Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6273093
-
Patent Number
6,273,093
-
Date Filed
Friday, July 30, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, August 14, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 131 62
- 131 108
- 131 110
- 131 274
- 131 302
- 131 304
- 131 309
- 131 300
- 131 306
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A method of, and apparatus for, incorporating particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod, wherein said agent is introduced into a flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band of a rod making machine, the location of introduction being in the vicinity of the suction band of said machine.
Description
The subject invention relates to the incorporation of particulate smoke-modifying agents in smoking material rods.
It has heretofore been proposed to incorporate a particulate smoke-modifying agent in a tobacco rod of a cigarette. Thus, for example, it has been proposed in GB 1 349 537 to admix encapsulated flavourant with cut tobacco cigarette filler and then to feed the thus obtained mixture to a cigarette rod making machine. It was the proposition of U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,863 to adhere a particulate burn rate substance to adhesive printed on cigarette paper, such that the substance adheres to the paper in accordance with the printed pattern of the adhesive. The cigarette paper so loaded with burn rate modifying substance is then used on a rod making machine for the purpose of making continuous tobacco rod. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the proposed method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,863 could be used in respect of the incorporation of a particulate smoke-modifying agent in a tobacco rod. It is a teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,995 that particulate material is deposited on tobacco rod via a bore extending through the garniture tongue of a rod making machine.
It is an object of the subject invention to provide an improved and commercially practical method of incorporating a particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod.
The subject invention provides a method of incorporating particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod, wherein said agent is introduced into a flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band of a rod making machine, the location of introduction being in the vicinity of the suction band of said machine and the particulate smoke-modifying agent being conveyed to said location of introduction and being introduced into the flow of smoking material by way of being entrained in a flow of gaseous medium.
By preference the gaseous medium is air.
Preferably, the location of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent into the flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band of the rod making machine is at the suction band guide rails. Suitably, the path of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent into the flow of smoking material extends through one of the two guide rails. Alternatively, the path of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent extends through a wall bounding a chimney of a rod making machine and extends vertically, or substantially vertically, within the chimney.
Preferably, the location of the introduction of the smoke-modifying particles relative of the width of the curtain of filamentary smoking material flowing to the suction band is such that the particles are deposited on smoking material which has already been deposited on the suction band, and downstream of the said location, further smoking material of the curtain is deposited over the deposited particles, so as to ensure that the particles are other than at the periphery of the smoking material carpet as finally formed at the downstream end of the lower run of the suction band. Suitably, the said location is at a mid zone of the said curtain of smoking material. Thus, for example, the said location may be situate between about 25% and about 60% of the width of said curtain taken from that end thereof from which smoking material is first deposited on the suction band, and preferably between about 25% and about 40%. The advantages of the said location of the introduction of smoke-modifying particles being at a mid zone of the said curtain of smoking material include the minimisation of losses in respect of the smoke-modifying particles passing through the suction band, a better smoking article product wherein loss of smoke-modifying agent to sidestream smoke is minimised, and the maintenance of smoke-modifying particles in the smoking article without substantial loss.
Advantageously, the rate of flow of the smoke-modifying agent to the location of introduction is adjustable relative to the speed of operation of the rod making machine, i.e. with any changes in the flow rate of the smoking material to the suction band, such that the smoke-modifying agent is incorporated at a uniform mass quantity per unit length of the smoking material rod. The smoke-modifying agent may, as a result of employment of the subject invention, be present in the smoking material rod at, for example, 10 to 20 mg per smoking article unit length of the rod, 16 mg for instance.
As an alternative to the flow of smoke-modifying agent to the location of introduction being a continuous flow, the flow may be intermittent, so that in smoking article rods, the product of said machine, the smoke-modifying agent is located at a zone thereof, which zone extends over a fraction only of the length of the rod, at that zone, for example, which accounts for the last few puffs, the last two or three say, in the smoking of a smoking article comprising the rod.
The particulate smoke-modifying agent may comprise, for example, tobacco dust or encapsulated flavourant, menthol for example. In the former case the tobacco dust may be impregnated with a flavourant.
The smoke-modifying agent particles are preferably of spherical shape. The particles may, for example, be of a diameter from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm. The particles used in any particular instance are preferably of uniform diameter. The particles should not be inter-adherent, but on the contrary a bulk of the particles should be free-flowing.
