GB2087216A - Cigarette making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<IMAGE> <H0> Cigarette making apparatusu

Description

SPECIFICATION Cigarette making apparatus The present invention relates to cigarette making apparatus. It is particularly applicable to semiautomatic cigarette making machines, for example, for making cigarettes from unusual and difficult to handle smoking material and/or of unusual shape.

One such example is the Indonesian Kretektype of cigarette which is traditionally filled with a clove and tobacco mixture and made in a conical shape.

In the following it is to be understood that the term "smoking material" is intended to cover any substance or mixture used as a cigarette filling, for example tobacco, tobacco substitute and a mixture of cloves and tobacco.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for making tapered cigarettes, including a smoking material piling column tapering in a direction transverse to the direction of feed, a flexible roller band arranged to receive a charge of smoking material from the column and means for moving the band along an arcuate path to roll the charge into a generally tapered rod.

According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect the band passes around the charge to roll it to form the rod, and means are provided for tensioning the band to radially compress the rod to the required dimensions The rolling step tends to encourage the smoking material to spread more evenly throughout the rod length. However, in high viscosity tobacco mixtures, such as is used in Kretek cigarettes, this will not happen so easily unless the charge is rolled at very low density and is compressed after it has been rolled.

Hence a second aspect of the present invention provides apparatus for making cigarettes, comprising two parallel opposing walls, means for rolling a charge of smoking material between the walls into a rod the ends of which abut respective ones of the walls, means for subsequently radially compressing the rod and means for wrapping the compressed rod in a cigarette wrapper.

There is also provided a method of making cigarettes, comprising the respective steps of rolling a charge of smoking material at a low density, for example a density of approximately half the completed cigarette density, radially compressing the rolled charge and wrapping the compressed rolled charge in a cigarattewrapper.

Smoking material may be supplied to the piling column of the apparatus of the first aspect from a spiked roller which picks tobacco from the bottom of a feed chute. Preferably the feed chute is oscillated to help prevent clogging of the roller.

The rolled, compressed, tapered rod produced by the apparatus of the first aspect is then wrapped to produce a finished cigarette. The preferred embodiment accomplishes this by holding the wrapper on the band by suction and rolling the rod in the band over the wrapper to draw the wrapper into the part of the band which is rolled around the rod and hence to wrap the rod in the wrapper.

A third aspect of the present invention provides apparatus for making cigarettes, comprising a flexible band, means for applying suction through the band to hold a cigarette wrapper at a wrapping station, means for rolling the band around a rodshaped charge of smoking material and means for moving the rod-shaped charge whilst rolled in the band over the cigarette wrapper so that the wrapper is fed into the rolled part of the band and is wrapped around the charge.

The suction is preferably applied through a row of holes in the band and is effected by bellows operated by a foot control.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a general view of a cigarette making apparatus embodying the invention: Figure 2 shows the configuration of the rolling belt of Figure 1 in plan view; Figures 3A to 3G show a sequence of operations in the making of a cigarette using the apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring first to Figure 1, a cigarette making machine is shown which comprises a feed chute 1 into which a smoking material such as tobacco 2 is loaded, a spiked roller 3 for tranferring the smoking material from the feed chute 1 into a piling duct 4, and tobacco rolling and wrapping apparatus 5. The rolling and wrapping apparatus 5 comprises a flexible band 6 which has one end anchored at point 7 passes over a generally flat surface 8, a duct 9 and rollers 10 and 11, and is anchored at its other end to a tensioning bar 12. The rollers 10 and 11 are rotatably mounted on a carrier 13 which is movable along an arcuate path marked by an arrow 14 A funnel 15 is mounted on the carrier 13 so that when the carrier 13 is in the position shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3A the funnel 15 is in line with the piling duct 4 and the duct 9.A knife 16 is mounted above the carrier 13 at the top of a metering section 4A of piling duct 4 to cut through tobacco in the piling duct 4.

The flat surface 8 is inclined to the horizontal by 15 , but is shown horizontal in Figures 3Ato G for convenience of illustration.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the flexible band 6 if Figure 1 and shows the arcuate shape of this band and of carrier 13 for rolling tapered cigarettes.

