EP2922425A2

EP2922425A2 - Cigarette making machine

Info

Publication number: EP2922425A2
Application number: EP13795226.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Preisig; Christian Kissling; Stefan EICHHOLZER
Original assignee: JT International SA
Current assignee: JT International SA
Priority date: 2012-11-23
Filing date: 2013-11-21
Publication date: 2015-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 2033-11-21
Also published as: WO2014079942A2; WO2014079942A3; EP2922425B1

Abstract

A machine, a system and a method for making cigarettes are provided in which first engaging means are provided to engage with a cover of a cigarette product package, and second engaging means are provided to engage with a retainer of a cigarette product package which holds a plurality of products for use in the production of cigarettes. The cover and the retainer are then displaced,in a reversible manner,relative to one another, providing a reliable and consistent approach to accessing the products.

Description

CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE

The present invention relates to a device and method for the fabrication of cigarettes. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to the operation of a device that may be used with a tobacco package holding a plurality of tobacco portions.

Devices have been proposed to allow users to fabricate their own cigarettes, rather than purchasing pre-manufactured cigarettes. These devices are often referred to as make-your-own (MYO) or roll-your-own (RYO) devices.

In a typical design of such a device, loose tobacco is introduced through a hopper. The apparatus then selects a portion of tobacco suitable for the production of a single cigarette, compresses the tobacco portion into a tobacco rod, and then either rolls a cigarette paper around the tobacco rod (in an RYO device) or inserts the rod into a pre-formed cigarette tube (in an MYO device).

A number of drawbacks are apparent in such a design. For example, the loose tobacco can create a litter problem in the vicinity of the device. Moreover, ensuring that the correct amount of tobacco is selected from the hopper for the tobacco portion is not a trivial task, nor is it trite to ensure that the density of the tobacco rod is uniform along its length. These issues can have serious detrimental impact on the quality of the cigarette.

A number of approaches have been proposed in an attempt to address such issues. For example, in some MYO devices such as in WO2007/082939, a compressed tobacco block is used in place of the loose tobacco and hopper described above. A tobacco portion is created by cutting an end section of defined width from the compressed tobacco block. However, not only does the cutting motion risk creating detritus and thus littering the surrounding area, but reliable means must be provided to advance the tobacco block to the correct position for cutting to take place. In particular, it is necessary to ensure that the amount of tobacco that is removed from the tobacco block to form a tobacco portion is constant each time the device is operated. Thus, a device of this type either requires careful user input or a relatively complex mechanism to drive the automatic advance of the tobacco block. This increases the cost and reduces the reliability of the device. Similar problems occur in alternative solutions which provide a number of pre-portioned tobacco portions in a larger tobacco package. In this case, each tobacco portion must be extracted from the package, which again creates an issue as regards the careful handling of the package. This can increase the cost and decrease the reliability of the device due to the requirement for additional moving parts. Also, those solutions do not allow for any pre-portioned tobacco portions that may not have been used to be put back into the tobacco package. This prevents the tobacco package from being removed from the machine before it is emptied. With such systems, once the package is removed, a user could access its content that could then be displaced or misplaced, thereby causing the machine to jam when using this package. Also, if the package remains open after removal, the tobacco portion may dry up if a user did not wish to use up all of the content of the package at the same time. This prevents the user from making only a small number of cigarettes of a specific type at a time. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cigarette making machine, comprising:

at least one first engaging means arranged to engage a cover of a cigarette product package; and

at least one second engaging means arranged to engage a retainer of the cigarette product package in which a plurality of cigarette products are held, wherein the cigarette making machine is arranged to displace in a reversible manner the first engaging means relative to the second engaging means, and thereby to slide the retainer relative to the cover.

The present invention can provide an efficient mechanism for opening a cigarette product package. Cigarette products are products for use in the production of cigarettes, and by accessing these efficiently and reliably, an improved machine for making cigarettes can be obtained. According to the present invention, the cover of the cigarette product package is engaged by a first engaging means, while a second engaging means engages a retainer which holds the cigarette. A sliding motion between these two parts of the cigarette product package can then be induced to access the cigarette products. In some preferred embodiments, the cover is held still, while the retainer is displaced. However, in other embodiments, the cover may alternatively or additionally be displaced by the cigarette making machine.

In preferred embodiments, the second engaging means is arranged to withdraw the retainer from the cigarette product package. Alternatively, for example, the cover may be withdrawn to reveal the contents of the retainer.

The cigarette product package may comprise a locking mechanism to prevent accidental opening of the package. In preferred embodiment, the cigarette making machine further comprises release means for releasing a locking mechanism of the cigarette product package.

Preferably, the first or second engaging means comprises the release means. In this manner, engagement of the one of the engaging means with the cover or the retainer may be effective to automatically release the locking mechanism. In a particularly, preferred embodiment, the second engaging means comprises the release means.

Preferably, the cigarette making machine is arranged to linearly displace the first engaging means relative to the second engaging means. Linear motion provides a reliable and effective displacement of the parts of the cigarette product package. However, in other embodiments, rotational displacement, or a combination of linear and rotational displacement, may be adopted.

The relative movements of the first and second engaging means to activate in a reversible manner the release means and to displace in a reversible manner the retainer relative to the cover may be different. In order to ensure better locking, the relative movement of the first and second engaging means may be curvilinear for example, while the relative movement of the retainer relative to the cover may be linear.

The machine may further comprise plural respective first and second engaging means for engaging and actuating plural respective cigarette product packages. This allows a plurality of packages to be engaged and the respective covers of the respective packages to be displaced relative to respective retainers of the packages. A first set of first and second engaging means can therefore engage respective parts of a first package, while a second set of first and second engaging means can engage respective parts of a second package. Further sets of first and second engaging means may be provided as appropriate.

