Korber Ag

Hauni-werke Korber & Co Kg.

R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Werner Hinz

Siegfried Schlisio

Erwin Oesterling

Vernon Brent Barnes

Lloyd Harmon Hancock

Donald R Wilkinson

Uwe Heitmann

Wolfgang Steiniger

Gerhard Tolasch

Nikolaus Hausler

Bob Heitmann

Karl-Heinz Barbe

Gerhard Hensgen

Joachim Buchegger

Lothar Krause

Jorg Ziolkowski

Cigarettes and methods of making them, in which an insulated fuel element is combined with a substrate assembly comprising a substrate within a tube, combining a roll of tobacco with a plug of tobacco paper, combining the fuel element/substrate assembly with the tobacco/tobacco paper assembly, and combining the resulting combination with a filter element to produce filter cigarettes. Methods of constructing the various and preferred subassemblies are also disclosed.

Cigarette and method of making same

Filter cigarettes are mass-produced in a machine wherein parallel groups of coaxial plain cigarettes and filter plugs are moved at right angles to their axes through a first station wherein their components are connected to each other by uniting bands, thereupon through a second station wherein the resulting filter cigarettes of double unit length are severed midway across their filter plugs to yield pairs of filter cigarettes of unit length which advance in two rows and are mirror images of each other, and through a third station wherein the filter cigarettes of one row are turned end-for-end and placed between successive non-inverted filter cigarettes. The mutual spacing of groups, filter cigarettes of double unit length and/or of filter cigarettes of unit length is reduced at least once, preferably twice, namely the first time between the first and second stations and the second time at the third station. This results in the formation of a single row of filter cigarettes wherein the spacing between neighboring cigarettes is zero or close to zero. The mutual spacing of groups is not increased between the first and second spacing-reducing stations and/or downstream of the second spacing-reducing station.

Method of and apparatus for making filter cigarettes

A rotary drum which serves to transport rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry or sheet-like components of such articles has a peripheral surface which is formed with rows of axially parallel suction ports connectable to a suction generating device to attract the articles or their components to the peripheral surface of the drum. If the lengthh of rod-shaped articles is changed, or if the width of web- or strip-shaped components of articles is changed, the effective length of the rows of suction ports is changed accordingly to avoid unnecessary flow of air into non-overlapped suction ports. The effective length of the rows of suction ports is varied in response to turning of apertured tubes which are inwardly adjacent the rows of suction ports and can be jointly turned to connect the suction generating device with a first group of ports in the respective row in first angular positions of the pipes and to connect the suction generating device with second groups of suction ports in second angular positions of the pipes.

Pneumatic conveyor for rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing

An apparatus for making smoking articles is described. The preferred apparatus comprises structure to form a passage axially through a jacketed rod of tobacco, at one end of which there is a tubular sleeve of non-combustible material, and to insert an aerosol generating cartridge containing an aerosol forming substance, at one end of which there is a fuel element, into the passage so that the aerosol forming substance is within the passage in the rod of tobacco and the fuel element is within the sleeve of non-combustible material.

Apparatus for assembling elements of a smoking article

A mass-producing filter tipping machine wherein two coaxial plain cigarettes of unit length are simultaneously severed to yield pairs of coaxial plain cigarettes of unit length which are moved apart to provide spaces for filter mouthpieces of double unit length. The filter mouthpieces are connected with the respective pairs of cigarettes of unit length by adhesive-coated uniting bands, and the resulting filter cigarettes of double unit length are subdivided into pairs of filter cigarettes of unit length. These filter cigarettes are converted into a single row wherein the filter mouthpieces of all filter cigarettes face in the same direction.

