Tobacco – Cigar or cigarette making – Including perforating
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-11
2003-03-04
Griffin, Steven P. (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Cigar or cigarette making
Including perforating
C131S027100, C131S055000, C131S056000, C131S057000, C131S057500, C219S121700, C219S121770, C219S121600, C219S121740, C219S121760
Reexamination Certificate
active
06526985
ABSTRACT:
Each and every U.S. and foreign patent and patent application, inclusive of the German priority patent application Serial No. 198 56 413.9 filed Dec. 8, 1998, identified in the specification of the present application is to be considered as being incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for regulating the permeability of tubular wrappers of rod-shaped commodities, e.g., of the envelopes of plain or filter cigarettes or other rod-shaped smokers' products. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for increasing the permeability of tubular wrappers with laser beams or with beams of other suitable high-energy penetrative radiation.
It is known to perforate selected portions of tubular wrappers of rod-shaped smokers' products (e.g., plain or filter cigarettes and hereinafter referred to as filter cigarettes) with one or more laser beams which are focussed upon selected portions of the wrappers while the filter cigarettes roll about their respective axes. In many instances, the filter cigarettes are caused to roll during sidewise movement through a rolling channel which is bounded by a surface of a stationary rolling member and a surface of a moving rolling member (e.g., a conveyor which advances successive filter cigarettes of a series of such cigarettes sideways toward, along and beyond the combined rolling and perforating station).
Reference may be had, for example, to U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,670 (granted Aug. 4, 1981 to Heitmann et al. for “APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE PERMEABILITY OF WRAPPING MATERIAL FOR ROD-SHAPED SMOKERS' PRODUCTS”). The patented apparatus employs a source of one or more laser beams which are focussed upon successive rolling cigarettes while the cigarettes are caused to move sideways by a drum-shaped conveyor and are compelled to roll in response to engagement with a rolling member, e.g., a moving belt, a rotating drum or the like. Since a cigarette which is caused to rotate about its axis is compelled to simultaneously move sideways from the inlet to the outlet of a rolling channel, the means for focussing the laser beam or beams upon the wrapper of the cigarette in the rolling channel must be capable of causing the beam or beams to move with the rolling cigarette. In order to ensure that a laser beam which impinges upon the wrappers of cigarettes in the rolling channel will perforate selected portions of successive wrappers in a predictable manner, it is necessary to ensure that the angular (rolling) and sidewise movements of each cigarette entering the rolling channel are identical to those of previously or subsequently treated cigarettes. This necessitates a pronounced frictional engagement between the wrapper of a cigarette in the rolling channel on the one hand, and the surfaces which bound the rolling channel on the other hand. At least one of these surfaces is caused to move relative to the other surface. Pronounced frictional engagement between the wrapper of a cigarette and the rolling surfaces is apt to cause deformation (even bursting) and/or defacing of the tubular wrapper.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is constructed and assembled and which can be operated in such a way that, even though successive rod-shaped articles which are caused to advance through the rolling station are compelled to move in a highly predictable fashion, they are treated gently and are caused to change their permeabilities in an optimum manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for moving successive rod-shaped articles through the rolling station.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can properly perforate the tubular wrapper of a cigarette or another rod-shaped smokers' product even though the beam or beams of radiation need not penetrate though the rod-shaped filler (such as a filler of tobacco and/or filter material for tobacco smoke) of the commodity in the rolling channel.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact and reliable apparatus which can be utilized in production lines (e.g., for the making and packing of filter cigarettes) as a superior substitute for presently known perforating apparatus.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the rod-shaped articles are caused to enter into and to rotate in the rolling channel in a novel and improved way.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which ensures gentle but highly predictable treatment of successive rod-shaped articles during the important stages including entry into and movement out of the rolling station.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved means for moving rod-shaped articles sideways toward, through and beyond the rolling station.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of manipulating cigarettes or other rod-shaped products preparatory to, during and following changes in the permeability of their tubular wrappers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of increasing the permeabilities of tubular wrappers of filter cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of guiding and moving successive rod-shaped articles, such as filter cigarettes, during transition from sidewise movement to combined sidewise and rolling movement and/or vice versa.
Another object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for rolling successive ones of short or long series of rod-shaped articles about their respective axes.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which can simultaneously perforate several selected portions of tubular wrappers of rod-shaped smokers' products, e.g., in a filter rod making machine, in a cigarette making machine, in a filter cigarette making machine (known as tipping machine), in a cigarette packing machine, or in a path between two successive machines of the above outlined character.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for increasing the permeability of a tubular wrapper of an elongated rod-shaped article, e.g., a filter cigarette of double unit length wherein a filter mouthpiece of double unit length is located between two plain cigarettes of unit length and wherein a change of permeability normally involves the making of perforations in the wrapper of the mouth-piece prior to subdivision of the article into two filter cigarettes of unit length.
The improved apparatus comprises a first rolling member and a second rolling member which is movable realative to the first rolling member. The rolling members respectively have first and second rolling surfaces which define at least one rolling channel having a height such that, as a result of movement of the second rolling member relative to the first rolling member and upon entry into the at least one channel, the article is compelled to roll about its axis and to move sideways from the inlet to the outlet of the at least one channel. This can be readily accomplished by selecting the height of the at least one channel (i.e., the distance between the first and second rolling surfaces) in such a way that it is only slightly less than the diameter of the article.
The apparatus further comprises a source of at least one beam of high energy radiation (e.g., a laser beam and hereinafter called beam of penetrative radiation), means (e.g., a suitable optical system) for focussing the at least one beam along at least one path defined at least in part by one of the rolling members and upon the wrapper of the article in the at least one rolling channel, and means for conveying the article toward the inlet and away from the outlet of the at least one rolling channel. In accordan
Griffin Steven P.
Hauni Maschinenbau AG
Kinberg Robert
Venable LLP
Voorhees Catherine M.
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