Closing device and method for automatically closing smoking items

Abstract

A closure device (10) and method for automatically closing a plurality of smoking articles (100), each having a casing (101) with at least one rear zone (Z3) to be closed. The device (10) comprises folding means (11) and moving means (12, 22) for closing the rear zone (Z3) of each casing (101) by folding an open end portion of the rear zone (Z3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a closing device and a closing method for automatically closing a plurality of smoking articles, such as cigarettes, each provided with a casing having a front mouthpiece zone where a filter is provided in some cases, a central zone filled with a smokable product such as tobacco or an incoherent material, and an empty rear zone that is selectively closed. The device and method of the present invention can particularly close the rear zone of the casing by folding the rear zone.

Background Art

[0002] In the automatic manufacture of smoking articles, such as cigarettes, using machines with particularly high productivity, one of the important aspects to consider and one of the resulting technical problems to be solved is related to the last step of packaging the smoking articles, that is, the closing of the containing material into which a smoking material, such as loose materials like tobacco, other smokable substances, or combinations thereof, has been inserted.

[0003] The above-mentioned containing material is usually made of a very thin and lightweight paper or other suitable material, which may or may not have a filter in the front mouthpiece zone in some cases. Therefore, it is difficult to automate the processing of such containing materials. This is particularly a problem when aiming to achieve high productivity, which requires that each operation be performed in a very short time.

[0004] Usually, the packaging step is performed after the filling or inserting step of loading or inserting the smoking material into the containing material. Downstream of the packaging step performed by a special device, there are usually stations for distributing the completed smoking articles and, in some cases, stations for packing the completed smoking articles.

[0005] Examples of machines for the automated packaging of smoking articles are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2021 / 0022388 and 2021 / 0022389.

[0006] Regarding the technical challenges in the packaging step of closing the smoking article, namely the technical challenges in closing the rear zone of each casing made of the above-mentioned containment material, it is known that after the smoking material is placed in the central zone of the casing, a closing device is used that can automatically twist the rear zone to form a "twisted" type closing section, as is known to those skilled in the art.

[0007] Alternatively, it is also known to form another type of closure, the so-called "Dutch crown," which is also known to those skilled in the art, and which closes by folding the rear zone of each casing. However, in most known devices, the final closing mode is not automated but performed manually, or in any case with the assistance of an operator.

[0008] The applicant is unaware of the existence of a device and / or method for automatically and quickly closing a smoking article by folding the rear zone of each casing.

[0009] Therefore, one objective of the present invention is to provide a closing device that can automatically and quickly close a smoking article by folding the rear zone of the opening where there is no smoking material, and to complete a closing method.

[0010] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a simple and highly reliable closing device and closing method for automatically closing smoking articles.

[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a closing device and a closing method for automatically closing smoking items, which can achieve high productivity, for example, in terms of the time productivity of approximately 7,000 smoking items.

[0012] The applicant has conceived, tested, and embodied the present invention in order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and achieve the above and other objectives and advantages. [Overview of the project]

[0013] The present invention is described in the independent claims, which describe its features. Other features of the present invention or variations of the main concept of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0014] In view of the above objectives, the closing device of the present invention for automatically closing a plurality of smoking articles, each having a casing having at least one rear zone to be closed, comprises: a folding means configured to close each casing by folding the rear zone; and a moving means that moves at least one of the smoking articles or the folding means to bring the smoking articles and the folding means closer to or further apart from each other, so that the rear zone of each casing can selectively interact with the folding means.

[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, the folding means comprises both a folding member having a folding seating configured to temporarily accommodate at least one end portion of the rear zone, and a contact element, the contact element being slidably disposed within a channel communicating with the folding seating such that it can contact the rear zone when at least the portion of the rear zone is inserted into the folding seating. The channel is formed as an axial through-hole that opens from above into the folding support portion.

[0016] In another aspect of the present invention, the folding receiving portion has a dome-shaped, frustoconical, or a combination thereof cavity so that at least one flap of the rear zone of each casing that enters the folding receiving portion can be folded at least partially. In another aspect of the present invention, the folding member is arranged along a vertical axis, and the cavity is coaxial with the vertical axis.

