Method and apparatus for forming a heated tobacco product consumable having a substantially planar shape.

Abstract

A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) having a substantially planar shape, comprising: forming a wrapper material (202) into a U-shape having a flat base and two upright sides, each upright side forming an angle (α) with the flat base; providing a first adhesive on a first portion of the flat base between the two upright sides; providing a support element (204) on the adhesive and attaching the support element to the first portion of the flat base; and providing a tobacco base material (206) on a second portion of the flat base adjacent to the support element, preferably the tobacco base material and the support element A method comprising: providing a tobacco substrate (206) having substantially the same height dimension from a flat base; folding a first upright side portion of an upright side portion over the support element and the tobacco substrate portion so as to be parallel to the flat base; providing a second adhesive on at least one of the upright sides; and folding a second upright side portion of an upright side portion over the first upright side portion of an upright side portion so as to be parallel to the first upright side portion of the upright side, thereby attaching the upright sides to each other and wrapping the support element and the tobacco substrate with a wrapper material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a consumable for a heated tobacco product, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for forming a consumable for a heated tobacco product having a substantially planar configuration.

Background Art

[0002] In order to be easily inserted by a consumer into a heating device slot, heated tobacco product consumables having a flat, substantially planar shape have been conventionally manufactured. The completed consumable typically includes a tobacco substrate and a support (or cooling) element, both of which are wrapped by a wrapper, such as a high density paper wrapper. The manufacturing process may include manipulating the wrapper and using an adhesive to secure the wrapper in place. This can be problematic for the following reasons.

[0003] When packaging a soft tobacco substrate with a high density paper wrapper, it is difficult to ensure accurate final dimensions because the surface of the soft tobacco substrate tends to yield under applied pressure. This makes it extremely difficult to ensure an exact rectangular shape with sharp corners and fold lines. These difficulties can cause undesirable variations in the completed consumable and slow production speeds.

[0004] The present invention aims to at least partly alleviate the problems of the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable having a substantially planar shape is provided, comprising: forming a wrapper material into a U-shape having a flat base and two upright sides, each upright side forming an angle α with the flat base; providing a first adhesive on a first portion of the flat base between the two upright sides; providing a support (or cooling) element on the adhesive and attaching the support element to the first portion of the flat base; and providing a tobacco base on a second portion of the flat base adjacent to the support element, wherein preferably the tobacco base and the support element are A method is provided which includes providing a tobacco substrate having substantially the same height dimension as the flat base; folding a first upright side portion of the upright side portion over the support element and the tobacco substrate portion so as to be parallel to the flat base; providing a second adhesive on at least one of the upright sides; and folding a second upright side portion of the upright side portion over the first upright side portion of the upright side portion so as to be parallel to the first upright side portion of the upright side, thereby attaching the upright sides to each other and wrapping the support element and the tobacco substrate with a wrapper material.

[0006] The initial formation of the wrapper material into a U-shape with a flat base and upright walls advantageously defines the maximum width of the consumable and further ensures that the lower part of the consumable has the desired pointed corners and fold lines. The upper part of the consumable is also given pointed corners and fold lines by subsequent bending of the upright sides.

[0007] Forming the wrapper material into a U-shape may involve stamping the wrapper material to fit into the channel of the carriage, the channel having a channel flat base and two channel upright sides, each forming an angle of 90 to 170 degrees with the channel flat base.

[0008] The wrapper material can be stamped directly into the carriage channel. Alternatively, the wrapper material may be stamped into the channel of a separate die block, the die block channel being geometrically similar to the carriage channel, and then transferred to the carriage channel.

[0009] The formed U-shaped wrapper material can be positioned within the carriage channel for receiving the tobacco substrate. When the tobacco substrate is applied to the wrapper material, it can exert an outward force on the upright sides of the wrapper material. The rigid upright walls of the carriage channel prevent outward deflection of the upright sides of the wrapper material against this force, thereby helping to ensure the precise dimensions of the consumable. The rigid upright walls of the carriage channel also provide a useful guide for placing support elements onto the wrapper material.

[0010] The wrapper material may include paper or card, and optionally, the wrapper material may include a metal foil layer.

