KR20190029713A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing liquid filled capsules - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of making a liquid filled capsule for use in smoking articles. The method includes providing a capsule shell (101) comprising a cavity (106) and having an open end (105); Through the open end 105 of the shell 101 so that a space or spacing delta is formed between the upper surface of the liquid L that is dispensed into the cavity 106 and the open end 105 of the shell 101. [ Dispensing a quantity of liquid (L) into the chamber (106); And sealing the open end (105) of the shell (101) with a portion of sheet material to provide a liquid filled capsule (100) containing a quantity of liquid (L); . The present invention also provides an apparatus for producing a liquid filled capsule for use in a smoking article. The apparatus includes a holder for holding one or more capsule shells (101); A conveyor that moves or conveys one or more capsule shells (101) with the holder; The liquid L is dispensed into each cavity 106 of the capsule shell 101 and is predefined between the upper surface of the liquid L dispensed into the cavity 106 and the open end 105 of each of the shells 101 A filling station (3) configured to leave a spaced or spaced distance (δ); And a sealing station (4) sealing the open end (105) of each of the shells (101) with a portion of the sheet material to form the capsule (100); . The present invention also provides a liquid filling capsule for use in a smoking article. The capsule comprises a capsule shell (101) having an open end (105) and a cavity (106) as a filling inlet; A quantity of liquid L contained in the cavity 106; And a cap 102 sealingly covering the end portion 105 and having a predetermined gap between the upper surface of the liquid L contained in the cavity 106 and the open end 105 of the shell 101 delta] is formed.

Description

Method and apparatus for manufacturing liquid filled capsules

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a rupturable capsule filled with a liquid used in a smoking article such as a cigarette, and also relates to a rupturable capsule itself filled with a liquid.

Smoking products such as cigarettes are generally used as a consumer favorite product having a cylindrical rod shape. In the form of a cut filler, a filler made of a smoking material such as a tobacco leaf is packed in paper wrapping paper, Called "tobacco rod" Further, the cigarette generally has a cylindrical filter element in which the cigarette part and the end are connected to each other. The filter element may comprise, for example, a cellulose acetate tow, which is circumscribed by a paper material known as a "plug wrap ". Generally, the filter element is attached to one end of the cigarette using an external wrapping material known as a "tipping paper ".

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Consumer demands for smoking articles that provide various sensory attributes in recent years are increasing, and consumer demands for cigarettes containing filter elements that can act as a medium to impart flavor to the smoke of cigarettes are increasing. In particular, these smoking articles contain flavor-changing substances in rupturable pellets or capsules. During the manufacturing process of the cigarette, the filter material has the shape of a long elongated rod with pellets or capsules positioned (e.g., extending along its longitudinal axis) within the bar structure. The elongated filter rod is then divided or cut at predetermined intervals to form a plurality of filter elements, each filter element comprising at least one capsule. The consumer then manually ruptures the capsule to release the substance in the capsule into the filter material, which serves to change the flavor or taste of the smoke during smoking.

For this purpose, a breakable capsule with a liquid containing shell or casing is used. The shell or casing has a cavity for receiving and holding the liquid and includes an open end that is generally sealed or capped. The casing or shell may include a predetermined rupture region such that the casing or shell may preferentially rupture in the rupture region when the consumer applies pressure to the capsule. In this way, it is possible to control the release of the liquid so that the liquid is directed to the desired area.

The Japanese patent application published as JP H 05-330503 discloses a manufacturing method for mass-producing such liquid-filled rupturable capsules. As shown in Fig. 4 (included in Fig. 1 of the present application) of this Japanese patent application, the tray feed region B includes a plurality of capsule shells 2 arranged and arranged in the sheet 1) Feed the tray (3) located below. The heat sealing apparatus C thermally fuses the sheet 1 to the respective shells 2 on the tray 3 and the cross feeding device D cuts the sheets 1 fused to the respective shells 2 A square cover is formed on each shell (2). The upper cover wrapping apparatus E bends the edge region of the cover to the outer peripheral surface of the shell. The discharging device G discharges the tray 3 together with the completed capsule, and the sheet winding portion F winds the remaining sheet 1 from which the cover has been cut.