The machine may be configured to displace the second engaging means to locate the cigarette products adjacent tobacco transfer means for transferring a tobacco portion into a cigarette tube. Location of the cigarette product or products in the machine for processing to fill the tube may comprise arranging the product in a substantially coaxial linear arrangement, substantially aligned with an axis of a tobacco transfer means. This can allow a tobacco portion to be aligned with a cigarette tube to be filled for transfer to the tube. The tube and/or the tobacco portion may be located in a retainer of a cigarette product package before and/or during and/or after the transfer of tobacco to the tube is complete.

In some preferred embodiments, the machine comprises: a compression chamber; a compression member forming the second engaging means; and a drive mechanism for driving the compression member through a compression cycle, wherein the compression cycle comprises: a compression step for compressing a tobacco portion in the compression chamber to form a tobacco rod during which the compression member is advanced from an initial position along a first axis; a retraction step during which the compression member is withdrawn along the first axis and is offset in a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; and a return step during which the compression member is returned to the initial position.

So, a compression cycle may be defined in which tobacco is compressed initially by movement of the compression member along a first axis. As the compression member then withdraws along that axis, it is also offset in a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. This can act to displace a tobacco package. For example, if the offset is a predetermined distance then the tobacco package will be displaced by a predetermined distance. The compression member then returns to its initial position. Accordingly, the present invention may provide a repeating action, which on each occasion displaces a tobacco package by a predetermined amount. This can help to ensure that consistently sized portions of tobacco can be removed from the package and compressed in the compression chamber during each cycle. Moreover, advantageously, the movement of the tobacco package and the compression of the tobacco rod is achieved by a single drive mechanism, avoiding the cost of introducing multiple drive mechanisms and increasing the overall reliability of the device.

In preferred embodiments, the device further comprises at least one transfer means for transferring the tobacco rod into a cigarette tube. Similarly the method may comprise transferring the tobacco rod into a cigarette tube. Preferably, the transfer means transfers the tobacco rod into the cigarette tube along a third axis which is perpendicular to both the first and second axes. Accordingly, once a tobacco rod is formed, preferred embodiments may transfer this into a cigarette tube to create a cigarette. This is an efficient mechanism for creating a functional cigarette for a user. The cigarette tube typically comprises a tube of cigarette paper and a filter disposed at one end of the tube. Alternatively, the device may comprise means for rolling a cigarette paper around the tobacco block.

In preferred embodiments, the device further comprises a compression passage extending from an exterior of the device to the compression chamber. The compression passage provides a path through which the compression member may pass after collecting tobacco from a tobacco package. As such, the compression passage may act to isolate the compression chamber from the outside environment, thereby reducing the risk of littering the environment with tobacco.

Preferably, the retraction step is sub-divided into a plurality of sub-steps, including a first sub-step, prior to the offset of the compression member in the second axis, during which the compression member is removed from the compression passage. This can help to ensure that the compression member may be smoothly removed from the device before it is offset in the second axis.

In preferred embodiments, the device further comprises a drive member coupled to the compression member such that reciprocating linear movement of the drive member is effective to drive the compression member through the compression cycle. By using the linear motion of a drive member to drive the compression member through the compression cycle, preferred embodiments can avoid the requirement for complex drive mechanisms having motive force provided in more than one axis. Preferably, the device further comprises a threaded drive shaft, wherein the drive member is mounted on the drive shaft and reciprocating linear movement of the drive member can be actuated by rotary movement of the drive shaft. Again, this simplifies the device, since the provision of rotary force can be economically provided from motors such as electric motors.

In some preferred embodiments, the compression member is arranged to engage with a tobacco package during the retraction step, and to thereby offset the tobacco package in the second direction. In this manner, the offset in the second axis during the retraction step can be used to advance the tobacco package, so that each time the cycle is repeated the compression member may act on a different part of the tobacco package. In some embodiments, the tobacco package may be sub-divided into a number of tobacco chambers, each comprising a tobacco portion, and the offset in the second access is equal to the distance between the centre of each chamber. Thus, the offset during the retraction step may advance the tobacco package by exactly one chamber. In these circumstances, the compression member may engage with, for example, dividing walls of the chambers during the retraction step. In other embodiments, the offset of the tobacco package in the second direction may be achieved during other phases of the compression cycle apart from the retraction step.

Preferably, the compression member is arranged to be disengaged from the tobacco package during the return step. This can help to ensure that any advance of the tobacco package achieved during the retraction step is not undone during the return step.

In some preferred embodiments, the device may further comprise an inhibition mechanism arranged to selectively modify the compression cycle to remove the retraction step. As such, the inhibition mechanism can be engaged to avoid displacement of the tobacco package when it is not desired.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for comprising a cigarette making machine according to the first aspect and at least one cigarette product package comprising a plurality of cigarette products. Preferably, the cigarette products are tobacco portions. Exemplary tobacco portions may comprise loose tobacco or may comprise compressed tobacco rods. In alternative embodiments, the cigarette products are cigarette tubes. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a cigarette, comprising: engaging at least one cover of at least one cigarette product package; engaging at least one retainer of the at least one cigarette product package in which a plurality of cigarette products are held; displacing at least one first engaging means relative to at least one second engaging means, thereby sliding the retainer relative to the cover; and forming a cigarette using a cigarette product from the at least one cigarette product package.

The method may comprise engaging plural respective covers and retainers of plural respective cigarette product packages and displacing at least one of the plural respective first and second engaging means to displace the retainer relative to the cover, preferably by sliding. Therefore, more than one package can be engaged and opened by a machine to extract cigarette products therefrom.