[0017] In another aspect of the present invention, the contact element is preferably coaxial with the vertical axis and is configured to move toward and away from the folding receiving portion in such a way that it strikes and crushes the rear zone of each casing one or more times under controlled conditions.

[0018] In another aspect of the present invention, the moving means comprises both one or more gripping members configured to grip each smoking article in order to displace each smoking article toward the folding device, and a moving device configured to lower and raise the one or more gripping members simultaneously.

[0019] In another aspect of the present invention, the one or more gripping members have at least two jaws, the jaws having opposing and mirror-image semi-cylindrical or frustoconical recesses that define a gripping seating of the smoking article when tightened against each other.

[0020] In another aspect of the present invention, each jaw comprises at least one guide element and at least one hole that accommodates the guide element of the other jaw and cooperates with the guide element of the other jaw. In particular, the guide element of one jaw and the guide element of the other jaw cooperate to prevent or reduce vibration or tilting of the smoking article by tightening the smoking article in the gripping receiver. The advantageous configuration of the jaws and gripping elements as described above allows the smoking article to automatically center within the gripping receiver, and any tilting or vibration of the smoking article that may occur with respect to its vertical axis is significantly reduced or completely prevented.

[0021] In another aspect of the present invention, the closing device further comprises a transport member configured to place and support each of the smoking articles in a transport seating and move them forward along a work path.

[0022] In another aspect of the present invention, the transport member slides on a fixed guide located below the moving means.

[0023] In another aspect of the present invention, the device comprises one or more lifting means configured to selectively lift each of the smoking articles from the transport member.

[0024] [[ID=​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In another aspect of the present invention, in the closing step, after each of the gripping members grips one of the smoking articles, the gripping members are raised to carry the open end of the portion of the rear zone into the receiving portion of the folding means, and at least one flap of the rear zone facing the inner surface of the receiving portion is at least partially folded, particularly such that the flap folds itself towards the center of the receiving portion.

[0029] In another aspect of the present invention, after the at least one flap of the rear zone is folded in the closing step, the abutting element is selectively driven to strike and crush the at least one flap that is at least partially folded one or more times, so as to complete and strengthen the folding of the at least one flap.

[0030] In another aspect of the present invention, in the moving step, the smoking articles are preferably lifted simultaneously, and one or more lifting means are optionally driven such that each of the gripping members cooperates with the central zone of each smoking article to grip the central zone.

[0031] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment as a non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032] [Figure 1] It is a front view of an apparatus for automatically closing a smoking article according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a three-dimensional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is an enlarged view of the details of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a schematic side view showing the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a simplified manner. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram of a machine equipped with the apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a partial cross-sectional side view of a smoking article in the receiving portion of a transport member before being closed by the apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] This is a partial cross-sectional side view of a smoking article lifted by a lifting device from the receiving portion of the transport member shown in Figure 6, before it is closed by the device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This is a detailed side view of the apparatus of the present invention, showing a sequence of five operating states of the closing operation of a smoking article by the folding device. [Figure 9] Figure 8C is a magnified view of the sequence of operations for closing the smoking item. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0033] It should be noted that the wording and terminology used in this specification and claims, such as "horizontal," "vertical," "front," "back," "high," "low," "inside," and "outside," including their ranges of deviation, are merely intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention by referring to the drawings, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention or the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.

[0034] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain dimensions or characteristics in the drawings may be enlarged, distorted, or illustrated in a non-conventional or proportional manner different from the actual proportion in order to provide an easily understandable version of the invention. Where dimensions and / or values ​​are specified in the following description, these dimensions and / or values ​​are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the invention unless such dimensions and / or values ​​are described in the appended claims.

[0035] Before describing embodiments of the present invention, it should be made clear that the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the details of the configuration and arrangement of the components in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In fact, the present invention can take other embodiments and can be realized or carried out in various other equivalent forms.