Known techniques for producing such liquid filled capsules are known to overproduce capsules which do not meet desired operating or use requirements, for example in terms of the amount of liquid contained within the capsules and / or the sealing efficiency. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for producing liquid filled capsules for use in smoking articles. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to increase the production yield of capsules having suitable capsule filling and / or sealing efficiency in the process of producing such liquid filled capsules.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for manufacturing a liquid filled capsule for use in a smoking article having the features described in claims 1 and 9, respectively. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid filled capsule having the features of claim 13. Various advantages and / or features of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method of making a liquid filled capsule for use in a smoking article comprising:

Providing a capsule shell comprising a cavity and having an open end;

Dispensing a quantity of liquid into the cavity through the open end of the shell such that a space or gap is formed between the upper surface of the liquid dispensed into the cavity and the open end of the shell; And

Sealing the open end of the shell with a sheet material such as a polymer sheet or film to provide a rupturable capsule containing an amount of liquid; .

In this regard, the inventors have found that the amount of liquid in the cavity has a significant effect or impact on the production and performance characteristics of the capsules. For example, the ability to seal the open end of the shell can be reduced accordingly, especially if the speed of the production process increases. On the other hand, if the filling rate of the capsule is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the capsule will generally not contain sufficient liquid, and the consumer can experience an unsatisfactory smoking experience. On the other hand, if the space or gap between the open end of the shell and the liquid is below a predetermined threshold, the capsule may not be properly sealed and leakage may occur at that location before the smoking article reaches the consumer .

It will be appreciated that the term "filling ratio " as used herein refers to the ratio of the volume of liquid contained within the capsule to the filling capacity of the capsule cavity. As used herein, the term "filling capacity" refers to the nominal value of the volume of the cavity defined by the shell, not the actual value of the volume of the cavity taking account of the allowed manufacturing tolerances Be careful.

In one embodiment, the space or spacing is a linear dimension measured from the upper surface of the dispensed liquid into the cavity and from the open end of the capsule shell. That is, the gap is generally measured between the upper surface of the liquid and the rim or edge of the open end of the shell. In this regard, it will be appreciated that such measurements are performed in capsules generally positioned in upright orientation, i. E. With the sealed open end (i. E. The packed end) of the capsule facing up. The space or space is preferably 0.4 mm or more, more preferably 0.6 mm or more, and even more preferably 0.8 mm or more.

The interval can be measured using, for example, a laser measuring apparatus that measures two relative distances from the reference position. In this regard, the first relative distance corresponds to the distance between the sealing end (excluding the thickness of the sealing sheet or "cap") and the reference position, and the second relative distance corresponds to the distance between the upper surface of the liquid and the reference position Respectively. Then, the interval is calculated as the absolute value of the difference between the first relative distance and the second relative distance.

In one embodiment, the dispensed liquid may comprise a purified water or a water-based liquid containing dissolved or suspended flavor material. This liquid generally produces a negative meniscus, so that the upper surface of the liquid will be located at a position where the liquid in the cavity will contact the side wall of the shell.

In one embodiment, the step of dispensing an amount of liquid comprises providing a capsule having a filling rate within a predetermined minimum range, preferably within a predefined range. As described above, the filling rate of the capsule is the ratio of the amount of liquid dispensed to the cavity filling capacity. The predetermined minimum filling rate is preferably 0.5. The predefined range of fill factor is preferably 0.5 to 0.9, more preferably 0.75 to 0.9, most preferably 0.8 to 0.9. A fill factor of 0.88 was found to provide exceptionally good production and performance characteristics of the capsules.

In one embodiment, the step of sealing the open end of the shell comprises covering the open end of the capsule shell with a portion of the sheet material; Fusing or bonding a portion of the sheet material to seal the open end of the shell; And cutting the excess sheet material from a portion of the sheet material, particularly at the sealed end of the shell, in particular from the rim. Preferably, the step of sealing the open end of the shell includes substantially contouring or shaping the end of the shell while cutting the excess sheet material from the sealing end of the shell. A cover or closure formed by the sheet material on the end of the shell may be referred to as a cap. Because the capsule is of a relatively small size, the sheet material is preferably cut with a rotary blade cutter having a diameter generally ranging from 2.5 mm to 8.0 mm. Alternatively, a laser or punch can be used to cut the sheet material.