It will be appreciated that various combinations of features are possible within the aspects of the present invention, and that preferred features of each of the device, method, system and package may apply equally to other aspects.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a cigarette making machine according to a preferred embodiment;

Figure 2 shows a tobacco package for use with the device of Figure 1 ; Figure 3A shows elements of a drive mechanism within the body of the device in an initial position;

Figure 3B shows elements of the drive mechanism within the body of the device in a compressor closed position;

Figure 3C shows elements of the drive mechanism within the body of the device in a first partly retracted position;

Figure 3D shows elements of the drive mechanism within the body of the device in a second partly retracted position;

Figure 3E shows elements of the drive mechanism within the body of the device in a final position; Figure 4A shows elements of the drive mechanism outside the body of the device in the initial position;

Figure 4B shows elements of the drive mechanism outside the body of the device in the compressor closed position;

Figure 4C shows elements of the drive mechanism outside the body of the device in the first partly retracted position;

Figure 4D shows elements of the drive mechanism outside the body of the device in the second partly retracted position;

Figure 4E shows elements of the drive mechanism outside the body of the device in the final position;

Figure 5 shows the profile of a retaining element;

Figure 6A shows a front view of a tobacco package for use with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6B shows a side view of a tobacco package for use with a second preferred embodiment;

Figure 7A shows a cross section of a tobacco package for use with the second preferred embodiment when the package is closed;

Figure 7B shows a cross section of a tobacco package for use with the second preferred embodiment when the package is open;

Figure 8A shows an expanded view of a locking mechanism for use with the tobacco package when the locking mechanism is in a locked position;

Figure 8B shows an expanded view of a locking mechanism for use with the tobacco package when the locking mechanism is in an unlocked position;

Figure 9A shows a plan view of a second engaging means including release means for actuating the locking mechanism, in which the release means are in a disengaged position;

Figure 9B shows a side view of a second engaging means including release means for actuating the locking mechanism, in which the release means are in a disengaged position;

Figure 9C shows a plan view of a second engaging means including release means for actuating the locking mechanism, in which the release means are in an engaged position; Figure 9D shows a side view of a second engaging means including release means for actuating the locking mechanism, in which the release means are in an engaged position;

Figure 10 shows drive mechanism for driving an engaging means used to engage with a retainer of the tobacco package; and

Figure 1 1 shows a perspective view of a cigarette making machine according to a further preferred embodiment.

Referring to Figure 1 , a cigarette making machine 10 according to first provided embodiment is provided comprising a base 20 and a body 30. Figure 1 further shows a cigarette product package 50 and a cigarette tube 40 engaged with the cigarette making machine 10. The cigarette product package 50 contains products for making cigarettes, which in the preferred embodiment are portions of tobacco. As such, the cigarette product package 50 of the preferred embodiment is a tobacco package.

The cigarette making machine 10 comprises a compression member 100 and a drive mechanism 200. The drive mechanism 200 may drive the compression member 100 to compress tobacco from the tobacco package 50 into a compression chamber 400 (shown in Figures 3A to 4E) within the body 30 of the cigarette making machine 10. The cigarette making machine 10 also comprises a tobacco transfer means 300 which can be actuated to push tobacco from the compression chamber into the cigarette tube 40.

The tobacco package 50 is shown in more detail in Figure 2. In particular, Figure 2 illustrates that the tobacco package 50 comprises a cover 52 surrounding a retainer 54. A plurality of dividers 56 are provided as part of the retainer 54 to establish a plurality of distinct chambers within the tobacco package 50. Preferably, each of these chambers is filled with a tobacco portion sufficient to fabricate a single cigarette.

The cigarette making machine comprises a first engaging means 250 for engaging the cover 52 of the tobacco package 50. As will be described in more detail below, this maintains the cover 52 of the tobacco package in a fixed position while the compression member 100 of the cigarette making machine acts as a second engaging means which engages with the retainer 54 and displaces the retainer relative to the cover 52. Figures 3A to 3E and 4A to 4E more clearly show the drive mechanism 200 of the cigarette making machine 10 of the preferred embodiment. Figures 3A to 3E show a cross section of the cigarette making machine 10 taken across a plane internal to the body 30, thereby showing elements of the drive mechanism which are internal to the body 30, while Figures 4A to 4E show a side view of the device 10 taken across a plane external to the body 30. Elements of the drive mechanism 200 internal to the body 30 communicate with those external to the body 30 via cut-out paths in the side walls of the body 30.

As can be seen from Figures 3A to 3E, a drive member 201 is provided on a threaded drive shaft 202 disposed within the body 30 of the cigarette making machine 10. The drive member 201 is also guided on the side walls of the body 30 via stabilisers 204 (see Figures 4A to 4E). Further, a drive motor 203 is provided external to the body 30 and coupled to the drive shaft 202 such that it can impart rotary motion to the drive shaft 202. Rotation of the drive member 201 is prevented through the action of the stabilisers 204, and as a result rotation of the threaded drive shaft 202 causes the drive member 201 to move linearly along the drive shaft 202.

Figures 3A to 3E further show a first intermediate member 205, a pivoting member 206, and a second intermediate member 207. The first intermediate member 205 is pivotally mounted to both the drive member 201 and the pivoting member 206. The pivoting member 206 is pivotally mounted to both the first intermediate member 205 and the second intermediate member 207, and is moreover pivotally mounted to pivot point 208 which is fixed relative to the body 30 of the cigarette making machine 10. The second intermediate member 207 is coupled to a guide member 209, which can slide linearly in a cut-out opening 210 of the side wall of the body 30 of the cigarette making machine 10.

The use of pivot 208 can be effective to increase the force applied by the drive mechanism 200 by a levering effect, ultimately increasing the compression force that can be achieved by the compression member 100.

