Abstract:
In a supplying system using containers for supplying groups of filter elements to smoking article assembling equipment, each container has a unique source of information that travels with the container. An unloader receives and unloads the containers. An automated data reader is proximate the unloader for reading the source of information for each container before it is unloaded. A computerized controller uses the information read by the automated data reader to obtain information from a database. The information from the database is compared to information from another source to verify that the proper filter elements are being supplied. The computerized controller allows, or instructs, the unloader to unload correctly supplied filter elements, and stops the unloader from unloading incorrectly supplied filter elements.

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to filtered smoking articles and, more particularly, to the supplying of predetermined filter elements during the manufacture of the filtered smoking articles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical rod-shaped structure and include a charge, roll or column of smokable material, such as shredded tobacco (e.g., in cut filler form), surrounded by a paper wrapper, thereby forming a so-called “smokable rod” or “tobacco rod.” Normally, a cigarette has a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element comprises plasticized cellulose acetate tow circumscribed by a paper material known as “plug wrap.” Typically, the filter element is attached to one end of the tobacco rod using a circumscribing wrapping material known as “tipping paper.” It also has become desirable to perforate the tipping material and plug wrap, in order to provide dilution of drawn mainstream smoke with ambient air. A filtered cigarette is employed by a smoker by lighting the unfiltered end thereof and burning the tobacco rod. The smoker then receives mainstream smoke into his/her mouth by drawing on the filter end of the cigarette. 
     There are different types of filtered cigarettes that may be formed from various combinations of numerous different types of filter elements and tobacco-containing rods. Accordingly, it is important for the proper filter elements to be provided to the assembling equipment when filtered cigarettes of a particular type are to be manufactured. Otherwise, the wrong type of cigarettes will be manufactured unintentionally. Modern smoking article production equipment operates at high speeds, such that by the time it is determined that the wrong filter elements have been provided, a large number of the wrong type of cigarettes may have been manufactured and packaged. This may result, for example, in a mismatch between the branding or other information on the packages and the cigarettes therein, such that corrective measures have to be taken. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that seek to verify that the proper filter elements are provided to the assembling equipment. 
     SUMMARY 
     One aspect of this disclosure is the provision of systems and methods that seek to verify that the proper filter elements are provided to smoking article assembling equipment. 
     In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, a method of at least supplying filter elements for smoking articles may include: having first information that is, or is associated with, an identifier of a group of filter elements; reading, with at least one automated data reader, second information that is, or is associated with, an identifier of a container, wherein the second information is read from a source (e.g., indicia, barcode, RFID tag, magnetic tape and/or the like) that is for traveling with the container; associating, in a computer database, the identifier of the group of the filter elements with the identifier of the container; transporting the container while the group of filter elements is at least partially contained in the container, so that both the group of filter elements and the source of the second information travel with the container to a predetermined location; and then verifying that the (proper) group of filter elements, which is at least partially contained by the container, is at the predetermined location. 
     The verifying may include reading, with an other automated data reader, the second information from the source of the second information while the container at least partially contains the group of filter elements and the container is proximate the predetermined location, and querying the database using the second information read by the other automated data reader. The verifying may include knowing (e.g., receiving) the identifier of the group of filter elements from the database using the second information read by the other automated data reader. The verifying may include knowing (e.g., receiving) the identifier of the group of filter elements from another source (e.g., a computerized management system), and verifying sameness between: (i) the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database, and (ii) the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the other source. The group of filter elements may be unloaded from the container in response to the verifying. The unloading may be carried out by an unloader. 
     The above-described method of at least supplying filter elements for smoking articles and verifying that the proper filter elements are being supplied may be repeated substantially continually, in serial fashion with numerous containers (e.g., trays) with unique identifiers, and the containers may at least partially contain different types of filter elements with different identifiers. 
     The above-described method may further include a situation where the correctness of the supplied filter elements cannot be verified. For example, the method may further include: reading, with the at least one automated data reader, third information that is, or is associated with, an identifier of a second group of filter elements; reading, with the at least one automated data reader, fourth information that is, or is associated with, an identifier of a second container, wherein the fourth information is read from a source (e.g., indicia, barcode, RFID tag, magnetic tape and/or the like) that is for traveling with the second container; associating, in the computer database, the identifier of the second group of the filter elements with the identifier of the second container; transporting the second container while the second group of filter elements is at least partially contained in the second container, so that both the second group of filter elements and the source of the fourth information travel with the second container to the predetermined location; then determining (using the database and the other source (e.g., the computerized management system), that the second group of filter elements, which is at least partially contained by the second container, should not be at the predetermined location; inhibiting any unloading of the second group of filter elements from the second container in response to the determining that the second group of filter elements should not be at the predetermined location; and then removing the second container from the predetermined location while the second group of filter elements is at least partially contained in the second container. 