In one embodiment, a method of making a liquid filled capsule for use in a smoking article includes the steps of: inspecting for manufacturing defects in the liquid filled capsule or parts thereof (e.g., liquid contained within the capsule shell, cover or shell); And identifying the capsule as a defect if a manufacturing defect is detected. Possible manufacturing defects may include, for example, deviation or misalignment of shell dimensions, misalignment of covers and shells, and / or liquid leakage. As used herein, the term " manufacturing defect " means an unacceptably deviating or inconsistent deviation from a target or desired manufacturing parameter, i. E., A deviation or inconsistency beyond a predetermined tolerance range. Preferably, the method comprises rejecting the capsule identified as defective. In this manner, the defective capsule can be drained or removed from the smoking article manufacturing process without additional processing. This may result in a waste that is not satisfactory for use in a smoking article, such as, for example, not satisfactorily operating on the consumer in use, or may be broken during the production of the smoking article to cause waste generation and / or equipment contamination Do not waste the manufacturing effort on the capsule.

In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: providing a holding device for holding a capsule shell; Inserting the liquid into the cavity, sealing the open end of the shell, inspecting the manufacturing defect of the capsule or its component, identifying the capsule as defective if a manufacturing defect is detected, and rejecting the capsule identified as defective Carrying the holding device with the capsule shell between and / or within at least one of the treating steps; . In a preferred embodiment, the holding device is configured to hold a plurality of capsule shells. Thus, the holding device can be comprised of a tray having a plurality of cells or receptacles, each of which is configured to hold a corresponding capsule shell. The capsule shell is carried between or during two or more of the above dispensing, sealing, inspecting, identifying and rejecting processing steps.

As can be appreciated, distributing the liquid into the cavity through the open end of the capsule shell substantially comprises filling the cavity of the shell with liquid. When a holding device configured to hold a plurality of capsule shells is used, the step of dispensing liquid or filling the cavity may occur simultaneously for a plurality of capsule shells. In this regard, a liquid dispensing device configured to dispense or inject liquid simultaneously into a plurality of shell cavities may be used.

When a holding device configured to hold a plurality of capsule shells is used, in one embodiment,

Positioning a plurality of capsule shells on the holding device;

Referring to the position of each individual shell relative to the holding device; And

Inserting a liquid into the cavity; sealing the open end of the shell; inspecting the manufacturing defect of the capsule or its component; identifying the capsule as a defect if a manufacturing defect is detected; Conveying the holding device with the capsule shell between at least two of the rejecting steps; .

By referring to the position of each individual shell relative to the holding device using a position reference conveyor system and carrying the holding device, the relative position of each individual shell is known and tracked along the path of the manufacturing process . As a result, when the defective capsule is identified and / or rejected, the origin of the capsule can be tracked, thereby reducing maintenance time.

When a holding device configured to hold a plurality of capsule shells is used in the method of the present invention, the step of sealing the open end of the shell comprises: covering the open end of the capsule shell with a portion of the sheet material; Fusing or bonding a portion of the sheet material to seal the open end of the shell; And cutting the excess sheet material from the portion of the sheet material at the sealed end of the shell. The step of sealing the open end of the shell substantially contouring or shaping the end of the shell; And this step may be performed during the step of cutting the extra sheet material at the sealed end of the shell.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid-filled capsule for use in a smoking article,

A holder for holding one or more capsule shells;

A conveyor that moves or conveys one or more capsule shells with the holder;

A filling station configured to dispense liquid into each of the cavities of the capsule shell and leave a predefined space or gap between the upper surface of the liquid dispensed into the cavity and the open end of each of the shells; And

A sealing station sealing the open end of each of the shells with a portion of the sheet material to form a capsule; .

In one embodiment, the predefined space or spacing is at least 0.4 mm, preferably at least 0.6 mm, more preferably at least 0.8 mm.

In one embodiment, the holder holding the one or more capsule shells includes a tray having a plurality of cells, each of the plurality of cells configured to hold or receive a corresponding capsule shell. The conveyor for moving or transporting the holder may include one or more of a conveyor arm, a conveyor belt, and a turntable. The filling station preferably includes one or more nozzles in fluid communication with a supply reservoir of the liquid. Each nozzle is configured to dispense a predetermined amount of liquid through the open end of each shell into each of the corresponding shells.