It should be understood that each of the first intermediate member 205, the pivoting member 206, the second intermediate member 207, the pivot point 208, the guide member 209, and the cut-out opening 210 are repeated on either side of the drive member 201 , even though only one of each of those features is visible in Figures 3A to 3E. In general, the drive mechanism 200 is symmetrical around the drive shaft 202. In particular, there are cut-out openings 210 in opposing side walls of the body 30, in each of which is mounted a guide member 209.

The arrangement of the elements of the drive mechanism 200 shown in

Figures 3A to 3E is such that the guide member 209 moves linearly in the opposite direction to linear movement of the drive member 201. Thus, when the drive member 201 moves to the right as shown in Figures 3A to 3B, the guide members 209 move to the left, and vice versa.

Figures 4A to 4E show aspects of the drive mechanism 200 which are disposed externally to the side walls of the body 30. In particular, twin drive elements 21 1 are pivotally mounted to the guide member 209 externally to the body 30. Each drive element 211 provides a fastening point 212 at an end 213 distal to the end at which they are mounted to the guide member 209. The compression member 100 is connected to the drive mechanism 200 at these fastening points 212. Accordingly, the movement path of these fastening points 212 defines the movement path of the compression member. A spring 217 (shown in Figure 1 ) is coupled to the fastening points 212 or could be coupled to the drive elements 21 1.

Figures 4A to 4E also show a retention member 214. The retention member 214 has a profile as shown in Figure 5 and is mounted to the side wall of the body by a retention fastening 215 disposed at a first end of the retention member 214. The retention member 214 comprises a control wedge 216 at an end distal to the retention fastening 215. When under no force, the retention member 214 is biased such its main portion lies parallel to the side walls of the body 30 of the device, with only the control wedge 216 extending further from the body 30 of the device 10. However, the retention member 214 is elastically flexible so that the control wedge 216 can be forced inwardly. A portion of the side walls of the body 30 of the device is cut-out to allow such inward deflection. The retention member is resilient such that it returns to its original position after any inward deflection.

The ends 213 of the drive elements 21 1 which contain the fastening points 212 are separated from the body 30 of the device 10 by a distance equal to the width of the main portion of the retention member 214. In contrast, the rest of the drive elements are further separated from the side wall of the body 30 by a distance at least equal to the height h of the control wedge 216.

Figures 3A to 3E and 4A to 4E also show a compression part 101 of the compression member 100. The compression part 101 is the part of the compression member 100 that comes directly into contact with the tobacco during operation of the device 10.

The device 10 may also comprise an inhibition mechanism (not shown) which can act to retain the retention member 214 in a retracted position (i.e. in a position in which the control wedge 216 is forced inwardly relative to its position of rest). As will be described below, the inhibition mechanism can act to prevent indexing of the retainer 54 during a compression cycle. The inhibition mechanism may comprise a knob, a clasp or any other appropriate mechanism for retaining the retention member 214 in a retracted position. In particular, the inhibition mechanism may be arranged to prevent engagement of the ends 213 of the drive elements 21 1 with the control wedge 216.

The operation of the cigarette making machine 10 of the preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 3A to 3E and Figures 4A to 4E. These Figures show the making machine 10 at a range of positions during operation. Figures 3A and 4A show the making machine 10 at an initial position; Figures 3B and 4B show the making machine 10 at a compressor closed position; Figures 3C and 4C show the making machine 10 at a first partly retracted position; Figures 3D and 4D show the making machine 10 at a second, later partly retracted position; and Figures 3E and 4E show the making machine 10 at a final position.

It should be understood that the compression member 100 of the making machine 10 returns from the final position shown in Figures 3E and 4E to the initial position shown in Figures 3A and 4A with the retainer 54 of the tobacco package 50 having moved down. Accordingly, the movement of the compression member 100 defines a cycle, which will be referred to hereinafter as the compression cycle. The compression cycle comprises: a compression step, during which the compression member 100 moves from the position shown in Figures 3A and 4A to the position shown in Figures 3B and 4B; a retraction step, during which the compression member 100 moves from the position shown in Figures 3B and 4B to the position shown in Figures 3E and 4E, via the positions shown in Figures 3C and 4C and Figures 3D and 4D; and a return step during which the compression member 100 moves from the position shown in Figures 3E and 4E to the position shown in Figures 3A and 4A.

In the following description, the terms left, right, above, below, upwards, downwards and similar are used to refer to those positions as illustrated in Figures 3A to 3E and 4A to 4E. The skilled person will appreciate that the orientation of the elements of the device 10 may be altered as required.

At the initial position shown in Figures 3A and 4A, the drive member 201 is disposed at the far left of the drive shaft 202. In consequence, the first intermediate member 205, pivoting member 206 and second intermediate member 207 act to hold the guide member 209 to its rightmost position. In turn, the guide member 209 holds the drive elements 21 1 and thus the compression member 100 in their rightmost positions. As a result, the compression part 101 of the compression member 100 is disposed outside of the device 10 and the tobacco package 50.

The compression step of the compression cycle then begins. In particular, the drive motor 203 imparts rotary motion on the drive shaft 202, causing the drive member 201 to move to the right. This in turn, via the various other elements of the drive mechanism 200, causes the compression member 100 to move to the left. In particular, the compression part 101 of the compression member 100 passes through a chamber in the tobacco package 50 and towards the compression chamber 400 in the device through the compression passage 401. This causes tobacco from the tobacco package 50 to be driven by the compression part 101 into the compression chamber 400, where it is compressed into a tobacco rod. After the compression step, the device 10 is in the position shown in Figures 3B and 4B.

It should be noted that during the compression step the ends 213 of the drive elements 211 comprising the fastening points 212 are brought over the control wedge 216 of the retention member 214. In doing so, the drive elements 21 1 move over the sloped edge of the control wedge 216, causing the retention member 214 to be deflected inwardly until the drive elements 21 1 have moved beyond the control wedge 216. At this point, the resilient bias of the retention member 214 causes it to return to its initial position, in which the control wedge 216 extends beyond the side wall of the body 30.

