Equipment for manufacturing cigarettes

An automated cigarette making apparatus comprising:

• a free-standing paper web supply unit;
• and
• a means for forming a continuous cigarette rod coupled together with the free-standing paper web supply unit,
• the free-standing paper web supply unit absent a source of tobacco filler and comprising (i) an unwind bobbin for providing a continuous strip of paper web for forming the outer wrapper of the continuous cigarette rod, (ii) an additive applicator for applying an additive material to the paper web, and (iii) a plurality of guide means for directing the paper web to the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod,
• the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod having the paper web received from the paper web supply unit as the outer wrapper comprising (i) a plurality of guide means and a garniture conveyor belt for receiving the paper web from the paper web supply unit, (ii) a tobacco chimney for providing tobacco filler, and (iii) a garniture means for manufacturing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping the tobacco filler inside the continuous paper web received from the paper web supply unit and for applying the additive material to a lap seam region on the paper web.

An automated cigarette making apparatus comprising:

• a free-standing paper web supply unit;
• and
• a means for forming a continuous cigarette rod coupled together with the free-standing paper web supply unit,
• the free-standing paper web supply unit absent a source of tobacco filler and comprising (i) an unwind bobbin for providing a continuous strip of paper web for forming the outer wrapper of the continuous cigarette rod, (ii) an additive applicator for applying an additive material to the paper web, (iii) a drying means for drying the additive material applied to the paper web before the paper web reaches the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod, and (iv) a plurality of guide means for directing the paper web to the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod,
• the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod having the paper web received from the paper web supply unit as the outer wrapper comprising (i) a plurality of guide means and a garniture conveyor belt for receiving the paper web from the paper web supply unit, (ii) a tobacco chimney for providing tobacco filler, and (iii) a garniture means for manufacturing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping the tobacco filler inside the continuous paper web received from the paper web supply unit and for applying the additive material to a lap seam region on the paper web.

An automated cigarette making apparatus comprising:

• a free-standing paper web supply unit;
• and
• a means for forming a continuous cigarette rod coupled together with the free-standing paper web supply unit,
• the free-standing paper web supply unit absent a source of tobacco filler and comprising (i) a source of a continuous strip of paper web for forming the outer wrapper of the continuous cigarette rod, (ii) means for applying an additive material to the paper web in a pattern, and (iii) means for directing the paper web to the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod,
• the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod having the paper web received from the paper web supply unit as the outer wrapper comprising (i) means for receiving the paper web from the paper web supply unit, (ii) a source of tobacco filler, and (iii) a garniture means for manufacturing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping the tobacco filler inside the continuous paper web received from the paper web supply unit and for applying the additive material to a lap seam region on the paper web in addition to the pattern of additive material.

An automated cigarette making apparatus comprising:

• a free-standing paper web supply unit;
• and
• a means for forming a continuous cigarette rod coupled together with the free-standing paper web supply unit,
• the free-standing paper web supply unit absent a source of tobacco filler and comprising (i) a source of a continuous strip of paper web for forming the outer wrapper of the continuous cigarette rod, (ii) means for applying an additive material to the paper web, (iii) means for directing the paper web to the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod, and (iv) control means for the means for applying an additive material to the paper web,
• the means for forming a continuous cigarette rod having the paper web received from the paper web supply unit as the outer wrapper comprising (i) means for receiving the paper web from the paper web supply unit, (ii) a source of tobacco filler, (iii) a garniture means for manufacturing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping the tobacco filler inside the continuous paper web received from the paper web supply unit, (iv) an automated cutting knife for subdividing the continuous rod into predetermined lengths, and (v) control means for the cutting knife
• wherein the control means for the means for applying an additive material to the paper web comprises a means for controlling the application of the additive material to the paper web relative to the speed of formation of the continuous cigarette rod,
• wherein the control means for the cutting knife comprises a means for cutting the continuous rod into a plurality of cigarette rods of predetermined lengths, and
• wherein a location of the additive material application on the paper web is controlled relative to a location at which the continuous rod provided from that paper web is cut.