In one embodiment, the sealing station comprises a supply roll of sheet material; A heat sealer for fusing the sheet material to the rim of the open end of each of the capsules; And / or a cutter for cutting the extra sheet material from the edges of the ends of each of the capsules. The sheet material is preferably drawn from the feed roller by a feed roller. The cutter is preferably configured to cut the excess sheet material to contour or shape the rim of each of the capsules.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a discharge conveyor for discharging the capsules from an inspection station to a delivery station. The discharge conveyor preferably consists of a vacuum conveyor which draws the capsules from the holders or through suction.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a rejecting station from which the defective capsule is removed.

According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a liquid filling capsule for use in a smoking article, said capsule comprising: a capsule shell having an open end and a cavity to be a filling inlet; A quantity of liquid contained within the cavity; And a cap covering and sealing the end portion. The capsule has a predefined space or spacing between the upper surface of the liquid contained within the cavity and the open end of the shell.

In one embodiment, the maximum diameter of the capsule is in the range of 2.5 mm to 8.0 mm, preferably 3.0 mm to 7.5 mm, more preferably 3.5 mm to 7.0 mm. In this regard, fat slim cigarettes, super slim cigarettes and the like generally have a maximum capsule diameter corresponding to the minimum value in the above range.

In one embodiment, the height of the capsule is in the range of 3 mm to 17 mm, preferably 6 mm to 14 mm, more preferably 8 mm to 12 mm, particularly preferably 9 mm to 11 mm.

In one embodiment, the predefined space or spacing is at least 0.4 mm, preferably at least 0.6 mm, more preferably at least 0.8 mm. For example, the predefined spacing or spacing may be about 1.0 mm.

In one embodiment, the filling rate of the capsule is above a predetermined minimum value, preferably within a predefined range. The predetermined minimum value of the filling rate is 0.5, and the predefined range of the filling rate is preferably 0.5 to 0.9, more preferably 0.75 to 0.9, most preferably 0.8 to 0.9. In this regard, the filling capacity of the cavity may be in the range of 50 μl to 300 μl, preferably in the range of 75 μl to 250 μl, and alternatively in the range of 100 μl to 200 μl.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. In the several figures, like components are designated with like reference numerals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a known manufacturing method and apparatus according to the prior art.
2A is a perspective side view of a capsule made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a capsule manufactured according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
2C is a cross-sectional view of a capsule made in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2d is a schematic side view of a capsule made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a supporting device used in a conveyor shell by a manufacturing method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic view of an apparatus for practicing the method of manufacturing a capsule according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Many of the other embodiments of the present invention and the advantages accompanying the present invention will be better understood with reference to the following detailed description.

It will be appreciated that components that are generally well understood and may be useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not necessarily be shown in order to facilitate a more abstract understanding of the embodiment. The components of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale with respect to each other. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that certain operations and / or steps in an embodiment of a method may be described or described in a particular order of order, but such a particular order is not required in an actual operation. It is also to be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the usual meanings in accordance with the terms and expressions associated with the respective research and study domain, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Referring to Figures 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d, three embodiments of a liquid filled, rupturable capsule 100 according to the present invention are shown. In each case, the capsule 100 includes an open end shell 101 that is sealed to the cap 102 and sealed. The shell 101 includes a side wall 103 extending from the end wall 104 to the open end 105 to define a cavity 106 in the shell 101. Preferably, the side wall 103 terminates at the rim 107 of the open end 105 to facilitate application of the cap 102. The side wall 103 may be generally cylindrical (see Figs. 2A and 2C), or may be polyhedral (see Fig. 2B). The sidewall 103 can be tapered or narrowed from the open end 105 toward the end wall 104.

The end wall 104 of each shell 101 includes one or more weak point lines or stress concentrators 108 so that the shell 101 is preferentially ruptured when a compressive force is applied to the side walls 103 A weakened region can be created. That is, the shell 101 includes a predetermined rupturing area, so that when the consumer compresses the side of the capsule 100, the shell 101 is preferentially ruptured in the rupture area. The shell 101 is generally made of an elastically deformable material such as a polymeric material.

