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US 7,537,013 B2Granted
Apparatus for manufacturing cigarettes
AssigneeR.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
InventorsJohn Larkin Nelson, Vernon Brent Barnes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device and method for loading a cartridge with pre-formed tubular wrappers for cigarette manufacture. The device provides for dispensing pre-formed tubular wrappers from a container to a cartridge without directly touching the wrappers.
Claims13
A device for loading a cartridge with pre-formed hollow tubular wrapping portions for cigarette manufacture, the device comprising:
- an upper reservoir configured for receiving and containing a plurality of tubular wrapping portions;
- a hopper including a plurality of parallel downwardly extending passageways configured for passage of the tubular wrapper portions from the upper reservoir to a grooved tray below the hopper, the tray configured for supporting individual tubular wrapping portions each disposed in one of a first number plurality of parallel grooves;
- an unattached wrapper-transport cartridge having a second number plurality of parallel grooves that is a whole number multiple of the first plural number;
- a structure configured for supporting the unattached wrapper-transport cartridge in a position longitudinally aligning the tray grooves with cartridge grooves such that at least a portion of the cartridge grooves can be loaded with tubular wrapping portions;
- and
- a hand-actuated mechanism for longitudinally moving the tubular wrapping portions from the tray grooves to the cartridge grooves.
3 more elements
A device for loading a cartridge substantially simultaneously with a plurality of pre-formed cigarette wrappers, the device comprising:
- an upper reservoir configured to receive a plurality of pre-formed cigarette wrappers;
- a plurality of parallel passageways extending downward from the upper reservoir;
- a tray structure located below the plurality of passageways and configured with parallel grooves to align a first number of pre-formed cigarette wrappers substantially parallel to each other;
- a hand-actuated rod structure adapted for moving the first number of pre-formed cigarette wrappers to a corresponding first number of parallel grooves of an unattached cartridge, the cartridge comprising a second number of grooves that is a whole number multiple of the first number;
- and
- a cartridge-holding structure adjacent to the hand-actuated rod structure and aligned therewith such that when the unattached cartridge is positioned on the cartridge-holding structure, the rod structure may be moved by an operator in a manner that moves the first number of pre-formed cigarette wrappers longitudinally from the tray structure to the cartridge.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.