US3080871A - Manufacture of composite cigarettes - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 19-63 DQw. MOLINS ETAL 3,080,871

MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTES Filed April 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 //VVEN7 OES v g 4/1531, 4 fl/W A TTORA/EXS' March 12., 1963 D. w. MOLINS ETAL 3,080,871

MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5. 1960 WVEA/TO/es Z a /4.,-

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ATTOR/VEX) United States 3,080,871 MANUFACTURE OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTES Desmond Walter Molins, Cyril Best, and Tom Rowlands, all of Deptford, London, England, assignorsto Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a British company 7 Filed Apr. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 20,165 Claims priority, application Great Britain Apr. 13, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-94) This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the manufacture of composite cigarettes, such as mouthpiece cigarettes, each of which has a component such as a stub or other mouthpiece portion at the mouthpiece end of the cigarette.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of producing composite cigarettes on a continu-.

atent C Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an end view of one construction; FIGURE 2 is an end view'of an alternative construction;

FIGURE 3 illustrates diagrammatically the operation of a construction in which two side-by-side rows of assemblages are formed,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view on the line IV--IV, FIG- URE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view on the line V--V,

' FIGURE 2;

The double lengths may be deflected sideways in such a way that they form two side-by-side rows, the lengths contained in the two rows being then severed and formed into assemblages while continuing to move in side-by-side rows.

Further according'to the invention there is provided apparatus for making composite cigarettes on a continuous rod cigarette-making machine, comprising means to form a continuous rod and move it endwise, means to sever the rod intolengths each of which is double the length of the tobacco portion of an individual composite cigarette, deflector-means to deflect the said double lengths sideways, means to sever the double lengths while they are moving sideways, means to separate the severed parts endwise, means to insert mouthpiece portions between the opposed ends of the separated parts, uniting means to unite the said parts with the said mouthpiece portions to form assemblages and cutting means to subdivide the assemblages to form individual composite cigarettes.

The deflector-means may be arranged to deflect the double lengths sideways into two side-by-side rows, in which case separate means may be associated with each row for severing and separating the lengths, inserting mouthpiece portions, and uniting the separated parts with the mouthpiece portions. For example the deflectormeans may comprise a fluted drum having peripheral flutes each arranged to receive an endwise-moving double length, and means associated with the drum toarrest the endwise movement of the said lengths in such a Way that alternate lengths entering alternate flutes have their endwise movement arrested sooner than do the other lengths, whereby the said double lengths are formed into two rows in the flutes of the drum, successive lengths in each row being laterally spaced apart by two flute pitches of the drum.

The assemblages formed from the double lengths in one of the said rows may be moved endwise eg by an air jet, so as to position them in alternation with the assemblages in the adjacent row, thereby forming a single row of sideways-moving assemblages to be presented to a single disc knife which subdivides them into individual mouthpiece cigarettes.

with helical grooves whereby each such length is accelerated endwise in order to separate it from the rod, and at the same time moved sideways, and is fed endwise into a flute of a fluted drum by which its sideways movement is continued while its endwise movement is arrested.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a continuous cigarette rod formed on a cigarette-making machine is severed by suitable cutoif mechanism (not shown) at intervals such as to provide double-lengths the'length of rod which mouthpiece cigarette. The double lengths 1 pass over a plate 2. Above the plate 2 is a helically grooved wheel 3 having a hollow interior which contains an air valve around which the wheel rotates, and provided with a suction pipe whereby suction is exerted at appropriate times through suction ports, not shown, in the grooved rim of the wheel. The wheel 3 is similar to the grooved wheel disclosed in the above-mentioned provisional specification and drawings, but has a two start helix and is somewhat larger.

The wheel 3 rotates with a peripheral speed a little in excess of the speed of the continuous rod so as to separate the double lengths endwise from the rod.

A fluted drum 4, having peripheral flutes 5, is positioned beyond the wheel 3 and is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow at a suitable speed for successive flutes 5 to receive successive lengths 1 from the helical wheel 3, The length of the drum 4 may be equal to the length of a double length 1.