     In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, a method of at least supplying filter elements for smoking articles includes at least partially containing groups of filter elements in respective containers, and carrying out several steps for each container and the group of filter elements at least partially contained in the container. For each container and the group of filter elements at least partially contained in the container, the steps carried out may include: reading, with at least one automated data reader, first information that is, or is associated with, an identifier of the group of filter elements; reading, with the at least one automated data reader, second information that is, or is associated with, an identifier of the container, wherein the second information is read from a source (e.g., indicia, barcode, RFID tag, magnetic tape and/or the like) that is for traveling with the container; associating, in a computer database, the identifier of the group of the filter elements with the identifier of the container; transporting the container while the group of filter elements is at least partially contained in the container, so that both the group of filter elements and the source of the second information travel with the container to a predetermined location; reading, with an other automated data reader, the second information from the source of the second information while the container at least partially contains the group of filter elements and the container is proximate the predetermined location; querying the database using the second information read by the other automated data reader; knowing (e.g., receiving) from the database the identifier of the group of filter elements in response to the querying of the database; and determining whether the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database matches an identifier known (e.g., received) from another source, such as a computerized management system. For each container and the group of filter elements at least partially contained in the container: the group of filter elements are unloaded from the container in response to determining that the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database matches the identifier known from the other source (e.g., the computerized management system), or the group of filter elements are not unloaded from the container in response to determining that the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database does not match the identifier received from the other source. 
     One aspect of this disclosure is the provision of a supplying system for using a plurality of containers for respectively supplying groups of filter elements to smoking article assembling equipment, wherein each container of the plurality of containers has a source (e.g., indicia, barcode, RFID tag, magnetic tape and/or the like) of information that travels with the container. The system may include an apparatus (e.g., an unloader) for serially receiving and acting upon (e.g., unloading) the containers while the containers respectively at least partially contain the groups of the filter elements; an automated data reader proximate the apparatus for reading the sources of information while the containers are proximate the apparatus; and a computerized controller operatively associated with the apparatus and the automated data reader. The computerized controller may be operative for facilitating at least the following for each container of the plurality of containers, the source of information of the container, and the group of filter elements at least partially contained by the container: querying a database using information read from the source of information by the automated data reader; knowing (e.g. receiving) from the database an identifier of the group of filter elements at least partially contained by the container; and determining whether the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database matches an identifier known (e.g., received) from another source (e.g., a computerized management system). The computerized controller may either: instruct the apparatus to proceed with supplying (e.g., unloading) the group of filter elements at least partially contained by the container to the smoking article assembling equipment in response to determining that the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database matches the identifier known from the other source, or instruct the apparatus to inhibit any supplying (e.g., unloading) of the group of filter elements at least partially contained by the container to the smoking article assembling equipment in response to determining that the identifier of the group of filter elements known from the database does not match the identifier known from the other source. 
     The foregoing presents a simplified summary of some aspects of this disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding. The foregoing summary is not an extensive summary of the disclosure and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The purpose of the foregoing summary is to present some concepts of this disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. For example, other aspects will become apparent from the following. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Having described some aspects of this disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are exemplary only, and should not be construed as limiting the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a smoking article having the form of a cigarette, showing the smokable material, filter element, and wrapping material components of the cigarette, wherein the tipping material of the cigarette is not shown. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the cigarette of  FIG. 1 , including the tipping material. 
         FIG. 3  is generally in the form of a block diagram that schematically illustrates some features of a portion of a system for making filtered smoking articles, and more specifically,  FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a top plan view of portions of a filter verification system, in accordance with a first embodiment of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a “two-up” cigarette rod prior to bifurcation during the cigarette manufacturing process. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views. The embodiments described provide examples and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Other embodiments, and modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such other embodiments, modifications and improvements are within the scope of the present invention. 
     An aspect of this disclosure is the provision improvements that are associated with filter-supplying equipment  34  ( FIG. 3 ) that is for supplying filter elements to assembling equipment, wherein the improvements seek to verify that the proper filter elements are provided to the assembling equipment. Whereas the improvements may be considered in isolation and/or solely in combination with the filter-supplying equipment  34 , the improvements and the filter-supplying equipment may be parts of a larger system for making and packaging filtered smoking articles (“making and packaging system”). The making and packaging system is generally described in the following, in accordance with a first embodiment of this disclosure. 
