US3094127A - Cigarette making machine - Google Patents

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 7, 1960 INVENTOR Goffredo Gcmbarini .9 M ATTORNEY June 18, 1963 G. GAMBERINI CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet, 2

Filed April '7. 1960 INVENTOR Goffredo Gomberini BY 7W -9 Fig. 5.

ATTORNEY June 18, 1963 G. GAM BERlNl 3,094,127

CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Filed April '7. 19eo 4 Sheets-Sheet s Fig. 4. L

INVENTOR Goffredo Gumberini ATTORNEY June 18, 1963 G. GAMBERINI CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 7, 1960 IIIIN INVENTOR Goffredo Gumberini w ATTQRN EY United States Patent 3,094,127 CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Golfrcdo Gamberini, Bologna, Italy, assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Machine & Foundry C0.,

New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,614 Claims priority, application Italy Apr. 18, 1959 8 Claims. (Cl. 13121) This invention relates to continuous cigarette making machines and pertains in particular to that portion of these machines which forms a continuous rope of tobacco known as the rod from which is subsequently obtained, through cutting, the cigarette.

In known cigarette making machines, a shower of cut and selected tobacco falls on a conveying and receiving belt which brings the tobacco to the location where the rod is formed, at the initial point of which the tobacco undergoes a first compression under one or more wheels (or belts) which function as means for pressing the tobacco with their peripheral surface which are often concave in form and shape. Upon leaving the tobacco pressing wheels, the rod of tobacco is transferred onto a succeeding conveying belt which supports the continuous strip of paper for enclosing the rod of tobacco as a wrapper in order to be later cut into cigarettes of the desired length.

Known tobacco compressing wheels present various disadvantages. For example, the area of the compressing wheels contact with the tobacco rod is small so that the resulting compressing action does not allow a sufficient settling between the fibers of the cut tobacco, which would result in a uniform density of the rod of tobacco. Furthermore, in some of the tobacco pressing devices known heretofore, the tobacco is subject to friction against fixed lateral walls, resulting in the breakage of the fibers of tobacco as well as preventing the formation of a uniform rod of constant density.

The invention has for its object the elimination of the above mentioned shortcomings and consists substantially in replacing known tobacco pressing wheels employing mechanical action with a tobacco pressing wheel with pneumatic action, i.e. with a vacuum wheel provided with a peripheral groove, into which the tobacco is made to fall preferably by means of the same conveying belt which accepts the shower of tobacco originating from a hopper and metering device.

The quantity of the tobacco collected on the above mentioned conveying belt and conducted to the vacuum wheel is automatically regulated by a suitable self-regulating device so that the quantity of tobacco fed to the wheel is maintained constant in weight in order to completely and uniformly (without excess) fill the peripheral groove of the wheel itself. This metered quantity of tobacco is compressed in the groove of the wheel through the vacuum action in the depression existing in the groove of the wheel and which includes a series of small holes made in the bottom of the peripheral groove. At the end of this suction phase, the tobacco compressed in the peripheral groove of the wheel is deposited in the form of a continuous rod of compressed tobacco on a short connecting conveyor belt which travels with the wheel for a certain section of the same and which transfers the rod of tobacco to the rod former of the cigarette making machine. At the point of transfer, centrifugal force detaches the tobacco from the wheel and compresses it against the conveying belt.

The advantages obtained from this invention can be briefly stated as follows:

The pressing of the tobacco in the peripheral groove of the pneumatic tobacco pressing wheel is obtained through a constant vacuum which manifests itself over 3,094,127 Patented June 18, 1963 ice a wide are, as for example in the order of to degrees or more. This permits an arrangement of the fibers of tobacco under the vacuum action which is exercised on all the strata, to obtain a uniform density of the rod after having been subjected to the secondary action caused by the centrifugal force at the detachment from the wheel.

In accordance with the invention the tobacco which is pressed into the peripheral groove of the tobacco pressing vacuum wheel, does not encounter friction against fixed sidewalls, as happens in tobacco pressing devices known to date, e.g. those with mechanically actuated tobacco pressing wheels and also in those with pneumatic action in which the tobacco rod is pressed on the conveyor belt which forms a channel with two longitudinal fixed sides.

