Claims
- 1. A cigarette making system having a tobacco recovery system in combination with a cigarette making machine comprising:a feed hopper having a first inlet in flow communication with a cut tobacco feed source, a second inlet in flow communication with a tobacco dust and useable tobacco particle separator, and a tobacco discharge outlet; a cigarette rod forming section of said cigarette making machine having a tobacco inlet in flow communication with said feed hopper tobacco discharge outlet, a tobacco rod discharge, and an opening in the rod forming section in flow communication with a first tobacco recovery air stream; a filter tip attachment section of said cigarette making machine having a tobacco rod inlet in flow communication with said tobacco rod discharge of said cigarette rod forming section, a completed cigarette discharge outlet, and an opening in flow communication with a second tobacco recovery air stream; and, at least one of said first or said second tobacco recovery air streams being in flow communication with said tobacco dust and useable tobacco particles separator, said separator having a first outlet in flow communication with said second inlet to said feed hopper and a second outlet in flow communication with a tobacco dust recovery collector.
- 2. The cigarette making system of claim 1, said tobacco dust and useable tobacco particle separator including means to separate useable tobacco particles of preselected size from tobacco dust.
- 3. The cigarette making system of claim 1, said separator including a centrifugal curved conduit and a classification chamber.
- 4. The cigarette making system of claim 3, said separator including a classifying airflow at a selected location within a lower portion of said separator.
- 5. The cigarette making system of claim 4, said classifying airflow being supplied air at a regulated flow and pressure rate.
- 6. The cigarette making system of claim 1 including a metering device between said feed hopper and said rod forming section of said cigarette making machine.
- 7. The cigarette making system of claim 1, said separator having a first outlet in flow communication with said second inlet to said feed hopper and a second outlet in flow communication with a tobacco dust recovery collector.
- 8. The tobacco recovery system of claim 1, said first and said second tobacco recovery air streams being the same tobacco recovery air stream.
- 9. A cigarette making system comprising:a. a cigarette making machine, comprising; a rod forming section in flow communication with a rod forming vacuum conduit; and a feed hopper having a gravity discharge into said rod forming section, and said hopper being in flow communication with a feed conduit from a cut tobacco source and with a pneumatic feed vacuum conduit, said pneumatic feed vacuum conduit being physically separated from said feed conduit; and b. a tobacco recovery system, comprising; a particle separator having a first inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet, said first inlet being in flow communication with said cigarette making machine rod forming vacuum conduit; a vertically disposed classification chamber having an inlet in flow communication with said particle separator first outlet, a large particle outlet disposed in a bottom of said classification chamber and being in flow communication with said feed hopper, and a small particle outlet disposed in a top of said classification chamber; and an airflow source to move tobacco dust and useable tobacco particles from said rod forming section to said particle separator and said classification chamber.
- 10. The system of claim 9, said particle separator being a centrifugal curved conduit.
- 11. The system of claim 10, said centrifugal curved conduit being oriented in a substantial vertical position with flow of tobacco dust and particles being upwards into said first inlet, downwards at said first outlet and upwards at said second outlet.
- 12. The system of claim 10, said centrifugal curved conduit being curved up to 360 degrees.
- 13. The system of claim 9, said air flow source being a vacuum source in flow communication with said second outlet from said particles separator.
- 14. The system of claim 9 including a scalping gate at said particle separator.
- 15. The system of claim 9 including means to introduce air into a bottom of said classification chamber, said means to introduce air including a conduit into said classification chamber with a nozzle on the termination end thereof, said nozzle being positioned to direct air upwards into said chamber.
- 16. The system of claim 15, said means to introduce air including an air flow regulator.
- 17. The system of claim 9, said classification chamber large particles outlet being in flow communication with said cigarette making machine, said small particle outlet being in flow communication with a tobacco dust recovery collector.
- 18. The system of claim 9 wherein said cigarette making machine further includes a filter tip attachment machine downstream of said rod forming section.
- 19. The system of claim 10 wherein said filter tip attachment machine is in flow communication with a filter tip attachment vacuum conduit.
- 20. The system of claim 9 wherein said cigarette making machine pneumatic feed vacuum conduit is separated from said feed conduit by a screen mounted within said feed hopper.
- 21. The system of claim 9 wherein said rod forming vacuum conduit is in flow communication with a main vacuum conduit.
- 22. The system of claim 19 wherein said filter tip attachment vacuum conduit is in flow communication with a main vacuum conduit.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 9 further including a filter tip attachment section in flow communication with said cigarette rod forming section.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 9, said particle separator being a tangential separator.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 9, said particle separator being a screen type separator.
- 26. A cigarette making system comprising:a. a cigarette making machine, comprising: a rod forming section in flow communication with a rod forming vacuum conduit; and a feed hopper having a gravity discharge into said rod forming section, and said hopper being in flow communication with a feed conduit from a cut tobacco source and with a pneumatic feed vacuum conduit, said pneumatic feed vacuum conduit being physically separated from said feed conduit; and b. a tobacco recovery system, comprising: a centrifugal curve in flow communication with said cigarette making machine rod forming vacuum conduit; a classification chamber adjacent said centrifugal curve and in flow communication with said feed hopper; a scalping gate interposed between said classification chamber and said centrifugal curve; and an air lock interposed between said feed hopper and said chamber.
- 27. The system of claim 26 wherein said vacuum source is in flow communication with a filter tip attachment conduit.
- 28. The system of claim 27 wherein said vacuum source is additionally in flow communication with a rod forming vacuum conduit.
- 29. The system of claim 26 wherein said centrifugal curve extends between 30 and 360 degrees.
- 30. The system of claim 26 wherein said scalping gate between said centrifugal curve and said classification chamber is adjustable in height.
- 31. The system of claim 26 further comprising:a dust removal conduit in flow communication with said classification chamber; a classification nozzle within said classification chamber, said nozzle in flow communication with a high pressure air source; and, a valve interposed between said air source and said nozzle.
- 32. The system of claim 26 wherein said classification chamber is comprised of a tangential separator.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This utility patent application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/513,993, filed on Mar. 3, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,126 which issued Apr. 16, 2002.
US Referenced Citations (17)
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