EP4021215A1 - Tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with in-line wrapping paper processing assembly - Google Patents

Tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with in-line wrapping paper processing assembly

Info

Publication number
EP4021215A1
EP4021215A1 EP20761571.7A EP20761571A EP4021215A1 EP 4021215 A1 EP4021215 A1 EP 4021215A1 EP 20761571 A EP20761571 A EP 20761571A EP 4021215 A1 EP4021215 A1 EP 4021215A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
paper
wrapping paper
tipping
assembly
tipping paper
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP20761571.7A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Dmitriy KALIKIN
Sergey BOGDANOV
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
JT International SA
Original Assignee
JT International SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by JT International SA filed Critical JT International SA
Publication of EP4021215A1 publication Critical patent/EP4021215A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/005—Treatment of cigarette paper
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/002—Feeding arrangements for individual paper wrappers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/46—Making paper tubes for cigarettes
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/47—Attaching filters or mouthpieces to cigars or cigarettes, e.g. inserting filters into cigarettes or their mouthpieces
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
    • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
    • A24C5/52—Incorporating filters or mouthpieces into a cigarette rod or a tobacco rod

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with an in-line wrapping paper processing assembly as well as a method for manufacturing tobacco products, for examples smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigarillos or cigars, or heat-not-burn products (HNB).
  • smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigarillos or cigars, or heat-not-burn products (HNB).
  • HNB heat-not-burn products
  • Tobacco products such as cigarettes or heated tobacco products (HTP) are usually manufactured using multi-staged manufacturing machines that perform subsequent manufacturing steps within a single system or apparatus.
  • the whole manufacturing process from the initial compounds to the readily-made tobacco products is an automated process that does not have a break between different systems.
  • the documents DE 10 2010 063 466 A1 and WO 2009/141217 A1 disclose in-line assemblies that are used to emboss and/or imprint tipping paper before supplying it to a cigarette manufacturing machine.
  • the document US 9,220,297 B2 discloses a paper flavouring station in a cigarette manufacturing apparatus.
  • some objects of the invention are to find solutions for a simplified and more efficient way of using processed wrapping paper in tobacco product manufacturing, in particular for use in a filter tipping assembly of a tobacco product manufacturing machine.
  • a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus comprises a tobacco product rod maker, a filter tipping assembly downstream of the tobacco product rod maker and an in-line wrapping paper processing assembly as part of the filter tipping assembly and coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly.
  • the filter tipping assembly comprises a filter processing sub-assembly that is configured to receive single-length or double-length tobacco rods from the tobacco product rod maker, to attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rods and to wrap wrapping paper around the tobacco rods with the attached tobacco product filter.
  • the wrapping paper processing assembly includes a supply bobbin configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper, a wrapping paper processing unit configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin and to treat the supplied paper in order to apply flavouring to the continuous web of wrapping paper and a wrapping paper feeder coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly and configured to feed the treated wrapping paper to the filter processing sub-assembly.
  • a method for manufacturing tobacco products involves unwinding a continuous web of wrapping paper from a supply bobbin of a wrapping paper processing assembly of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus, treating the wrapping paper in the wrapping paper processing assembly, and feeding the treated wrapping paper to a filter processing sub-assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus.
  • the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper.
  • the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly.
  • the wrapping paper processing unit includes a tipping paper flavouring unit.
  • the wrapping paper feeder includes a tipping paper feeder.
  • the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper printing unit configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin with graphical print marks.
  • the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper embossing unit configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.
  • the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper splicing unit coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit and adapted to cut the continuous web of tipping paper in half.
  • the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper gluing unit coupled downstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit and configured to apply adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper.
  • the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper and the wrapping paper processing assembly includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus.
  • graphically marks are printed on the continuous web of tipping paper and can be printed by a tipping paper printing unit configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.
  • the continuous web of tipping paper is embossed by a tipping paper embossing unit configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.
  • the step of splicing the continuous web of tipping paper to cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half is carried out by a tipping paper splicing unit coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit.
  • the method further comprises a step of applying an adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper before attachment of a tobacco rod with a tobacco product filter.
  • Fig. 1 shows a schematic illustrating functional blocks of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 shows a flow diagram which schematically represents a method for manufacturing tobacco products according to a further embodiment of the invention.
  • the term "heated tobacco product” or “heat-not-burn product” includes all tobacco products that produce aerosols containing nicotine and other chemicals to be inhaled by users. Heated tobacco products mimic the behaviour of smoking conventional cigarettes.
  • heated tobacco products specifically designed electric heating systems are used to contain a specimen of a heated tobacco product therein for heating and forming an aerosol.
  • the heating systems heat the tobacco contained in the heated tobacco product to a temperature lower than an ignition temperature of the tobacco mixture so that compounds of the tobacco mixture are vaporized and transported within the heating system towards a user inhaling the vapor/aerosol.
  • tobacco product may include any “heated tobacco product” or “heat-not-burn product” as detailed above.
  • tobacco product may also include any readily-made combustible tobacco product that is designed to be smoked by combustion of the tobacco material contained in the product, including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, little cigars, blunts and beedis.
