Tobacco product manufacturing apparatus having an in-line wrapping assembly

Abstract

The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus includes a tobacco product rod making machine, a filter tipping assembly downstream of the tobacco product rod making machine, and an in-line wrapping paper converting assembly as part of the filter tipping assembly. The filter tipping assembly includes a filtering subassembly configured to receive a single-length or double-length tobacco rod from the tobacco product rod making machine, attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rod, and wrap a wrapping paper around the tobacco rod together with the attached tobacco product filter. The wrapping paper converting assembly includes a supply bobbin configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper, a wrapping paper flavoring unit configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin and process the wrapping paper to flavor the continuous web of wrapping paper, and a wrapping paper feeder coupled to the filtering subassembly and configured to supply flavored wrapping paper to the filtering subassembly, the wrapping paper including tipping paper, the in-line wrapping paper converting assembly (4) including an in-line tipping paper converting assembly, the wrapping paper converting unit (7) including a tipping paper flavoring unit, and the wrapping paper feeder (5) including a tipping paper feeder. The in-line tipping paper converting assembly (4) further comprises a tipping paper splicing unit (6a) coupled upstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit (7) and adapted to cut in half a continuous web of tipping paper from a supply bobbin.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tobacco product manufacturing machine having an in-line wrapping assembly and a method for producing tobacco products, such as smoking articles, such as cigarettes, cigarillos or cigars, or heat-not-burn (HNB) products. [Background technology]

[0002] Tobacco products, such as cigarettes or heated tobacco products (HTPs), are typically manufactured using multi-stage manufacturing machines that perform subsequent manufacturing steps within a single system or machine. In particular, the entire manufacturing process, from the initial formulation to the ready-to-make tobacco product, is an automated process with no interruptions between the various systems.

[0003] Documents DE 10 2010 063 466 A1 and WO 2009 / 141217 A1 disclose in-line assemblies used to emboss and / or stamp tipping paper before it is fed to a cigarette making machine. Document U.S. Pat. No. 9,220,297 B2 discloses a paper flavoring device in a cigarette making machine. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In view of the above, some objects of the present invention are to find a solution for a simplified and more effective method of using processed wrapping paper in tobacco product manufacturing, in particular for use in the filter tipping assembly of a tobacco product manufacturing machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus includes a tobacco product rod making machine, a filter tipping assembly downstream of the tobacco product rod making machine, and an in-line paper converting assembly coupled to a filtering subassembly as part of the filter tipping assembly. The filter tipping assembly includes the filtering subassembly configured to receive a single-length or double-length tobacco rod from the tobacco product rod making machine, attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rod, and wrap a paper wrapper around the tobacco rod together with the attached tobacco product filter. The paper converting assembly includes a supply bobbin configured to hold a continuous web of paper wrapper, a paper converting unit configured to receive the continuous web of paper wrapper from the supply bobbin and process the supplied paper to apply flavoring to the continuous web of paper wrapper, and a paper feeder coupled to the filtering subassembly and configured to supply the processed paper wrapper to the filtering subassembly.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a tobacco product includes unwinding a continuous web of paper wrapper from a supply bobbin of a paper wrapper converting assembly of a tobacco product making machine, processing the paper wrapper in the paper wrapper converting assembly, and supplying the processed paper wrapper to a filtering subassembly of the tobacco product making machine.

[0007] According to a first aspect, the wrapper comprises tipping paper. In some embodiments, the in-line wrapper converting assembly comprises an in-line tipping paper converting assembly. In some embodiments, the wrapper converting unit comprises a tipping paper flavoring unit. In some embodiments, the wrapper feeder comprises a tipping paper feeder.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the tobacco product making apparatus, the in-line tipping paper converting assembly further comprises a tipping paper printing unit configured to imprint a graphic printing mark onto the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the tobacco product making apparatus, the in-line tipping paper converting assembly further comprises a tipping paper embossing unit configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin.

[0010] According to a first aspect, the in-line tipping paper converting assembly further comprises a tipping paper splicing unit coupled upstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit and adapted to cut the continuous web of tipping paper in half.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the tobacco product manufacturing apparatus, the inline tipping paper converting assembly further comprises a tipping paper gluing unit coupled downstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit and configured to apply adhesive to the flavored tipping paper.

[0012] In some embodiments of the method for producing a tobacco product according to the second aspect of the present invention, the wrapper comprises tipping paper and the wrapper converting assembly comprises an in-line tipping paper converting assembly of a tobacco product making apparatus.

[0013] In some embodiments, the graphic marks are printed onto a continuous web of tipping paper and may be printed by a tipping paper printing unit configured to imprint the continuous web of tipping paper from a supply bobbin.

[0014] In some embodiments, the continuous web of tipping paper is embossed by a tipping paper embossing unit configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from a supply bobbin.

[0015] In some embodiments, the steps of splicing the continuous web of tipping paper and cutting the continuous web of tipping paper in half from a supply bobbin are performed by a tipping paper splicing unit coupled upstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further comprises applying an adhesive to the flavored tipping paper prior to attachment of the tobacco rod with the tobacco product filter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail in the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts and in which: [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic functional block diagram of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 3 shows a flow chart that schematically represents a method for producing a tobacco product according to a further embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate certain embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily apparent as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description.