Once the compression member 100 is in the position shown in Figures 3B and 4B and a tobacco rod has been formed in the compression chamber 400, the tobacco rod can be pushed through the compression chamber by the transfer means 300 into the cigarette tube 400 (shown in Figure 1 ). As such, a cigarette is fabricated for the user.

After fabrication of the cigarette, the compression member 100 is moved through the retraction step of the compression cycle. During the first part of the retraction step, the compression member is moved from the position shown in Figures 3B and 4B to the position shown in Figures 3C and 4C. To achieve this, the drive motor 203 drives the drive shaft 202 in the opposite direction, thereby causing the drive member 201 to move from right to left. This in turn causes the guide member 209 to move from left to right, thus moving the drive elements 21 1 and the compression member 100 from left to right. As can be seen in Figures 3C and 4C, the compression member 100 is moved to the right sufficiently that the compression part 101 exits the compression passage 401.

At this point, the drive motor 203 continues to drive the drive member 202 towards the left, but it is no longer possible for the ends 213 of the drive elements 21 1 at which the fastening points 212 are positioned to move to the right, because the ends 213 come into contact with the control wedge 216 of the retention member 214. Consequently, as the guide member 209 continues to move right due to the action of the drive member 202, the ends 213 of the elements 21 1 which are fastened to the compression member 100 move downwardly. Thus, the compression member 100 is forced downwardly. Moreover, the compression part 101 of the compression member 100, which is disposed within the tobacco package 50, engages with the dividers 56 of the retainer 54 to force the tobacco package 50 downwardly. In this manner, the compression member 100 acts as a second engaging means, engaging the retainer 54 and displacing it relative to the first engaging means 250 that engages the cover of the package 50. To eliminate the positioning tolerances of the elements 21 1 , the flat spring 217 is fixed on the body 30 such that when the control wedge 216 forces the fastening point 212 to move downwards, they move under the flat spring 217.

As a result of this downward movement, the position shown in Figures 3D and 4D is reached. In this position the tobacco package 50 has been moved precisely by the height of one of the chambers within the tobacco package 50. Alternatively, this distance may be understood as the distance between the centre of adjacent chambers. As mentioned above, the ends 213 of the drive elements 21 1 which are fastened to the compression member 100 are disposed closer to the side wall of the body than the rest of the drive elements 21 1. As such, once these ends 213 are pushed below the control wedge 216, they may resume movement from left to right, taking the compression member 100 with them. As a result, the compression member 100 may then be extracted from the tobacco package 50 entirely, reaching the position shown in Figures 3E and 4E.

At this point, the retraction step is complete. Moreover, as the ends 213 of the drive elements 21 1 have now passed beyond the control wedge 216, the action of the spring 217 is effective to move them upwardly, causing the compression member 100 to return to the initial position shown in Figures 3A and 4A. This action of the spring 217 is the final step of the compression cycle, referred to as the return step.

After the compression cycle is completed, all elements of the cigarette fastening device 10 have been returned to their initial positions. However, the tobacco package 50 has been indexed downwardly by a distance equivalent to the height of one chamber 54, thereby allowing a new tobacco portion to be extracted from the tobacco package each time the compression cycle is carried out.

The preferred embodiment therefore provides a combined mechanism for removing tobacco from the tobacco package 50, compressing the tobacco into a tobacco rod, and indexing the tobacco package forwards to allow subsequent portions of tobacco to be removed. In this way, the preferred embodiment provides an efficient and reliable device.

The above description of Figures 3A to 3E and 4A to 4E illustrates the operation of the device 10 under normal operating conditions, and it can be seen that during the compression cycle the retainer 54 is moved downwardly (i.e. indexed) relative to the rest of the tobacco package 50. This ensures that subsequent compression cycles access fresh tobacco in a new tobacco chamber. However, in some circumstances it may be desirable to inhibit the indexing action of the compression cycle. For example, this may occur when a user wants to remove the tobacco capsule before it is empty, to save its content for the next time he wishes to produce cigarettes. In these circumstances, the inhibition mechanism described above may be used to retain the retention member 214 in a retracted position during the compression cycle. As a result, the ends 213 of the drive elements 21 1 do not come into contact with the control wedge 216 during the retraction step. Accordingly, when the inhibition mechanism is engaged, the compression member 100 may move directly from the position shown in Figures 3B and 4B to the position shown in Figures 3A and 4A.

A second preferred embodiment of the present invention can be understood with reference to Figures 6A to 9. Wherein in the embodiment described above, the compression member 100 is also active to drive movement of the retainer 54 of the tobacco package 50 relative to its cover 52, in the second embodiment a separate second engaging means 260 is provided to engage with the retainer 54 and to cause relative movement of the retainer 54 and the cover 52.

Figures 6A and 6B illustrate a suitable tobacco package 50 in position and engaged with the cigarette making machine 10 in this embodiment. Figure 6A shows a front view of the tobacco package 50, while Figure 6B shows a side view of the tobacco package 50. Figure 7A shows a cross section of the tobacco package 50 from the front view, while Figure 7B shows a cross section of the tobacco package 50 after the retainer 54 has been withdrawn somewhat from the cover 52.

As can be seen from Figures 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B, the cigarette making machine comprises a first engaging means 250 which engages the cover 52 of the package 50. In the preferred embodiment, this engagement is assisted by the provision of complementary geometrical features, such as ridges on the cover 52 and the first engaging means 250, although these features do not need to be complementary in all examples. The portion of the cover 52 that is designed to assist in this engagement may be considered as an engagement portion 53. The engagement between these features may be understood as a clamping action in which the first engaging means 250 clamps the cover 52. However, alternative mechanisms for engaging the cover 52 may be provided. For example, Figure 6B illustrates engagement member 86 which can further secure the cover 52 in position relative to the engagement means 250. The action of the engagement members 86 is discussed further below in relation to Figure 8A.

