Tobacco – Cigar or cigarette making – Molding or forming
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-15
2001-07-24
Derrington, James (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Cigar or cigarette making
Molding or forming
C131S088000, C493S044000, C493S039000, C028S219000, C028S282000, C028S283000, C028S240000, C028S244000, C028S246000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263882
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
This application claims the priority of German patent application Ser. No. 198 11 014.6 filed Mar. 13, 1998. The disclosure of the German patent application, as well as that of each US and foreign patent and patent application mentioned in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for the making of filter plugs or filter mouthpieces for cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for converting a continuous tow of originally crimped filamentary filter material for tobacco smoke (such as cellulose acetate fibers) into a rod-like filler which is ready to be draped into a web of cigarette paper or other suitable wrapping material to form a continuous filter rod ready to be subdivided into filter rod sections or filter mouthpieces (plugs) of unit length or multiple unit length. Filter mouthpieces of unit or multiple unit length can be fed into the magazine of a so-called tipping machine wherein the filter mouthpieces are connected (normally by so-called uniting bands of artificial cork or the like) with plain cigarettes of unit length of multiple unit length to form therewith filter cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length.
In accordance with the presently prevailing practice, a filter tow is drawn from a bale and is thereupon subjected to a series of special treatments including spreading or banding and stretching of its filaments to thus convert the tow into a flat and relatively wide web or strip of parallel or nearly parallel filaments, and thereupon contacting the web with a suitable plasticizer (such as triacetin) to bond portions of neighboring filaments to each other. This ensures that the filaments in a finished filter mouth-piece define a maze of passages for the flow of tobacco smoke and the mouthpiece can intercept a high percentage of tar, condensate and certain other ingredients of tobacco smoke before the smoke reaches the smoker's mouth. The plasticizer applying station is followed by a so-called gathering or collecting station where the width of the web is reduced so that the thus treated tow resembles or again resembles a rod-like mass of filaments ready to be draped into cigarette paper or the like.
An important requirement for the making of satisfactory filter mouthpieces is to ensure that the homogeneousness of the filler in each of a short or long series of successively formed filter mouthpieces fluctuates very little or not at all, and that such homogeneousness matches or very closely approximates an optimum value. Furthermore, each unit length of the tow must yield a high number of fillers for filter mouthpieces. As a rule, the making of lightweight filter mouthpieces which, in spite of the relatively small quantity of filamentary filter material therein, constitute satisfactory barriers to the penetration of tar and condensate into a smoker's mouth renders it even more important and necessary to enhance the homogeneousness of successive increments of the treated tow which is ready to be converted into the filler of a filter rod. Another desirable characteristic of a satisfactory filter mouthpiece is a rather pronounced resistance to the flow of tobacco smoke therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,449 discloses an apparatus wherein so-called banding nozzles are utilized to separate the filaments in successive increments of the running tow ahead of the so-called stretching zone in which the conversion of the tow into a relatively wide and flat strip or web of parallel or substantially parallel filaments is completed. Such web is thereupon advanced through the plasticizing station and thereafter through the gathering station prior to admission into the filter rod forming zone. The introduction of successive increments of the gathered web into the rod forming station can be preceded by a treatment with a stream of compressed air and the passage through the so-called gathering horn.
Reference may also be had to U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,007 which discloses a method of and an apparatus for the formation of filter rod sections, and to U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,119 which discloses a rod making machine wherein a web of cigarette paper or the like can be draped around a rod-like filler of fibrous material of the tobacco processing industry.
It has been found that, in many instances, spreading, stretching and other presently known treatments of a tow of filamentary filter material for tobacco smoke cannot invariably and reliably ensure the elimination of all undesirable accumulations (such as clumps) of non-separated filaments ahead of the wrapping station. This results in the making of filter mouthpieces exhibiting an unacceptable resistance to the flow of tobacco smoke and/or other undesirable characteristics of the ultimate products.
Furthermore, the path for the advancement of filamentary filter material from the source of tow (such as the aforementioned bale) to the wrapping station is likely to contain filaments which became separated from the main body of the tow that is being advanced through the banding, stretching, plasticizing and gathering stations. The presence of loose filaments of cellulose acetate in the path which is provided for the advancement of the tow toward the wrapping station and/or in the atmosphere surrounding a production line including one or more filter rod making machines, one or more filter tipping machines and normally one or more additional (such as packing, cellophaning and other) machines is highly undesirable for a number of reasons.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a method of converting a tow of filamentary filter material for tobacco smoke which can be resorted to for the making of highly satisfactory filter mouthpieces regardless of the speed at which the tow is being drawn from the source and transported toward the wrapping station.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method which renders it possible to reliably remove separated filaments of fibrous filter material for tobacco smoke from the path for the tow between the source and the wrapping station.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method which renders it possible to convert the tow into a rod-like filler exhibiting a homogeneousness and/or other desirable characteristics superior to those of fillers which are obtained in accordance with heretofore known methods.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for the practice of the above outlined method.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel and improved stretching, gathering and other means for treating the filaments of the tow on their way from the source of tow toward the wrapping station.
A further object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for removing segregated filaments from the path of the bulk of filaments forming a tow through various processing stations.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is designed to prevent atmospheric air along the path of the tow from adversely influencing the treatment of the tow at one or more stations between the source of tow and the wrapping station where the processed tow is confined in a continuous wrapper of cigarette paper or other suitable wrapping material.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can automatically expel or otherwise evacuate segregated filaments of fibrous filter material for tobacco smoke from the path for the tow toward the wrapping station.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be designed to take up a relatively small amount of space in a production line for the making of filter cigarettes or other filter tipped rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry.
A further object
Arnold Franz-Peter
Chehab Firdausia
Fietkau Stefan
Derrington James
Hauni Maschinenbau AG
Kinberg Robert
Venable
Voorhees Catherine M.
LandOfFree
Method of and apparatus for making filter mouthpieces for... 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 and apparatus for making filter mouthpieces for..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of and apparatus for making filter mouthpieces for... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2464731