[0011] The support elements may include corrugated materials, such as cardboard.

[0012] Providing a tobacco substrate in the second portion of the flat base may include compressing the tobacco substrate by applying adjustable pressure to the top of the tobacco substrate.

[0013] Compressing the soft tobacco base material helps to hold it in place within the consumable, while also increasing the structural rigidity of the consumable.

[0014] Providing a second adhesive on one of the upright sides may include providing the second adhesive on the inner surface of the unbent portion of the second upright side.

[0015] Folding the portion of the first upright side of the upright side and folding the portion of the second upright side of the upright side may include moving the first flat blade laterally toward the U-shaped wrapper material, engaging the edge of the first flat blade with the portion of the first upright side of the upright side and folding the portion; applying the second adhesive on the second upright side of the upright side; moving the first blade laterally in the opposite direction away from the U-shaped wrapper material, or moving the U-shaped wrapper away from the first blade; moving the second flat blade laterally in a second direction toward the U-shaped wrapper material, engaging the edge of the second flat blade with the portion of the second upright side of the upright side and folding the portion.

[0016] The edge of the second flat blade, and optionally the edge of the first flat blade, may have a curved contour to reduce friction between the movable blade and the U-shaped wrapper material.

[0017] The method may include placing a consumable in a curing and forming chamber having an internal shape complementary to the external shape of the consumable, in order to allow one or both of the first and second adhesives to cure while maintaining the external shape of the consumable.

[0018] The angle α can be 90 to 170 degrees, arbitrarily 90 to 160 degrees, arbitrarily 100 to 150 degrees, or arbitrarily 100 to 140 degrees.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for forming a heated tobacco product consumable having a substantially planar shape, comprising a carriage having a channel having a channel flat base and two upright sides, each forming an angle of 90 to 170 degrees with the channel flat base, wherein the carriage is arranged to be guided to move between processing stations of the apparatus; a die stamping station arranged to stamp wrapper material to fit the channel of the carriage in order to form a U-shaped wrapper material having a flat base and two upright sides, each forming an angle α with the flat base; an adhesive station located downstream of the die stamping station and arranged to apply a first adhesive to a first portion of the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper material between the sides of the U-shaped wrapper material; and a support element located at or downstream of the adhesive station and arranged to mount the support element to the first portion of the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper material by placing the support element on the adhesive. The apparatus is provided, comprising: a support element station; a tobacco substrate station located downstream of the support element station and preferably positioned to place the tobacco substrate on a second portion of the flat base of a U-shaped wrapper adjacent to the support element such that the tobacco substrate and the support element have substantially the same height dimension from the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper; and one or more folding and bonding stations located downstream of the tobacco substrate station and positioned to fold a first portion of the side of a U-shaped wrapper material onto the support element and the tobacco substrate so as to be parallel to the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper material, apply a second adhesive on at least one of the sides, and fold a second portion of the side of a U-shaped wrapper material onto the first portion of the side of a U-shaped wrapper material so as to be parallel to the side of the U-shaped wrapper material, thereby attaching the sides of the wrapper material to each other and wrapping the support element and the tobacco substrate with the wrapper material.

[0020] The tobacco substrate station may include a stamp positioned to compress the tobacco substrate by applying adjustable pressure to the top of the tobacco substrate.

[0021] One or more bending and bonding stations may be arranged to provide a second adhesive on a second side of a U-shaped wrapper material, and further comprising a first flat blade, the edge of which the first flat blade is arranged to engage with the portion of the first upright side of the U-shaped wrapper material and move laterally toward the U-shaped wrapper material to bend the portion, and optionally move in the opposite direction toward the U-shaped wrapper material; and a second flat blade, the edge of which the second flat blade is arranged to engage with the portion of the second upright side of the U-shaped wrapper material and move laterally to bend the portion, and optionally move in the opposite direction toward the U-shaped wrapper material.

[0022] The edge of the second flat blade, and optionally the edge of the first flat blade, may have a curved contour to reduce friction between the movable blade and the U-shaped wrapper material.