Feed chute 1 is fed with tobacco or other smoking substance manually, though or course an automatic system could be instituted. A flap 23 in the upper wall of feed chute 1 is hinged at hinge 24 so as to lift to allow tobacco 2 to pile up against the roller 3 hence alleviating pressure on the roller 3. This piling up is not specifically shown in Figure 1. Alternatively or in addition, feed chute 1 may be arranged to oscillate in the directions of arrows 22 to alleviate pressure on the spiked roller 3 and hence to avoid jams. This is particularly necessary with kretektype tobacco which has a high Poisson ratio and friction factor.Preferably the feed chute 1 is arranged to pivot from an initial orientation of 35 to the horizontal, upwards to an orientation of 50 to the horizontal while the roller 3 is stationary, and downwards as the roller 3 rotates in a clockwise direction.

The roller3 may be constructed from a wooden drum wrapped with a stainless steel sheet of, for example, 0.5 mm thickness. The sheet is punched to provide spikes 17. These spikes 17 carry tobacco 2 into piling duct 4.

Piling duct 4 is tapered in cross-section for making tapered cigarettes; for example, the distance between the walls 4B and 4C of the piling duct 4 may taper from 13mm to 9mm. However, because the feed rate of the roller 3 is uniform along its length, additional means are needed to ensure the differential spread of tobacco along the cigarette length. This means is provided by a number of inclined plates 18 mounted in the piling duct 4, which deflect some of the tobacco towards the wider side of the piling duct.

The wall 4C of the piling duct is pivoted at 4D (or may be otherwise movable) so as to be movable away from the wall 4B when access is required to the interior of the piling duct 4.

Tobacco falling down piling duct4 is divided into metered doses by means of a knife 16 which is spring loaded. A metered dose then falls through funnel 15 into the loop of band 6 which lies in duct 9.

Suction is applied to duct 9 by means of foot operated bellows to ensure that the band adopts this looped configuration.

The rolling and wrapping stages of cigarette making with this machine will now be described with reference to Figures 3A to 3G.

Figures 3A shows knife 16 blocking the piling duct 4 having discharged a metered dose of tobacco 2 into the loop in band 6.

The carrier 13 then moves in the direction of arrow 14, as shown in Figure 3B, so that the originally trough shaped loop in band 6 is drawn into a cylindrical shape and the metered charge of tobacco 2 is formed into a rod.

At this stage in the operation of the apparatus the operator will position a cigarette wrapper 19 ready for wrapping the rod at a later stage. The wrapper 19 is placed on top of band 6 as shown in Figure 3B with one edge directly over a small suction duct 20 which may be operated by foot operated bellows, preferably under control of the same foot pedal as that which operates the bellows for duct 9. A row of holes 21 in the band 6 over the suction duct 20 ensures that the wrapper 19 is held in position by the suction.

The carrier 13 moves further in the direction of arrow 14 pulling the rod of tobacco 2 within the cylindrical loop of band 6 up and out of suction duct 9 and into the hollow inside of carrier 13 behind rollers 10 and 11 as shown in Figure 3C. Carrier 13 has side walls (not shown) covering the ends of the tobacco rod. These side wills are preferably made of a very low friction material such as ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. The tobacco is thus rolled into a rod of substantially uniform density.

As the carrier 13 continues to roll the tobacco by moving in the direction of arrow 14, tension rod 12 is moved in the opposite direction to arrow 14. This tightens band 6 and causes the cylindrical loop in the band 6, accommodating the tobacco rod, to be reduced in diameter, thus radially compressing the tobacco rod, as shown in Figure 3D. The diameter of the final cigarette can be selected by adjusting the position to which tension bar 12 moves.

The rolled compressed tobacco rod thus approaches the cigarette wrapper 19 held by suction on band 6.

At this stage the knife 16 is drawn back to allow tobacoo in piling duct 4 to fall into the lower, metering duct, section 4A of the piling duct 4.