The cigarette making machine 10 further comprises a second engaging means 260 which engages the retainer 54 of the package 50. In particular the second engaging means 260 engages a machine engagement portion 55 of the retainer 54.

The mechanism by which the second engaging means 260 engages the retainer 54 can be understood with reference to Figures 8A and 8B, which shows section A illustrated in Figure 7A in detail. The second engaging means 260 acts to release a locking mechanism 70 provided as part of the retainer 54 prior to displacement of the retainer 54 relative to the cover 52. Until released, the locking mechanism prevents movement of the retainer 54 relative to the cover 52. Figure 8A shows the locking mechanism in the locked position, while Figure 8B shows the locking mechanism in the unlocked (released) position. The skilled person will appreciate that alternative locking mechanism may be implemented in other embodiments.

The locking mechanism 70 comprises a recess 71 provided in a first part, in the case the cover 52, of the package 50. The locking mechanism 70 further comprises a recess engaging member 72 in a second part, in this case the retainer 54, of the package 50 for engagement with the recess 71. The recess engaging member 72 may be a moveable pin, which may be displaceable to engage and disengage recess 71. The recess engaging member 72 may be biased into a recess engaging position (i.e. into the locked position of Figure 8A) by a biasing member 73, which may be a spring. By translation of the recess engaging member 72 between the recess engaging position and a recess disengaging position (i.e. the unlocked position of Figure 8B), the package 50 may be changed between a locked state and an unlocked state. The locking mechanism may be located substantially inside the package 50. The locking mechanism 70 may be substantially hidden from access from an outer side of package 50, such that the locking mechanism may not be actuated by a manual intervention by a hand or digit of a user. Therefore, the locking means is configured such that it can only be operated with a specific tool or by a machine having specific release means to release the locking mechanism, arranged to actuate a locking mechanism, preferably where the locking mechanism is substantially located on the inside of a package 50.

In the second preferred embodiment, the second engaging means 260 comprises release means 262 for releasing the locking mechanism 70. It will be understood that alternative embodiments may provide the release means 262 separately from the second engaging means 260. The operation of the release means 262 to unlock the locking mechanism 70 can be understood with reference to Figures 8A and 8B.

In particular, it can be seen from Figures 8A and 8B that recess engagement means 72 of the locking means 70 comprises a displacement portion 721 for engagement with a displacing member to displace the recess engagement means, or pin, 72. This displacement portion 721 is located within the package 50 and behind a bottom end of the retainer 54, so that no direct linear access to the displacement portion 721 is available to a user to actuate the recess engaging member 72. An opening 56 is provided in the bottom end of the retainer 54 to allow the release means 262 to be introduced into opening 56 substantially in a first direction and then displaced in a second direction, substantially perpendicular to the first direction in order to release the locking mechanism 70. Specifically, in the preferred embodiment, the release means 262 is introduced into opening 56 in a first direction, substantially in the direction of arrow 84 in Figure 8A, and subsequently displaced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction in a direction of arrow 85 in Figure 8A, to displace the recess engagement means 72 via the displacement portion 721 to unlock the package 50 for opening.

Figure 8B shows the arrangement of Figure 8A, in which the locking mechanism 70 has been actuated to an unlocked position by movement of release means 262 in the direction of arrow 85. It can be seen in the figure that release means 262 has a displacement member engagement portion 263 which is configured to both displace the locking means to unlock the package 50 and increase the engagement of the second engaging means 260 with the retainer 54.

Figures 9A to 9D illustrate the mechanism for actuating the release means 262 provided on the second engaging means 260. In Figures 9A and 9B, the release means 262 is shown in a disengaged position, while in Figures 9C and 9D the release means is shown in an engaged position. Movement of the release means 262 from the disengaged position to the engaged position is effective to unlock the locking mechanism as described above. In Figures 9A and 9C, the second engaging means 260 is illustrated from above, while in Figures 9B and 9D, the second engaging means 260 is illustrated from the side.

As illustrated in Figures 9A to 9D, the second engaging means further comprises an actuating member 270 and an actuating pin 272 coupled to a distal end of the actuating member 270. There are further provided pivotally mounted transfer members 274 coupled to a proximal end of the actuating member 270 and which are in turn coupled to transfer pins 276. The transfer pins 276 are coupled to the release means 262.

According to this arrangement, movement of the actuating pin 272 is effective to cause movement of the release means 262, via transmission through the actuating member 270, transfer members 274 and transfer pins 276. Thus, the release means 262 can be actuated by engaging and moving the actuating pin 272.

In order to facilitate this process, the cigarette making machine of the preferred embodiment is provided with an actuation bracket 280. When the second engaging means 260 is in position to engage with a closed package, the actuating pin 272 is received within a recess in the actuation bracket 280. Initially, the release means 262 is in the disengaged position as shown in Figures 8A, 9A and 9B, allowing the release means 262 to be received through openings 56 in the bottom end of the retainer 54. The actuation bracket is then driven so as to move the actuation pin 272 such that the release means 262 are transferred to the engaged position shown in Figures 8B, 9C and 9D. In the absence of actuation by the actuation bracket 280, the release means 262 stays in position. As such, after the actuation bracket 280 moves the release means into the engaged position, it remains there and continues to engage the retainer 54. Accordingly, as the second engaging means 260 is moved downwardly, the retainer 54 is moved relative to the cover 52. In this manner, tobacco products within the packaging can be exposed.