The subject invention further provides a smoking material rod making machine comprising a suction band, filamentary smoking material feed means and smoke-modifying agent feed means, the smoking material feed means being operable to provide a flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band, the smoke-modifying agent feed means being operable to introduce smoke-modifying agent into said flow, the location of introduction into said flow being in the vicinity of said suction band, and said particulate smoke-modifying agent being conveyed to said location and being introduced into said flow of filamentary smoking material by said smoke-modifying agent feed means by way of said particulate smoke-modifying agent being entrained in a flow of gaseous medium.
In order that the subject invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the diagrammatic drawings herewith, in which:
FIG. 1
shows parts of a cigarette rod making machine and associated equipment;
FIG. 2
shows a transverse section, to an enhanced scale, of a first arrangement taken at a trough guide of the making machine of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
shows a transverse section, to an enhanced scale, of a second arrangement taken at a trough guide of the making machine of
FIG. 1
; and
FIG. 4
shows a transverse section, to an enhanced scale, of a third arrangement taken at a trough guide of the making machine of FIG.
1
.
In
FIG. 1
of the drawings herewith parts of a cigarette rod making machine are designated generally by reference numeral
1
. The making machine
1
comprises the well known features of an upwardly extending tobacco-feed chimney
2
, a foraminous, metallic suction band
3
trained about rollers
4
and
5
(one of which is a drive roller), a trough guide
6
and ecreteurs
7
and
8
.
In operation of the making machine
1
, filamentary cut tobacco filler is fed continuously to the lower end of the chimney
2
by conventional feed means (not shown) of the machine
1
and flows upwardly within the chimney
2
(as indicated by arrow T) in an air flow which is maintained under the action of a vacuum which is maintained above the foraminous suction band
3
. At the trough guide
6
the filler is deposited on the under side of the lower run of the suction band
3
and is transported, as a carpet on the band
3
, forwards (leftwards viewing
FIG. 1
, i.e. in the direction of arrow A) to the location of the ecreteurs
7
and
8
, which serve to trim filler from the carpet. As is well known to those skilled in the tobacco art, downstream of the ecreteurs
7
and
8
the tobacco carpet is fed into a garniture (not shown) of the making machine
1
under the action of a transporting garniture band (also not shown) which acts in addition to feed a continuous web of cigarette paper to the garniture. The garniture serves to enwrap the tobacco in the cigarette paper web to provide a continuous tobacco rod. Signals from a rod density monitoring means (also not shown) downstream of the garniture cause position changes of the ecreteurs
7
and
8
such that the amount of tobacco trimmed from the carpet on the suction band
3
is that requisite to maintain the density of the cigarette rod within specified tolerance limits.
As is indicated by
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the trough guide
6
may comprise first and second suction band guide rails
9
and
10
. Extending through a guide rail
9
or
10
is a bore
11
, which bore
11
is in air flow communication with a delivery tube
12
of a capsule delivery unit which in
FIG. 1
is designated generally by reference numeral
13
. The bore
11
may extend through the guide rail
9
or
10
either horizontally, or substantially horizontally, (as depicted in
FIG. 2
) or the bore
11
may extend through the guide rail
9
at an angle θ to the horizontal (as depicted in FIG.
3
). The angle θ may be, for example, about 30°. The vertical distance between the centre line of the bore
11
, when the bore
11
extends horizontally, or substantially horizontally, through the guide rail
9
or
10
, and the underface of the suction band
3
is 20 mm (depicted in
FIG. 2
as x). The vertical distance between the upper surface of the bore
11
, when the bore
11
extends through the guide rail
9
or
10
at an angle of about 30°, and the underface of the suction band
3
is 6 mm (depicted in
FIG. 3
as y).
FIG. 4
shows that the trough guide
6
may alternatively comprise a delivery tube
12
which extends vertically, or substantially vertically, (as viewing
FIG. 4
) within the chimney
2
and trough guide
6
. The vertical distance between the outlet end of the delivery tube
12
and the underface of the suction band
3
is 10 mm (depicted in
FIG. 4
as z). In order to prevent gas/tobacco flow disruptions in the chimney a suitably shaped deflector
50
is positioned about the lower end of the delivery tube
12
. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art transfer means, for example a brush wheel feeder (not shown), may be positioned at the lower end of delivery tube
12
in order to aid in the acceleration of smoke-modifying agent capsules along the vertical, or substantially vertical, tube
12
.