[0036] For ease of understanding, the same reference numerals are used for identical common elements in the drawings where possible. It is understood that elements and features of one embodiment can be easily combined or incorporated into other embodiments without requiring detailed explanation.

[0037] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus 10 of the present invention can be used to automatically close a smoking article 100, and in particular, it can be used to close the smoking article 100 by folding the rear opening zone Z3, as will be described in detail below.

[0038] Furthermore, as schematically shown in Figure 5, the apparatus 10 is part of, or associated with, a packaging station 203 of a machine 200 for producing smoking articles 100. For illustrative purposes only, in order to outline the apparatus 10 in a broad context, the machine 200 may include, in this order, a supply station 201 and a filling station 202 located upstream of the packaging station 203, i.e., upstream of the apparatus 10, and a distribution station 204 that can deliver the completed smoking articles 100 to a packing station 205, which may, for example, be located outside the machine 200, with the distribution station 204 located downstream of the apparatus 10. The machine 200 also includes a suitable transport device 206 that has the function of transporting the smoking articles 100 along the entire work line from the supply station 201 to the packing station 205, for example in the work direction X, preferably linearly and horizontally.

[0039] The supply station 201, filling station 202, packaging station 203, distribution station 204, packing station 205, and transport device 206 may be of any type or may be of a type to be developed in the future. The supply station 201, filling station 202, packaging station 203, and / or transport device 206 may be replaced, for example, by those described in related patent applications relating to industrial inventions filed by or assigned to the same applicant as this patent application.

[0040] For example, the transport device 206 (Figure 5) includes a transport member 207 (Figures 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7) having the shape and function of a shuttle, the transport member 207 being configured to slide substantially horizontally in a working direction X on a fixed guide 209. In this example, the transport member 207 has four hollow and through-shaped seating portions 210, each seating portion 210 being frustoconical and having dimensions to fit with the dimensions of the smoking article 100 or at least the dimensions of the lower part of the smoking article 100. In this example, the dimensions of each seating portion 210 are such that when each smoking article 100 is inserted into the seating portion 210, the smoking article 100 protrudes not only a few millimeters from the upper surface of the transport member 207 but also a few millimeters from the lower surface of the transport member 207 (Figure 6).

[0041] It is clear that the number of receiving sections 210 can be other than 4, and that the number of receiving sections 210 affects the time productivity of the machine 200. In fact, if a predetermined cycle time TC in units of seconds is required to carry out a work cycle in each of the various work stations 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205 and the device 10, or at a lower speed, the time productivity of the machine 200 is equal to 3,600 seconds divided by the cycle time TC and multiplied by the number of receiving sections 210 of each transport member 207. In practice, work is carried out in parallel at the four receiving sections 210.

[0042] Each receiving section 210 is substantially symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis Y and is configured to accommodate a smoking article 100, which can be inserted from top to bottom with the rear zone Z3 facing upwards.

[0043] The distance D (Figure 1) between two adjacent receiving portions 210 is determined during the design phase of the machine 200 and is suitable for processing multiple smoking articles 100, as will be described in detail below.

[0044] As a non-limiting example, machine 200 can produce each smoking article 100 in a very short time, i.e., with a cycle time TC of approximately 2 seconds, resulting in a time productivity of exactly approximately 7,000 smoking articles 100 for machine 200. This is because four smoking articles 100 are processed simultaneously at each of machine 200's work stations 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205 and at device 10.

[0045] Before describing in detail the device 10 for automatically closing the smoking article 100 and the corresponding method, a smoking article 100 (Figures 6 and 7) will be outlined here as a non-limiting example to make the present invention easier to understand.

