Method, mechanism and apparatus for momentary compression of filter material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11076635-B2
Application number	US-201916362379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2019
Priority date	Feb 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A mechanism for a momentary compression of a filter material used in the tobacco industry, wrapped into a wrapper and glued with an adhesive delivered from an adhesive applying apparatus, adapted to being placed on a machine for manufacturing filter rods before the adhesive applying apparatus is characterised in that it comprises at least one rotary compressing member for pressing the filter material linearly moving underneath it. A method of a momentary compression of a filter material used in the tobacco industry, wrapped into a wrapper and glued with an adhesive delivered from an adhesive applying apparatus on a machine for manufacturing filter rods is characterised in that before wrapping the filter material into the wrapper the filter material is compressed by exerting a force on the filter material by at least one rotary compressing member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for wrapping preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) used in the tobacco industry into a wrapper, wherein the preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) positioned on the wrapper ( 103 ) are travelling on a belt of a conveyor ( 102 ), the wrapper ( 103 ) being located lengthwise on the conveyor ( 102 ), the method characterized by the following steps:
forming the wrapper ( 14 ) into a U-shape,
momentarily compressing the preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) by means of at least one rotary compressing member ( 10 ) exerting a force (F) on the preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) located in the U-shaped wrapper ( 14 ), the U-shaped wrapper having an edge, wherein the at least one rotary compressing member ( 10 ) is situated above the travelling preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) and the force (F) is directed in a vertical direction (V) or at an angle (β) relative to the vertical direction (V),
forming the U-shaped wrapper ( 14 ) into a cylindrical sleeve around the compressed preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) by delivering glue from an adhesive applying apparatus on the edge ( 15 ) of the U-shaped wrapper ( 14 ), yielding a fully closed cylindrical wrapper,
allowing the compression of the preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) to cease after the fully closed cylindrical wrapper has been formed, such that space inside the fully closed cylindrical wrapper ( 14 ) is filled with at least one preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S).

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the compression of each preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) is carried out gradually by means of a series of multiple rotary compressing members ( 10 ), each of the multiple rotary compressing members acting on the compressed preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) with a different force (F).

3. The method as in claim 2 wherein the force (F) exerted by successive rotary compressing members ( 10 ) on the compressed rod-shaped filter segment (S) increases.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein the force (F) is directed at an angle (β) in the range of 5° to and 30°.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the angle (β) is in the range of 15° to 20°.

6. A device for wrapping a preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) used in the tobacco industry into a wrapper, comprising:
a belt conveyor ( 102 ) for transferring the preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S) positioned on the wrapper ( 103 ), wherein the wrapper ( 103 ) is formed into a U-shaped wrapper ( 14 ),
an adhesive applying apparatus ( 104 ) for delivering glue on the edge of the U-shaped wrapper ( 14 ),
a heater ( 105 ) adapted to heat up adhesive so that fully closed cylindrical sleeve of the wrapper ( 14 ) is formed, and
a momentary compressing mechanism ( 11 , 11 ′) arranged before the adhesive applying apparatus ( 104 ) and comprising at least one rotary compressing member ( 10 ) excreting a force (F) on the preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) located in the U-shaped wrapper ( 14 ), wherein rotary compressing member ( 10 ) is situated above the travelling preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) and wherein the momentarily compressing mechanism ( 11 , 11 ′) is adapted to adjust the force (F) so that the force (F) is directed in a vertical direction V or at an angle βrelative to the vertical direction V to allow decompression of the preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) to end to end after forming the cylindrical sleeve of the wrapper ( 14 ).

7. The device as in claim 6 , wherein it comprises two rotary compressing members ( 10 ).

8. The device as in claim 7 wherein the last rotary compressing member ( 10 A), considering the direction of movement of the preformed rod-shaped filter segments (S), has a smaller working width than the preceding compressing members ( 10 ).

9. The device as in claim 6 , wherein it comprises three rotary compressing members ( 10 ).

10. The device as in claim 6 wherein rotary compressing members ( 10 ) have different diameters and a compression line ( 13 ) defined by the lowest points of rotary compressing members ( 10 ) is inclined relative to an axis (SA) of the preformed rod-shaped filter segment (S) an angle (α) between 1° and 5°.

11. The device as in claim 10 wherein the inclination is between 2° and 3°.

12. The device as in claim 6 wherein the rotary compressing member ( 10 ) is a compressing roller with a cylindrical working surface ( 20 ).

13. The device as in claim 6 wherein the rotary compressing member ( 10 ) is a compressing roller with a conical working surface ( 20 ).

14. The device as in claim 6 wherein the rotary compressing member ( 10 ) is a compressing roller with an oval working surface ( 20 ).

Assignees

• Int Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp Zoo

Inventors

• Lisowski Andrzej
• Mamerski Marcin
• Stanikowski Robert
• Wiecaszek Grzegorz

Classifications

• A24D3/00 Primary

  Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter tips or filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces of cigars or cigarettes · CPC title

• A24D3/0287 Primary

  for composite filters · CPC title

• A24D3/0262

  Filter extremity shaping and compacting means · CPC title

• A24D3/0241 Primary

  by compacting particulated materials · CPC title