Conveyors: fluid current – With diverse power-driven conveyor – Reciprocating or oscillating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-29
2003-02-04
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3653)
Conveyors: fluid current
With diverse power-driven conveyor
Reciprocating or oscillating
C406S122000, C406S151000, C131S109300, C131S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06514014
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting and transporting cigarette rejects in a cigarette manufacturing process. The method and apparatus of the present invention are particularly useful for transporting cigarette rejects from a cigarette filter tipping machine to a cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The production of cigarettes is a highly automated process involving sophisticated machinery for handling tobacco, paper and filter elements and forming cigarette products. Cigarettes can vary in composition and construction. Typically, cigarettes comprise a rod of smokable material, such as a blend of shredded tobacco laminae, volume expanded shredded tobacco laminae, cut and processed tobacco stems, shredded reconstituted tobacco, and the like. The smokable material or cut filler is circumscribed by an outer wrapping material such as cigarette paper, e.g., a calcium carbonate and flax paper, thereby forming a tobacco rod. Tobacco rods typically have lengths of about 40 mm to about 85 mm; preferably about 55 mm to 70 mm, and circumferences of about 17 to about 27 mm, preferably about 22 mm to about 25 mm. For filter cigarettes, a filter element normally manufactured from plasticized cellulose acetate tow and circumscribed by a paper plug wrap is attached to one end of the tobacco rod. Filter elements can have flavors incorporated therein, contain charcoal, or the like. Filter elements typically have lengths of about 10 mm to about 40 mm, preferably about 15 to about 35 mm; and have circumferences comparable to that of the tobacco rod to which they are attached. A tipping paper typically circumscribes the filter element and an adjacent region of the tobacco rod so as to fixedly secure the filter element to the tobacco rod. Typical filter cigarettes are about 80 mm, about 85 mm and about 100 mm in length.
Cigarettes conventionally have been sold in packages called “packs,” and each pack normally contains 20 cigarettes. The cigarettes are usually arranged in a matrix of three rows having 7 cigarettes, 6 cigarettes and 7 cigarettes, respectively. Cigarette packs are packaged in cartons, typically ten packs per carton.
During the manufacture of cigarettes, a number of “cigarette rejects” are produced. As used herein, the term “cigarette rejects” includes both acceptable cigarettes (i.e., cigarettes that meet manufacturing and other quality standards), defective cigarettes and any portions thereof. As set forth below, “cigarette rejects,” for example, might include cigarettes rejected at a cigarette rod making machine, cigarettes rejected at a filter tipping machine, cigarettes discarded at the start or end of a production run or when a machine goes down, and cigarettes from rejected pack or cartons.
In the manufacture of cigarettes, tobacco is supplied to a cigarette rod making machine by a hopper. The cigarette rod making machine forms rods of smokable material, wrapped in a tube of cigarette paper. “Long ends,” which are produced during the startup of the rod making machine, and defective cigarette rods are manually removed by the operator and transported to a cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit, described below.
The cigarette rod making machine is directly coupled with a filter tipping machine, which affixes filters to the ends of the cigarette rods. Finished cigarettes are inspected and those meeting the appropriate quality standards are transported by conveyor to a cigarette storage and retrieval unit. For example, the pressure drop across each cigarette is measured at the cigarette tipping machine. Cigarettes with pressure drops outside of an acceptable range are rejected. Under conventional techniques, defective cigarettes fall from the tipping machine into a container or bin. Periodically, the operator of the cigarette tipping machine is required to empty the bin. The cigarette rejects become waste material and the tobacco is separated and used in reconstituted tobacco products. However, an operator may carry the bin of rejected cigarettes from the cigarette tipping machine to the cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit.
Cigarettes meeting test criteria are transported to a storage and retrieval unit. From the storage and retrieval unit, the cigarettes are transported to a packer unit. After the cigarettes are packaged in individual packs, the cigarette packs are inspected and those found meeting the appropriate quality standards are transported to a sealing film wrap and cartoner unit, where the packs are wrapped in a polymeric film, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, sealed and cartoned. Packs which are found defective in the packer may be transported to a pack opener unit or become waste material and treated similarly to cigarette rejects from the tipping machine. In addition, improperly cartoned or sealing film-wrapped packs can be transported manually to the hopper for the pack opener unit. The cigarettes in these defective packs or cartons may be transported to a cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit after being removed from the packs.
As a result of the various rejection points for cigarettes and packs in the manufacturing process discussed above, substantial quantities of tobacco may be removed as waste material. This requires the separation of the tobacco from the non-tobacco materials. The tobacco from the cigarette rejects is normally used in by-product materials such as reconstituted tobaccos. It has been a desire of the industry to reclaim the tobacco at the various rejection points in the manufacturing process and return it directly to the tobacco supply for the cigarette making machine for a number of reasons. Typically, each cigarette has a unique blend of various types of tobaccos, stems, expanded tobacco, etc. Such blended tobacco is the most expensive component of the cigarette. If the rejected tobacco could be returned to the cigarette maker tobacco supply which is being used to manufacture the same blend of cigarettes, great savings would ensue.
Furthermore, the tobacco from menthol cigarettes cannot be reclaimed in the normal process with other tobaccos because the menthol will contaminate the other tobaccos. Thus, it cannot be used in reconstituted by-products unless the menthol is removed from the tobacco. This is an expensive process so, typically, the menthol tobacco has been discarded. There have been numerous attempts to provide methods and systems for in-line tobacco reclamation in the cigarette manufacturing process at the cigarette maker and at the packer, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,843.
Although an effective cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit for removing tobacco from individual cigarettes has been developed (for example, a unit manufactured by Decouffle) and an effective pack opener unit for removal of cigarettes from a pack (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,007) has been developed, the reclamation process still requires that the rejected cigarettes from the maker and/or tipper be manually introduced into the cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit.
The present invention provides a method and a means for moving cigarette rejects from the cigarette manufacturing process to the cigarette opener and tobacco removal unit.
Additionally, a disadvantage of many current cigarette production processes is that operator intervention is required to return defective cigarettes, or cigarette rods, to a tobacco removal unit for tobacco recovery. This need for operator intervention disrupts an otherwise completely automated process and may accordingly reduce the production efficiency of the process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for collecting and transporting cigarette rejects in a cigarette manufacturing process. In one embodiment, an apparatus for collecting and transporting cigarette rejects in a cigarette manufacturing process comprises means for directing the rejects into a fluid stream whereby such rejects may be transported, means for transporting the rejects in the fluid str
Deal Philip Andrew
Holmes Gregory Alan
Tatum David Wayne
Dillon, Jr. Joe
Ellis Christopher P.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
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