[0046] For example, when a smoking article 100 arrives at the device 10 from a filling station 202 (Figure 5), each smoking article 100 is equipped with a casing 101 (Figure 6), which is made of, for example, very thin and lightweight paper or other suitable material. Each casing 101 has a front mouthpiece zone Z1, a central zone Z2, and a rear zone Z3 with an open end. The mouthpiece zone Z1 may be provided with a filter 102. When the smoking article 100 arrives at the device 10, loose material M, such as tobacco, other smoky substances, or combinations thereof, is already filled in the central zone Z2, and the rear zone Z3 is appropriately closed to prevent the loose material M from flowing out of the casing 101. Before the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101 is closed, each casing 101 has a predetermined initial length L1, which is, for example, about 60 mm to about 150 mm, while the final length of the smoking article 100 depends on its form, which in turn depends on the amount of loose material M placed in the casing 101.

[0047] Each casing 101 has a shape that makes it easy to stack, for example, it has a frustoconical shape that widens from the front zone Z1 to the rear zone Z3.

[0048] The apparatus 10 (Figures 1 and 2) comprises four folding devices 11, which are similar to each other, and each folding device 11 is positioned along its corresponding vertical axis T. The four vertical axes T are spaced apart from each other by a distance D equal to the distance between the receiving portions 210 of the same transport member 207. Furthermore, a gripping member 12 is provided between each folding device 11 and a fixed guide 209, and this gripping member 12 is also aligned with its corresponding vertical axis T.

[0049] The four folding devices 11 are attached to a vertical plate 13 associated with a fixed structure, and the folding devices 11 are controlled, for example, by a first actuator 15 (Figures 2 and 4) also attached to the vertical plate 13.

[0050] Each folding device 11 is configured to fold the flap of the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101 inward. Preferably, the length of the rear zone Z3 is predetermined, or can be set to this predetermined value using a suitable cutting device located upstream of the device 10, which can be any known type as it is not relevant to the scope of the present invention.

[0051] Each folding device 11 is equipped with a folding member 16 (Figures 1, 4, 8 and 9) positioned in a fixed location, and the folding member 16 has a folding receiving portion 17 facing the smoking article 100, and this folding receiving portion 17 is formed to temporarily accommodate the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101.

[0052] The folding support section 17 has a cavity, and the cavity substantially has a shape that can be dome-shaped, frustoconical, or a combination thereof, such that when the casing 101 is lifted upward from the bottom relative to the corresponding folding device 11 during use, the flaps of the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101 that enter the folding support section 17 are partially folded toward the center of the cavity, that is, folded toward the vertical axis T.

[0053] Furthermore, a channel 19 communicating with the folding receiving portion 17 is provided in each folding member 16. The channel 19 is formed as an axial through-hole opening into the cavity from above, and a contact element 20 is slidably positioned within the channel 19. The contact element 20 functions as a small-force hammer that selectively and controlledly strikes the partially folded flap of the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101 one or more times, as will be described in detail below.

[0054] The abutment element 20 is selectively driven by the first actuator 15 to be displaced bidirectionally in the axial direction, from an elevated idle position PR (Figures 4, 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8E) where the lower end 21 of the abutment element 20 is at substantially the same height as the upper part of the folding receiving portion 17, to an operating position PO (Figure 8D) where the abutment element 20 descends so that its lower end 21 enters the folding receiving portion 17 and crushes the partially folded flaps of the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101, and in the reverse direction.

[0055] The four gripping members 12 (Figure 4) are located on the same horizontal plane at their idle position PH. First, all four gripping members 12 descend together towards a lowering position PA where they can simultaneously pick up the four smoking articles 100 housed in the receiving portion 210 of the transport member 207, which is temporarily located below the gripping members 12. Then, they rise to an elevated position PS higher than the idle position PH, where the four picked-up smoking articles 100 are transported to the four folding devices 11. In particular, the elevated position PS changes depending on the shape of the smoking articles 100.

[0056] The simultaneous raising and lowering of the four gripping members 12 is controlled by a moving device 22 equipped with a slider 23 and at least one second actuator 25 of a known type having the function of selectively operating the slider 23, the slider 23 sliding in the vertical direction relative to the vertical plate 13, and the second actuator 25 is also attached to the vertical plate 13.