A fixed guide 6 is located adjacent that end of the.

drum nearest the wheel 3, and a similar guide, not shown, is mounted adjacent the opposite end of the drum and extends further to the right (as viewed in FIGURE 1) than the guide 6 so as to act as an end stop for lengths -1 moving along the flutes 5. The guide 6 also acts as an end stop to check rebounding of the lengths 1. An arcuate guide 7 extends around the lower part of the drum and is suitably slotted to accommodate a rotating disc knife 8, which extends through the guide into a groove 9 extending around the drum midway along its length. The knife is provided in order to sever the double lengths 1 into single lengths.

Two small rollers 10, only one of which is visible in FIGURE 1, are mounted adjacent the drum 4, being located in apertures in the guide 7. These rollers are oppositely inclined to the axis of the drum 4 and are arranged to engage cylindrical surfaces of cigarette rod lengths in the flutes 5, and to rotate in opposite directions such that their peripheral surfaces urge the severed single lengths apart from each other along the flutes 5.

A stub-inserting wheel 11 is located midway along the length of the drum 4 and projects through a further aper ture inthe guide 7. The wheel 11 has peripheral flutes 1that is, lengths each double is required for an individual.

12, which receive double-length stubs orother mouthpiece portions from any suitable source and from which the stubs are transferred into the flutes 5 between the separated single-lengths of cigarette rod. A stripper element (not shown) extends into a peripheral groove in the wheel 11, to ensure that the stubs remain in the flutes 5. Alternativeiy, the wheel 11 may be narrower than the length of the stubs, and the aperture in the guide 7 may be wide enough at the entry end to enable stubs to be carried through it by the Wheel 11, but too narrow at the other end to enable them to move away from the drum 4 with the wheel 11, so that they are stripped from the wheel by the guide 7.

Just beyond the wheel 11 are two guideslZa (only one of which is shown in FIGURE 1) arranged at opposite ends of the drum 4 and converging so as to engage opposite end-s or the rod lengths and cause them to move towards each other and into endwise abutment with the centrally positioned stubs.

A rotatable transfer wheel 13 provided with radial suction arms 14 is mounted adjacent the drum 4 and is rotated in the d rection shown by the arrow so as to receive groups of cigarette rod lengths and stubs from the drum. The arms 14 have suction ports 15 communicating with a fixed suction chamber 16 which is so arranged that suction is applied through the ports 15 at desired times. At opposite ends of the wheel 13 and rotatable therewith are mounted two discs 17 having radial spring fingers 18' which are biassed inwardly, that is towards each other, and are held outwardly by cams 19 which extend just short of the position where a suction arm 14 first comes into engagement with a cigarette and stub group in a flute 5. At that posilion, as can be seen from FIGURE 1, the suction port 15 of that particular arm 14 is not yet in communication with the chamber 16. Thus the cigarette lengths in the flute 5 are free to move endwise under the influence of the spring fingers 18 which are at that point released from the cam-s 19 and move inwardly. of the cigarette lengths and stub to be effected just before they are suctionally gripped by the arms 14 and carried away from the fluted drum 4.

The arms 14 and the guide 7 are suitably slotted to enable the arms to pass the guide.

The arms 14 carry the abutted groups towards a suc-- tion drum 20 and a fixed plate 21 having a concave surface opposed to the surface of the drum 20. The plate 21 is slotted as shown to allow the arms 14 to pass through it while transferring the groups into the space between the plate and the suction drum. At the position of transfer, the cam 19 urges the spring fingers outwardly to release the ends of the groups.

The suction drum 20 carries on its surface spaced uniting bands 22 which are severed from an adhesive-coated web 23 by a knife roller 24. The drum 20 rotates with a peripheral speed in excess of the linear speed of the web so that the web slips on the drum and the cut portions are thus spaced apart. The parts are timed so that each group is fed into the space between the drum 2% and the plate 21 a little ahead ofa band 22. The relative movement between the drum surface and the surface of the fixed plate 21 causes each group to roll over a band 22, which thus becomes wrapped around and unites the group, forming an assemblage.

The united group, or assemblages, are transferred into flutes of a wheel 25 which is grooved to receive a disc knife 26. The knife severs the assemblages through their mouthpiece portions, thus producing individual mouthpiece cigarettes, which are stripped from the flutes of the drum by a ramp 2'7, and are delivered to a conveyor of any suitable kind.

An alternative construction is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3.

