the position shown in Fig. 6, to be moved back into the contour of the lid 11 position.

Thus, in the case of stuffing a cigarette tube with a short Füllraum-length corresponding to the length of the fixed portion 24 of the press bar 18, the tobacco support 14 does not protrude beyond the Füllraum length which in particular filter sleeves to a tear from the spout 10 or to destroy the filter sleeve the tobacco support 14 is displaceable relative to the abutment 23 by a distance in the direction of movement S of the slide 8, mounted on the base 17 and corresponding to the difference in length between the different filling space lengths and the length. speaks by the pressing bar 18 by the movable part 25 is extended or shortened.

This "floating" storage of tobacco support 14 has the consequence that it moves during the tamping process by friction with the tobacco rod located in the tobacco rod and the sleeve automatically in the rear position, so that at the end of stuffing cigarette tubes with short Füllraum- Length can not be damaged, and in the backward displacement of the slide for withdrawing the filled sleeve of the tobacco pad 14 latter relocated again in the pulled-out position and thus another filling process of the tobacco chamber 13 for cigarette tubes with large Füllraum- length to Available.

In order to avoid that in the case of stuffing cigarette tubes with small Füllraum-length of the tobacco rod is undesirably compressed during the Stopfvorganges undesirably strong, a tobacco chamber 13 associated cover 31 is provided on the slide 8, with the optional adjacent to the abutment 23 area the tobacco chamber 13 can be covered over a length which corresponds to the difference in length of the different filling space lengths or the change in length of the pressing bar 18 that can be brought about by the movable part 25. In the event that a cigarette tube is to be stuffed with a large Füllraum-length, the cover is displaced into the position shown in Fig. 5, the volume of the tobacco chamber 13 completely releasing position. If a cigarette tube with a smaller filling length is to be stuffed, the cover 31 towards the nozzle 10 is brought into the position shown in FIG. 6 before the tobacco is inserted into the tobacco chamber 13.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100 device 30 recess

1 housing 31 cover

2 base part 32 retaining plate

3 handle 33 grooves

4 handle 34 edges

5 sidewall 35 areas

6 side wall 36 extensions

7 bottom wall S movement direction

8 slide X axis

9 protrusions Y axis

10 spout

11 lid

12 recess

13 tobacco chamber

14 tobacco dressing

15 lateral projections

16 area

17 sockets

18 pressing beams

19 handle

20 extensions

21 recesses

22 pressure block

23 abutments

24 fixed part

25 moving part

26 pressing surface

27 toothing

28 linear toothing

29 actuator

Claims

claims:

1. A device for stuffing prefabricated cigarette tubes, comprising a housing (1), a tobacco chamber (13), a tobacco support (14) associated therewith, a movable pressing beam (18) for forming the tobacco inserted into the tobacco chamber (13) into a strand, one of the tobacco support (14) associated abutment (23) for one end of the tobacco rod and with a for filling the cigarette tubes with the tobacco rod relative to the housing movable slide (8), wherein the length of the tobacco rod to be formed by changing the length of the press bar (18) is adaptable to different Füllraum lengths of cigarette tubes, characterized in that the tobacco support (14) relative to the abutment (23) by a distance in the direction of movement (S) of the slide (8) is mounted displaceably about the length difference of corresponds to different filling space lengths.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressing beam (18) comprises a fixed part (24) and a pressing bar (18) optionally complementary movable part (25).

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable part (25) of the pressing bar (18) about a perpendicular to the direction of movement (S) of the slide (8) extending axis (Y) between one in the contour of the lid ( 11) retracted and a pressing bar (18) extending position is pivotable about 90 °.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the cover (11) is pivotable about a perpendicular to the direction of movement (S) extending axis (X) pivotally mounted on the slide (8).

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that on the cover (11) an actuating member (29) for the movable part (25) of the pressing bar (18) is provided.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuating member (29) comprises a toothing (28) which is in engagement with a toothing (27) of the movable part (25) of the pressing bar (18).

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the tobacco chamber (13) is associated with a cover (31), with the optionally adjacent to the abutment (23) region of the tobacco chamber (13) over a length can be covered , which corresponds approximately to the length difference of the different Füllraum lengths.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the cover (31) in the movement direction (S) is arranged displaceable on the slide (8).

9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at the abutment (23) opposite end of the slider

(8) a spout (10) is provided with a free end whose outer diameter corresponds approximately to the inner diameter of a cigarette tube and which has a substantially cylindrical inner volume.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the spout (10) is integrally formed on an approximately perpendicular to its longitudinal axis extending holding plate (32).

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the slide (8) has two mutually opposite at its sides grooves

(33), in which the holding plate (32) with its lateral edges (34) can be inserted.

12. Device according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the holding plate (32) opposite, free end of the spout (10) is laterally bevelled.

13. Device according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the inner volume of the spout (10) at the opposite end of the free end a to the tobacco chamber (13) towards expanding area (35).

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the region (35) is conical.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the region (35) is curved to widen.