[0057] Each second gripping member 12 is provided with at least two jaws 26 (Figures 1, 2, and 3), the inner portions of which are formed to have opposing and mirror-image semi-cylindrical or frustoconical recesses 27 (Figure 3), so that when both jaws 26 are tightened against each other, the recesses 27 of both jaws 26 form a gripping receiving portion suitable for supporting the smoking article 100 without impairing the structural integrity of the casing 101.

[0058] To improve grip and prevent each smoking item 100 from sliding down when held between the jaws 26, the inside of the jaws is lined with a high-grip material, such as coarse rubber.

[0059] In one aspect of the present invention, each jaw 26 is provided with a pair of guide elements 28a, 28b, each guide element 28a, 28b is configured to be inserted into corresponding holes 29a, 29b formed in the other jaw 26 and to cooperate with the holes 29a, 29b, and these holes 29a, 29b have a shape that fits with the shape of the guide elements 28a, 28b.

[0060] The guide elements 28a and 28b are configured to tighten each smoking article 100, thereby automatically centering the smoking article 100 within the gripping receiving portion of the jaws 26, preventing the smoking article 100 from vibrating or tilting when it is lifted from the corresponding receiving portion 210 of the transport member 207.

[0061] In particular, each guide element 28a, 28b has a molded portion, advantageously a curved profile, that can come into contact with the casing 101 in order to prevent damage to the casing 101 when each smoking article 100 is carried and lifted.

[0062] Furthermore, arc-shaped recesses 30 are provided at the ends of the recesses 27, and when the jaws 26 tighten against each other, the recesses 30 form small semicircular channels, which substantially allow each smoking article 100 to fit as well as possible into the gripping receiving portion, and in particular have the function of preventing structural damage to the casing 101 caused by the tightening action of the jaws 26.

[0063] The opening and closing of the jaws 26 of the four gripping members 12 (Figures 1, 2, and 4) is simultaneously achieved by a substantially horizontal first sliding surface 31 and a second sliding surface 32 mounted on a slider 23 so as to slide in the axial direction. The two sliding surfaces 31 and 32 are driven by a known type of control member, such as an electric motor or a pneumatic or hydrodynamic linear actuator, not shown in the drawings.

[0064] In another aspect of the present invention, one or more lifting devices 33 of an obvious type are positioned below the fixed guide 209 to lift the four smoking articles 100 simultaneously, in order to precisely close the four smoking articles 100 at the same time and to allow the four gripping members 12 to cooperate with each corresponding central zone Z2 of the four casings 101. In this example, four of the lifting devices 33 are provided, but it is also possible to provide only one lifting device 33 configured to perform the same function.

[0065] The lifting device 33 is positioned on a fixed horizontal plate 35 and is equipped with small pistons 36, which are simultaneously driven by a third actuator 37, the third actuator 37 is also positioned on the fixed horizontal plate 35.

[0066] The device 10 further includes an electronic control unit 39, such as a programmable electronic control unit, which is configured to control the actuators 15, 25 and 37, and in turn, to control other mechanical means operably connected to the actuators 15, 25 and 37.

[0067] The operation of the apparatus 10 described above corresponds to the method of the present invention and comprises the following steps.

[0068] In the initial or idle state, the four gripping members 12 (Figure 4) are in the idle position PH, the jaws 26 are open, and the contact element 20 is in the idle position PR.

[0069] Before initiating the operation to close the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101, the electronic control unit 39 is configured according to the form of the smoking article 100 to be manufactured, so that the actuators 25 and 37 provide coordinated movement to the slider 23 and piston 36.

[0070] Subsequently, the transport member 207 is displaced by the transport device 206 until it reaches a stopping position PT (Figure 1) and is positioned directly below the first closing assembly 11, at which point the four vertical axes Y of the receiving portion 210 coincide with the four vertical axes T of the folding device 11. At this stopping position PT, the transport member 207 remains stationary for a period equal to the cycle time TC required for the device 10 to simultaneously close the four rear zones Z3 of the casings 101 of the four smoking articles 100.