As the carrier 13 moves over the wrapper 19 the wrapper 19 is drawn into the cylindrical loop of band 6 and is wrapped around the tobacco rod to form a completed cigarette as shown in Figure 3E. Carrier 13 continues to move in the direction of arrow 14 pulling the wrapped cigarette with it as shown in Figure 3F.

Towards the right hand side of the apparatus of the Figures the surface 8 slopes down to anchor point 7. As roller 10 of carrier 13 reaches this sloping portion the wrapped cigarette is no longer surrounded by band 6 and is ejected as shown in Figure 3G. Simulaneous with ejection of the finished cigarette the knife 16 is released and under the action of a strong spring moves quickly across the feed chute 4 to cut off the required metered dose of tobacco in metering duct 4A ready for the next cigarette. Carrier 13 is then moved rapidly back in the direction opposite to arrow 14, suction is applied to duct 9 to draw the band back into the trough shaped loop to receive the metered dose of tobacco, and the process may be repeated to make a second cigarette.

Preferably suction is only applied to suction duct 20 during stages 3A, B, C and D, in order to avoid air feed to the bellows applying suction to duct 9, which would otherwise require the suction duct 9 bellows to be of greater capacity.

Even more acurate metering of the tobacco charges can be made if the roller drum is arranged so that it does not feed tobacco to the piling duct 4 just prior to the cut. This avoids density fluctuations caused by the inertia of the tobacco showering down. However, this refinement can be omitted without great detriment to the quality of the cigarettes in the case of Kretektobacco as this type of tobacco has a very low sensitivity to pressure variations.

Claims (16)

1. Apparatus for making tapered cigarettes comprising a piling column for feeding smoking material tapering in a direction trasverse to the direction of feed, a flexible roller band arranged to receive a charge of smoking material from the column and means for moving the band along an arcuate path to roll the charge into a generally tapered rod.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 comprising means for passing the band around the charge of smoking material to roll it and means for tensioning the band to radially compress the rod to required dimensions.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the tensioning means is arranged to operate subsequent to the rolling means in the formation of each rod.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims comprising an arcuate support block to which one end of the roller band is attached and an arcute hollow sliding member, carrying at least one roller towards its forward end, over which the roller band passes, and arranged to be slideable over the support block to roll the band around the charge of smoking material within the sliding member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 comprising a tensioning bar which is fixed in relation to the support block, and to which the other end of the roller band is fixed.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the position ofthetensioning bar is adjustable to adjust the diameter of the finished cigarettes.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a feed chute for holding smoking material and a spiked roller arranged between the feed chute and the piling column to pick smoking material from the feed chute to supply the piling column, and means for oscillating the feed chute thereby to alleviate clogging of the roller.

8. Apparatus for making cigarettes comprising two parallel opposing walls, means for rolling a charge of smoking material between the wails into a rod the ends of which abut respective ones of the walls, means for subsequently radially compressing the rod and means for wrapping the compressed rod in a cigarette wrapper.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims comprising suction means for holding a web of wrapping material on the roller band and means for rolling the rod in the band over the wrapping material to draw the wrapping material into the part of the band which is rolled around the rod and hence to wrap the rod in the wrapping material.

10. Apparatus for making cigarettes comprising a flexible band, means for applying suction through the band to hold a cigarette wrapper at a wrapping station, means for rolling the band around a rodshaped charge of smoking material and means for moving the rod-shaped charge whilst rolled in the band over the cigarette wrapper so that the wrapper is fed into the rolled part of the band and is wrapped around the charge.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9 or 10 wherein the band has a row of holes and the suction means comprises bellows operable by a foot control.

12. Apparatus for making cigarettes subsstantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of making cigarettes using the apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A method of making cigarettes comprising the respective steps of rolling a charge of smoking material at a density lower than the required completed cigarette density, radially compressing the rolled charge and wrapping the compressed rolled charge in a cigarette wrapper.

15. A method of making cigarettes according to claim 14 wherein the lower density is approximately ha If the required completed cigarette density.

16. A method of making cigarettes substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.