[0023] The apparatus may include a curing and forming chamber located downstream of one or more bending and bonding stations, the curing and forming chamber having an internal shape complementary to the external shape of the consumable, for receiving the consumable and allowing one or both of the first adhesive and the second adhesive to cure while maintaining the external shape of the consumable.

[0024] The apparatus may include a wrapper material hopper arranged to hold multiple wrapper materials and dispense individual wrapper materials into a carriage.

[0025] The apparatus may include a support element hopper arranged to hold multiple support elements and discharge individual support elements to a support element station.

[0026] The device may include a hopper for tobacco substrates arranged to hold a plurality of tobacco substrates and discharge individual tobacco substrates to a tobacco substrate station.

[0027] Here, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028] [Figure 1A] A diagram of a device for forming a heated tobacco product consumable is shown. [Figure 1B] A diagram of a device for forming a heated tobacco product consumable is shown. [Figure 2] A perspective view of a portion of the device of FIGS. 1A and 1B is shown. [Figure 3] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D show a heated tobacco product consumable including a paper wrapper, a support element, and a tobacco substrate that can be manufactured using the device. [Figure 4A] Regarding the placement of the paper wrapper on the carriage of the device. [Figure 4B] Regarding the placement of the paper wrapper on the carriage of the device. [Figure 5A] Regarding the placement of the support element on the paper wrapper. [Figure 5B] Regarding the placement of the support element on the paper wrapper. [Figure 6] Regarding the placement of the tobacco substrate on the paper wrapper. [Figure 7] A first flat blade of the device for folding the paper wrapper is shown. [Figure 8] The movement of the first flat blade and the second flat blade of the device is shown. [Figure 9] A curing and forming chamber of the device for curing an adhesive to form a heated tobacco product consumable is shown.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Referring particularly to Figures 2, 4A, 5A, and 6, the apparatus 100 for forming heated tobacco product consumables comprises a carriage 102 arranged to be movable between a plurality of processing stations, the plurality of stations including a die stamping station 104 including a die stamp 104a and a die block 104b, an adhesive station 106 located downstream of the die stamping station 104, a support element station 108 located downstream of the adhesive station 106 and including a support element carrier 108a, a tobacco substrate station 110 located downstream of the support element station 108 and including a tobacco substrate carrier 110a, a first bending and bonding station 112 located downstream of the tobacco substrate station 110 and including a first flat blade 112a, and a second bending and bonding station 114 located downstream of the first bending and bonding station 112 and including a second flat blade 114a. In this example, the carriage 102 is slidably mounted on a guide rail 102a so as to be able to move linearly between processing stations. In this example, carriage 102 is made of stainless steel.

[0030] As can be seen in Figure 5A, for example, the upper surface of the carriage 102 comprises a concave channel 102b having a channel flat base and two upright sides, each forming an angle α with the channel flat base. In this example, the angle α is selected from a set of options so that it is substantially about 90 degrees.

[0031] Referring again to Figure 2, in this example, the apparatus 100 further comprises a vertical hopper 116 for supplying paper wrappers, a vertical hopper 118 for supplying support elements located downstream of the vertical hopper 116 for paper wrappers, a vertical hopper 120 for supplying tobacco substrates located downstream of the vertical hopper 118 for support elements, a curing and forming chamber 122 located downstream of the folding and bonding station 114, and a discharge chute 124 located downstream of the curing and forming chamber 122.

[0032] Referring further to Figure 2, the die block 104b of the die stamping station 104 is positioned laterally to the guide rail 102a. As shown in the figure, in the initial position, the carriage 102 is positioned on the guide rail 102a adjacent to the die block 104b. The upper surface of the die block 104b has a channel (not visible in the figure) that is geometrically similar to the channel 102b of the carriage 102.

[0033] Next, moving to Figure 3A, the heated tobacco product consumable 200 (hereinafter referred to as "consumable") includes a paper wrapper 202 surrounding a tobacco base material 206 and support (or cooling) elements 204 arranged adjacent to each other in a manner that connects their ends, as shown in Figure 3B. As can be seen in Figures 3C and 3D, in this example, each of the support elements 204 and the tobacco base material 206 has a corrugated shape. The corrugation can advantageously allow for the cooling of vapor during use and can add structural strength to the substantially planar consumable 200. The support elements 204 may include paper. The consumable 200 may have, for example, a length in the range of 18.0 to 34.0 mm, preferably 27.5 mm, and a width in the range of 5.0 to 15.0 mm, preferably 10 mm.