Method of and machine for making filter cigarettes

Successive filter cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length are transported sidways on a first drum-shaped conveyor which cooperates in a filter tipping machine with a second drum-shaped conveyor to rotate successive cigarettes about their respective axes so that the rotating cigarettes come to a temporary halt in a predetermined portion of their path. Such cigarettes are acted upon the two or more laser beams or light beams which are equidistant from and angularly offset relative to each other in the circumferential direction of the cigarette which rotates about its axis so that a circumferentially complete portion of the rotating cigarette is acted upon by radiation while the cigarette completes a fraction of one revolution, namely an angle of 360 degrees divided by the number of beams. The first conveyor has peripheral advancing surfaces for individual cigarettes, and the length of each advancing surface in the circumferential direction of the first conveyor equals the circumferential length of a cigarette divided by the number of beams. The mutual spacing of cigarettes on the first conveyor is less than the mutual spacing of cigarettes on a conveyor which feeds successive untreated cigarettes to the first conveyor ahead of the rolling station and on a conveyor which receives successive treated cigarettes from the first conveyor downstream of the rolling station.

Method of and apparatus for rolling and simultaneous radiation treatment

Apparatus for convoluting adhesive-coated uniting bands around groups of coaxial plain cigarettes and filter rod sections in a filter tipping machine has a drum-shaped conveyor whose peripheral surface has equidistant axially parallel flutes for discrete groups and suction ports to attract uniting bands behind the groups as well as to attract the groups to the respective flutes during certain parts of each revolution of the conveyor. Successive groups are caused to roll about their own axes to thereby convert the adjacent uniting bands into tubes during travel through an arcuate gap which is defined by the peripheral surface of the conveyor and the adjacent concave surface of a stationary rolling member. In order to prevent abrupt setting of successive groups into rotary motion about their axes, the apparatus employs a rotor with radially extending projections which are adjacent the inlet of the gap and are caused to orbit at a speed less than the peripheral speed of the conveyor so that each group is set in rotary motion about its axis in two stages, first at a lower speed by a projection and thereupon at a higher speed by the concave surface. This reduces the likelihood of defacing and/or otherwise affecting the desirable characteristics of the groups of rod-shaped articles and of the uniting bands.

Apparatus for rolling uniting bands around groups of rod-shaped articles

A mass-producing filter tipping machine wherein two coaxial plain cigarettes of unit length are simultaneously severed to yield pairs of coaxial plain cigarettes of unit length which are moved apart to provide spaces for filter mouthpieces of double unit length. This results in the formation of two rows of groups of three coaxial rod-shaped articles each, namely, two plain cigarettes of unit length and a filter mouthpiece of double unit length between them. The filter mouthpieces are connected with the respective pairs of cigarettes of unit length by adhesive-coated uniting bands so that each filter mouthpiece and the respective pair of cigarettes of unit length jointly constitute a filter cigarettes of double unit length. Uniting bands are obtained from two discrete webs of adhesive-coated tipping paper. The leaders of the webs are attracted to the peripheral surface of a suction conveyor which cooperates with two sets of orbiting knives serving to repeatedly sever the leaders of the respective webs to form two series of discrete uniting bands. Successive uniting bands of the two series are applied to successive groups of the two rows before the uniting bands are convoluted around the respective groups.

Method of and machine for making filter cigarettes from pairs of plain

A mass-producing filter tipping machine wherein two coaxial plain cigarettes of unit length are simultaneously severed to yield pairs of coaxial plain cigarettes of unit length which are moved apart to provide spaces for filter mouthpieces of double unit length. The filter mouthpieces are connected with the respective pairs of cigarettes of unit length by adhesive-coated uniting bands, and the resulting filter cigarettes of double unit length are subdivided into a series of formations of four coaxial filter cigarettes of unit length each wherein first and second outer filter cigarettes are respectively adjacent first and second inner filter cigarettes. Such formations are then converted into two rows of aligned filter cigarettes of unit length by staggering the outer cigarettes relative to the inner cigarettes, by pneumatically moving the thus staggered first outer cigarettes of successive formations into alignment with the second inner filter cigarettes of the respective formations, and by pneumatically moving the second outer filter cigarettes of successive formations into alignment with the first inner filter cigarettes of the respective formations.

Method of and apparatus for manipulating filter cigarettes

Filter cigarettes which are transported sideways at the periphery of a rotating drum-shaped conveyor are engaged by successive rolling surfaces of a pair of coaxial rotary rolling members which rotate at the peripheral speed of the conveyor but in the opposite direction so that the cigarettes are caused to roll about their respective axes and cease to advance with the conveyor. The periphery of the conveyor is formed with flutes which receive the freshly rolled cigarettes, and the rolling of cigarettes is abruptly terminated by arresting members which orbit adjacent the path of movement of the cigarettes at the peripheral speed of the conveyor and in the same direction. A laser is used to make holes in successive cigarettes while the cigarettes roll about their respective axes.