In accordance with the invention, the quantity of tobacco which falls on a receiving belt feeds the groove on the periphery of the vacuum tobacco pressing wheel and is automatically regulated in such a manner as to fill (without excess) the peripheral groove of the above mentioned tobacco pressing wheel. The self-regulation of the quantity of tobacco poured on the vacuum tobacco pressing wheel can be obtained with any suitable means desired by the manufacturer and preferably with those regulating means which operate on the screen formed by the shower of tobacco and which vary the width of this shower. This self-regulation acting on the shower of tobacco may be preferred to other types of regulation because it can be obtained with a larger measure of precision and sensitivity and in more favorable conditions, since it subtracts a portion of the lateral tobacco from the above mentioned screen of tobacco.

The peripheral groove of the vacuum tobacco pressing wheel can have a profile of any desirable form (trapezoid, rectangular, semi-circular and others) and can have a constant profile or a variable one along the circumference of the vacuum wheel itself, having at regular intervals, widened or narrowed portions. Variation in shape in the continuous rod of tabacco can be obtained in this manner at predetermined distances which could, for example, be those areas Where the continuous cigarette rod is cut and/ or those portions to which a mouthpiece will be applied to the cigarette.

At the end of the vacuum portion of the pneumatic tobacco pressing wheel, the rod of compressed tobacco which occupies the peripheral groove of the vacuum wheel in which the tobacco is deposited, partially by gravity, but also partially due to the centrifugal action, on a conveying belt which is tangent to the tobacco pressing wheel or preferably merged with the same for a certain portion of its circumference at the beginning of the formation of the rod.

At the moment of this depositing of the rod of tobacco from the vacuum tobacco pressing wheel onto the above mentioned conveying belt, the outer layers of the tobacco rod which are less compressed by the vacuum action, are more compressed on the conveyor belt due to the effect of centrifugal force which is larger on the outside, and in this manner compensates for the preceding lesser pneumatic compression. A more uniform compression is thereby obtained of all the layers of the tobacco rod deposited on the line of formation of the subsequent phase of manufacturing.

It is to be noted that the pneumatic tobacco pressing wheel in accordance with the invention can be applied without substantial ditlicul-ties to all cigarette making machines, in place of conventional tobacco pressing devices with mechanical action wheels.

The wheel is so arranged as to allow the amplitude and/ or the location of its suction sector to be varied so as to obtain a gradual increase of the suction at the beginning of the above mentioned suction sector in the upper zone of the wheel (in the area corresponding to the zone of feeding of the tobacco) to provide a better stratification of the cut tobacco within the peripheral groove of the pneumatic tobacco pressing wheel itself. These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic front elevational view of the machine of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the suction wheel used in the machine of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating a portion of the peripheral groove, of the suction wheel.

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view, partly in section of another suction wheel in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line 66 of FIGURE 5.

With reference to FIGURE 1, shredded tobacco is fed in a continuous cigarette making machine from a suitable metering device or hopper such as a sieve or conventional cigarette machine feed 1 in a wide thin curtain or shower of tobacco. This shower is collected on an underlying conveying belt 3 which is substantially horizontal and which is stretched over the pulleys 4, 5 and onto which the tobacco is fed in an elongated stream of substantially uniform and constant thickness.

The thickness of the ribbon of tobacco on the conveyor belt 3 is automatically maintained constant and corresponds to a predetermined value by means of a regulating device 6 of the cigarette making machine. One form of automatic regulating device which may be used for this purpose is disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,930,381.

For the purposes of the present description it is suflicient to say that the above mentioned automatic regulating device 6 is governed by the variations of weight measured on the cigarettes produced by the cigarette making machine and it acts by varying the total amplitude of the shower of tobacco 2. More particularly the regulating device 6, includes a helicoid 7 which intercepts and carries off a marginal portion 102 of the former shower 2 of tobacco. Tobacco may be passed through the mounting into duct 8, as shown in FIG. 1. The helicoid 7 which may be extended to the right of the position shown in FIG. 1, is mounted for slidable forward and backward movement within its housing and it advances more into the shower 2 of the tobacco when the produced cigarettes present a weight which is higher than that which as been pro-established. It recedes outwardly when the cigarettes come out lighter, varying thusly the intercepted and removed portion 102 of the shower 2 of tobacco, so that the weight of the cigarettes is maintained constant and consequently also the thickness of the layer of tobacco on the conveyor belt 3. The excessive tobacco intercepted by helicoid 7 is made to return into hopper 1 through conduit 8.