In
FIG. 1
reference numeral
14
designates generally a capsule feed unit comprising a vibratory, gravimetric feeder
15
(which may be a K-Tron (Trade name) KCL24-KV1 feeder) and a refill device
16
. The device
16
comprises a hopper
17
and a pneumatic valve
18
, which valve
18
is operable, under action of a control valve
19
, via an air line
39
, to convey smoke-modifying agent capsules from the hopper
17
to an infeed hopper
20
of the vibratory feeder
15
. The control valve
19
is supplied with air via an air supply line
40
.
The capsule delivery unit
13
comprises a source
21
of pressurised air, an air line
22
, extending from the air source
21
to a pneumatic material transfer unit
23
, and the aforesaid delivery tube
12
. The delivery tube
12
intercommunicates the transfer unit
23
and the aforesaid bore
11
in the suction band guide rail
9
or
10
. The pneumatic material transfer unit
23
. may alternatively be a venturi capsule injector.
In the air line
22
are two pressure regulators
24
a
and
24
b
, two pressure gauges
25
a
and
25
b
, and an adjustable flow restrictor
26
. The pressure regulator
24
a
is operable to control air pressure to the transfer unit
23
and the pressure regulator
24
b
is operable to control the air pressure entering the system . Further, a filter
36
is positioned in the air line
22
to remove air contaminants from the incoming air. A valve
37
positioned in the air line
22
is operable to allow or prevent air flow within air line
22
to the pneumatic material transfer unit
23
.
Reference numeral
42
designates a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), for example a PLC as manufactured by Allen Bradley model no. SLC500. The PLC is interconnected by signal transmission lines
41
,
43
,
28
,
45
,
46
,
48
and
51
respectively, with a microprocessor
27
, a vacuum switch
44
, operable to detect a blockage within the capsule delivery unit
13
, an encoder
31
, an air pressure detector
38
, operable to detect air pressure in air line
22
, a man-machine-interface (MMI) unit
47
, operable to allow operator input into the system and to display system status, a level sensor
49
of the hopper
17
of the refill device
16
, and the aforementioned valve
37
.
The microprocessor
27
is interconnected by signal transmission lines
41
,
29
and
30
respectively with the PLC
42
, drive means
32
, operable to drive the vibratory feeder
15
, and a weighbridge
33
of a capsule feed unit designated by reference numeral
14
. The microprocessor
27
is also interconnected, by signal transmission line
34
, to the control valve
19
of the conveyor
18
of the refill device
16
.
The encoder
31
, which is interconnected with the drive shaft
52
of the rod making machine
1
, is operable to generate a signal representative of the current speed of operation of the rod making machine
1
.
When the rod making machine
1
is in operation, the capsule delivery unit
13
and the capsule feed unit
14
are operable in conjunction to provide a uniform, continuous and non-pulsed introduction of smoke-modifying agent capsules, through the delivery tube
12
, to the upward flow of cut tobacco filler to the suction band
3
.
In operation of the capsule delivery unit
13
a uniform air flow is established from the pressurised air source
21
, via the line
22
and the transfer unit
23
, to and through the delivery tube
12
. Smoke-modifying agent capsules are fed, at a rate accurably controlled by the capsule feeder unit
14
, to the transfer unit
23
via a hopper
35
thereof, whereupon the capsules are entrained in the air flow and are thus conveyed to and through the delivery tube
12
. Upon emerging from the delivery tube
12
(and the bore
11
, if applicable), the capsules become entrained in the upwardly directed tobacco-conveying air flow and travel with the tobacco filler to the moving suction band
3
.
As is indicated in
FIG. 1
, the location of the introduction of the capsules is at a mid zone of the chimney
2
. This ensures that the capsules are deposited on tobacco filler which has already built up on the suction band
3
upstream of the said location of capsule introduction. As the deposited capsules move forward with the band
3
further deposition of the upwardly flowing filler results in the capsules being located generally centrally of the depth of the filler carpet which passes forwardly to the aforementioned garniture of the rod making machine
1
. This in turn means that the capsules are located generally centrally of the rod formed in the garniture. The capsules are also distributed evenly lengthwise of the rod.
