Machine and method for producing substantially cylindrical articles of the tobacco processing industry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11096416-B2
Application number	US-201515126008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 21, 2014
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

Machine and method for producing substantially cylindrical articles of the tobacco processing industry; a material with cavities is fed, along a given path, through an insertion station, where powder material is inserted into the cavities, so as to obtain a strand, and through a wrapping station, in the area of which a strip is wrapped around the strand; the powder material is inserted into each cavity by a relative insertion unit, which moves in a synchronous manner along a coupling portion of the given path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a rod for substantially cylindrical articles of a tobacco processing industry; each article comprising portions of different materials; the method comprising:
a metering step, during which a transfer seat is filled with a given amount of the loose material, wherein the transfer seat has a given volume selected such that filling the transfer seat results in the transfer seat housing the given amount of loose material, and a retaining assembly comprising a physical barrier arranged below the transfer seat during the metering step to prevent the loose material from going out of the transfer seat;
a loading step, during which the given amount of loose material is transferred from the transfer seat to a loading chamber of an insertion unit, and the retaining assembly is absent during the loading step such that the given amount of loose material can be transferred from the transfer seat during the loading step;
a feeding step, during which a first material is fed, in a conveying direction along a first given path, through an insertion station and to a wrapping station; the first material having cavities arranged in succession in the conveying direction;
an insertion step, during which the given amount of a loose material is inserted into the cavities in the insertion station, so as to form a strand; and
a wrapping and stabilizing step, during which a strip is wrapped around the strand and stabilized around the strand itself in the wrapping station, wherein
the insertion unit comprises an unloading device to unload the given amount of the loose material from the loading chamber,
during the insertion step the insertion unit is moved into the area of the first material, so that the unloading device faces one of the cavities;
during the insertion step and the feeding step, the insertion unit is moved in the conveying direction along at least one coupling portion of the first given path, so that the unloading device is kept facing the respective cavity as the loose material is fed from the insertion unit into the cavity.

2. A method according to claim 1 , and comprising a conveying step, during which the insertion unit is conveyed along a second given path, which shares, with the first given path, at least said coupling portion, which is substantially straight.

3. A method according to claim 1 , and comprising a transportation step, during which the transfer seat is conveyed along a third given path through a metering station, in the area of which the metering step is carried out, and through a loading station, in the area of which the loading step is carried out.

4. A method according to claim 1 , and comprising a feeding device, which is designed to feed the loose material to the transfer seat.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein, during the insertion step, the first material and the insertion unit are fed continuously in the conveying direction.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the first material has portions of material that are arranged in succession in the conveying direction and alternate with said cavities.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the loose material is in the form of particles and/or fibers and/or granules.

8. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the coupling portion is at least 2.5 cm and up to 30 cm long.

9. A method according to claim 2 , wherein during the conveying step, the insertion unit is conveyed along the second given path through a loading station, in the area of which the loading step is carried out.

10. A method according to claim 1 , during the metering step, the transfer seat moves at an opening of a hopper containing the loose material.

11. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the second and third given paths share at least a transfer portion, which is located in the area of the loading station and along which the transfer seat is coupled to the insertion unit, so as to transfer the given amount of loose material from the transfer seat to the insertion unit.

12. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the feeding device comprises a hopper, which has a lower opening, through which the loose material is fed into the transfer seat.

13. A method according to claim 2 , wherein, during the conveying step, the insertion unit is moved continuously along said second given path.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the transfer seat is conveyed continuously along the third given path.

Assignees

• Gd Spa

Inventors

• Esposti Marco
• Eusepi Ivan
• Baldanza Nicola
• Sartoni Massimo

Classifications

• A24D3/0225 Primary

  with solid additives, e.g. incorporation of a granular product (A24D3/0216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A24D3/0245

  by winding, e.g. spirally · CPC title