It will also be appreciated that other automatic regulating devices could be used for regulating the thickness of the layer of tobacco on belt 3. These devices may be of similar or different construction, but having the same final result.

The conveyor belt 3 lets the tobacco fall on a vacuum tobacco pressing wheel 9 installed at the beginning of the line 10 where the formation of the continuous cigarette rod commences and the wheel is disposed between this line 10 and the conveyor belt 3. Suitably, a funnelshaped member 30 may be positioned above wheel 9 to make the tobacco fall on the wheel on an arc defined by the peripheral surface thereof along which suction is operative.

As shown in FIGURES 2 to 4, the tobacco pressing wheel 9 comprises two coaxial disks 11 and 12 facing each other and separated from each other, on the periphcry of which is installed a crown 13 formed by radial partitions 113 which are separated from each other at an angle as shown in FIG. 2, and which present external sharpened extremities.

The periphery of this crown 13 is provided with receptacles 213. A thin circular and apertured plate 14 is installed on the above mentioned sectors 113, and is held in place by two lateral rings 15 and 16. A peripheral groove 17 is formed in this manner on wheel 9, the bottom of which is formed by the thin apertured plate 14, whereas its sidewalls are provided by the rings 15 and 16.

Wheel 9 is freely mounted on a fixed tubular axle 18 which is substantially horizontal, and connected to a vacuum source of any desired type and through an opening 19, is connected with a chamber 20 between the two disks 11 and 12.

Disk 11 is fixedly mounted on the axle 18 by means of a terminal flange 118 whereas the other disk 12 is fixed to a part 21 which is turnably mounted on the axle 18 and is supported by ball bearings 23, disposed within an outside fixed support 22. The crown 13 of the radial sectors 113 is aifixed to the turnable disk 12 although it is placed between the two disks 11, 12 and it is superimposed in part on the fixed disk 11.

The rings 15, 16 for retaining the thin perforated plate 14 are fixed to the crown 13 and therefore only to the turnable disk 12. Accordingly, the ring 16 is mounted adjacent the periphery of disk 11 and rotates freely with respect thereto. Wheel 9, through disk 12 with the crown 13 and the peripheral groove 17 is made to rotate in the direction of the arrow F, in a direction corresponding to the movement of the rod on the underlying production line 10, the disk and crown being driven in any desirable way by means of part 21.

Fixed sectors 24, 25 which extend to the bottom plate 14, of the peripheral groove 17 are positioned in chamber 20.

These sectors 24, 25 divide the space 20 between the disks 11, 12 onto two non-communicating compartments and 220. Compartment 120 is placed on the descending side wheel 9 and extends through an angle A, from the upper portion of wheel 9, until a certain point which is tangential to line 10 where the rod is formed.

The other compartment 220 extends through a smaller angle and is disposed on the opposite or ascending side of wheel 9, in a location corresponding with a suction tube 26 which faces wheel 9. The vacuum which exists in the hollow axle 18 is introduced through the opening 19 into compartment 120 and manifests itself with a suction through the perforated bottom 14 of the peripheral groove 17 of wheel 9 along a sector corresponding to the angular extension of the above mentioned compartment 120. The opposite compartment 220 on the other hand communicates with the atmosphere, through conduits not shown.

Wheel 9 is substantially tangent to the underlying manufacuring line 10 of the rod which is substantially horizontal and includes a conveying ribbon 27 which runs on a support 28 and upon which is placed the continuous strip of paper 29 for the wrapping of the rod. Along the production line 10 are placed the various rod forming devices well known in continuous cigarette rod production and which can be of any desired type.

The operation of the above described device may be briefly described as follows:

At the discharge end of collecting belt 3, the tobacco is thrown onto wheel 9 by momentum and is made to fall into peripheral groove 17 of wheel 9 as shown in FIG. 2. The vacuum suction through bottom 14 causes the tobacco to be held in groove 17 in successive layers. It is to be noted that in accordance with the invention the quantity of tobacco supported by the collecting band 3 and made to fall onto the vacuum wheel 9, is predetermined and maintained constant with the aid of the above mentioned automatic regulating device 6 in such a manner, as to fill without excess the peripheral groove 17 of wheel 9, thus obviating the employment of leveling off devices.