  • Fig. 1 of the drawings shows a schematic illustrating functional blocks of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10.
  • the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 may in particular include a tobacco product rod maker 1.
  • a rod maker 1 produces rods of shredded tobacco material wrapped by wrapping paper.
  • the tobacco product rods produced by the rod maker 1 are transferred automatically to a filter processing sub-assembly 2a of a filter tipping assembly 2 downstream of the tobacco product rod maker 1, for example using a suitable transfer apparatus.
  • the rod maker 1 may produce single length or double length tobacco product rods as semi-finished product in the manufacturing process.
  • the single or double length rods are transferred to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a as a whole.
  • double length tobacco product rods may optionally be split at their centre.
  • the split double length tobacco product rods may be provided with a double length filter which is inserted in between the two resulting single length rods.
  • a tobacco product filter may be attached to one end of the single length tobacco product rods.
  • the filter processing sub-assembly 2a is further designed to wrap wrapping paper around the single length or split double length tobacco rods with the attached tobacco product filter(s).
  • the wrapping paper used in the filter processing sub-assembly 2a is also referred to as "tipping paper” as it covers both the wrapping paper wrapped around the raw tobacco rods as well as any plug wrap wrapped around the filter element.
  • the double length filter is then cut at its mid-point to produce two completed tobacco products, such as cigarettes or heat-not-burn sticks with a filter attached.
  • the separated readily manufactured tobacco products may then be aligned in their orientation and may be passed on to a downstream packaging assembly 3 of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10.
  • Different paper types are used in manufacturing tobacco products, such as plug wrap paper, rod wrapping paper or tipping paper.
  • the tipping paper may be used for wrapping a filter and a tobacco rod integrally.
  • the length of the wrapping paper is selected to be slightly longer than the circumference of the rod-like semi-finished product.
  • the two opposing end portions of the length of wrapping paper will be superimposed on top of each other at a segment of the rod-like semi-finished product.
  • this segment also called a "wrap portion" - the two end portions may be glued to each other.
  • An adhesive may already be applied to one end portion of the wrapping paper of any type.
  • the filter tipping assembly 2 further includes an in-line wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 that is installed in the filter tipping assembly 2 and coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a.
  • the wrapping paper processing assembly 4 may in particular be a tipping paper processing assembly, configured to pre-process tipping paper in-line with the production of the remaining semi-finished tobacco products, i.e. the tipping paper is processed essentially simultaneously and just-in- time in parallel to the processing of the semi-finished tobacco products.
  • the wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 may be possible to process any type of wrapping paper for tobacco products in-line.
  • the wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 may include various subassemblies that can apply embossing patterns, flavourings and/or print marks and graphical patterns to the wrapping paper.
  • the built-in solution of the wrapping paper processing sub- assembly 4 may advantageously substitute for any stand-alone equipment where wrapping paper of any type needs to be pre-processed before it is fed to a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus.
  • the wrapping paper processing assembly 4 including a supply bobbin 6 configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper.
  • a wrapping paper processing unit 7 Downstream of the supply bobbin 6, a wrapping paper processing unit 7 is arranged and configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin.
  • the wrapping paper processing unit 7 may be used to treat the wrapping paper in order to apply embossing, printing and/or flavouring to the continuous web of wrapping paper.
  • the correspondingly treated web of wrapping paper may be transferred to a wrapping paper feeder 5 that is installed in the filter tipping assembly 2.
  • the embossed, printed and/or flavoured web of wrapping paper can be fed to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a for further processing.
  • the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper, specifically when the in-line wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 is an in-line tipping paper processing assembly.
  • the wrapping paper processing unit 7 may in such cases be a tipping paper flavouring unit and the wrapping paper feeder 5 may be a tipping paper feeder.
  • a tipping paper printing unit 8 may further be included in the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly 4. The tipping paper printing unit 8 may be configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin 6 with graphical print marks.
  • a tipping paper embossing unit 9 may further be included in the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly 4.
  • the tipping paper embossing unit 9 may be configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin 6.
  • the in-line tipping paper processing assembly 4 may further comprise a tipping paper splicing unit 6a that is coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit 7.
  • the tipping paper splicing unit 6a may cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half so that two separate webs of tipping paper of desired length and/or width may be simultaneously flavoured in the tipping paper flavouring unit 7.
  • a tipping paper gluing unit 7a may be provided downstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit 7.
  • the tipping paper gluing unit 7a may be used to apply adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper, specifically in the wrap portions of the flavoured web of tipping paper.
  • Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a flowchart of stages of a method M for manufacturing a tobacco product, for example a cigarette or a heat-not-burn product.
  • the method M includes as a first stage M1 an unwinding of a continuous web of wrapping paper from a supply bobbin 6 of a wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 of a filter tipping assembly 2.
  • the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus used in conjunction with the method M may for example be a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 as described and illustrated with reference to Fig. 1.
  • the wrapping paper is treated, i.e. flavoured, embossed and/or printed, in the wrapping paper processing assembly 4.
  • the treated wrapping paper is then fed in a third stage M3 to a filter tipping assembly 2 of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10.
  • the wrapping paper may in particular comprise tipping paper and the wrapping paper processing assembly 4 may in particular include an in-line tipping paper processing assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10.
  • the method M of Fig. 2 may advantageously allow for an in-line processing of tipping paper in a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus, such as the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 of Fig. 1.