     The making and packaging system also includes equipment for making the filter elements (“filter-making equipment”), rod-making equipment for making tobacco rods, rod-supplying equipment for supplying the tobacco rods to the assembling equipment, and packaging equipment for enclosing the filtered smoking articles, which were assembled by the assembling equipment, into containers such as, but not limited to, paperboard boxes. In accordance with the first embodiment, the making and packaging system may be conventional, except for incorporating improvements that seek to verify that the proper filter elements are provided to the assembling equipment, as will be discussed in greater detail below. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the making and packaging equipment, which includes the filter-supplying equipment  34  ( FIG. 3 ), manufactures smoking articles that may be in the form of cigarettes. Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a smoking article  10  in the form of a conventional cigarette. The cigarette  10  includes a generally cylindrical rod  12  that includes both a charge or roll of smokable filler material  14  and wrapping material  16 . The filler material  14  is contained in the circumscribing wrapping material  16 . The rod  12  is conventionally referred to as a “tobacco rod.” The ends of the tobacco rod  12  are open to expose the smokable filler material  14 . The cigarette  10  is shown as having one optional band  22  (e.g., a printed coating including a film-forming agent, such as starch, ethylcellulose, or sodium alginate) applied to the wrapping material  16 , and that band circumscribes the cigarette rod in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cigarette. That is, the band  22  provides a cross-directional region relative to the longitudinal axis of the cigarette. The band  22  can be printed on the inner surface of the wrapping material (i.e., facing the smokable filler material  14 ), or less preferably, on the outer surface of the wrapping material. Although the cigarette  10  can possess a wrapping material having one optional band, the cigarette also can possess wrapping material having further optional spaced bands numbering two, three, or more. The tobacco rod  12  may be conventional, and may be formed in a conventional manner by conventional rod-making equipment. A wide variety of tobacco rods are within the scope of this disclosure. 
     At one end of the tobacco rod  12  is the lighting end  18 , and at the mouth end  20  is positioned a filter element  26 . The filter element  26  is positioned adjacent one end of the tobacco rod  12  such that the filter element and tobacco rod are axially aligned in an end-to-end relationship, typically abutting one another. The filter element  26  may have a generally cylindrical shape, and the diameter thereof may be essentially equal to the diameter of the tobacco rod  12 . The ends of the filter element  26  permit the passage of air and smoke therethrough. 
     A cross-sectional view of a smoking article configured as shown in  FIG. 1  is shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown therein, the filter element  26  includes both filter material  27  and an outer plug wrap  28 . The filter material  27  is circumscribed along its outer circumference or longitudinal periphery by the outer plug wrap  28 . The plug wrap  28  is affixed to the filter element  26  using adhesive material. Although only one section of filter material  27  is shown in  FIG. 2 , other filter element configurations with multiple segments and/or cavities could be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. That is, a wide variety of filter elements  26  are within the scope of this disclosure. 
     In the cigarette  10 , the filter element  26  and the tobacco rod  12  are attached to one another by tipping material  30  that typically circumscribes the entire length of the filter element  26  and an adjacent region of the tobacco rod  12 . The inner surface of the tipping material  30  is fixedly secured to both the outer surface of the plug wrap  28  and the outer surface of the wrapping material  16  of the tobacco rod  12 . The tipping material  30  may be fixedly secured to the outer surfaces of the plug wrap  28  and wrapping material  16  in a conventional manner, with any suitable adhesive material. The tipping material  30  typically extends over the entire length of the filter element  26 , and about 2 mm to about 6 mm, often about 3 mm to about 5 mm, and frequently about 4 mm over the length of the adjacent region of the tobacco rod  12 . 
