Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation

Race-rail, Inc.

Robert T Lewis

Byron L Lowe

Kenneth M Milliner

Everett N Finn

James W Sullivan

John H Sexstone

Thomas T Tudor

Kenneth A Flaherty

John W Payne

George F Dwyer, Jr

David Broyan

Daniel J Huber

The present invention comprises a device and method for feeding a cut loose-leaf material such as, for example tobacco, from a weight scale; dropping the tobacco into a hopper; compressing the tobacco into the desired size, shape, and density; and packaging the loose-leaf tobacco product. Packaging is accomplished by wrapping an inner foil and overwrap label around an arbor on a rotating arbor wheel. The package is constructed in various stages as the arbor wheel rotates to various positions. The inner foil is fed and wrapped around the arbor without extending the foil below the body of the package so that the foil does not form a bottom end. The foil extends above the body of the package and is folded to form a top end. An outer label having a sufficient length to extend past the top and bottom of the arbor is overwrapped about the foil innerwrap. The overwrap label extending past the bottom of the arbor is folded and glued over the foil innerwrap to form a top end to the package. The loose-leaf tobacco is compressed and pushed through the arbor into the open end of the package. The package of tobacco is forced off of the arbor wheel and the open end of the package is folded and glued as the package is transported therefrom.

Package, and method for packaging loose leaf material

Apparatus for packaging loose leaf material

A system and method are provided to verify proper operation of and to adjust a particulate emission detector in a system including a dust collector bag house. A by-pass apparatus is provided around the dust collector bag house which includes a conduit downstream of the inlet to said dust collector bag house and an outlet in fluid communication with a fluid outlet conduit extending from said dust collector bag house.

System for and method to verify proper operation of a particulate

An apparatus and method for detecting and eliminating cigarettes having loose filter tips whereby the tobacco rod end of a filter cigarette is held in place and a pre-set separating force is exerted on the filter to see if the filter is secured properly to the tobacco rod; and, if not, the filter and tobacco rod are rejected. A rotatable, splitable drum assembly is provided with a first and second vacuum source and the rotatable, splitable drum assembly is splitable into first and second segments. The drum is provided with longitudinally extending grooves therein which continually extend onto the first and second segments. Each groove is sized to receive a filter tip cigarette therein and each groove is also in vacuum communication with the first and second vacuum source. The first segment of the drum is coupled with the tobacco rod end of a filter tip cigarette by the first vacuum and the second segment of the drum is coupled with the filter of the filter tip cigarette by the second vacuum.

Method and apparatus for detecting and eliminating cigarettes with loose

A packaging and conveying system for packaging a bundle of cigarettes or other smoking articles into a pre-formed pack. The system includes conveying means for conveying closed empty packs to a turret wheel having a plurality of slots wherein each slot is sized to receive an empty closed pack. Means are provided to remove the packs from the turret wheel at preselected locations in alignment with means to open the pack. The open packs are then conveyed to a bundle inserting station wherein a bundle of cigarettes are inserted into the packs. From the bundle inserting station, the packs are conveyed to a package closure means and then conveyed away to storage or further packing for shipment.

Apparatus for packing cigarettes and other smoking materials into

A dispenser device for removing planar panels from a hopper is provided with a panel engagement drum located at the discharge of the hopper which includes friction surfaces at spaced apart locations around the perimeter for sequentially engaging subsequent bottom-most panels in the hopper and extracting them from the hopper as the drum continuously rotates. A positioner is engagable with disengagable from the bottom-most panel at the hopper discharge end to position the bottom-most spacer at a location to be engaged by the friction surfaces of the drum. A stop is operatively responsive with the positioner for engagement with the penultimate one of the panels for preventing the penultimate one of the panels from moving to the location of the positioner during the time period the positioner is in its panel disengaged position.

Dispenser device for removing planar panels from a hopper

A unique and novel storage package and method and apparatus for making the same wherein differences in dimension between the outer receptacle and a package stored therein are compensated by a unique corrugated spacer to provide snug storage, such as in the packaging of cigarette packs.

