Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-08
2004-08-31
Ball, Michael W. (Department: 1733)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S073600, C156S178000, C156S201000, C156S203000, C493S042000, C493S045000, C493S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783617
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
The present application claims the priority of the commonly owned copending German patent application Serial No. 100 06 372.1 filed Feb. 12, 2000. The disclosure of the above-referenced German patent application, as well as that of each US and foreign patent and patent application identified in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improvements in so-called rod making machines, and more particularly to improvements in methods of and apparatus for treating tows, streams, fillers and similar accumulations of filamentary material in such machines.
Rod making machines are utilized extensively in many branches of industry, for example, in connection with the making of catamenial tampons, in connection with the making of drinking straws and particularly in connection with the making of plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and other rod-shaped smokers' products. The following passages of this specification will deal primarily with the making of filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos; however it is to be understood that the method and apparatus of the present invention can also be practiced and utilized in connection with the making of numerous other types of rod-shaped products which contain a single type or several types of filamentary material.
A rod making machine which is utilized to turn out filter mouthpieces for tobacco smoke is normally designed to process filamentary filter material (such as cellulose acetate fibers) for tobacco smoke. The machine produces a continuous filter rod wherein a rod-shaped core (called filler) is surrounded by a tubular envelope or wrapper of so-called filter paper. The rod is advanced lengthwise and its front end portion is severed at required intervals to form a file of discrete filter sections or mouthpieces of unit length or multiple unit length. Such mouthpieces are fed into the magazine of a so-called filter tipping machine wherein the mouthpieces are connected with plain cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos (hereinafter referred to as plain cigarettes) to form therewith filter cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length. Reference may be had, for example, to commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,008 granted Aug. 4, 1992 to Oesterling et al. for “METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING FILTER CIGARETTES”.
Filter rod making machines which deliver filter rod sections or mouthpieces of desired length to a machine of the type described and illustrated in the patent to Oesterling et al. (or to an analogous machine) can be constructed and assembled in a manner as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,007 granted Aug. 10, 1976 to Greve for “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FILTER ROD SECTIONS OR THE LIKE” and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,505 granted Nov. 1, 1983 to Häusler et al. for “APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ATOMIZED LIQUID TO A RUNNING LAYER OF FILAMENTARY MATERIAL OR THE LIKE”. More recent versions of filter rod making machines of the type described and shown in the U.S. patents to Greve and Häusler et al. are those known as KDF 1, KDF 2 and KDF 3; such machines are distributed by the assignee of the present application. Machines which are utilized to furnish filamentary filter material for tobacco smoke to filter rod making machines can be of the type known as AF 1, AF 2 and AF 3 (also distributed by the assignee of the present application).
A filter rod making machine of the type disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. patents to Greve and Häusler et al. converts a tow of filamentary filter material which is drawn from a suitable source (such as a bale of compacted filter material) and is subjected to several treatments on its way to a wrapping apparatus or unit wherein the properly processed tow constitutes a continuous rod-like filler or stream ready to be draped into a running web of filter paper, cigarette paper or the like. The thus obtained filter rod is ready to be severed in a so-called cutoff to yield a file or series of filter rod sections or mouthpieces of desired length. Such cutoff normally employs a rotary knife which repeatedly moves across the path for the filter rod while advancing with and at the speed of the rod; this ensures the making of clean cuts devoid of tears, rough edges or the like.
On its way to or in the aforementioned wrapping unit, the processed tow must undergo a compressing or condensing action in order to ensure that the cross-sectional area of each of a series of successive increments of the processed tow will match or sufficiently approximate a certain cross-sectional area which is desirable for several reasons, e.g., to facilitate and ensure proper wrapping of the filler and/or to ensure that each ultimate product (filter mouthpiece) will have a prescribed (such as circular or oval) cross-sectional outline. This is accomplished by subjecting successive increments of the running processed tow to the compressive action of a suitable implement or tool which is or which can be located close to the wrapping unit.
The treatment to which a tow of filamentary filter material is subjected in the path leading from a source (such as a bale) to the wrapping unit normally includes longitudinal stretching and simultaneous or immediately following transverse spreading (singularizing) of the filaments of the tow to form a layer of more or less parallel filaments. Such filaments are contacted by a finely atomized spray of a suitable liquid softening agent (such as triacetin) prior to entry of successive increments of the stretched, spread out and sprayed upon tow into a so-called horn which imparts to the tow the shape of a rod-like filler ready to be subjected to a further compressing or densifying or condensing treatment by the aforementioned implement; such implement normally is or can be located at the inlet of the wrapping unit.
The purpose of the atomized softening agent is to ensure that portions of neighboring filaments in the tow adhere to each other on their way through the gathering horn, during teatment by the compressing implement (finger) and/or during wrapping. Such filaments establish a maze of discrete narrow paths for the flow of tobacco smoke from the lighted end of a filter cigarette into the mouth of a smoker; this is intended to greatly enhance the filtering action, e.g., the ability of the mouthpiece to intercept nicotine and/or condensate.
The wrapping material normally employed in the wrapping unit of a filter rod making machine is a web or strip of so-caleld filter paper one marginal portion of which is provided with one or more films of a suitable adhesive (such as a hot melt) and is bonded to the other marginal portion. The overlapping marginal portions form a seam which extends longitudinally of the tubular envelope or wrapper of the finished filter rod. The filter paper is or can but need not be foraminous. The leader of the thus obtained finished filter rod is ready to be severed by the cutoff.
The implement or finger which is employed to further compress the rod-like filler of pretreated filamentary filter material downstream of the gathering horn, preferably at the inlet of the wrapping unit, is normally oriented (relative to the path for the filler) in such a way that, as seen in the direction of movement of the filler toward the wrapping unit, the filler-contacting surface of the implement slopes downwardly toward a belt conveyor which supports and advances the filler toward the wrapping unit. The shortest distance between such surface and the belt conveyor equals or approximates the desired diameter of the compressed filler.
The tow, such as a tow consisting of cellulose acetate fibers, offers a pronounced resistance to the compressing action of the implement. Therefore, the maintaining of the implement in continuous pronounced frictional engagement with the running processed tow results in the generation of pronounced heat which, in view of the high speed at which the tow is being advanced in a modern filter rod making machine, suf
Ball Michael W.
Hauni Maschinenbau AG
Kinberg Robert
Musser Barbara J.
Smith Stuart I.
LandOfFree
Method of densifying streams of filter material for tobacco... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of densifying streams of filter material for tobacco..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of densifying streams of filter material for tobacco... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3362164