[0071] Subsequently, the electronic control unit 39 initiates a movement step, in which the second actuator 25 (Figure 4) lowers the slider 23 and the four gripping members 12 attached to the slider 23 from the idle position PH to the lowered position PA (Figures 4 and 7), thereby initiating the gripping step. In this step, the sliding surfaces 31 and 32 are driven to move relative to each other, closing the jaws 26 and bringing the jaws 26 into contact with the four smoking articles 100 placed in the receiving portion 210 of the transport member 207.

[0072] If necessary, that is, depending on the form of the smoking article 100, as the slider 23 is lowered and the four gripping members 12 are lowered to the lowered position PA, the third actuator 37 drives the piston 36 (Figure 7) of the lifting device 33 to lift the four smoking articles 100 simultaneously, and the jaws 26 grip each casing 101 in the central zone Z2.

[0073] Next, the second actuator 25 raises the slider 23 together with the four gripping members 12, so that they are gradually moved from the lowered position PA to the raised position PS. As a result, the four smoking articles 100 are also lifted, and the step of closing the rear zone Z3 of the casing 101 is carried out. In effect, the rear zone Z3 is gradually moved toward the four folding devices 11.

[0074] The raised position PS of the gripping member 12 (Figures 8C and 8D) is set so that the flaps of each rear zone Z3 of the four casings 101 enter the folding receiving portion 17 and fold toward the center of the cavity, i.e. toward the vertical axis T (Figures 8C and 9).

[0075] In particular, as shown in detail in Figures 8A to 8E, the sequence for folding the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101 has the following steps: a) Each gripping member 12 lifts the smoking article 100 until the opening end of the rear zone Z3 is moved to a position G, a short distance from the folding receiving portion 17 (Figure 8A). b) Each gripping member 12 further lifts the smoking article 100 until the open end of the rear zone Z3 is brought inside the folding receiving portion 17 (Figure 8B). c) By raising each gripping member 12 further to the raised position PS, one or more flaps of the rear zone Z3 facing the inner surface of the folding receiving portion 17 partially fold inward on their own (Figures 8C and 9). d) The first actuator 15 drives each contact element 20 several times, for example twice, to lower each contact element 20 from the idle position PR to the operating position PO, thereby striking and crushing the partially folded flaps of the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101, and completing the folding operation itself (Figure 8D). e) After the rear zone Z3 of each casing 101 is closed, the first actuator 15 is driven to return each contact element 20 to the idle position PR, and at the same time, the second actuator 25 lowers the slider 23, thereby returning the gripping member 12 to the position corresponding to step A) above (Figure 8E).

[0076] Subsequently, in the reverse of the above operation, the slider 23 is lowered to return the four closed smoking articles 100 to their initial positions, that is, back into the receiving portion 210 of the smoking articles 100 in the transport member 207, and then the four gripping members 12 are returned to the idle position PH.

[0077] After the closing step described above by folding is completed, the transport element 207 is displaced from the stop position in the working direction X toward the distribution station 203 (Figure 5).

[0078] It is evident that improvements and / or additions can be made to each part or step of the apparatus and method described above without departing from the field and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims.

[0079] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it is clear to those skilled in the art that many other equivalent forms of a device and method for automatically closing a smoking article having the features described in the claims can be achieved, and that all such equivalent forms fall within the scope of protection described in the claims.

[0080] In the attached claims, the use of symbols in parentheses is solely for readability and should not be considered to limit the scope of protection described in any particular claim.

Claims

1. A closing device (10) for automatically closing a plurality of smoking articles (100), each having a casing (101) with at least one rear zone (Z3) that is closed, A folding means (11) is configured to close each casing (101) by folding the rear zone (Z3), Movement means (12, 22) move at least one of the smoking article (100) or the folding means (11) to bring the smoking article (100) and the folding means (11) closer to each other, so that the rear zone (Z3) of each casing (101) can selectively interact with the folding means (11), It is equipped with, The folding means (11) comprises both a folding member (16) having a folding receiving portion (17) configured to temporarily accommodate at least a portion of the rear zone (Z3), and a contact element (20). The contact element (20) is slidably positioned within a channel (19) communicating with the folding portion (17) such that it can contact the rear zone (Z3) when at least a portion of the rear zone (Z3) is inserted into the folding portion (17). A closing device (10) characterized by the above.

