Apparatus for manufacturing a smokeless tobacco product incorporating an object, and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10028520-B2
Application number	US-87442010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2010
Priority date	Sep 2, 2010
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and associated method are provided for manufacturing a smokeless tobacco product including tobacco material and at least one object. A forming unit is configured to form a continuous supply of a pouch material into a continuous tubular member defining a longitudinal axis. A tobacco insertion unit is configured to introduce tobacco material into a pouch member portion of the tubular member. An object insertion unit is configured to introduce objects into the tubular member, with at least one of the objects being introduced into the pouch member portion. A closing and dividing unit is configured to close and divide the tubular member at intervals along the longitudinal axis thereof, to form the tubular member into a plurality of discrete pouch member portions such that each discrete pouch member portion includes the tobacco material and the at least one of the objects.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a smokeless tobacco product, the apparatus comprising:
a forming unit configured to form a continuous supply of a pouch material into a continuous tubular member defining a longitudinal axis;
a closing and dividing unit configured to close a first portion of the tubular member to form a closed leading edge of a pouch member portion and a closed trailing edge of a previous pouch member portion;
a tobacco insertion unit configured to form an individual charge of tobacco material; and
an object insertion unit having a tobacco channel extending between a tobacco inlet and an outlet, and an object channel extending from an object inlet into communication with the tobacco channel between the tobacco inlet and the outlet, the tobacco channel being configured to receive the individual charge of tobacco material from the tobacco insertion unit via the tobacco inlet, the object insertion unit being configured to direct at least one object into the object inlet, into the tobacco channel, and into the individual charge of tobacco material, between the tobacco inlet and the outlet, the object insertion unit being further configured to direct the individual charge of tobacco material having the at least one object therein through the outlet and into the pouch member portion such that the individual charge of tobacco material having the at least one object therein is retained in the pouch member portion by the closed leading edge thereof,
wherein the closing and dividing unit is further configured to close a second portion of the tubular member to form a closed trailing edge of the pouch member portion and a closed leading edge of a subsequent pouch member portion, and to divide the tubular member, between the closed trailing edge and the closed leading edge of the respective pouch members along the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, into a plurality of discrete pouch member portions such that each discrete pouch member portion includes the individual charge of tobacco material and the at least one object, and
wherein the object inlet extends to a distribution channel defined by a body member, and the object insertion unit further comprises a translating member configured to be received within the distribution channel and to be axially movable with respect to the distribution channel, along a longitudinal axis defined thereby, between a first position and a second position, the translating member defining first and second ports extending therethrough, each extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the translating member being configured such that, in the first position, the first port is disposed in a non-dispensing position not aligned with the object inlet and the second port is disposed in alignment with the object inlet, and, in the second position, the first port is disposed in alignment with the object inlet and the second port is disposed in a non-dispensing position not aligned with the object inlet.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the body member further defines a supplemental channel extending to the distribution channel opposite to the object inlet such that the translating member is disposed therebetween, the supplemental channel being aligned with the object inlet, when either of the first and second ports is aligned with the object inlet, and being adapted to direct an airflow therethrough into the object channel and toward the tobacco channel.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the body member further defines first and second object delivery ports extending to the distribution channel, wherein, in the first position, the first object delivery port is aligned with the first port defined by the translating member and disposed in the non-dispensing position, and wherein, in the second position, the second object delivery port is aligned with the second port defined by the translating member and disposed in the non-dispensing position, each of the first and second ports in the non-dispensing position being configured to receive one of the at least one object from the respective object delivery port, the one of the at least one object being directed from the respective ports into the object channel and toward the tobacco channel by the airflow directed by the supplemental channel, when either of the first and second ports is aligned with the object inlet.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the object insertion unit further comprises a switching device in communication with the translating member, the switching device being configured to oscillate the translating member between the first and second positions.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the object insertion unit is configured to introduce objects selected from a group consisting of capsules, pellets, microcapsules, beads, rods, strands, flavoring agent members, and combinations thereof.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising an object hopper assembly configured to feed objects to each of the first and second object delivery ports of the object insertion unit via at least one tubular transport member extending thereto, the object hopper assembly comprising an object hopper configured to receive the objects, and an agitation device configured to interact with the object hopper so as to agitate the objects therein to facilitate delivery of the objects into the at least one tubular transport member.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the object hopper and the at least one tubular transport member are coaxially disposed along a substantially vertical axis, and the agitation device is configured to oscillate one of the object hopper and the at least one tubular transport member with respect to the other along the substantially vertical axis such that at least one tubular transport member is oscillated to a minima below a fill level of the objects within the object hopper.

8. An apparatus for manufacturing a smokeless tobacco product, the apparatus comprising:
a forming unit configured to form a continuous supply of a pouch material into a continuous tubular member defining a longitudinal axis;
a closing and dividing unit configured to close a first portion of the tubular member to form a closed leading edge of a pouch member portion and a closed trailing edge of a previous pouch member portion;
a tobacco insertion unit, including:
a tobacco hopper for receiving the tobacco material, and defining a plurality of cavities arranged in a substantially circular formation;
an arm member operably engaged with the tobacco hopper and configured to be rotatable therein to direct the tobacco material within the tobacco hopper into the cavities, the tobacco material in each cavity forming respective individual charges of tobacco material; and
a charge delivery device operably engaged with the tobacco hopper and configured to serially engage each cavity defined thereby to direct the individual charge of tobacco material therefrom and into a corresponding one of the pouch member portions; and

an object delivery unit operably engaged with the tobacco hopper and configured to deliver at least one object into each of the cavities and into the individual charge of tobacco material therein, such that each individual charge of tobacco material having the at least one object therein is directed by the charge delivery device into the corresponding one of the pouch member portions, wherein the closing and dividing unit is further configured to close a second portion of the tubular member to form a closed trailing edge of the pouch member portion and a closed leading edge of a subsequent pouch member portion, and to divide the tubular member, between the closed trailing edge and the closed le

Assignees

• Novak Iii Charles J
• Bovender David Charles
• Reynolds Tobacco Co R

Inventors

• Novak Iii Charles J
• Bovender David Charles

Classifications

• A24B13/00 Primary

  Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff (reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14) · CPC title

• B65B9/213

  the web having intermittent motion (B65B9/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65B61/28

  for discharging completed packages from machines · CPC title

• B65B29/00

  Packaging of materials presenting special problems · CPC title