The cap 102 is typically formed and cut from a portion or one extension of the sheet material, such as a laminated plastic sheet material. The liquid L in the capsule may contain purified water or an aqueous liquid containing dissolved or suspended flavorings. 2D, the liquid L distributed into the cavity 106 through the open end 105 of each shell 101 passes through the upper surface of the liquid L and the open end of the shell 101, The capacity can be selected to provide a predefined spacing or spacing 8 between the electrodes 105. [ For example, the predefined spacing or spacing? May be selected in the range of about 0.8 to about 2.0 mm, preferably in the range of about 0.9 mm to about 1.5 mm.

An example of a rupturable capsule 100 that may be suitably made by the method of the present invention includes a shell 101 made of LDPE and a cap 102 made of a plastic laminate having a PE layer and a PET layer, The layer includes a layer in contact with the rim 107 of the shell 101. The thickness of such a laminate layer may generally be about 0.05 mm, i.e. about 50 m. The liquid dispensed into the capsule 100 includes purified water containing flavorings.

The target height of the shell 101 is 10.0 mm, and the target outer diameter of the shell 106 is 6.28 mm. This shell 101 has a charge capacity of 131 μl. The target height of the capsule 100 is 10.0 mm, and the target outer diameter of the shell 101 is 6.70 mm. The target volume of the contained liquid is 115 占 and the target weight of the capsule 100 including shell 101, cap 102 and water is 195 mg. In this case, this exemplary capsule 100 has an interval delta of about 0.95 mm and a packing rate of about 0.88.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, an embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention will be described. The shell 101 may be molded, preferably injection molded, in a molding station 1 having a pair of molds (not shown) configured to manufacture a shell 101 of one batch. The shell 101 then preferably comprises a cell 11 configured to receive and hold the shell 101 arranged in an array. The position of the cell 11 in the tray 10 is known by reference. As a result, each individual shell 101 has a known location in the tray 10. The tray 10 may have a capacity to maintain one or more units of manufacture of the multi-molded shell 101.

When the shell 101 is fully loaded into the tray 10, a conveyor arm (not shown) picks up the tray 10 and carries it to the shell inspection station 2. The conveyor arm carries or transports the tray 10 while maintaining individual position references. In the shell inspection station 2, the height and diameter of each shell 101 are measured, preferably optically measured by an optical measuring device such as a camera. If the measured height and / or diameter of any one of the shells 101 is deviated from the target value or is not within a predetermined tolerance range, the shell 101 is identified as a defect. This inspection step is optional, which can be omitted without departing from the invention.

The conveyor arm then picks up again the tray 10 carrying the shell 101 and transports or conveys the tray 10 to the charging station 3 located on the rotary portion C. [ As in the previous step, the conveyor arm carries the tray 10 while maintaining the position reference of the individual shells. The charging station 3 comprises a liquid reservoir connected to a plurality of nozzles, which are configured and arranged to dispense liquid simultaneously to the cavities 106 of all the shells 101 on the tray. Alternatively, however, the filling station 3 may include a reduced number of nozzles, in which case the nozzles are configured to dispense and fill only the selected shell 101 for any given time, . In this regard, the shell 101 is preferably supported and held on the tray 10 such that the open end 105 of the shell 101 is directed upwardly towards the nozzle. The nozzle fills the shell 101 from above.

After the shell cavity 106 is filled with liquid at the filling station 3, the rotating part C is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 4 to move the tray 10 to the sealing station 4, (4), a sheet material is provided to cover and seal all open ends (105) of the shell (101). The sheet material is supplied or fed from a supply roller, preferably through a feed roller (not shown), so that the open end 105 of all the shells 101 can be simultaneously covered. The sheet material is then thermally fused to the rim 107 of each of the shells 101.

The rotating portion C is further rotated in the clockwise direction as shown in Figure 4 to move the tray 10 to the cutting station 5 and to seal on the end 105 of the shell 101 at the cutting station 5 The sheet material is cut along each rim 107 to form a separate cap 102 on each capsule 100. [ The cutting station 5 preferably comprises a rotating blade cutter (not shown), which can be embodied as a roller with a blade shaped to contour the shell rim 107. A rupturable capsule 100 filled with a liquid is obtained at this stage, and each capsule 100 contains a certain amount of dispensed liquid.