In this construction, the drum 104 is arranged to rofate in the opposite direction to that in which the corre- This enables a final endwise abutment.

4 spending drum rotates in the arrangement described above. Consequently the helically grooved wheel 103 is arranged to deflect the double lengths towards the right as viewed in FIGURE 2, so that they move sideways with the drum.

The drum 164 is at least twice as long as a double length severed from the rod, and every second flute 105 is provided with a stop member about halfway along its length, while the intermediate flutes have stop members in the region of their ends remote from the wheel 103. Thus as double lengths of rod are fed into successive flutes of the rotating rum 194, one length will move endwise substantially to the end of its flute, while the next length is brought to rest halfway along the flute. Thus the drum 104 conveys the double lengths in two side-by-side rows, the lengths of one row being staggered relatively to those of the other row. This is illustrated dia rammaticaly in FIGURE 3, where a length 101a is shown occupying one row, while the succeeding length 10111 to come from the wheel 103 occupies an adjacent row and is laterally offset from the length 101a.

The stop members in the flutes 105 are not illustrated in FIGURE 2 but they are similar to the stop members disclosed in the provisional specification and drawings mentioned above. The double lengths 101a are illustrated in FEGURE 2 in full line while the lengths 101b are shown in dotted lines.

Adjacent the long drum 104 are mounted two coaxial fluted drums 106 having peripheral flutes 107 and 108. These two drums are identical in construction but are angularly positioned so that the flutes 107 are offset from the flutes 103 as shown, the flutes 107 being arranged to register with lengths 101a while the flutes 108 register with lengths 1tl1b.

The drums 106 have suction ports extending inwardly from the flutes 1&7 and 108 to fixed suction chambers 109 within the drums so that as the latter rotate, suction is exerted for a short period through the ports. Opposite these chambers are two side-by-side rotating disc knives 110 extending into peripheral grooves 111 in the drum-s 106.

The lengths 101a, 1111b respectively are transferred from the flutes 105 into flutes 107, 108 respectively by strippers or guides 112 which project into peripheral grooves 113 in the drum 105. As they approach the knives 110 suction is applied through the ports communicating with their respective flutes and they are thus securely held while being severed. The suction is cut off after the severing operation, and the severed pairs of lengths are then engaged by two pairs of inclined rollers 114, one of which is visible in FIGURE 2, and which are identical with the rollers 10 shown in FIGURE 1 and act to separate lengthwise the two severed parts of each double length 101a and 1101b.

A pair of stub-inserting wheels 115, similar to the wheel 11 in FIGURE 1, are arranged adjacent the drums 106, and feed stubs S, see FIGURE 3, into the flutes 107 and 108 between the severed and separated parts of the double lengths 101a, 1011).

Two transfer wheels 116, 117, having suction ports extending as shown from peripheral flutes to internal suction chambers, remove groups of cigarette lengths and stubs from the flutes 107 and 103 respectively, and convey them towards a pair of suction drums 118, each of which is identical with the drum 20, FIGURE l. A member 119, corresponding in function to the member 21, FIGURE 1, has a concave surface opposed to the drum surface. The groups are delivered between the drums 113 and member 115 and are immediately gripped therebetween and caused to roll. Since these groups roll along between the drums 118 and member 119 at half the peripheral speed of the drums, the latter are arranged to rotate with a peripheral speed more than twice that of the transfer wheels 116, 117 so that the groups will move away from the latter as soon as they start to roll.

Suctionis cut oil from the groups just before they are delivered between the drums 118 and member 119. End pressers 120 engage the opposite ends of each group as soon as the suction is cut oil? and move towards each other so as to bring the component parts of each group into close endwise abutment just before they are gripped between the drums 118 and member 119,

The'rolling action imparted to the groups of cigarette lengths and stubs causes them to roll over adhesive uniting bands 122' carried by the drums 113, and the bands are thus wrapped around the groups and unite them.