The actuation bracket 280 may be coupled to the drive mechanism 200. As such, a single drive mechanism 200 may control both the locking of the package 50 and the extraction of tobacco products from the package.

Once the package 50 has been exhausted of products, or when the machine 10 is shut down, the second engaging means 260 may act to return the retainer 54 to its initial position within the cover 52, hence the second engagement means 260 may allow a reversible displacement of the retainer 54 relative to the cover 52. In particular, the retainer 54 may be raised upwardly until it reaches its initial position. At this point, the actuation bracket may engage with the actuating pin 272 to return the release means to the disengaged position shown in Figures 8A, 9A and 9B, thereby returning the locking mechanism 70 to its locked position, hence the actuation bracket may allow for the release means to be engaged or disengaged reversibly.

The first engaging means 250 of the cigarette making machine 10 may further comprise a package engaging member 86, as seen in Figure 8A. Package engaging member 86 may be a pin and may be manually actuated or may be actuated by the machine. The actuation may be in a substantially linear manner, as indicated by arrow 361 , optionally by a rotary or linear motor or a solenoid, or any other substantially linear drive. Alternatively, package engagement member 86 may be rotated to secure the package 1 in position. This can be achieved by means such as a screw thread or by rotating the member 86 about a pivot.

In the illustrated examples, the tobacco packages 50, 50' can be opened by a linear movement of the cover 52, 52' relative to the retainer 54, 54'. However, it is also possible to provide a retainer and cover arrangement which is opened by a nonlinear movement, such as a rotation of one of the cover 52, 52' and the retainer 54, 54' relative to the other or by a combination of rotation and translation of the cover 52, 52' relative to the remainder of the package 50, 50'.

For example, a first part of cover 52 may be integral with retainer 54 to provide a first part of the covering function to enclose tobacco portions within the package 50 and a second portion of cover 52 may be rotatable relative to the first part of the cover 52 to expose tube or tobacco portion for use in a machine 80. In a similar way, the release means 262 may be operated such that the engagement means move in a nonlinear manner when they are displacing the retainer 54, 54' relative to the cover 52, 52'. In order to ensure a better locking, the displacement of the retainer 54, 54' relative to the cover 52, 52' may be different from the relative movement of the engaging means to activate in a reversible manner the release means 262. Preferably, the displacement of the retainer 54, 54' relative to the cover 52, 52' is linear and the movement of the release means 262 is curvilinear.

The package engaging member may also be actuated by the same drive mechanism 200 as the means for extracting cigarette products from the package 50 and/or the release means 262.

The machine 10 may be configured such that extraction of the cigarette products within the package 50 is only initiated if the package engagement member 86 is engaged with the package 50. This can prevent the user from removing the package 50 during operation of the machine, which could otherwise damage the machine and/or the package. The machine may therefore comprise a controller, which may be coupled to either or both of: drive means for the package engagement member 86; and drive means for the second engagement means 260. The controller may be configured to only allow displacement of the cover 52 relative to the retainer 54 and any further mechanisms for carrying out the tube filling process when the package is secured by the machine, preferably via package engagement member 86.

Figure 9 illustrates a drive mechanism 264 for driving the second engaging means 260. The drive mechanism 264 is a belt drive mechanism and can be used to drive the second engaging means towards the retainer 54 in order to engage it initially, and subsequently can drive the second engaging means away from the first engaging means 250 so as to slide the retainer away from the cover 52.

Once the second engaging means 260 is engaged with the retainer 54 and the locking mechanism 70 is unlocked, movement of the second engaging means 260 can be effective to slide the retainer 54 out from the cover 52, thereby reaching the position shown in Figure 7B. As mentioned above, the cover 52 is held in place by the first engaging means 250. Sliding the retainer 54 out of the cover 52 in this way allows access to products within the package 50. As mentioned above, the package 50 may contain tobacco portions for use in producing a cigarette. In alternative embodiments, the products may be other cigarette products for use in producing a cigarette, such as cigarette tubes.

In the first embodiment described above, the tobacco within the package 50 compressed in a compression chamber before being pushed into a cigarette tube. Alternative approaches may be used in other embodiments. For example, the tobacco portions in the package 50 may be pre-compressed into tobacco rods that can be directly displaced in to cigarette tubes, thereby forming cigarettes.

Figure 1 1 shows a further embodiment of a cigarette making machine 1 10. The machine comprises a chassis 11 1 , to which there are mounted various components of the machine. The machine includes a tobacco transfer means 300, which is arranged to transfer a tobacco portion 1 10 from a substantially tubular casing into an empty cigarette tube 120, which is in substantially longitudinal alignment with respect to portion 1 10. The tobacco in a tobacco portion 1 10 can therefore be transferred from a tubular portion casing, or from a compression chamber if a compression chamber substantially as described in this specification is used, to an empty cigarette tube 120. The transfer means may comprise a first member 301 , which is a tobacco portion driving member, and a second member 310 which is a tobacco portion casing driving member. The tobacco portion driving member may drive the tobacco portion independently of its tubular casing, while the casing driving member 310 may engage with a casing of the tobacco portion 1 10 to drive it independently of the tobacco portion inside it. During the transfer process, the casing of the tobacco portion may be displaced into the empty tube 120 and then withdrawn independently of the tobacco portion by the casing displacement means 310, while the tobacco portion driving member 300 maintains the tobacco portion in the paper tube 120.

The machine 1 1 may comprise more than one first engaging means 250 and 250', so that two or more packages 50 and 50' can be used with the machine 11. Two or more second engaging means 260 and 260' may be provided to engage the respective retainers 54 and 54' of the packages 50 and 50'. The package 50 of Figure 1 1 may carry at least one paper cigarette tube 120, while the package 50' of Figure 1 1 may carry at least one tobacco portion 1 10.