Landscapes

  • Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)
  • Cigarettes, Filters, And Manufacturing Of Filters (AREA)

Abstract

A tobacco product manufacturing apparatus comprises a tobacco product rod maker, a filter tipping assembly downstream of the tobacco product rod maker and an in-line wrapping paper processing assembly as part of the filter-tipping assembly. The filter tipping assembly comprises a filter processing sub-assembly that is configured to receive single-length or double-length tobacco rods from the tobacco product rod maker, to attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rods and to wrap wrapping paper around the tobacco rods with the attached tobacco product filter. The wrapping paper processing assembly includes a supply bobbin configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper, a wrapping paper flavouring unit configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin and to treat the wrapping paper in order to apply flavouring to the continuous web of wrapping paper and a wrapping paper feeder coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly and configured to feed the flavoured wrapping paper to the filter processing sub-assembly ), wherein the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper, wherein the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly (4) includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly, wherein the wrapping paper processing unit (7) includes a tipping paper flavouring unit and wherein the wrapping paper feeder (5) includes a tipping paper feeder, the in-line tipping paper processing assembly (4) further comprising: a tipping paper splicing unit (6a) coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit (7) and adapted to cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half.

Description

TITLE
TOBACCO PRODUCT MANUFACTURING APPARATUS WITH IN-LINE WRAPPING PAPER PROCESSING ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with an in-line wrapping paper processing assembly as well as a method for manufacturing tobacco products, for examples smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigarillos or cigars, or heat-not-burn products (HNB).
BACKGROUND
Tobacco products such as cigarettes or heated tobacco products (HTP) are usually manufactured using multi-staged manufacturing machines that perform subsequent manufacturing steps within a single system or apparatus. In particular, the whole manufacturing process from the initial compounds to the readily-made tobacco products is an automated process that does not have a break between different systems.
The documents DE 10 2010 063 466 A1 and WO 2009/141217 A1 disclose in-line assemblies that are used to emboss and/or imprint tipping paper before supplying it to a cigarette manufacturing machine. The document US 9,220,297 B2 discloses a paper flavouring station in a cigarette manufacturing apparatus. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, some objects of the invention are to find solutions for a simplified and more efficient way of using processed wrapping paper in tobacco product manufacturing, in particular for use in a filter tipping assembly of a tobacco product manufacturing machine.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus comprises a tobacco product rod maker, a filter tipping assembly downstream of the tobacco product rod maker and an in-line wrapping paper processing assembly as part of the filter tipping assembly and coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly. The filter tipping assembly comprises a filter processing sub-assembly that is configured to receive single-length or double-length tobacco rods from the tobacco product rod maker, to attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rods and to wrap wrapping paper around the tobacco rods with the attached tobacco product filter. The wrapping paper processing assembly includes a supply bobbin configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper, a wrapping paper processing unit configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin and to treat the supplied paper in order to apply flavouring to the continuous web of wrapping paper and a wrapping paper feeder coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly and configured to feed the treated wrapping paper to the filter processing sub-assembly.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing tobacco products involves unwinding a continuous web of wrapping paper from a supply bobbin of a wrapping paper processing assembly of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus, treating the wrapping paper in the wrapping paper processing assembly, and feeding the treated wrapping paper to a filter processing sub-assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus.
According to the first aspect the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper. In some embodiments, the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly. In some embodiments, the wrapping paper processing unit includes a tipping paper flavouring unit. In some embodiments, the wrapping paper feeder includes a tipping paper feeder.
According to some embodiments of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper printing unit configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin with graphical print marks.
According to some embodiments of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper embossing unit configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.
According to the first aspect the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper splicing unit coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit and adapted to cut the continuous web of tipping paper in half.