The compressed tobacco which fills the peripheral groove '17 of wheel 9 along the are A of the vacuum sector is deposited at the end of this sector at the lowest point of wheel 9 in the form of a continuous rope of tobacco onto the production line 10 of the rod former beginning with the continuous strip of paper 29 which is located on top of the conveying belt 27.

It is to be noted that the are A, along which the tobacco contained in the peripheral groove 17 of the tobacco pressing wheel 9 sustains the pressing action of the vacuum has a dimension such that the tobacco is subjected to the vacuum action long enough to obtain a suitable adaptation of the fibers of the cut tobacco. In the part between the end of the vacuum sector A and the lowest point of tobacco pressing wheel 9, i.e. along the portion between the place at which the vacuum action ceases, and the point at which the rope of tobacco is deposited onto the production line of the rod 10, the tobacco pressing wheel 9 meets an endless belt 31 which covers groove 17 and which is propelled, by. means of pulley 32, at a velocity which is equal to the peripheral velocity of wheel 9.

During this portion of travel which is devoid of vacuum, belt 31 accompanies wheel 9 and holds. the tobacco onto the same, thus avoiding friction due to relatively moving parts.

Furthermore the tobacco is compressed against belt 31 due to the effect of the centrifugal force which is greater on the outside and therefore the external layers of tobacco contained in the peripheral groove 17 of wheel 9, which have been subjected previously to the pressing action of the vacuum to a somewhat lesser extent than the internal layers closer to the bottom 14 of the groove.

In this manner a rope of tobacco is obtained having relatively uniform density throughout and this rope is deposited by belt 31 onto the rod forming line. At the discharge position, there is provided a fixed cone 33 which is positioned in groove 17 of wheel 9 and is positioned immediately in front of the tapering conduit 34 of the manufacturing line 10 of the rod. Finally, in a place corresponding with the compartment 220, which communicates with the atmosphere, the suction conduit 26 cleans groove 17 of wheel 9 from possible left over strands of tobacco.

As mentioned, the peripheral groove 17 of the tobacco pressing wheel 9 can have a transverse section of any desired design, be it constant along the entire perimeter of the wheel, or variable and e.g. provided at regular intervals with widened portions 117, as illustrated in FIG- URE 3, for the purpose of conferring to the rope of tobacco a form which is uniformly varied along its length.

The embodiment shown in FIGURES and 6, correspond substantially to the one previously described, since the identical parts are referred to with the same numbers to which the letter a has been added, for which reason a detailed description is omitted. In this construction however, the angular extent of compartment 120a of tobacco pressing wheel 9a, i.e. the amplitude of arc Aa, along which the vacuum takes place, can be varied and adjusted at will in order to be adapted to the necessities of the moment. For this reason, the breech sectors which limit the vacuum are A rare movably mounted around the axle 18a of the tobacco pressing wheel and can be blocked in their registered positions. This can be obtained with any desired means for instance by installing these sectors 24a, 25a by means of arcuate slots 35a on pins 36a which are integral with the fixed disk 11 of wheel 9a.

Another improvement in the embodiment shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 over the previously described embodiment, consists in the fact that the portion 124a of breechsector 24a which delineates on the upper side the vacuum compartment 120a, presents a sharpened or knife like form, i.e. a profile which becomes progressively thinner along an arc B of such an amplitude as to cause a progressive increase of vacuum in the peripheral groove 17a of wheel 9a at the beginning of the vacuum arc Aa, onto which the tobacco is made to fall onto wheel 9a.

In other words, there is obtained a gradual increase of vacuum 0n the perforated bottom 14a of the peripheral groove 17a, along the portion corresponding to the angle B, :at which the sector 24a narrows down from its maximum width (total obstruction of all the perforations of bottom 14) until a thickness nil (opening of all the perforations at the bottom 14 of groove 17). In this manner there is obtained a better stratification of the cut tobacco in the peripheral groove 17 of the pneumatic tobacco pressing wheel 9a.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated but can be varied and modified in construction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A cigarette making machine comprising :a source of supply of tobacco, a first moving surface for conveying tobacco from said source, a cigarette rod former, a suction wheel positioned so as to receive tobacco showered from said moving surface, a second moving surface for bringing a rope of tobacco fromsaid wheel to said rod iorm'er, said wheel comprising a fixed and a rotary disk forming a chamber therebetween, suction means communicating with said chamber, said wheel having a peripheral groove, a portion of said groove communicating with said chamber, stationary means for interrupting vacuum along said portion during rotation thereof so as to release tobacco held thereon in rope form onto said second moving surface, said second surface travelling at a speed about equal to the peripheral velocity of said wheel, a weight adjusting device for regulating the thickness of said tobacco rope held in said groove, said device extending in the way of tobacco showered onto said groove from said first moving surface so as to vary the amount thereof, said device being responsive to variations in the weight of cigarettes produced, and means for rotating said wheel.