[0034] Here, an exemplary method for forming or assembling consumables 200 using the apparatus 100 will be described.

[0035] Referring again to Figure 2, the carriage 102 is first positioned on the guide rail 102a in the die stamp station 104. The flat paper wrapper 202 is ejected from the vertical paper wrapper hopper 116 to the die stamp 104a and held in place by vacuum suction. The die stamp 104a is lowered vertically downward toward the die block 104b so that the paper wrapper 202 is pushed into the channel of the die block 104b by the die stamp 104a. The downward force exerted by the die stamp 104a deforms the paper wrapper 202 so that it conforms to the shape of the channel.

[0036] As described herein, the channels of the die block 104b are geometrically similar to the channels 102b of the carriage 102. Thus, the two upright sides of the channels of the die block 104b form an angle α of substantially about 90 degrees with the flat base of the channels of the die block 104b. Consequently, the deformed paper wrapper 202 has a flat (horizontal) base and two upright (vertical) sides substantially perpendicular to the flat base. That is, the deformed paper wrapper 202 has a roughly U-shaped cross-section. Next, the die stamp 104a is lifted upward to raise the paper wrapper 202 vertically upward so that it separates from the die block 104b under vacuum adsorption.

[0037] Next, referring to Figure 4A, the die stamp 104a moves laterally so as to overlap the carriage 102. The die stamp 104a then moves vertically downward toward the carriage 102 so that the paper wrapper 202 is pushed into the channel 102b of the carriage 102 by the die stamp 104a and conforms the paper wrapper 202 to the shape of the channel 102b. Thus, the deformed paper wrapper 202 is transferred by the die stamp 104a from the channel of the die block 104b to the channel 102b of the carriage 102. Since the channel 102b of the carriage 102 has substantially the same geometry as the channel of the die block 104b, the shape of the deformed paper wrapper 202 is substantially the same at the beginning and end of the transfer.

[0038] Referring now to Figure 4B, the vacuum suction is released and the die stamp 104a is lifted vertically away from the paper wrapper 202 and carriage 102. Vacuum suction is applied to the carriage 102 to maintain the paper wrapper 202 in place on the carriage 102. The portion of the paper wrapper 202 remains located within the channel 102b and conforms to the shape of the channel 102b. As can be seen from Figure 4B, the portion of the upright side of the paper wrapper 202 that is in contact with the upright side of the channel 102b is substantially vertical, while the other portion of the upright side of the paper wrapper 202 that protrudes upward and outward from the channel 102b and is not constrained by the upright side of the channel 102b may tend to bend slightly under its own weight so that it is located outside the vertical plane.

[0039] Referring again to Figure 2, the carriage 102 is moved along the guide rail 102a so that it is positioned at the bonding station 106. The paper wrapper 202 remains in place on the carriage 102 while the carriage is moving, preferably without movement of the paper wrapper 202 relative to the carriage 102, due to the vacuum suction applied to the paper wrapper 202 by the carriage 102. A small amount of the first adhesive, for example, one drop of the first adhesive, is provided on the first portion of the flat base of the paper wrapper 202 between the upright sides of the paper wrapper 202. The first adhesive can be any suitable conventional adhesive and can be provided by any conventional means, for example, using a nozzle, roller, or spray.

[0040] Next, referring to Figures 2 and 5A, the carriage 102 is moved along the guide rail 102a so that it is positioned on the support element station 108. The paper wrapper 202 remains in place on the carriage 102 while the carriage is moving, preferably without movement of the paper wrapper 202 relative to the carriage 102, due to vacuum suction applied to the paper wrapper 202 by the carriage 102. The support element 204 (of the type shown in Figure 3C, not visible in Figures 2 and 5A) is ejected from the vertical hopper for support elements 118 to the support element carrier 108a and held on the support element carrier 108a by vacuum suction. The support element carrier 108a is positioned on the carriage 102b and lowered vertically downward toward the carriage 102 so that the support element 204 is positioned in contact with a first adhesive provided on the first portion of the flat base of the paper wrapper 202.