     A ventilated or air diluted smoking article can be provided with an optional air dilution features, such as a series of perforations  32 , each of which extend through the tipping material  30  and plug wrap  28 . The optional perforations  32  can be made by various techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as laser perforation techniques. Alternatively, so-called off-line air dilution techniques can be used (e.g., through the use of porous paper plug wrap and pre-perforated tipping paper). For cigarettes that are air diluted or ventilated, the amount or degree of air dilution or ventilation can vary. Frequently, the amount of air dilution for an air diluted cigarette is greater than about 10 percent, generally is greater than about 20 percent, often is greater than about 30 percent, and sometimes is greater than about 40 percent. Typically, the upper level for air dilution for an air diluted cigarette is less than about 80 percent, and often is less than about 70 percent. As used herein, the term “air dilution” is the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of the volume of air drawn through the air dilution means to the total volume and air and smoke drawn through the cigarette and exiting the extreme mouth end  20  of the cigarette  10 . 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, the system for making cigarettes  10  is configured to provide “two-up” cigarette rods  60  ( FIG. 4 ), each of which is cut in half to provide two of the cigarettes, as will be discussed in greater detail below. Although other manufacturing processes could be modified to incorporate methods and apparatus of this disclosure that seek to verify that the proper filter elements are provided to the smoking article production equipment, this disclosure will focus on the two-up rod manufacturing processes for the propose of providing an example, and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of this disclosure. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment, precursors  70  ( FIG. 4 ) of the filter elements  26  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) may be formed using filter-making equipment. The filter elements  26  may be formed by cutting the precursors, namely two-up filter elements  70  ( FIG. 4 ), in half, as will be discussed in greater detail below. The two-up filter elements  70  may be generally referred to as filter elements, although they are sometimes referred to in this Detailed Description section of this disclosure as two-up filter elements for ease of understanding, and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of this disclosure. 
     In accordance with the first embodiments, filter rods, and the two-up filter elements  70  and filter elements  26  formed therefrom, may be formed having different characteristics. For example, two-up filter elements  70  and filter elements  26  may or may not incorporate cavities, smoke-altering materials such as activated carbon, additives, and the like. In addition, the filter material  27  can vary, and can be any suitable material of the type that can be employed for providing a tobacco smoke filter for cigarettes. For example, a traditional cigarette filter material may be used, such as cellulose acetate tow, gathered cellulose acetate web, polypropylene tow, gathered cellulose acetate web, gathered paper, strands of reconstituted tobacco, or the like. Optionally, it may be preferred for the filter material to be filamentary or fibrous tow such as cellulose acetate, polyolefins such as polypropylene, or the like. One filter material that can provide a suitable filter rod is cellulose acetate tow having 3 denier per filament and 40,000 total denier. As another example, cellulose acetate tow having 3 denier per filament and 35,000 total denier can provide a suitable filter rod. As another example, cellulose acetate tow having 8 denier per filament and 40,000 total denier can provide a suitable filter rod. Normally a plasticizer such as triacetin or carbowax is applied to the filamentary tow in traditional amounts using known techniques. In one embodiment, the plasticizer component of the filter material comprises triacetin and carbowax in a 1:1 ratio by weight. The total amount of plasticizer is generally about 4 to about 20 percent by weight, preferably about 6 to about 12 percent by weight. Other suitable materials or additives used in connection with the construction of the filter element will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art of cigarette filter design and manufacture. Similarly, those of ordinary skill will understand that tobacco rods  12  may be formed having different characteristics; and that there are numerous different types of filtered cigarettes that may be formed from various combinations of numerous different types of filter elements and tobacco-containing rods. 
     In accordance with the first embodiment of this disclosure, each of the different types of two-up filter elements  70  are segregated into groups, and each of the groups may have a unique designation or identifier for distinguishing the groups from one another, and the identifiers may be used in a manner that seeks to verify that only the proper two-up filter elements are provided to the assembling equipment, as will discussed in greater detail below after a general discussion of the transporting of filter elements  70  from the filter-making equipment to the filter-supplying equipment  34  ( FIG. 3 ), and the operation of the filter-supplying equipment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , groups of the two-up filter elements  70  ( FIG. 4 ) manufactured by the filter-making equipment are typically placed into containers that may more specifically be in the form of upwardly open trays  36 , so that each tray only includes filter elements that are of the same type/belong to the same group.  FIG. 3  schematically illustrates that each of the trays  36  at least partially contains a group of the filter elements  70 . A group of the trays  36  may be placed on a pallet  38  or other suitable device for transporting the trays in a downstream direction from the filter-making equipment to the filter-supplying equipment  34 . In  FIG. 3 , the pallet  38  carrying the trays  36  is schematically illustrated in solid lines in an upstream location that is proximate the filter-making equipment, and that same pallet carrying the trays is schematically illustrated by dashed lines as being in a downstream location (e.g., predetermined location) that is proximate the filter-supplying equipment  34 . 