The united groups, or assemblages, are delivered from the member 119 into successive flutes of a further long fluted drum 123 having 'flutes 124.

are staggeredor offset in the flutes 124 just as the double 4 lengths 101a and 101b were in the flutes 1&5 of the drum 104. 'For, convenience in" '-illustration these assemblages i are indicated as assemblages 125a (corresponding to lengths 101a.) shown in full line in flutes i124 justbeyond ing to lengths 10111) shown in dottedlines. v

A nozzle lfib located close to one end of the is arranged to discharge a jet of air lengthwise along the flutes 124 as the latter moves'pas't the nozzle. The air jet blows the assemblages 125b lengthwise along their the member 119, and as assemblages 12512 (correspond I the 'endwise moving double lengths sideways and to ardouble lengths sideways in two side-by-side rows, said last named means including deflector means to deflect range them in said rows, means to sever the double lengths The assemblages in both rows while they are moving sideways, means to separate the sever-ed parts endwise, means to insert mouthpiece po-rtions between the opposed ends of the separated parts, unitingumeans to unite the said parts with the said mouthpiece portions to form assemblages and cutting means to subdivide the assemblages to form individual composite cigarettes.

v 2. Apparatus as claimed in' claiml, wherein the deflector-means; comprises a fluted drum having peripheral flutes and thereby lines them upwith the assemblages 125a, thus producing a single'row of assemblages. For

this reason in FIGURE 2 all the assemblages shown (from the position of the nozzle 126 onwards are shown in full lines. i A rotary disc knife 127 severs these assemblages through their mouthpiece portions, thus forming individual mouth- U piece cigarettes which are stripped from theflntes 124 by I f guides 128 projecting into grooves in the drum 123, and

roll down the guides on to a conveyor (n'ots'hown) or -are dealt with in any other" desired way. i

The sequence of the operations just described is diagram matical-ly illustrated in FIGURE 3. j p

The construction described ,above with reference to FIGURE 2 may be modified by employing a relatively short drum .104, as in-FIG URE 1-, and feeding the double lengths in a single row instead of in two side-by-side rowsg; In that case only a single" drurn lil 6-is recpii'red, and only one stub-jinsertingjwheel 116.2anda'si1igle sue- .tiondrum 11s, and the relative speeds'or thedrum 104 .45

and 111 6 are suitably -adjusted to enable'len gths to be transofthed rum. j H

3.' Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the as-- flutes each arranged to receive an endwise rnoving double length, and means associated with the drum to arrest the endwise movement ot-the' said lengths in such a way that alternate lengths entering alternate flutes have their endwise movement arrested sooner than do the other lengths, whereby the said double'len-gths are formed into two rows in the flutes of the drum, successive lengths in each row being laterally spaced-apart by two flutepitches semblages formed from the double lengthsin' one of said rows are moved endwise, so as to position them in alter nationwith the assemblages in the adjacent row, thereby forming a single row of sideways-movingassemblages to be presented to a single disc knife which subdivides them into individual mouthpiece cigarettes. e

References Cited in the file of thispatent v UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Franc e 1 Jan. 10; 1923 Italy Feb. 13, 1957 Edwards et a1 May 23, 1935

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR MAKING COMPOSITE CIGARETTES ON A CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINE, COMPRISING MEANS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS ROD AND MOVE IT ENDWISE, MEANS TO SEVER THE ROD INTO ENDWISE MOVING LENGTHS EACH OF WHICH IS DOUBLE THE LENGTH OF THE TOBACCO PORTION OF AN INDIVIDUAL COMPOSITE CIGARETTE, MEANS TO MOVE THE SAID DOUBLE LENGTHS SIDEWAYS IN TWO SIDE-BY-SIDE ROWS, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS INCLUDING DEFLECTOR MEANS TO DEFLECT THE ENDWISE MOVING DOUBLE LENGTHS SIDEWAYS AND TO ARRANGE THEM IN SAID ROWS, MEANS TO SEVER THE DOUBLE LENGTHS IN BOTH ROWS WHILE THEY ARE MOVING SIDEWAYS, MEANS TO SEPARATE THE SEVERED PARTS ENDWISE, MEANS TO INSERT MOUTHPIECE PORTIONS BETWEEN THE OPPOSED ENDS OF THE SEPARATED PARTS, UNITING MEANS TO UNITE THE SAID PARTS WITH THE SAID MOUTHPIECE PORTIONS TO FORM ASSEMBLAGES AND CUTTING MEANS TO SUBDIVIDE THE ASSEMBLAGES TO FORM INDIVIDUAL COMPOSITE CIGARETTES.

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