Package structure for storing articles and a method and apparatus for

A conveyor system for conveying planar panels in single file. The conveyor system can be used for receiving panels from bulk storage to a workstation. The conveyor system includes a conveyor belt apparatus located to receive the panels at its upstream end from the bulk supply device. A panel turning device is located at the downstream discharge end of the conveyor device for receiving the panels from the conveying device and redirecting them into the inlet end of a chute. An accumulative device is located over the conveyor to maintain a steady supply of panels to the chute. A photo cell control at the chute controls the number of spacers stacked in end-to-end relationship in the chute.

Conveyor system for planar panel

An apparatus for banding at least two stacked packages together in superimposed registered relationship by applying a band to two consecutive sides of the package stack concentric with the interface of the packages of the stack. The apparatus includes a turret having stacked package receiving pockets in its periphery, a band applicator located at the periphery of the turret to apply the band to the exposed sides of the stack of packages in each pocket as the turret rotates each pocket past the band applicator with a portion of the band trailing behind the trailing edge of the package stack, and a band folding channel located downstream, relative to the direction of rotation of the turret, from the band applicator for receiving stacked packages from the turret pockets and folding the trailing portion of the band over the adjacent side of the package stack.

Apparatus for binding packages together

An apparatus for manufacturing a filter rod having a hollow tube extending longitudinally through the filter rod. The apparatus includes a supply reel of hollow tubing, a supply of filter material web, and a garniture funnel into which the filter material web and hollow tubing are continuously, concurrently fed for wrapping the filter material web into a cylindrical configuration enclosing the hollow tube longitudinally therein. The apparatus also includes a plasticizer or adhesive applicator for coating the outside wall surface of the tube with a plasticizer or adhesive before it is fed into the garniture funnel, and a tube guide nozzle located at the inlet to the garniture funnel for positioning and guiding the hollow tube into the garniture funnel.

Apparatus for manufacturing a cigarette filter tow

A package for cigarettes and the like includes an article container box having an open top through which the cigarettes are removed from the container box. The package further includes two side box sections having facing open sides. The two side box sections symmetrically enclose the container box when in a closed position. The two side box sections are hinged together at the juncture of their floors for pivotal movement in a fan-like movement between a closed position covering the open top of the container box and an open position uncovering the open top of the container box. The container box and each of the side box sections include interacting stop flanges which limits the pivotal movement of side box sections, when in the open position, to an open-most position whereat each of the side box section still receives a portion of the container box.

Package for cigarettes and the like

A break-away fence rail and support post for a horse race track fence is constructed to give way when impacted with a predetermined force so as to provide a yieldable barrier upon impact by a horse or jockey. Further, a fence for a race track constructed to provide a smooth non-abrasive surface without projections or discontinuities.

Break-away fence for horse race tracks

A filter rod making machine is provided with an apparatus for applying plasticizer to a band of fibrous filter material wherein the application rate of the plasticizer is independent of the filter tow weight or width of the band passing through the apparatus. The plasticizer is added to the underside of the moving band by means of a rotatively mounted brush in rotating communication with a plasticizer supply source wherein the amount of plasticizer added to the band is dependent upon the amount of plasticizer metered by a constant volume pump. The rotatively mounted brush delivers liquid plasticizer in the form of a spray to the underside of the moving band. Variable changes in the level of the liquid plasticizer in the reservoir varies the amount of plasticizer being presented to the band, maintaining constant absorption rate regardless of tow band width.

Apparatus and method for applying plasticizers to fibrous filter material

An apparatus for placing coupons, and the like, on cartons includes a supply source of coupons in the form of a web of coupons, a coupon advance drum for moving the coupon web from the supply source to the location of the cartons upon which the coupons are to be deposited, a knife device for cutting the coupons to be deposited from the coupon web, a movable coupon applying device which receives coupons at the knife device as they are cut from the coupon web and moves the coupons to a position above the cartons, and moving means for contemporaneously moving the carton and the coupon away from the applying means so that the coupon is moved out of the applying means and onto the carton as the carton and coupon are being moved.

Apparatus for depositing coupons on cartons

An apparatus for placing a coupon, or the like, on a package as the package moves through the apparatus. The apparatus includes a supply source of coupons in the form of a web of coupons, a coupon web advance drum for pulling the coupon web from the supply source, a scissors device for cutting the coupon web into individual coupons, and a coupon conveyor device for moving individual coupons from the scissors device to the package and depositing the coupon on the package as it continuously moves past.

Growing community of inventors

Macon, GA, United States of America

Robert T Lewis