2. A cigarette making machine comprising a source of supply of tobacco, a first conveyor for conveying tobacco from said source, a cigarette rod former, a suction wheel positioned to receive tobacco showered from said conveyor, a second conveyor for bringing a rope of tobacco formed on said wheel to said rod former, said wheel comprising a fixed disk and a rotary disk coaxial therewith defining a chamber therebetween, a source of suction communicating with said chamber, a crown of radially narrowing partition members peripherally enclosing said disks, lateral retaining rings secured to said rotary disk and defining the sides of a peripheral groove in said wheel, a curved and perforated plate on said crown intermediate said retaining rings and secured to said rotary disk, said plate constituting the bottom of said groove, fixed sectors in said chamber secured to said fixed disk for closing a portion of said groove to said source of suction and thereby release tobacco held in rope form in said groove onto said second conveyor and means for rotating said wheel.

3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein said sectors are movably mounted to vary the arcuate length of the groove where suction is operative.

4. A machine according to claim 2, wherein said partitions have a progressively narrowing radial section.

5. A machine according to claim 2, wherein external suction means are provided adjacent that portion of said groove which is closed to suction for cleaning said groove.

6. A cigarette making machine according to claim 2, wherein said portion of said peripheral groove along which suction is operative has an arcuate length ranging trom about to about degrees.

7. A cigarette making machine according to claim 2, and having a funnel shaped member to direct the shower 7 8 of tobacco on said portion of said groove where suction 616,477 Legg Dec. 27, 1898 is operative. 1,755,080 Schunemann Apr. 15, 1930 8. A cigarette making machine according to claim 2, 2,111,672 Molins Mar. 22, 1938 having means positioned below said wheel and extending into said groove to dislodge said tobacco rope therefrom 5 FOREIGN PATENTS and cause it to fall on said second moving surface. 1,179,992 Fran 29, 1958 286,421 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1928 378,143 Great Britain Aug. 11, 1932 References Cited in the file of this patent 647,397 Germany July 3, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENTS 900,182 Germany Dec. 21, 1953 10 231,947 Allison Sept. 7, 18-80 255,193 Germany 31, 1912

Claims (1)

1. 2. A CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE COMPRISING A SOURCE OF SUPPLY OF TOBACCO, A FIRST CONVEYOR FOR CONVEYING TOBACCO FROM SAID SOURCE, A CIGARETTE ROD FORMER, A SUCTION WHEEL POSITIONED TO RECEIVE TOBACCO SHOWERED FROM SAID CONVEYOR, A SECOND CONVEYOR FOR BRINGING A ROPE OF TOBACCO FORMED ON SAID WHEEL TO SAID ROD FORMER, SAID WHEEL COMPRISING A FIXED DISK AND A ROTARY DISK COAXIAL THEREWITH DEFINING A CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, A SOURCE OF SUCTION COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER, A CROWN OF RADIALLY NARROWING PARTITION MEMBERS PERIPHERALLY ENCLOSING SAID DISKS, LATERAL RETAINING RINGS SECURED TO SAID ROTARY DISK AND DEFINING THE SIDES OF A PERIPHERAL GROOVE IN SAID WHEEL, A CURVED AND PERFORATED PLATE ON SAID CROWN INTERMEDIATE SAID RETAINIG RINGS AND SECURED TO SAID ROTARY DISK, SAID PLATE CONSTITUTING THE BOTTOM OF SAID GROOVE, FIXED SECTORS IN SAID CHAMBER SECURED TO SAID FIXED DISK FOR CLOSING A PORTION OF SAID GROOVE TO SAID SOURCE OF SUCTION AND THEREBY RELEASE TOBACCO HELD IN ROPE FORM IN SAID GROOVE ONTO SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND MEANS FOR ROTATAING SAID WHEEL.

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