# US 10,306,916 B2 · Product portion enrobing machines and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,306,916 B2 - Document ID: US10306916B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/594,190 - Filed: 2017-05-12 - Published: 2017-08-31 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14 - Assignees: Altria Client Services LLC - Applicants: Altria Client Services LLC - Inventors: Andrew Nathan Carroll; Shannon Maxwell Black; Yan Helen Sun; William J. Burke; Robert Smith - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10306916B2 ## CPC - A24B 15/186: {by coating with a coating composition, encapsulation of tobacco particles (encapsulation of additives other than tobacco : A24B15/283)} - A24B 3/14: Forming reconstituted tobacco products, e.g. wrapper materials, sheets, imitation leaves, rods, cakes; Forms of such products (delustering A24C1/40) - A24B 13/00: Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff (reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14) - A24B 15/14: made of tobacco and a binding agent not derived from tobacco - A24B 15/28: by chemical substances - A24B 15/283: {by encapsulation of the chemical substances} - A24B 15/302: {by natural substances obtained from animals or plants} - A24B 15/403: {having only oxygen as hetero atoms} - A24F 23/02: Tobacco pouches - B05B 13/0221: {characterised by the means for moving or conveying the objects or other work, e.g. conveyor belts (B05B13/0207 takes precedence; conveyors in general B65G)} - B65D 85/8061: {Filters} - B65D 85/808: for immersion in the liquid {to release part or all of their contents}, e.g. tea bags - B65G 15/24: in tandem - B65G 15/44: for impelling the loads - B65G 51/02: Directly conveying the articles, e.g. slips, sheets, stockings, containers or workpieces, by flowing gases - D01D 5/0084: {Coating by electro-spinning, i.e. the electro-spun fibres are not removed from the collecting device but remain integral with it, e.g. coating of prostheses} - D01D 5/0985: {by means of a flowing gas (e.g. melt-blowing)} - D01D 5/18: by means of rotating spinnerets - D01D 11/06: Coating with spinning solutions or melts - D04H 13/00: Other non-woven fabrics - D04H 13/001: {Making non-woven fabrics from staple fibres, filaments or yarns, bonded to at least one web-like material, e.g. woven, knitted non-woven fabric, paper, leather, during consolidation} - A24B: MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF - A24F: SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06) - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - D01D: MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS - D04H: MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL (weaving D03; knitting D04B; braiding D04C; net-making D04G; sewing D05B; tufting D05C; finishing non-woven fabrics D06); FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING {; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION}(non-woven fabrics having an intermediate or external layer of a different kind, e.g. of woven fabric, B32B) ## Abstract An apparatus for enrobing a product portion can include at least one polymer spray head adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce at least one polymer enrobing zone and a conveyor system adapted to move at least one product portion from at least one position below at least one polymer enrobing zone and to at least one position above at least one polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through one or more polymer enrobing zones a plurality times at different orientations to enrobe each product portion with polymeric fibers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for enrobing a product portion comprising: a) at least one polymer spray head adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce at least one polymer enrobing zone; and b) a conveyor system adapted to move at least one product portion from at least one position below at least one polymer enrobing zone to at least one position above at least one polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through one or more polymer enrobing zones a plurality of times at different orientations to enrobe each product portion with polymeric fibers, wherein said conveyor system is adapted to move at least one product portion from at least one position below a first polymer enrobing zone to at least one position above the first polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through the first polymer enrobing zone a plurality of times. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conveyor system is adapted to drop each product portion through one or more polymer enrobing zones a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor system is adapted to move each product portion laterally with each drop. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising baffles above or below said first polymer enrobing zone to move each product portion laterally between each drop. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor system comprises a conveyor belt adapted to move between a position below said first polymer enrobing zone and a position above said first polymer enrobing zone. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said conveyor belt comprises a plurality of ridges adapted to inhibit product portions from sliding or rolling backwards on said conveyor belt. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a molding device to mold at least one product portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one polymer collection roller opposite from at least one polymer spray head and adapted to collect polymeric fibers that are not wrapped around product portions dropped through a polymer enrobing zone. ### Claim 9 An apparatus for enrobing a product portion comprising: a) at least one polymer spray head adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce at least one polymer enrobing zone; and b) a conveyor system adapted to move at least one product portion from at least one position below at least one polymer enrobing zone to at least one position above at least one polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through one or more polymer enrobing zones a plurality of times at different orientations to enrobe each product portion with polymeric fibers, wherein said conveyor system comprises one or more pneumatic conveying tubes. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for enrobing a product portion comprising: a) at least one polymer spray head adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce at least one polymer enrobing zone; and b) a conveyor system adapted to move at least one product portion from at least one position below at least one polymer enrobing zone to at least one position above at least one polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through one or more polymer enrobing zones a plurality of times at different orientations to enrobe each product portion with polymeric fibers, wherein said conveyor system comprises a rotary drum positioned around said at least one polymer spray head, said rotary drum being adapted to move at least one product portion from at least one position below at least one polymer enrobing zone and to at least one position above at least one polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through one or more polymer enrobing zones a plurality of times. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said conveyor system further comprises a spray guard positioned between said rotary drum and said polymer spray head. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said spray guard comprises a collection conveyor adapted to collect polymer fibers from said polymer spray head. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a portion guide in said rotary drum adapted to ensure that product portions travel around the perimeter of said rotary drum and back into said one or more polymer enrobing zones. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said rotary drum is tilted. ### Claim 15 An apparatus for enrobing a product portion comprising: a) at least two polymer spray heads, each polymer spray head being adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce at least one polymer enrobing zone, the at least two polymer spray heads including a first polymer spray head which is adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce a first polymer enrobing zone and a second polymer spray head which is adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce a second polymer enrobing zone, and b) a conveyor system adapted to convey one or more product portions dropped through said first polymer enrobing zone from a position below said first polymer enrobing zone to a position above said second polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through said second polymer enrobing zone at a different orientation than the orientation at which each product portion was dropped through said first polymer enrobing zone. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, comprising at least three polymer spray heads, the at least three polymer spray heads including a third polymer spray head which is adapted to create at least one flow of polymeric fibers to produce a third polymer enrobing zone, wherein said conveyor system is adapted to convey each product portion dropped through said second polymer enrobing zone from a position below said second polymer enrobing zone to a position above said third polymer enrobing zone to drop each product portion through said third polymer enrobing zone. ### Claim 17 An apparatus for enrobing a product portion comprising a. a polymer spray head adapted to create a flow of polymeric fibers to produce a polymer enrobing zone; and b. means for transporting at least one product portion from a position below said polymer enrobing zone to a position above said polymer enrobing zone to repeatedly drop said at least one product portion through said polymer enrobing zone.