The first engaging means 250 , 250' may be adapted to engage with respective packages 50, 50' of different shapes. The different shapes are preferably designed in a way that a user is prevented from sliding a cover onto its wrong retainer, thus preventing, for example, a package 50 containing paper cigarette tubes 120 from being placed on the retainer 54' designed to receive the package 50' carrying the tobacco portions 1 10. In a similar manner, a package 50' containing tobacco portions 1 10 is thus prevented from sliding onto the retainer 54 designed to receive the package 50 containing cigarette tubes 120.

A machine 1 1 may therefore comprise a plurality of first engaging means arranged to engage respective covers of a plurality of cigarette packages and a plurality of second engaging means arranged to engage respective retainers of a plurality of cigarette packages. The cigarette making machine may be arranged to displace the plural first engaging means relative to the plural second engaging means to extract cigarette products from the packages for use in producing cigarettes. The displacement of the plural first engaging means relative to the second engaging means may be independent, so that the plural packages can be opened and their retainers extracted by differing amounts. This allows, as illustrated in Figure 1 1 , a first cigarette product package 50 having a first number of products therein to be used in conjunction with a second cigarette product package 50', which is partially used, so that some portions of the retainer are empty of cigarette products.

A system is therefore disclosed comprising a first cigarette product package, comprising cigarette tubes, and a second cigarette product package, comprising tobacco portions, and a machine arranged to displace first and second engaging means associated with each respective package to extract the cigarette tubes and tobacco portions therefrom. The displacement of the first and second engaging means may be a substantially linear displacement, such that a retainer 54, 54', of the respective packages 50, 50', can be extracted from a cover 52, 52', to extract the related cigarette products from each package for use in a machine to create cigarettes.

A related method can also be carried out in which a first cigarette product package 50 is actuated to extract a cigarette tube for filling with tobacco therefrom, a second cigarette product package 50' is actuated to extract a tobacco portion therefrom and in which the tobacco portion 1 10 is transferred to the cigarette tube 120 to create a cigarette. The extraction may be by substantially linear displacement of a retainer 54 , 54', within an outer casing, or, alternatively, by a substantially linear displacement of a cover or casing 52, 52', relative to a retainer carrying the cigarette products. The machine 1 1 may be configured to displace the retainer or retainers in a linear fashion to locate the tobacco portion 1 10 and cigarette tube 120 in substantially longitudinal alignment with tobacco transfer means 300 for transferring the tobacco portion to the cigarette tube. This can be achieved by appropriate displacement of second engaging means 260 and 260'. The first and second engaging means and the cigarette product packages used in the system, method or device may comprise any combination of the features described in this specification and features of different embodiments may be combined as necessary.

A number of variations of the embodiments described above may be envisaged in other implementations of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the second engaging means 100, 260 which engages the retainer 54 moves in order to slide the retainer 54 from the cover 52. In other embodiments, the first engaging means 250 may alternatively or additionally move in order to achieve such relative displacement.

It will also be appreciated that the specifics of the drive mechanism may be altered without departing from the present invention. In particular, the exact configuration or shape of elements such as the pivoting member may change according to design requirements. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to the skilled person. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known and which may be used instead of, or in addition to, features described herein. Features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, features which are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

It should be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, the term "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality, a single feature may fulfil the functions of several features recited in the claims and reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. It should also be noted that the Figures are not necessarily to scale; emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cigarette making machine, comprising:

2. A machine according to claim 1 , further comprising release means, preferably formed on the second engaging means, for releasing a locking mechanism of the cigarette product package.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cigarette making machine is arranged to displace at least one of the first and second engaging means relative to the other, to activate in a reversible manner the release means for releasing the locking mechanism of the cigarette product package.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein the relative movement of the first and second engaging means to activate in a reversible manner the release means is different from the relative movement to displace in a reversible manner the retainer relative to the cover.

5. A cigarette making machine according to claim 4, wherein the relative movement of the first and second engaging means is curvilinear, and wherein the relative movement of the retainer relative to the cover is linear.

6. A cigarette making machine according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising plural respective first and second engaging means for engaging and actuating plural respective cigarette product packages.

7. A cigarette making machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the machine is configured to displace the second engaging means to locate at least one of the cigarette products adjacent tobacco transfer means for transferring a tobacco portion into a cigarette tube.

8. A cigarette making machine according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

a compression chamber;

a compression member forming the second engaging means; and a drive mechanism for driving the compression member through a compression cycle, wherein

the compression cycle comprises:

a compression step for compressing a tobacco portion in the compression chamber to form a tobacco rod during which the compression member is advanced from an initial position along a first axis;

a retraction step during which the compression member is withdrawn along the first axis and is offset in a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; and

a return step during which the compression member is returned to the initial position.

9. A machine according to claim 8, further comprising at least one transfer means for transferring the tobacco rod into a cigarette tube.

10. A machine according to claim 7, wherein the transfer means is arranged to transfer the tobacco rod into the cigarette tube along a third axis which is perpendicular to both the first and second axes.

1 1. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first engaging means are adapted to engage with respective packages of different shapes.

12. A system comprising a cigarette making machine according to any one of the preceding claims and at least one cigarette product package comprising a plurality of cigarette products.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the cigarette products are tobacco portions or cigarette tubes.

14. A method for making a cigarette, comprising:

engaging at least one cover of at least one cigarette product package; engaging at least one retainer of the at least one cigarette product package in which a plurality of cigarette products are held;

displacing at least one first engaging means relative to at least one second engaging means, thereby sliding the retainer relative to the cover; and forming a cigarette using at least one cigarette product from the cigarette product package or packages.

15. A method according to claim 14, comprising engaging plural respective covers and retainers of plural respective cigarette product packages and displacing at least one of the plural respective first and second engaging means.