The rotating portion C further rotates in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 4 to cause the tray 10 including the manufacturing unit of the rupturable capsule 100 filled with the liquid to rotate to the capsule inspection station 6. Here, measurements of each of the capsules 100 are measured or evaluated. In addition, the misalignment of the cap 102 relative to the shell 101 can be measured. It is also possible to check the aspect of the liquid L, particularly the opacity of the liquid L, at the capsule inspection station 6. [ These parameters are preferably optically measured and can be measured, for example, through an optical measuring device, such as a camera. If it is determined that any of the measured parameters of the particular capsule 100 are outside the predetermined tolerance range and deviate from the target value, the capsule 100 is identified as a defect.

4, the rotation unit C further rotates in the clockwise direction to move the tray 10 to the rejection processing station 7, and in the rejection processing station 7, the defective capsule is rejected And can be removed. In this regard, the defective capsule 100 may preferably be ejected from the tray 10 by injection of compressed air. The defective capsule 100 removed or ejected may be collected for disposal or recycling.

In an alternative embodiment, a vacuum discharge conveyor (not shown) applies a suction force to the manufacturing unit of the rupturable capsule 100 filled with the liquid and moves to the discharge area, whereby the manufacturing unit of the rupturable capsule 100 filled with liquid Can be removed from the tray (10). While the capsule 100 is being delivered, the defective capsule may be discharged from the manufacturing unit by stopping the suction force applied to the defective capsule 100, and the defective capsule may fall off the conveyor at the reject processing station.

It will be appreciated that instead of using a rotary table in this embodiment, filling, sealing, cutting, inspection and reject processing stations along a belt conveyor can be provided without departing from the invention.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that various alternatives and / or equivalents exist. It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any manner. Rather, the foregoing summary and the following detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment. It should be understood, however, that various modifications in the function and arrangement of the elements described in the exemplary embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof. Generally, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

In the present description, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "include", "including", "contain", "containing", "have", "having", and variations therefrom are inclusive (ie, . That is, the processes, methods, apparatuses, or systems described herein are not limited to the features or parts or elements or steps described, and are not explicitly described or inherent to the processes, methods, apparatus, or systems described herein Features, portions, or steps of the present invention. Also, the terms "a" and "an ", as used herein, should be understood to mean" one or more ", unless expressly stated otherwise. Moreover, the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are used merely as symbols and are not intended to give numerical limitations on the importance of the subject or establish a particular sequence.

1 molding station
2 Shell Inspection Station
3 charging station
4 Sealing station
5 Cutting station
6 Capsule Inspection Station
7 Reject Processing Station
10 trays
11 cells
100 capsules
101 shell
102 caps
103 side wall
104 end wall
105 open end
106 joint
107 Border
108 Weak line or stress concentration
δ space or spacing
L liquid
C rotation part

Claims (15)