The PLC
42
is operable to ensure that the capsule feed unit
14
feeds capsules to the capsule delivery unit
13
at the feed rate which, relative to the speed of operation of the rod making machine
1
, is that required to attain the specified weight of capsules per unit rod length, which specified weight is selected by the operator via the MMI unit
47
.
Claims
- 1. A method of incorporating non inter-adherent, free flowing, particulate smoke-modifying agent in a smoking material rod, wherein said agent is introduced into an air entrainment flow of filamentary smoking material to a suction band of a rod making machine, the location of introduction of said agent into said flow being in the vicinity of said suction band and said agent being conveyed by means of a flow of a gaseous medium to said location and being introduced into said flow at said location by way of said agent being entrained in the flow of gaseous medium.
- 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said location of introduction is at the suction band guide rail of said machine.
- 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the path of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent extends through one of the said guide rails.
- 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a path of introduction of the smoke-modifying agent extends through a wall bounding a chimney of said rod making machine and extends vertically, or substantially vertically, within said chimney.
- 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said location is situated between about 25% and about 60% of a length of a deposit of said smoking material on said suction band in register with said flow of smoking material to said band taken from an upstream end of said deposit.
- 6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said location is situated between about 25% and about 40% of said length.
- 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein a rate of flow of said particulate smoke-modifying agent to said location is adjustable relative to a speed of operation of said rod making machine.
- 8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said rate of flow of said particulate smoke-modifying agent to said location is adjusted in accordance with any changes in the flow rate of said filamentary smoking material to said suction band.
- 9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said rate of flow of said particulate smoke-modifying agent to said location is such that the smoke-modifying agent is incorporated at a uniform mass quantity per unit length of said smoking material rod.
- 10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said uniform mass quantity per unit length of said smoking material rod is 10 to 20 mg per smoking article unit length of the rod.
- 11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said entrained flow of said particulate smoke-modifying agent in said gaseous medium is intermittent, so that in each smoking article rod produced by said machine the smoke-modifying agent is located at a zone thereof, which zone extends over a fraction only of the length of the rod.
- 12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said zone of said rod is that zone which accounts for the last few puffs in the smoking of a smoking article comprising said rod.
- 13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said particulate smoke-modifying agent comprises encapsulated flavourant.
- 14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said encapsulated flavourant is menthol.
- 15. A method according to claim 1, wherein said particulate smoke-modifying agent comprises tobacco dust.
- 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said agent further comprises a flavourant.
- 17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the smoke-modifying agent particles are spherical.
- 18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said smoke-modifying agent particles have a diameter of about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm.
- 19. A method according to claim 17, wherein said smoke-modifying agent particles are of uniform diameter.
- 20. A method according to claim 1, wherein the smoke-modifying agent particles in bulk are free-flowing.
- 21. A smoking material rod making machine comprising a suction band, filamentary smoking material feed means and smoke-modifying agent feed means, the smoking material feed means being operable to provide an air entrainment flow of filamentary smoking material to the suction band, the smoke-modifying agent feed means being operable to introduce non inter-adherent, free-flowing, particulate smoke-modifying agent into said flow, the location of introduction of said agent into said flow being in the vicinity of said suction band, and said smoke-modifying agent feed means comprising a pneumatic transfer unit, a gaseous medium supply means, a delivery tube, extending from said transfer unit to said location, and a feed unit, said feed unit being operable to feed a continuous supply of said agent to said transfer unit, said supply means being operable to supply continuously gaseous medium to said transfer unit and through said delivery tube to said location, and said transfer unit being operable to entrain said agent in a thus established flow of said gaseous medium in said delivery tube, whereby in operation of said machine said agent is conveyed to said location by entrainment thereof in said flow of said gaseous medium.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9703358 |
Feb 1997 |
GB |
|
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
102e Date |
371c Date |
PCT/GB98/00460 |
|
WO |
00 |
7/30/1999 |
7/30/1999 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO98/36650 |
8/27/1998 |
WO |
A |
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (8)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1216170 |
May 1966 |
DE |
38 21 677 A1 |
Jan 1990 |
DE |
0 172 654 A1 |
Feb 1986 |
EP |
0 274 247 A2 |
Jul 1988 |
EP |
0 405 929 A2 |
Jan 1991 |
EP |
0 558 447 A1 |
Sep 1993 |
EP |
1 349 537 |
Apr 1974 |
GB |
2 108 364 |
May 1983 |
GB |