Method and an apparatus for manufacturing a filter for a smoking article
AssigneeBritish American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
InventorGary FALLON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a filter for a smoking article Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a filter for a smoking article, and a smoking article produced by the method. The method can include forming a filter section having a surface relief pattern with a filter forming device, transferring the filter section to a filter wrapping device with a filter transfer device and wrapping a sheet material around the filter section with the filter wrapping device.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a filter for a smoking article, comprising:
- forming a filter section having a surface relief pattern with a filter forming device;
- transferring the filter section having the surface relief pattern to a filter wrapping device, using a filter transfer device;
- and
- wrapping a sheet material around the filter section having the surface relief pattern with the filter wrapping device.
A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the time between forming the filter section having a surface relief pattern and wrapping the sheet material around the filter section is less than 2 minutes, less than 1 minute, less than 30 seconds, less than 20 seconds, less than 10 seconds, less than 2 seconds or less than 1 second.
A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the surface relief pattern comprises a plurality of grooves extending in a longitudinal direction along said filter section.
A method according to any preceding claim, wherein transferring the filter section comprises translating linear movement of the filter section into rotational movement.
An apparatus for manufacturing a filter for a smoking article, comprising:
- a filter forming device for forming a filter section having a surface relief pattern;
- a filter wrapping device for wrapping a sheet material around the filter section having the surface relief pattern;
- and
- a filter transfer device arranged to transfer the filter section having the surface relief pattern from the filter forming device to the filter wrapping device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.