According to some embodiments of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus the in-line tipping paper processing assembly further comprises a tipping paper gluing unit coupled downstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit and configured to apply adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper. ln some embodiments of the method for manufacturing tobacco products according to the second aspect of the invention, the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper and the wrapping paper processing assembly includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus.
In some embodiments, graphically marks are printed on the continuous web of tipping paper and can be printed by a tipping paper printing unit configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.
In some embodiments, the continuous web of tipping paper is embossed by a tipping paper embossing unit configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.
In some embodiments, the step of splicing the continuous web of tipping paper to cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half is carried out by a tipping paper splicing unit coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises a step of applying an adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper before attachment of a tobacco rod with a tobacco product filter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the invention and the advantages thereof, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:
Fig. 1 shows a schematic illustrating functional blocks of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 2 shows a flow diagram which schematically represents a method for manufacturing tobacco products according to a further embodiment of the invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate particular embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood with reference to the following detailed description.
It will be appreciated that common and/or well understood elements that may be useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are not necessarily depicted in order to facilitate a more abstracted view of the embodiments. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily illustrated to scale relative to each other. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps in an embodiment of a method may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrences while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used in the present specification have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study, except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, the term "heated tobacco product" or "heat-not-burn product" includes all tobacco products that produce aerosols containing nicotine and other chemicals to be inhaled by users. Heated tobacco products mimic the behaviour of smoking conventional cigarettes. For consumption of heated tobacco products specifically designed electric heating systems are used to contain a specimen of a heated tobacco product therein for heating and forming an aerosol. In order to produce the aerosol, the heating systems heat the tobacco contained in the heated tobacco product to a temperature lower than an ignition temperature of the tobacco mixture so that compounds of the tobacco mixture are vaporized and transported within the heating system towards a user inhaling the vapor/aerosol.
As used herein, the term "tobacco product" may include any "heated tobacco product" or "heat-not-burn product" as detailed above. The term "tobacco product" may also include any readily-made combustible tobacco product that is designed to be smoked by combustion of the tobacco material contained in the product, including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, little cigars, blunts and beedis.
Fig. 1 of the drawings shows a schematic illustrating functional blocks of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 may in particular include a tobacco product rod maker 1. Such a rod maker 1 produces rods of shredded tobacco material wrapped by wrapping paper. The tobacco product rods produced by the rod maker 1 are transferred automatically to a filter processing sub-assembly 2a of a filter tipping assembly 2 downstream of the tobacco product rod maker 1, for example using a suitable transfer apparatus.
The rod maker 1 may produce single length or double length tobacco product rods as semi-finished product in the manufacturing process. The single or double length rods are transferred to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a as a whole. During the transfer, double length tobacco product rods may optionally be split at their centre. The split double length tobacco product rods may be provided with a double length filter which is inserted in between the two resulting single length rods. Alternatively, if single length tobacco product rods are transferred over to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a, a tobacco product filter may be attached to one end of the single length tobacco product rods.
In any case, the filter processing sub-assembly 2a is further designed to wrap wrapping paper around the single length or split double length tobacco rods with the attached tobacco product filter(s). The wrapping paper used in the filter processing sub-assembly 2a is also referred to as "tipping paper" as it covers both the wrapping paper wrapped around the raw tobacco rods as well as any plug wrap wrapped around the filter element.