[0019] It will be appreciated that to facilitate a more abstract view of the embodiments, common and / or well-understood elements that may be useful or necessary in commercially feasible embodiments have not necessarily been depicted. Elements of the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale relative to each other. It is further understood that, while certain acts and / or steps in method embodiments may be described or illustrated in a particular order, those skilled in the art will understand that no specificity with respect to such order is actually required. It is also understood that the terms and phrases used herein have ordinary meanings consistent with such terms and phrases for their corresponding respective fields of inquiry and study, unless a specific meaning is otherwise defined herein. As used herein, the terms "heated tobacco product" or "heat-not-burn product" include all tobacco products that produce an aerosol containing nicotine and other chemicals that is inhaled by the user. Heated tobacco products mimic the action of smoking a traditional cigarette. To consume a heated tobacco product, a specially designed electrical heating system is used to heat a sample of the heated tobacco product contained therein to form an aerosol. To generate the aerosol, the heating system heats the tobacco contained in the heated tobacco product to a temperature below the ignition temperature of the tobacco blend, such that compounds in the tobacco blend are vaporized and transported through the heating system toward the user, who inhales the vapor / aerosol.

[0020] As used herein, the term "tobacco product" may include any "heated tobacco product" or "heat-not-burn product" as described above. The term "tobacco product" may also include any easily made combustible tobacco product that is designed to be smoked by combustion of the tobacco material contained in the product, including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, little cigars, blunts, and bidis.

[0021] 1 of the drawings shows a schematic functional block diagram of a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 may include, inter alia, a tobacco product rod making machine 1. Such a rod making machine 1 produces rods of cut tobacco material that are wrapped in cigarette paper. The tobacco product rods produced by the rod making machine 1 are automatically transferred, for example by a suitable transfer device, to a filter processing subassembly 2a of a filter tipping assembly 2 downstream of the tobacco product rod making machine 1.

[0022] The rod making machine 1 may produce single-length or double-length tobacco product rods as semi-finished products in the manufacturing process. The single-length or double-length rods are transferred as a whole to the filtering subassembly 2a. During transfer, the double-length tobacco product rods may optionally be split in their middles. The split double-length tobacco product rods may include a double-length filter inserted between the two resulting single-length rods. Alternatively, when a single-length tobacco product rod is transferred onto the filtering subassembly 2a, one tobacco product filter may be attached to one end of the single-length tobacco product rod.

[0023] In any event, the filtering subassembly 2a is further designed to wrap a wrapper around a single-length or segmented double-length tobacco rod having a tobacco product filter attached. The wrapper used in the filtering subassembly 2a is also referred to as "tipping paper" because it covers both the wrapper that wraps around the source tobacco rod and any plug wrap that wraps around the filter element.

[0024] In the case of a double-length tobacco product rod, the double-length filter is then cut at its midpoint to produce two finished tobacco products, such as cigarettes or heat-and-burn sticks with attached filters. The separated ready-to-make tobacco products may then be aligned and passed to a packaging assembly 3 downstream of the tobacco product making apparatus 10.

[0025] Various types of paper are used in the manufacture of tobacco products, such as plug wrap paper, rod wrapping paper, or tipping paper. Tipping paper may be used to integrally wrap a filter and a tobacco rod. To wrap a rod-shaped semifinished product—a raw tobacco rod, a filter, or a combination of a filter and a tobacco rod—with any type of wrapping paper, the length of the wrapping paper is selected to be slightly longer than the circumference of the rod-shaped semifinished product. As such, two opposing ends of the wrapping paper length are overlapped with each other in a segment of the rod-shaped semifinished product. In this segment—also called a "wrap"—the two ends may be glued together. Adhesive may already be applied to one end of any type of wrapping paper.

[0026] The filter tipping assembly 2 further includes an in-line wrapping paper converting subassembly 4 mounted within the filter tipping assembly 2 and coupled to the filter processing subassembly 2a. The wrapping paper converting assembly 4 may be a tipping paper converting assembly configured to pre-process tipping paper in line with the production of the rest of the semi-finished tobacco product, i.e., the tipping paper is processed essentially simultaneously and just-in-time with the processing of the semi-finished tobacco product.

[0027] The wrapping paper converting subassembly 4 may allow for the processing of any type of wrapping paper for tobacco products in one file. The wrapping paper converting subassembly 4 may include various subassemblies capable of applying embossing patterns, flavoring and / or printing marks, and graphic patterns to the wrapping paper. The integrated solution of the wrapping paper converting subassembly 4 may advantageously replace any stand-alone equipment in which any type of wrapping paper needs to be pre-processed before being fed into a tobacco product manufacturing machine.