[0041] Referring now to Figure 5B, the vacuum suction is released and the support element carrier 108a is lifted vertically away from the paper wrapper 202 and carriage 102. The support element 204 remains positioned on the first adhesive in the first portion of the flat base of the paper wrapper 202. Thus, the support element 204 is fixedly attached to the first portion of the flat base of the paper wrapper 202.

[0042] Next, referring to Figures 2 and 6, the carriage 102 is moved along the guide rail 102a so as to be positioned on the tobacco substrate station 110. The paper wrapper 202 remains in place on the carriage 102 while the carriage is moving, preferably without movement of the paper wrapper 202 relative to the carriage 102, due to vacuum suction applied to the paper wrapper 202 by the carriage 102. Tobacco substrate 206 (of the type shown in Figure 3D, not visible in Figures 2 and 6) is discharged from the vertical hopper 120 for tobacco substrate into the tobacco substrate carrier 110a and held in the tobacco substrate carrier 110a by vacuum suction. The tobacco substrate carrier 110a is positioned on the carriage 102 and lowered vertically downward toward the carriage 102 so that the tobacco substrate 206 rests on a second portion of the flat base of the paper wrapper 202, which is directly adjacent to a first portion of the flat base of the paper wrapper 202.

[0043] The tobacco substrate carrier 110a may be configured to compress the tobacco substrate 206 to any desired height or thickness by applying a variable downward pressure to the tobacco substrate 206. For example, the tobacco substrate 206 may be compressed so that the tobacco substrate 206 and the support element 204 are substantially the same height as the height measured from the flat base of the paper wrapper 202.

[0044] When the vacuum suction is released, the tobacco substrate carrier 110a is lifted vertically away from the paper wrapper 202 and carriage 102. Thus, the tobacco substrate 206 is positioned directly alongside the support element 204 (as shown in Figure 3B). Together, the tobacco substrate 206 and the support element 204 can extend substantially along the entire length of the paper wrapper 202.

[0045] It will be noted that the upright side portions of the paper wrapper 202 protrude upward and outward from the channel 102b of the carriage 102 and are not constrained by the upright side portions of the channel 102b. These protruding portions of the paper wrapper 202 are folded and attached to each other at the first and second folding and gluing stations 112 and 114, as follows.

[0046] Referring to Figures 2 and 7, the carriage 102 is moved along the guide rail 102a so as to be positioned at the first folding and gluing station 112. The paper wrapper 202 remains in place on the carriage 102 while the carriage is moving, preferably without movement of the paper wrapper 202 relative to the carriage 102, due to the vacuum suction applied to the paper wrapper 202 by the carriage 102. The first flat blade 112a is moved laterally (horizontally) toward the paper wrapper 202 so that the leading edge 112ai of the first upright side of the paper wrapper 202 engages with the protruding portion of the first upright side of the paper wrapper 202. It will be understood that the lateral movement of the first flat blade 112a is a movement in the unfolding direction substantially perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the carriage 102 along the guide rail 102a and the longitudinal axis of the paper wrapper 202. In this example, the leading edge 112ai of the first flat blade 112a has a curved contour to reduce friction between the movable blade and the paper wrapper 202. Continuous movement of the first flat blade 112a in this direction causes the first upright side of the paper wrapper 202 to bend at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, so that the bent first side of the paper wrapper 202 overlaps the support element 204 and at least a portion of the tobacco substrate 206 and is parallel to the flat base of the paper wrapper 202.

[0047] Referring again to Figure 8, in this example, the first flat blade 112a also contacts the inner portion of the (further) outward projection of the second upright side of the upright side of the paper wrapper 202, thereby moving sufficiently far in the unfolding direction to bend the upward projection of the second upright side of the upright side outward, for example, to form an angle α of 150 to 170 degrees from the folded (horizontal) first side of the paper wrapper 202.