2. The folding portion (17) has a dome-shaped, frustoconical, or combination thereof cavity so that at least one flap of the rear zone (Z3) of each casing (101) that enters the folding portion (17) can be folded at least partially. The closing device (10) according to claim 1.

3. The contact element (20) is configured to move toward and away from the folding receiving portion (17) in such a way that it strikes and crushes the rear zone (Z3) of each casing (101) once or multiple times under controlled conditions. The closing device (10) according to claim 1.

4. The moving means (12, 22) comprises both one or more gripping members (12) configured to grip each of the smoking articles (100), and a moving device (22) configured to lower and raise the one or more gripping members (12). The closing device (10) according to claim 1.

5. The one or more gripping members (12) have at least two jaws (26), The jaws (26) have opposing, mirror-image, semi-cylindrical or frustoconical recesses (27) that define the gripping and receiving portion of the smoking article (100) when they are tightened against each other. Each of the jaws (26) comprises at least one guide element (28a, 28b) and at least one hole (29a, 29b) for accommodating the guide element (28a, 28b) of the other jaw (26), The opposing guide elements (28a, 28b) cooperate to prevent or reduce vibration or tilting of the smoking articles (100) by tightening each smoking article (100) at the gripping receiving portion. The closing device (10) according to claim 4.

6. The system further includes a transport member (207) configured to place and support each of the aforementioned smoking articles (100) in a transport receiving section (210) and move them forward along a work path. The closing device (10) according to claim 1.

7. The transport member (207) is equipped with one or more lifting means (33) configured to selectively lift each of the smoking articles (100), The closing device (10) according to claim 6.

8. The one or more lifting means (33) comprises a corresponding piston (36) located below the transport member (207), The piston (36) is configured to be inserted into a passage formed in the transport receiving portion (210). The closing device (10) according to claim 7.

9. A method for automatically closing a plurality of smoking articles (100) by a closing device (10), each having a casing (101) having at least one rear zone (Z3) that is closed, The closing device (10) is A folding means (11) is configured to close the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of each smoking article (100) by folding it, Moving means (12, 22) configured to move at least one of the smoking article (100) or the folding means (11) to bring the smoking article (100) and the folding means (11) closer to or further apart from each other, It is equipped with, A moving step in which the moving means (22) moves at least one of the smoking article (100) or the folding means (11) to bring the smoking article (100) and the folding means (11) closer to each other, so that the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of each smoking article (100) interacts with the folding means (11), A closing step in which the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of each smoking article (100) is closed by the folding means (11), It has, In the closing step, at least a portion of the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of each smoking article (100) is temporarily housed in the folding receiving portion (17) belonging to the folding means (11), and with at least a portion temporarily housed in the folding receiving portion (17), the contact element (20) belonging to the folding means (11) is selectively driven to strike and crush the portion of the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of each smoking article (100). A closing method characterized by the following features.

10. The moving step includes a gripping step in which one or more gripping members (12) grip each of the smoking articles (100) and displace them toward the folding means (11). The closing method according to claim 9.

11. In the closing step, each gripping member (12) grips one of the smoking articles (100), then moves at least a portion of the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of the smoking article (100) into the folding receiving portion (17) of the folding means (11), so that at least one flap of the rear zone (Z3) facing the inner surface of the folding receiving portion (17) is folded at least partially. The closing method according to claim 10.

12. In the closing step, after at least one flap of the rear zone (Z3) of the casing (101) of each smoking article (100) is folded, the contact element (20) is selectively driven to strike and crush the at least partially folded at least one flap once or more times to complete and reinforce the fold of the at least one flap. The closing method according to claim 11.

13. In the aforementioned moving step, one or more lifting means (33) are optionally driven to lift the smoking article (100) so that each gripping member (12) grips the central zone (Z2) of each smoking article (100). The closing method according to claim 10.

14. Use of the closing device (10) according to claim 1 or the closing method according to claim 9.

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