Homogenized tobacco material production line and method for inline production of homogenized tobacco material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018332884-A1
Application number	US-201615777680-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 25, 2016
Priority date	Nov 27, 2015
Publication date	Nov 22, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a homogenized tobacco sheet production line comprising: ∘A tank ( 501 ) adapted to contain a slurry formed by a tobacco powder blend, a binder and an aerosol former in an aqueous medium; ∘A cast apparatus ( 600 ) adapted to receive slurry from the tank and to cast the slurry so as to form a homogenized tobacco material; ∘A movable transporting support ( 606 ) on which said slurry is casted and adapted to transport the homogenized tobacco material along a transport direction; ∘A slitter ( 611 ) located downstream the cast apparatus adapted to slit the homogenized tobacco material along the transport direction so as to form portioned homogenized tobacco sheets; and ∘A winding station ( 613 ) located downstream the slitter adapted to receive the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets from the slitter and to wind at least one of the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets in a bobbin. It also relates to a method for inline production of a homogenized tobacco sheet.

First claim

1 . A homogenized tobacco sheet production line comprising:
a tank adapted to contain a slurry formed by a tobacco powder blend, a binder and an aerosol former in an aqueous medium; a cast apparatus adapted to receive slurry from the tank and to cast the slurry so as to form a homogenized tobacco material; a movable transporting support on which said slurry is casted and adapted to transport the homogenized tobacco material along a transport direction; a slitter located downstream the cast apparatus adapted to slit the homogenized tobacco material along the transport direction so as to form portioned homogenized tobacco sheets, wherein the said slitter comprises at least two blades, so as to form at least three portioned homogenized tobacco sheets; and a winding station located downstream the slitter adapted to receive the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets from the slitter and to wind at least one of the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets in a bobbin, wherein the winding station comprises a number of bobbin holders equal to the number of portioned homogenized tobacco sheets in which the homogenized tobacco sheet is cut by the slitter.

2 . The homogenized tobacco sheet production line according to claim 1 , comprising:
a drying station located downstream the cast apparatus and upstream said slitter adapted to dry the homogenized tobacco sheet.

3 . The homogenized tobacco sheet production line according to claim 2 , wherein the slitter is located directly downstream the drying station.

4 . The homogenized tobacco sheet production line according to claim 1 , wherein the winding station is located directly downstream the slitter.

5 . The homogenized tobacco sheet production line according to claim 1 , wherein the movable transporting support includes a single continuous moving support transporting said homogenized tobacco sheet from the cast apparatus to the slitter.

6 . The homogenized tobacco sheet production line according to claim 1 , wherein the winding station includes:
a sensor adapted to detect a size of the bobbin or an amount of portioned homogenized tobacco sheet wound in the bobbin and to send a signal if the size or amount exceeds a given threshold; and a wound bobbin cutting element, to automatically transversally cut the portioned homogenized tobacco sheet in the bobbin so that the bobbin can be exchanged in response to the sensor signal.

7 - 8 . (canceled)

9 . A method for inline production of homogenized tobacco material, said method comprising:
preparing a slurry comprising tobacco powder blend, a binder and an aerosol former in an aqueous medium; casting the slurry in a support movable along a transport direction to form a homogenized tobacco sheet; slitting the homogenized tobacco sheet along said transport direction in at least three portioned homogenized tobacco sheets while the homogenized tobacco sheet is moved along the transport direction so as to form portioned homogenized tobacco sheets; and winding each portioned homogenized tobacco sheet in a bobbin.

10 . (canceled)

11 . The method according to claim 9 , including:
drying the portioned homogenized tobacco sheet.

12 . The method according to claim 9 , comprising:
checking an amount of portioned homogenized tobacco sheet wound in the bobbin or a size of the bobbin; and automatically changing the bobbin if said amount or said size is above a given threshold.

13 . (canceled)

14 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the step of preparing a slurry comprises:
suspending a binder in an aerosol-former to form a suspension; creating a cellulose pulp from cellulose fibers and water; providing a tobacco powder blend; and combining the suspension of binder in aerosol-former, the cellulose pulp and the tobacco powder blend to form the slurry.

15 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the step of preparing a slurry comprises:
pulping and refining cellulose fibres to obtain fibres having a mean size comprised between about 0.2 millimetres and about 4 millimetres; grinding a blend of tobacco of one or more tobacco types to a tobacco powder having a mean size comprised between about 0.03 millimetres and about 0.12 millimetres; combining the pulp with the tobacco powder blend of different tobacco types and with a binder in an amount comprised between about 1 percent and about 5 percent in dry weight basis of the total weight of the homogenized tobacco material, so as to form a slurry; and homogenizing the slurry.

16 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Rosado Francisco

Classifications

• A24B3/14 Primary

  Forming reconstituted tobacco products, e.g. wrapper materials, sheets, imitation leaves, rods, cakes; Forms of such products (delustering A24C1/40) · CPC title

• B65H2301/4148

  slitting · CPC title

• A24B15/167

  in liquid or vaporisable form, e.g. liquid compositions for electronic cigarettes · CPC title

• B65H18/106

  for several juxtaposed strips · CPC title

• A24B3/08 Primary

  Blending tobacco · CPC title