[0048] Next, a second adhesive is provided on the inner side of the second upright projection of the upright side of the paper wrapper 202. It will be understood that the application of the second adhesive is facilitated by the prior bending of the second upright projection of the upright side by the first flat blade 112a, which remains in place while the adhesive is being applied. The second adhesive can be any suitable conventional adhesive and can be provided by any conventional means, for example, using a nozzle, roller, or spray. The adhesive is not permitted to cure at this stage.

[0049] In an alternative example, the first flat blade 112a is retracted away from the paper wrapper 202 (i.e., in the opposite direction to the unfolding direction of the first flat blade 112a), thereby exposing the upper surface of the folded first side of the paper wrapper 202, and then the second adhesive is applied to the exposed upper surface of the folded first side of the paper wrapper 202.

[0050] In a further alternative, the second adhesive is provided on both the exposed upper surface of the folded first side of the paper wrapper 202 and the (further) upward projection of the second upright side.

[0051] Referring again to Figure 2, the carriage 102 is moved along the guide rail 102a so as to be positioned at the second folding and gluing station 114. The paper wrapper 202 remains in place on the carriage 102 while the carriage is moving, preferably without movement of the paper wrapper 202 relative to the carriage 102, due to the vacuum suction applied to the paper wrapper 202 by the carriage 102. In this example, the first flat blade 112a remains in place at the folding position while the carriage 102 is moved to the second folding and gluing station 114, and then retracts away from the paper wrapper 202 (i.e., in the opposite direction to the unfolding direction of the first flat blade 112a), thereby exposing the upper surface of the folded first side of the paper wrapper 202.

[0052] The second flat blade 114a moves laterally (horizontally) toward the paper wrapper 202 to engage its leading edge 114ai with the protruding portion of the upright side of the paper wrapper 202. The lateral movement of the second flat blade 114a is understood to be a movement in the unfolding direction substantially perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the carriage 102 along the guide rail 102a and the length axis of the paper wrapper 202. Furthermore, the lateral movement of the second flat blade 114a is a movement in the unfolding direction opposite to the unfolding direction of the lateral movement of the first flat blade 112a. In this example, the leading edge 114ai of the second flat blade 114a has a curved contour to reduce friction between the movable blade and the paper wrapper 202. The continuous movement of the second flat blade 114a in this direction causes the second upright side of the upright side of the paper wrapper 202 to bend so that it overlaps with (at least a portion of) the folded first side and is parallel to the folded first side and the flat base of the paper wrapper 202. Referring to Figure 8, it will be seen that this bending of the second side of the paper wrapper 202 reduces the angle α' (which was previously about 150-170 degrees as described above) to substantially zero degrees. Furthermore, the lower surface of the folded second side of the paper wrapper 202 is in stationary contact with the second adhesive provided on the exposed upper surface of the folded first side.

[0053] Therefore, the folded first and second sides of the paper wrapper 202 are fixedly attached to each other. Furthermore, the paper wrapper 202 surrounds or wraps the support element 204 and the tobacco substrate 206, as shown in Figure 3A, to form a substantially planar consumable 200. Referring now to Figures 2 and 9, the vacuum suction is removed from the carriage 102, and the consumable 200 is loaded into the curing and forming chamber 122 by any conventional means, such as a mechanical arm. Thus, the carriage 102, without the consumable 200, can be returned to the die stamping station 104 using the guide rail 102a.

[0054] In this example, the second flat blade 114a retracts away from the paper wrapper 202 (i.e., in the opposite direction to the deployment direction of the second flat blade 114a) before the consumable 200 is loaded into the curing and forming chamber 122. In another example, the second flat blade 114a does not retract away from the paper wrapper 202 until the loading of the consumable 200 into the curing and forming chamber 122 is complete.

[0055] The curing and forming chamber 122 has an internal shape complementary to the external shape of the consumable 200. The consumable 200 may remain in the curing and forming chamber 122 for a certain period of time to ensure that the integrity of the external shape of the consumable 200 is maintained while the second adhesive is completely cured.

[0056] The completed consumable 200 is removed from the curing and forming chamber 122, for example, by the mechanical arm described above, and discharged from the apparatus 100 through the delivery chute 124. The forming process is repeated to produce further consumables 200.