     After the trays  36  with the filter elements  70  are transported to the filter-supplying equipment  34 , the trays with the filter elements may be serially loaded onto a receiving area  41 , or the like, of an unloader  40  of the filter-supplying equipment. The unloader  40  serially unloads (e.g., dumps) the filter elements  70  from the trays  36  so that the filter elements are received by a sender  42  of the filter-supplying equipment  34 . The sender  42  provides (e.g., conveys) the unloaded filter elements  70  to assembling equipment, which will be discussed in greater detail below. 
     One aspect of this disclosure is the provision of a filter verification system  43  that is described in the following with reference to  FIG. 3 , in accordance with the first embodiment. Generally described, the filter verification system  43  is operative for preventing the unloader  40  from unloading the filter elements  70  from a container (e.g., tray  36 ) when it is determined that the incorrect filter elements are contained in the tray. For achieving this, the filter verification system  43  includes and/or operates in conjunction with several features of the making and packaging system. As should be apparent, the filter verification system  43  may be characterized as including and/or operating in conjunction with the unloader  40 . 
     The filter verification system  43  may be characterized as including and/or operating in conjunction with a computerized making and packaging management system (“computerized management system  44 ”) of the making and packaging system. It is conventional for a system for making and packaging filtered smoking articles, such as cigarettes  10 , to include a computerized making and packaging management system for receiving inputs from, and providing instructions to, various components of the making and packaging system for at least partially facilitating the manufacture of the smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes  10 ). For example and reiterating from above, it is typical for a making and packaging system to be able to make a variety of different types of cigarettes  10  with different types of filter elements  26 ,  70 . 
     The filter verification system  43  includes a computerized controller  46  (e.g., a computerized integrated process controller (“IPC”)) for controlling operations taken to verify that the correct filter elements  70  are supplied to the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system. The computerized controller  46  may be characterized as being either incorporated into and/or separate from the computerized management system  44 . As an example and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of this disclosure, the computerized controller  46  is shown in  FIG. 3  as being at least partially separate from the computerized management system  44 , and as including both a computer processor  48  and memory housing a database  50 . The computerized controller  46  and its features (e.g., software modules, the computer processor  48  and/or memory/database  50 ) may be embodied in any suitable locations and/or forms. 
     As schematically shown in  FIG. 3  by an arrow extending from the computerized management system  44  to the computerized controller  46 , the computerized controller is in communication with the computerized management system for receiving, as an input, the identity of filter elements  70  that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system for the production run presently being carried. As schematically shown in  FIG. 3  by an arrow extending from the computerized controller  46  to the unloader  40 , the computerized controller is in communication with the unloader for providing, as an output, a signal for preventing the unloader  40  from unloading the filter elements  70  from a tray  36  when it is determined that the incorrect filter elements are contained in the tray. As schematically shown in  FIG. 3  by an arrow extending from the computerized controller  46  to a user interface that may be in the form of, or include, an electronic visual display  51  for the computerized controller, the computerized controller is in communication with the electronic visual display  51  for providing information to a human operator, such as a human responsible for serially, manually loading the trays  36  onto the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , or the like. The electronic visual display  51  may be referred to as an operator control panel, monitor and/or a visual display unit. 
     As schematically shown in  FIG. 3  by arrows respectively extending from upstream and downstream automated optical scanners  52 ,  54 ,  56  to the computerized controller  46 , the computerized controller is in communication with the automated optical scanners for receiving, as inputs, information that is, or is associated with, identifiers of the trays  36  and groups of filter elements  70 . More specifically, the upstream automated optical scanners  52 ,  54  are for respectively reading information from tray-identifying and filter-identifying labels  58 ,  59 , and the downstream automated optical scanner  56  is for reading information from the tray-identifying labels  58 . One of the upstream automated optical scanners  52 ,  54  may be omitted so that the remaining upstream automated optical scanner is for reading information from both the tray-identifying and filter-identifying labels  58 ,  59 . Accordingly, throughout this disclosure, the tray-identifying and filter-identifying labels  58 ,  59  may be read with the same automated optical scanner, such as one of the upstream automated optical scanners  52 ,  54 , so that the other of the upstream automated optical scanners may be omitted. 