In case of double length tobacco product rods, the double length filter is then cut at its mid-point to produce two completed tobacco products, such as cigarettes or heat-not-burn sticks with a filter attached. The separated readily manufactured tobacco products may then be aligned in their orientation and may be passed on to a downstream packaging assembly 3 of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10. Different paper types are used in manufacturing tobacco products, such as plug wrap paper, rod wrapping paper or tipping paper. The tipping paper may be used for wrapping a filter and a tobacco rod integrally. To wrap a rod-like semi-finished product - a raw tobacco rod, a filter or a combination of filter and tobacco rod - with any type of wrapping paper, the length of the wrapping paper is selected to be slightly longer than the circumference of the rod-like semi-finished product. That way, the two opposing end portions of the length of wrapping paper will be superimposed on top of each other at a segment of the rod-like semi-finished product. At this segment - also called a "wrap portion" - the two end portions may be glued to each other. An adhesive may already be applied to one end portion of the wrapping paper of any type.
The filter tipping assembly 2 further includes an in-line wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 that is installed in the filter tipping assembly 2 and coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a. The wrapping paper processing assembly 4 may in particular be a tipping paper processing assembly, configured to pre-process tipping paper in-line with the production of the remaining semi-finished tobacco products, i.e. the tipping paper is processed essentially simultaneously and just-in- time in parallel to the processing of the semi-finished tobacco products.
With the wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 it may be possible to process any type of wrapping paper for tobacco products in-line. The wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 may include various subassemblies that can apply embossing patterns, flavourings and/or print marks and graphical patterns to the wrapping paper. The built-in solution of the wrapping paper processing sub- assembly 4 may advantageously substitute for any stand-alone equipment where wrapping paper of any type needs to be pre-processed before it is fed to a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus. In the exemplary configuration of Fig. 1, the wrapping paper processing assembly 4 including a supply bobbin 6 configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper. Downstream of the supply bobbin 6, a wrapping paper processing unit 7 is arranged and configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin. The wrapping paper processing unit 7 may be used to treat the wrapping paper in order to apply embossing, printing and/or flavouring to the continuous web of wrapping paper. The correspondingly treated web of wrapping paper may be transferred to a wrapping paper feeder 5 that is installed in the filter tipping assembly 2. The embossed, printed and/or flavoured web of wrapping paper can be fed to the filter processing sub-assembly 2a for further processing.
In particular variations, the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper, specifically when the in-line wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 is an in-line tipping paper processing assembly. In some variations, the wrapping paper processing unit 7 may in such cases be a tipping paper flavouring unit and the wrapping paper feeder 5 may be a tipping paper feeder. In some variations, a tipping paper printing unit 8 may further be included in the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly 4. The tipping paper printing unit 8 may be configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin 6 with graphical print marks.
In some variations, a tipping paper embossing unit 9 may further be included in the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly 4. The tipping paper embossing unit 9 may be configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin 6.
The in-line tipping paper processing assembly 4 may further comprise a tipping paper splicing unit 6a that is coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit 7. The tipping paper splicing unit 6a may cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half so that two separate webs of tipping paper of desired length and/or width may be simultaneously flavoured in the tipping paper flavouring unit 7.
Additionally, a tipping paper gluing unit 7a may be provided downstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit 7. The tipping paper gluing unit 7a may be used to apply adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper, specifically in the wrap portions of the flavoured web of tipping paper.
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a flowchart of stages of a method M for manufacturing a tobacco product, for example a cigarette or a heat-not-burn product. The method M includes as a first stage M1 an unwinding of a continuous web of wrapping paper from a supply bobbin 6 of a wrapping paper processing sub-assembly 4 of a filter tipping assembly 2. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus used in conjunction with the method M may for example be a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 as described and illustrated with reference to Fig. 1.
In a second stage M2, the wrapping paper is treated, i.e. flavoured, embossed and/or printed, in the wrapping paper processing assembly 4. The treated wrapping paper is then fed in a third stage M3 to a filter tipping assembly 2 of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10. The wrapping paper may in particular comprise tipping paper and the wrapping paper processing assembly 4 may in particular include an in-line tipping paper processing assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10. The method M of Fig. 2 may advantageously allow for an in-line processing of tipping paper in a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus, such as the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 of Fig. 1.

