US 6,202,648 B1Granted

Method of and apparatus for making a cigarette rod with an insert

AssigneeHauni Maschinenbau AG

InventorsPeter Schumacher, Andreas Herburg, Andreas Rathjen

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Abstract

A cigarette rod wherein a flexible tubular insert is surrounded by smokable material which, in turn, is surrounded by a wrapper of cigarette paper is formed by advancing the insert from a source at a variable speed toward one or more stations where the running insert is confined between two layers of smokable material. A combined monitoring and regulating system is provided to monitor the extent of sag of the insert between the outlet of the source and the confining station(s), to generate signals denoting the extent of sag, and to regulate the speed of a motor for the insert at the outlet of the source in response to such signals. The purpose of the combined signal generating and regulating system is to maintain the extent of sag of the insert between an upper threshold value and a lower threshold value.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method of making a continuous rod-like smokers' product which contains a smokable material surrounding an elongated flexible tubular insert, comprising the steps of:

establishing for the insert an elongated path including spaced-apart first and second sections;
advancing the insert at the first section toward the second section at a first speed within a first range of speeds;
advancing the insert at the second section in a direction away from the first section at a second speed within a second range of speeds so that, owing to its flexibility, the insert sags between said sections when the first speed exceeds the second speed and the extent of sag is adapted to be varied by changing at least one of the first and second speeds;
at least partially surrounding the insert with smokable material in a region past the second section and accumulating a layer of smokable material on a foraminous conveyor and transporting the layer downstream of said second section at a predetermined offset relative to the path for the insert between the first and second sections;
deforming the insert downstream of said second section of said elongated path through an angle depending upon said offset;
monitoring the extent of sag of the insert between said sections and generating signals having characteristics denoting the extent of monitored sag;
and
regulating at least one of the advancing steps as a function of the characteristics of said signals.

5 more elements

Apparatus for making a continuous rod-like smokers' product which contains a smokable material surrounding an elongated flexible tubular insert, comprising:

means for advancing the insert from a source lengthwise in a predetermined direction along a predetermined path including spaced-apart first and second sections, said advancing means including a first unit arranged to advance the insert at the first section toward the second section at a first speed within a first range of speeds and a second unit arranged to advance the insert at the second section away from the first section at a second speed within a second range of speeds so that, owing to its flexibility, the insert sags between said sections when the first speed exceeds the second speed and the extent of sag is adapted to be varied in response to a change of at least one of the first and second speeds;
means for at least partially surrounding the insert with smokable material downstream of said second section including means for at least partially surrounding the insert comprising a suction-operated foraminous conveyor arranged to transport a layer of smokable material downstream of said second section along a second path which is offset relative to a portion of said predetermined path between said sections;
means for bending the insert downstream of said second section of said predetermined path against the layer of smokable material;
and
means for monitoring the extent of sag of the insert between the first and second sections.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.