Tobacco – Cigar or cigarette making – Molding or forming
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-16
2003-06-17
Griffin, Steven P. (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Cigar or cigarette making
Molding or forming
C131S029000, C131S046000, C131S076000, C131S088000, C131S091000, C131S280000, C219S121640, C219S121790, C219S121810, C198S346100, C198S369200, C198S341020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578583
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and method for making and inspecting of multi-component wrapped articles; more specifically, to a system and a method for the optical inspection, registration, and rejection of cigarettes on an open garniture combiner.
A well-known filter cigarette
21
structure is shown in
FIG. 1. A
rod
23
of tobacco is manufactured on a commercially available cigarette machine; e.g. those manufactured by Molins PLC, and others. The tobacco rod
23
is, in its simplest form, a column of cut tobacco filler
25
wrapped in a paper wrapper
27
held in place by a longitudinal adhesive seam
29
. A filter
31
included with the cigarette
21
is manufactured by gathering a length of cellulose acetate, treating the cellulose acetate and forming a cylindrical filter element or plug
33
, and encasing the filter element in “plug wrap”
35
.
As seen in
FIG. 2
, in a typical manufacturing process for the tobacco rod
23
, the paper wrapper
27
in the form of a continuous web is moved at high speed in the direction of arrow
37
, herein referred to as the wrapping direction, toward a so-called garniture section
39
of a cigarette making machine. The tobacco filler
25
is deposited on the wrapper
27
prior to the garniture section
39
. The garniture section
39
typically includes a first end
41
that is flat or slightly curved and upwardly open, a second end
43
in the form of a sleeve with a hole equal to the diameter of the cigarette
21
, and a curved surface
45
connecting the first and second ends. The garniture section
39
is designed to curl the moving paper wrapper
27
around the tobacco rod
23
, i.e., in a direction transverse to the wrapping direction
37
as the wrapper moves in the wrapping direction. Preferably, before encountering the garniture section
39
, the wrapping paper
27
is already curling upwards to fit against the inner surface
45
of the garniture section. Closure of the wrapper
27
around the tobacco filler
25
to form the rod
23
occurs at the exit
43
of the garniture section
39
where the rod exits through the hole. The continuous rod
23
is subsequently cut at some downstream point C to form a tobacco rod
23
of a desired length.
There are numerous methods known for joining the cut tobacco rod
23
to the filter
31
. As seen in
FIG. 3
, a common method of joining the rod
23
and the filter
31
involves “tipping” a double-length rod of tobacco
23
with filters
31
adjacent to both ends of the rod and cutting the rod in half to yield two filter cigarettes. The filters
31
are connected to the tobacco rod
23
by an overwrap of paper
47
called “tipping paper”. Generally, the handling of the filters
31
, cut tobacco rods
23
, and finished cigarette
21
during the combining step is handled by vacuum rollers (not shown). The components fit into flutes on the outside periphery of the rollers and are held in place by an applied vacuum force as they are moved from place to place.
The final products are given an exterior inspection, such as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,235,649, 5,366,096, 5,414,270, 5,013,905 and 4,976,544. Such prior art inspections involve optical inspection with a video camera. The image is fed into a digital computer; then the image is analyzed for the presence of defects. Other inspections, such as density inspections, may also be made by exposing the cigarette or rod to various forms of electromagnetic radiation, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,010,904, 4,001,579, 4,986,285 and 4,212,541. The prior art inspection systems are not typically concerned with relative placement of internal components of the cigarette, because the tobacco rod
23
and the filter
31
typically abut.
The development of new types of cigarettes, such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 which has multiple internal components disposed at precise distances from one another, requires the development of new inspection systems. Cigarettes according to the '594 patent contain a tobacco plug, a hollow void chamber, a hollow acetate tube, and a filter. The relative positioning of the interior components of these cigarettes is crucial to their proper operation and must be carefully maintained. It may happen that, in the manufacturing of such cigarettes, machine settings will require adjustment to maintain consistent placement of components.
Visual inspection of the final product to determine the relative placement of components is impossible according to the prior art inspection systems without manually disassembling the finished cigarette due to the various layers paper or other material surrounding the components. Such disassembly would likely disturb the interior spacing and would, in any event, occur too late in the manufacturing process to provide useful feedback for correcting machine settings in a timely manner.
The present invention provides a solution to the problem of ensuring that the intended structure of multi-component cigarettes is maintained within design specifications by providing for optical inspection of the multi-component cigarette, preferably within a garniture section prior to closure of a wrapping paper. The present invention also permits providing for the rejection of cigarettes that do not meet specified requirements.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for making and inspecting a multi-component cigarettes, each cigarette including two or more different components arranged relative to one another, is provided. The apparatus includes a device for advancing a web in a first direction. The apparatus further includes a device for positioning at least two different components of a cigarette relative to one another on the web as the web advances in the first direction. The apparatus further includes a garniture device for wrapping the web around the at least two different components by moving opposite edges of the web transversely to the first direction such that, at a closure point in the garniture device, the opposite edges overlap each other. The apparatus further includes an imaging device disposed upstream of the closure point for generating an image of the at least two different components. The apparatus further includes a processing device connected to the imaging device for comparing the generated image with a reference standard and determining if the generated image deviates from the reference standard.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for making and inspecting a multi-component articles, each article including two or more components arranged relative to one another, is provided. The apparatus includes a device for arranging two or more components of a multi-component article relative to one another. The apparatus further includes an imaging device arranged relative to the arranging device for generating an image of the components of the multi-component articles. The apparatus further includes a processing device connected to the imaging device for comparing the generated image with a reference standard and determining if the generated image deviates from the reference standard.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for making and inspecting a multi-component cigarettes, each cigarette including two or more different components arranged relative to one another, is provided. According to the method, a web is advanced in a first direction, and at least two different components of a cigarette are positioned relative to one another on the web as the web advances in the first direction. The web is wrapped around the at least two different components by moving opposite edges of the web transversely to the first direction with a garniture device such that, at a closure point in the garniture device, the opposite edges overlap each other. An image of the at least two different components is generated with an imaging device disposed upstream of the closure point. The generated image is compared with a reference standard and it is determined if the ge
Mullins Michael J.
Smith Barry Scott
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Griffin Steven P.
Halpern M.
Philip Morris Incorporated
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