Claims

1. A tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10), comprising: a tobacco product rod maker (1); a filter tipping assembly (2) downstream of the tobacco product rod maker (1), the filter tipping assembly (2) comprising a filter processing sub- assembly (2a) configured to receive single-length or double-length tobacco rods from the tobacco product rod maker (1), to attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rods and to wrap wrapping paper around the tobacco rods with the attached tobacco product filter; and an in-line wrapping paper processing assembly (4) as part of the filter-tipping assembly (2) and coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly (2a), the wrapping paper processing assembly (4) including a supply bobbin (6) configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper, a wrapping paper processing unit (7) configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin and to treat the wrapping paper in order to apply flavouring to the continuous web of wrapping paper and a wrapping paper feeder (5) coupled to the filter processing sub-assembly (2a) and configured to feed the flavoured, printed and/or embossed wrapping paper (5) to the filter processing sub-assembly (2a), wherein the wrapping paper comprises tipping paper, wherein the in-line wrapping paper processing assembly (4) includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly, wherein the wrapping paper processing unit (7) includes a tipping paper flavouring unit and wherein the wrapping paper feeder (5) includes a tipping paper feeder, the in-line tipping paper processing assembly (4) further comprising: a tipping paper splicing unit (6a) coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit (7) and adapted to cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half.
2. The cigarette manufacturing apparatus (10) according to claim 1, wherein the wrapping paper processing unit (7) is additionally configured to treat the wrapping paper in order to apply printing to the continuous web of wrapping paper.
3. The cigarette manufacturing apparatus (10) according to claim 2, the in-line tipping paper processing assembly (4) further comprising: a tipping paper printing unit (8) configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin (6) with graphical print marks.
4. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the wrapping paper processing unit (7) is additionally configured to treat the wrapping paper in order to apply embossing to the continuous web of wrapping paper.
5. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10) according to claim 4, the in-line tipping paper processing assembly (4) further comprising: a tipping paper embossing unit (9) configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin (6).
6. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 5, the in-line tipping paper processing assembly (4) further comprising: a tipping paper gluing unit (7a) coupled downstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit (7) and configured to apply adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper.
7. A method (M) for manufacturing a tobacco product, the method (M) comprising: unwinding (M1) a continuous web of wrapping paper comprising tipping paper from a supply bobbin (6) of a wrapping paper processing sub- assembly (4) of a filter tipping assembly (2) of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10); splicing the continuous web of tipping paper to cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half; treating (M2) the wrapping paper in the wrapping paper processing assembly (4); and feeding the treated wrapping paper to a filter processing sub- assembly (2a) of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10).
8. The method (M) according to claim 7, wherein the wrapping paper processing assembly (4) includes an in-line tipping paper processing assembly of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10).
9. The method (M) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein graphical marks are printed on the continuous web of tipping paper.
10. The method (M) according to claim 9, wherein the graphical marks are printed by a tipping paper printing unit (8) configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin (6).
11. The method (M) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the continuous web of tipping paper is embossed by a tipping paper embossing unit (9) configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin (6).
12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the step of splicing the continuous web of tipping paper to cut the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin in half is carried out by a tipping paper splicing unit (6a) coupled upstream to the tipping paper flavouring unit (7).
13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, further comprising a step of applying an adhesive to the flavoured tipping paper before attachment of a tobacco rod with a tobacco product filter.
EP20761571.7A 2019-08-28 2020-08-25 Tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with in-line wrapping paper processing assembly Pending EP4021215A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19194061 2019-08-28
PCT/EP2020/073713 WO2021037833A1 (en) 2019-08-28 2020-08-25 Tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with in-line wrapping paper processing assembly

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EP4021215A1 true EP4021215A1 (en) 2022-07-06

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EP20761571.7A Pending EP4021215A1 (en) 2019-08-28 2020-08-25 Tobacco product manufacturing apparatus with in-line wrapping paper processing assembly

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EP (1) EP4021215A1 (en)
JP (1) JP2022545996A (en)
KR (1) KR20220050893A (en)
CN (1) CN114727648A (en)
WO (1) WO2021037833A1 (en)

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GB0809135D0 (en) 2008-05-20 2008-06-25 British American Tobacco Co Apparatus and method for making a smoking article
US9220297B2 (en) * 2009-08-07 2015-12-29 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Materials, equipment, and methods for manufacturing cigarettes
GB0917468D0 (en) * 2009-10-06 2009-11-18 British American Tobacco Co Printed and embossed wrapper for a smoking article and smoking article including a printed and embossed wrapper
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GB201419838D0 (en) * 2014-11-07 2014-12-24 British American Tobacco Co Smoking article assembly machine and method of making a smoking article

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WO2021037833A1 (en) 2021-03-04
KR20220050893A (en) 2022-04-25
JP2022545996A (en) 2022-11-02

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