Providing a capsule shell (101) comprising a cavity (106) and having an open end (105);
Through the open end 105 of the shell 101 so that a space or spacing delta is formed between the upper surface of the liquid L that is dispensed into the cavity 106 and the open end 105 of the shell 101. [ Dispensing a quantity of liquid (L) into the chamber (106); And
Sealing the open end (105) of the shell (101) with a portion of sheet material to provide a liquid filled capsule (100) containing a quantity of liquid (L); / RTI >
Method for manufacturing liquid filled capsules for use in smoking articles.
3. The method of claim 2,
And the interval delta is 0.4 mm or more, preferably 0.6 mm or more, and more preferably 0.8 mm or more.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The step of dispensing the liquid L into the shell 101 comprises providing the capsule 100 with a filling rate within a predetermined minimum range, preferably within a predefined range, Is a ratio of the amount of dispensed liquid (L) to the filling capacity of the cavity (106), the predetermined minimum value of the filling rate is 0.5, the predefined range of the filling rate is preferably 0.5 to 0.9, Is between 0.75 and 0.9, most preferably between 0.8 and 0.9.
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The step of sealing the open end of the shell comprises:
Covering the open end (105) of the capsule shell (101) with a portion of the sheet material;
Fusing or bonding a portion of the sheet material to seal the open end (105) of the shell (101); And
Cutting the extra sheet material from the portion of the sheet material at the sealed end of the shell 101, preferably substantially contouring or shaping the end of the shell 101; ≪ / RTI >
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Inspecting a manufacturing defect of the liquid filling capsule (100) or its parts;
Identifying a capsule (100) as a defect if a manufacturing defect is detected; And
Rejecting the capsule (100) identified as defective; ≪ / RTI >
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Providing a retaining device for retaining the capsule shell (101); And
Inserting or dispensing a liquid L into the cavity 106, sealing the open end 105 of the shell 101, inspecting manufacturing defects of the capsule 100 or parts thereof, Carrying the holding device with the capsule shell (101) between at least two of the steps of: identifying the capsule (100) as a defect and rejecting the capsule (100) identified as a defect; ≪ / RTI >
The method according to claim 6,
The holding device is configured to hold a plurality of capsule shells (101), the method comprising:
Positioning a plurality of capsule shells (101) on the holding device;
Referring to the position of each individual shell (101) relative to the holding device; And
Inserting or dispensing a liquid L into the cavity 106, sealing the open end 105 of the shell 101, inspecting manufacturing defects of the capsule 100 or parts thereof, Carrying the holding device with the capsule shell (101) between at least two of the steps of: identifying the capsule (100) as a defect and rejecting the capsule (100) identified as a defect; ≪ / RTI >
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Sealing the open end (105) of the shell (101)
Covering the open end (105) of the capsule shell (101) with a portion of the sheet material;
Fusing or bonding a portion of the sheet material to seal the open end (105) of the shell (101); And
Cutting the extra sheet material from the portion of the sheet material at the sealed end of the shell 101, preferably substantially contouring or shaping the end of the shell 101; ≪ / RTI >
A holder for holding one or more capsule shells (101);
A conveyor that moves or conveys one or more capsule shells (101) with the holder;
The liquid L is dispensed into each cavity 106 of the capsule shell 101 and is predefined between the upper surface of the liquid L dispensed into the cavity 106 and the open end 105 of each of the shells 101 A filling station (3) configured to leave a spaced or spaced distance (δ); And
A sealing station (4) sealing the open end (105) of each of the shells (101) as part of the sheet material to form the capsule (100); / RTI >
An apparatus for producing a liquid filled capsule for use in smoking articles.
10. The method of claim 9,
The charging station 3 comprises at least one nozzle in liquid communication with a reservoir of liquid L,
Each of the nozzles being configured to dispense a predetermined amount of liquid (L) to each of the shells (101).
11. The method according to claim 9 or 10,
The sealing station (4)
A feed roller of the sheet material, preferably driven by a feed roller;
A heat sealer for fusing the sheet material to the rim 107 of each end portion 105 of the capsules 100; And
A cutter that cuts the extra sheet material from the rim 107 of each end 105 of each of the capsules and preferably substantially contours or shapes the rim 107 of the shell 101; ≪ / RTI >
12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
The holder holding one or more capsule shells (101) comprises a tray (10); And / or
The conveyor for moving or conveying one or more capsule shells (101) with the holder includes at least one robotic conveyor arm, a conveyor belt, and a rotation portion (C); And / or
The apparatus comprises a reject processing station (7) where the defective capsule (100) can be removed; ≪ / RTI >
A capsule shell (101) having an open end (105) and a cavity (106) as a filling inlet;
A quantity of liquid L contained in the cavity 106; And
And a cap (102) covering and sealing the end portion (105)
Characterized in that a predefined spacing (?) Is formed between the upper surface of the liquid (L) contained in the cavity (106) and the open end (105) of the shell (101)
A liquid filling capsule (100) used in smoking articles.
14. The method of claim 13,
Characterized in that the predefined spacing (?) Is at least 0.5 mm, preferably at least 0.8 mm, more preferably at least 1.0 mm.
The method according to claim 13 or 14,
The end region of the shell 101 comprises a predefined rupture region and the shell 101 is configured to preferentially rupture in the rupture region,
The filling rate of the capsule 100 is within the predetermined minimum range and preferably within a predefined range and the filling rate of the capsule 100 is greater than the filling ratio of the liquid L contained in the cavity 106 to the filling capacity of the cavity 106. [ Characterized in that the predetermined minimum value of the filling rate is 0.5 and the predefined range of the filling rate is preferably 0.5 to 0.9, more preferably 0.75 to 0.9, and most preferably 0.8 to 0.9. Capsules.

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