Apparatus for manipulating rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing

Groups of coaxial filter rod sections and plain cigarettes are delivered onto the peripheral surface of a rotary drum in such orientation that each group extends in parallelism with the axis of the drum and overlies the adhesive coated outer side of a discrete uniting band which adheres to the surface by suction and is formed on the drum in such a way that its leader overlies a groove in the surface. The cigarettes of each group are attracted to the drum by suction, and the sections of the groups are mechanically urged against the leaders of the respective bands by claws which are retractible into and extendable from the drum by one or more stationary cams, followers which track the cams and gears which receive motion from the followers and rotate discs having eccentric pins coupling them to the respective claws. The claws are disengaged from the respective sections, and the ports in the surface of the drums cease to attract the cigarettes and the bands before the groups reach a rolling gap wherein they rotate about their respective axes and convolute the bands around the respective sections and the adjacent end portions of the cigarettes. The claws prevent misorientation or separation of sections from the drum when the latter is driven at a high peripheral speed so that the sections tend to fly away under the action of gravity and/or centrifugal force.

Method and apparatus for joining coaxial rod-shaped articles

An apparatus which subdivides an adhesive-coated web of paper or imitation cork into a succession of uniting bands which are draped around groups of coaxial cigarettes and filter plugs to form filter cigarettes has two drums rotating in opposite directions about parallel axes. One of the drums is a suction drum and serves to advance the leader of the web toward the nip of the two drums where the leader is severed to yield successive uniting bands. The suction drum has a number of equidistant axially parallel peripheral grooves each disposed in front of a cutting edge. The other drum carries detachable knives with cutting edges extending beyond the periphery of the other drum so that they can penetrate into the oncoming grooves during travel past the nip. The drums are rotated by mating gears and the radius of the cylinder which is formed by the cutting edges of the knives exceeds the radius of the pitch circle of the gear which drives the other drum. The cutting edges of the suction drum form a cylinder with a radius which is equal to or somewhat smaller than the radius of the pitch circle of the gear serving to drive the suction drum. The cutting edges of the knives define epicycloidal paths during travel toward, during penetration into and during withdrawal from the corresponding grooves. Those portions of the paths which are disposed in the respective grooves resemble loops with zeniths located in the interior of the grooves or at the entrances to such grooves. This ensures that expansion or contraction of the drums cannot result in clashing of the cooperating cutting edges.

Apparatus for severing paper webs or the like

Webs which are to be converted into wrappers for filter rod sections, cigars, cigarillos or cigarettes, or the wrappers of such articles, are perforated by one or more laser beams in the machine wherein the articles are produced. The permeability of wrappers can be changed by increasing or reducing the number of holes and/or by increasing or reducing the size of holes in each wrapper. The permeability of the wrappers of finished articles is monitored and the intensity of laser beam or beams is automatically adjusted when the monitored permeability deviates from a desired value. The perforations are formed for the purpose of admitting cool atmospheric air which influences the quantity of nicotine and condensate in the column of smoke. The perforations are disposed close to or in the filter plugs of filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos, or close to one or both ends of each filter rod section or plain cigarette, depending on the length of such articles.

Apparatus for increasing the permeability of wrapping material for

Apparatus for increasing the distance between pairs of coaxial plain cigarettes has a rotary drum-shaped conveyor with a rotor which carries two annuli of axially movable segment-shaped holders provided with peripheral flutes for plain cigarettes. A cam with two endless grooves cooperates with rollers followers which are affixed to shifting rods for the holders to move successive aligned holders nearer to each other during travel toward a first transfer station where the flutes receive plain cigarettes and to thereupon move the holders apart during travel toward a second transfer station where the cigarettes are transferred into the flutes of a rotary assembly conveyor and are spaced apart to an extent which suffices for insertion of filter mouthpieces of double unit length. The holders are guided by tie rods which are reciprocable in a collar of the rotor.

Growing community of inventors

Lauenburg, Germany

Werner Hinz