[0028] In the exemplary configuration of FIG. 1 , the paper wrapping assembly 4 includes a supply bobbin 6 configured to hold a continuous web of paper. A paper wrapping unit 7 is disposed downstream of the supply bobbin 6 and configured to receive the continuous web of paper from the supply bobbin. The paper wrapping unit 7 may be used to process the continuous web of paper so as to emboss, print, and / or flavor the continuous web of paper. The correspondingly processed web of paper may be transferred to a paper wrapping feeder 5 located in the filter tipping assembly 2. The embossed, printed, and / or flavored web of paper may be supplied to the filter processing subassembly 2a for further processing.

[0029] In certain variations, the wrapper comprises tipping paper, particularly when the in-line wrapping converting subassembly 4 is an in-line tipping paper converting assembly. In some variations, the wrapping converting unit 7 may, in such cases, be a tipping paper flavoring unit, and the wrapping feeder 5 may be a tipping paper feeder. In some variations, a tipping paper printing unit 8 may also be included in the in-line wrapping converting assembly 4. The tipping paper printing unit 8 may be configured to imprint a graphic printing mark onto the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin 6.

[0030] In some variations, a tipping paper embossing unit 9 may also be included in the in-line paper wrapping assembly 4. The tipping paper embossing unit 9 may be configured to emboss the continuous web of tipping paper from the supply bobbin 6.

[0031] The in-line tipping paper converting assembly 4 may further include a tipping paper splicing unit 6a coupled upstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit 7. The tipping paper splicing unit 6a may cut a continuous web of tipping paper from a supply bobbin in half so that two separate webs of tipping paper of desired length and / or width may be flavored simultaneously in the tipping paper flavoring unit 7.

[0032] In addition, a tipping paper gluing unit 7a may be provided downstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit 7. The tipping paper gluing unit 7a may be used to apply adhesive to the flavored tipping paper, particularly in the lap portion of the flavored web of tipping paper.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a schematic multi-step flow diagram of a method M for producing a tobacco product, such as a cigarette or heat-and-burn product. Method M includes, as a first step M1, unwinding a continuous web of cigarette paper from a supply bobbin 6 of a cigarette converting subassembly 4 of a filter tipping assembly 2. A tobacco product manufacturing apparatus used in conjunction with method M may be, for example, a tobacco product manufacturing apparatus 10 as described and illustrated with reference to Figure 1.

[0034] In a second stage M2, the paper wrapper is processed, i.e., flavored, embossed, and / or printed, in a paper wrapper converting assembly 4. The processed paper wrapper is then fed to a filter tipping assembly 2 of the tobacco product making apparatus 10 in a third stage M3. The paper wrapper may, among other things, comprise tipping paper, and the paper wrapper converting assembly 4 may, among other things, include an in-line tipping paper converting assembly of the tobacco product making apparatus 10. The method M of Figure 2 may advantageously enable in-line processing of tipping paper in a tobacco product making apparatus, such as the tobacco product making apparatus 10 of Figure 1.

Claims

1. A tobacco product manufacturing machine (10), comprising: a tobacco product rod making machine (1); a filter tipping assembly (2) downstream of the tobacco product rod making machine (1), the filter tipping assembly (2) including a filtering subassembly (2a) configured to receive a single-length or double-length tobacco rod from the tobacco product rod making machine (1), attach a tobacco product filter to the tobacco rod, and wrap a wrapping paper around the tobacco rod together with the attached tobacco product filter; and an in-line wrapping paper converting assembly (4) as part of the filter tipping assembly (2), the in-line wrapping paper converting assembly (4) including: a supply bobbin (6) coupled to the filter processing subassembly (2a) and configured to hold a continuous web of wrapping paper as tipping paper; a wrapping paper converting unit (7) configured to receive the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin and apply a treatment, including flavoring, to the continuous web of wrapping paper; and a wrapping paper feeder (5) coupled to the filter processing subassembly (2a) and configured to supply the treated wrapping paper to the filter processing subassembly (2a), the in-line wrapping paper converting assembly (4) being an in-line tipping paper converting assembly, the wrapping paper converting unit (7) having a tipping paper flavoring unit, and the wrapping paper feeder (5) having a tipping paper feeder; The in-line tipping paper converting assembly (4) further comprises: a tipping paper splicing unit (6a) coupled upstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit (7) and adapted to cut the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin in half; A tobacco product manufacturing device (10).

2. 2. The tobacco product manufacturing machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein the paper converting unit (7) is further configured to process the paper wrapper for applying printing to the continuous web of paper wrapper.

3. The in-line tipping paper converting assembly (4) further comprises: a tipping paper printing unit (8) configured to imprint a graphic printing mark onto the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin (6); A tobacco product making machine (10) according to claim 2.

4. 4. The tobacco product manufacturing apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wrapping paper converting unit (7) is further configured to process the wrapping paper so as to emboss the continuous web of wrapping paper.

5. The in-line tipping paper converting assembly (4) further comprises: a tipping paper embossing unit (9) configured to emboss the continuous web of wrapping paper from the supply bobbin (6); A tobacco product making machine (10) according to claim 4.

6. The in-line tipping paper converting assembly (4) further comprises: a tipping paper gluing unit (7a) coupled downstream of the tipping paper flavoring unit (7) and configured to apply adhesive to the flavored wrapping paper; A tobacco product manufacturing machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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