Apparatus and method for forming and packaging molded tobacco pieces
AssigneePhilip Morris USA Inc.
InventorsShannon Black, Andrew Nathan Carroll, Tom Holland
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for molding and packaging molded tobacco pieces includes a mold having cavities oriented to allow ejection of molded tobacco pieces into a container. The apparatus also includes a knockout for ejecting the molded tobacco pieces, and a cutter having at least two blades for cutting the molded tobacco pieces into vertically aligned slices by passing one or more blades horizontally through the cavities.
Claims23
A method of producing packaged portioned tobacco products, comprising:
- placing moist smokeless tobacco material in cavities of a mold while placing a container proximate and in alignment with the cavities allow ejection of molded tobacco pieces into the container;
- and
- simultaneously ejecting the molded tobacco pieces from the cavities directly into the container, said cavities arranged in a group of cavities of a predetermined number and a desired orientation, and wherein said ejecting allows said ejected molded tobacco pieces to be directly deposited into the container according to said number and said orientation.
A method of producing packaged portioned tobacco products, comprising:
- placing moist smokeless tobacco material in cavities of a mold wherein the cavities are oriented to allow ejection of molded tobacco pieces into a container;
- cutting the molded tobacco pieces into vertically aligned slices by passing one or more blades horizontally through the cavities;
- and
- ejecting the molded tobacco pieces from the cavities directly into a container.
A method of producing packaged portioned tobacco products, comprising:
- placing moist smokeless tobacco material in cavities of a mold wherein the cavities are oriented to allow ejection of molded tobacco pieces into a container;
- and
- ejecting the molded tobacco pieces from the cavities directly into a container,
- wherein the container comprises a lidless round can and the mold comprises cavities spaced far enough apart to avoid contact of the molded tobacco pieces during simultaneous ejection from the cavities into the container.
A method of producing packaged portioned tobacco products, comprising:
- placing moist smokeless tobacco material in cavities of a mold wherein the cavities are oriented to allow ejection of molded tobacco pieces into a container;
- and
- ejecting the molded tobacco pieces from the cavities directly into a container, wherein the container comprises a cylindrical can and the molded tobacco pieces have identical rectangular shapes with dimensions which permit a pre-selected number of molded pieces to be simultaneously ejected into the can, the method further comprising placing a lid on the can after ejecting at least five molded pieces into the can.
A method of repetitively producing a product comprising a container of portioned tobacco pieces of a predetermined number and orientation of said tobacco pieces, said method comprising:
- establishing a group of mold cavities consistent with a pre-determined number and orientation of tobacco pieces of said product;
- repetitively filling said group of mold cavities with a tobacco material to form a group of molded tobacco pieces of said pre-determined number and orientation;
- repetitively conveying a container in proximity to said group of tobacco filled mold cavities;
- repetitively ejecting said group of molded tobacco pieces from said group of tobacco filled mold cavities directly into said container while said container is in proximate relation to said group of tobacco filled mold cavities;
- and
- closing said container,
- wherein the container comprises a cylindrical can and the molded tobacco pieces have identical rectangular shapes with dimensions which permit a pre-selected number of molded pieces to be simultaneously ejected into the can, the method further comprising placing a lid on the can after ejecting at least five molded pieces into the can.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.