[0057] In the example described herein, the paper wrapper 202 is stamped into the channel of the die block 104b of the die stamping station 104 and then transferred to the channel 102b of the carriage 102. In another example, the die block 104b of the die stamping station 104 is omitted, and the paper wrapper 202 is stamped directly into the channel 102b of the carriage 102 by the die stamp 104a.

[0058] In the example described herein, the support element station 108 is located downstream of the bonding station 106. In another example, the support element station 108 is located at the bonding station 106. That is, the support element station and the bonding station 106 are located in the same location or are combined.

[0059] In the examples described herein, the apparatus 100 comprises both a first folding and gluing station 112 including a first flat blade 112a and a second folding and gluing station 114 located downstream of the first folding and gluing station 112 and including a second flat blade 114a. In another example, the apparatus comprises a single folding and gluing station including a single flat blade. In this example, the single flat blade comprises a first leading edge on a first side of the blade and a second leading edge on a second side opposite the blade. The single flat blade is located at the lateral starting position of the paper wrapper 202. A single flat blade moves from its starting position in a first unfolding direction, engaging its first leading edge with the first upright side of the paper wrapper 202 as described herein, bending the first upright side by 90 degrees, and continuing its movement in the first unfolding direction, passing over the paper wrapper 202 to a stationary position on the other side of the paper wrapper 202, thereby positioning itself to expose the upper surface of the bent first side for application of the second adhesive. The single flat blade then moves in a second unfolding direction opposite to the first unfolding direction, engaging its second leading edge with the second upright side of the paper wrapper 202 as described herein, bending the second upright side by 90 degrees, and continuing its movement in the second unfolding direction, passing over the paper wrapper 202 and returning to the starting position, thereby positioning itself to allow curing of the second adhesive as needed.

[0060] In the example above, consumable 200 includes, but is not limited to, a paper wrapper 202, and it will be understood that a wide variety of different types of wrappers may be used, including high-GSM paper wrappers, card wrappers, and aluminum-coated wrappers.

[0061] The present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments and it should be understood that it can be modified in many different ways without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) having a substantially planar shape, The wrapper material (202) is formed into a U-shape having a flat base and two upright sides, each of which forms an angle (α) with the flat base. A first adhesive is provided on the first portion of the flat base between the two upright sides, A support element (204) is provided on the adhesive, and the support element is attached to the first portion of the flat base. The tobacco base material (206) is provided on the second portion of the flat base adjacent to the support element, preferably the tobacco base material and the support element have substantially the same height dimension from the flat base. The first upright portion of the upright side is bent over the support element and the tobacco substrate so that it is parallel to the flat base, A second adhesive is provided on at least one of the upright side portions, The second upright portion of the upright portion is folded over the first upright portion of the upright portion so that it is parallel to the first upright portion of the upright portion, thereby attaching the upright portions to each other and wrapping the support element and the tobacco substrate with the wrapper material. Methods that include...

2. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to claim 1, wherein forming the wrapper material (202) into a U shape includes stamping the wrapper material to fit into a channel (102b) of a carriage (102), the channel having a channel flat base and two channel upright sides, each forming an angle of 90 to 170 degrees with the channel flat base.

3. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wrapper material (202) includes paper or card, and optionally the wrapper material includes a metal foil layer.

4. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support element (204) includes a corrugated material, such as corrugated cardboard.

5. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein providing the tobacco base material (206) on the second portion of the flat base material includes compressing the tobacco base material by applying an adjustable pressure to the uppermost part of the tobacco base material.

6. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein providing the second adhesive on one of the upright sides includes providing the second adhesive on the inner surface of the unbent portion of the second upright side of the upright side.

