Method for separating tobacco particles on cigarette manufacturing machines
AssigneeG. D. Societa per Azioni
InventorRiccardo Mattei
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method for separating tobacco particles on cigarette manufacturing machines, whereby particles of shredded, carded tobacco are fed, through a side inlet passage, into a chamber communicating at the top with an upward feed channel, at the bottom with a downward reject channel, on one side with an inlet passage and on the other side with a by-pass channel, one outlet of which communicates with a mid point on the reject channel. The particles reaching the by-pass channel are first slowed down inside the channel, then isolated from the chamber, brought up to room pressure and finally dropped, at essentially zero initial speed, along an outlet portion of the by-pass channel and through at least one air current moving upward in the direction of the reject channel.
Claims9
A method for separating tobacco particles in cigarette manufacturing machines having a receiving chamber for a flow of shredded tobacco particles, a supply and a reject channel extending upwardly and downwardly respectively from said receiving chamber, said supply and reject channels being substantially aligned with each other, and a by-pass channel having an inlet which communicates with said receiving chamber, and an outlet which communicates with said reject channel;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- reducing the air pressure in said supply and reject channels and in said receiving chamber so as to generate a main air current flowing upwardly along said reject and supply chamber and across said receiving chamber;
- feeding said tobacco particles at relatively high speed into said receiving chamber and across said main air current towards the inlet of said by-pass channel;
- bringing to a substantial halt those of said tobacco particles which enter said by-pass channel;
- isolating from said reduced air pressure said substantially halted particles within a portion of said bypass channel;
- increasing the air pressure within said portion of said by-pass channel;
- and
- dropping said isolated particles at substantially zero initial speed into said reject channel from said portion of said by-pass channel and across at least one upwardly moving secondary air current flowing into said main current.
A method for separating tobacco particles in a cigarette manufacturing machine having a receiving chamber for a flow of shredded tobacco particles;
- a supply and a reject channel extending upwardly and downwardly from said receiving chamber respectively, said supply and reject channels being substantially aligned with each other;
- a bypass channel having an inlet which communicates with said receiving chamber, and an outlet which communicates with said reject channel;
- and conveyor means arranged within said by-pass channel and comprising at least one particle-accommodating pocket-defining member movable along a portion of said by-pass channel from a first particle-receiving position, in which said pocket communicates with said receiving chamber, and through a second position in which said pocket is isolated in an airtight manner from said receiving chamber;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- reducing the air pressure in said supply and reject channels and in said receiving chamber so as to generate a main air current flowing upwardly along said reject and supply channels and across said receiving chamber;
- feeding said tobacco particles at relatively high speed into said receiving chamber and across said main air current towards the inlet of said by-pass channel and into said pocket-defining member in said first position;
- operating said conveyor means so as to move at a relatively low speed said pocket-defining member from said first to said second position;
- increasing the air pressure within said pocket when said pocket-defining members moves through said second position;
- generating at least one secondary air current flowing upwardly into said main current and across a low portion of said reject channel;
- dropping said particles at said relatively low speed from said pocket-defining member into said low portion of said reject channel and across said secondary air current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.