7. Folding the portion of the first upright side of the upright side and folding the portion of the second upright side of the upright side means The first flat blade (112a) is moved laterally toward the U-shaped wrapper material (202), the edge (112ai) of the first flat blade is engaged with the portion of the first upright side of the upright side, and the portion is bent. The second adhesive is provided on the second upright side of the upright side, Moving the first blade laterally in the opposite direction so as to move away from the U-shaped wrapper material, or moving the U-shaped wrapper so as to move away from the first blade, The second flat blade (114a) is moved laterally toward the U-shaped wrapper material in the second direction, the edge (114ai) of the second flat blade is engaged with the portion of the second upright side of the upright side, and the portion is bent. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, including the following:

8. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to claim 7, wherein the edge (114ai) of the second flat blade (114a) and optionally the edge (112ai) of the first flat blade (112a) have a curved contour for reducing friction between the movable blade and the U-shaped wrapper material (202).

9. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising placing the consumable in a curing and forming chamber (122) having an internal shape complementary to the external shape of the consumable, in order to enable one or both of the first adhesive and the second adhesive to cure while maintaining the external shape of the consumable.

10. A method for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the angle α is 90 to 170 degrees, optionally 90 to 160 degrees, optionally 100 to 150 degrees, or optionally 100 to 140 degrees.

11. An apparatus (100) for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) having a substantially planar shape, A carriage (102) comprising a channel (102b) having a channel flat base and two upright sides, each forming an angle of 90 to 170 degrees with the channel flat base, wherein the carriage (102) is positioned to be guided to move between processing stations of the apparatus, A die stamping station (104) is positioned to stamp the wrapper material to fit the channel of the carriage in order to form a U-shaped wrapper material (202) having a flat base and two upright sides, each of which forms an angle α with the flat base, An adhesive station (106) is located downstream of the die stamp station and is positioned to apply a first adhesive to the first portion of the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper material between the sides of the U-shaped wrapper material, A support element station (108) is located at or downstream of the bonding station and is arranged such that a support element (204) is placed on the adhesive and the support element is attached to the first portion of the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper material, A tobacco substrate station (110) is located downstream of the support element station and is preferably arranged such that the tobacco substrate (206) and the support element have substantially the same height dimension from the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper, and the tobacco substrate is placed on a second portion of the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper adjacent to the support element, One or more bending and bonding stations (112, 114), Located downstream of the aforementioned tobacco substrate station, The first side portion of the side of the U-shaped wrapper material is folded over the support element and the tobacco substrate so that it is parallel to the flat base of the U-shaped wrapper material. A second adhesive is provided on at least one of the aforementioned sides. The second side portion of the U-shaped wrapper material is folded over the first side portion of the U-shaped wrapper material so that it is parallel to the side portion of the U-shaped wrapper material, thereby attaching the sides of the wrapper material to each other and wrapping the support element and the tobacco substrate with the wrapper material. One or more bending and gluing stations (112, 114) are arranged in such a manner. A device (100) comprising:

12. The apparatus (100) for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to claim 11, wherein the tobacco base station (110) comprises a stamp (110a) positioned to compress the tobacco base by applying adjustable pressure to the top of the tobacco base (206).

13. The one or more bending and bonding stations (112, 114) are arranged to provide the second adhesive on the second side of the side of the U-shaped wrapper material (202), A first flat blade (112a) is positioned such that its edge (112ai) engages with the portion of the first upright side of the U-shaped wrapper material and moves laterally toward the U-shaped wrapper material to bend the portion, and is further positioned to move in the opposite direction to move away from the U-shaped wrapper material at the discretion of the first flat blade (112a), A second flat blade (114a) is positioned such that the edge (114ai) of the second flat blade engages with the portion of the second upright side of the U-shaped wrapper material, and moves laterally to bend the portion, and is further positioned to move in the opposite direction to optionally move away from the U-shaped wrapper material. An apparatus (100) for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to claim 11 or 12, comprising the above.

14. Apparatus (100) for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to claim 13, wherein the edge (114ai) of the second flat blade (114a) and optionally the edge (112ai) of the first flat blade (112a) have a curved contour for reducing friction between the movable blade and the U-shaped wrapper material (202).

15. Apparatus (100) for forming a heated tobacco product consumable (200) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, comprising a curing and forming chamber (122) located downstream of one or more bending and bonding stations, wherein the curing and forming chamber has an internal shape complementary to the external shape of the consumable, for receiving the consumable and enabling one or both of the first adhesive and the second adhesive to cure while maintaining the external shape of the consumable.

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