       FIG. 3  schematically illustrates that each of the trays  36  at least partially contains a group of the filter elements  70 , and that each tray has a tray-identifying label  58  attached thereto for traveling therewith. In addition, the trays  36  have associated therewith a filter-identifying label  59 , as will be discussed in greater detail below. Each of the labels  58 ,  59  typically includes indicia that may be read with respective one(s) of the automated optical scanners  52 ,  54 ,  56 . In the first embodiment, the indicia of the labels  58 ,  59  may be conventional barcodes, and each of the labels shown in  FIG. 3  may be characterized as being schematically illustrative of indicia/a barcode. Notwithstanding, the indicia of the labels  58 ,  59  may be in any other form that is suitable for being read with an automated optical scanner or any other suitable scanning device, whether optical or non-optical. 
     For each tray  36  of the first embodiment, its tray-identifying label  58  includes unique indicia (e.g., a unique barcode) for distinguishing the tray from all of the other trays of the making and packaging system, so that the trays may be used in a manner that seeks to verify that only the proper filter elements  70  are provided to the assembling equipment. Typically, each tray&#39;s tray-identifying label  58  may be permanently, fixedly mounted to the tray, such as through the use of an adhesive material that provides a permanent bond, mechanical fasteners and/or through any other suitable technique. Alternatively, in some circumstances the tray-identifying label  58  may be in the form of cards that may be loosely placed in the trays  36  or releasably clipped to the trays, or the like. 
     Each filter-identifying label  59  may include unique indicia (e.g., a unique barcode) for distinguishing the filter elements  70  associated with the filter-identifying label from filter elements  70  that are not associated with the filter-identifying label. For all of the filter elements  70  that are grouped together and are of the same type, the group may be so large that the group is contained in multiple trays  36 , and a single filter-identifying label  59  may be associated with the multiple trays, or multiple identical or substantially similar filter-identifying labels may be respectively associated with the trays. For example, when the filter-making equipment is operating to make a particular type of filter elements  70 , it may be most efficient to make a large number of the particular type of filter elements, such that all of the trays  36  on a single pallet  38  may container the same particular type of filter elements. In situations like this where large lots of the same type of filter elements  70  may be made, a single filter-identifying label  59  may be mounted to the pallet  38  supporting all of the trays  36  with the same type of filter elements  70 , or the filter-identifying label  59  may be placed or mounted in any other suitable location, such as by being mounted to a polymer film overwrap that extends around the trays  36  on the pallet. That is and more generally described, a single filter-identifying label  59  may be associated with a group of trays  36  that contain like filter elements  70 . On the other hand, multiple identical or substantially similar filter-identifying labels  59  may be respectively associated with the trays containing like filter elements  70 . As one example, each filter-identifying label  59  may include an adhesive backing for use in attaching the label to any suitable location. Alternatively, in some circumstances, the filter-identifying labels  59  may be more loosely associated with individual trays  36  or groups of trays, such as by being placed in the trays  36  or releasably clipped to the trays, or the like. 
     The filter-identifying labels  59  may not be permanently associated with the trays  36  because the trays may be reused in the process of making different types of cigarettes  10  with different filter elements  26 ,  70 , such that when the filter elements  70  are unloaded from a tray, any filter-identifying label  59  affixed to the tray may need to be removed from the tray or otherwise be obscured, and each time an empty tray is refilled with a group of the filter elements  70  from the filter-making equipment, a new filter-identifying label  59  may be required. Accordingly, the filter-making equipment or some other suitable source may provide a filter-identifying label  59  that is intended to be used to identify the filter elements  70  at least partially contained by one or more trays  36 . For example, each time a group of trays  36  is filled with the same type of filter elements  70 , new filter-identifying label(s)  59  may be provided for the group of trays  36 . A filter-identifying label  59  may be mounted, by way of an adhesive backing, to a pallet  38  carrying the group of trays, to an overwrap connecting the group of trays, or at any other suitable location. Alternatively, filter-identifying labels  59  may be respectively mounted, by way of a adhesive backings, to each of the trays  36 . 
     In one specific example, each of the trays  36  may be a conventional type of tray that is for carrying filter elements  70 , wherein the tray may include a polymeric body having a removable sidewall, and the removable sidewall may be constructed of cardboard. For each tray  36 , its tray-identifying label  58  may be mounted to the polymeric body of the tray. The removable sidewalls may be conventionally referred to as swords. Each of the swords may have an appropriate filter-identifying label  59  mounted thereto, for identifying the filter elements  70  in the tray  36  that includes the sword. 
     Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that it is conventional for indicia, such as a barcode, to provide information (e.g., a sequence of numbers) that may, on one hand, be characterized as directly identifying an object. On the other hand, the information (e.g., the sequence of numbers) provided by indicia may be characterized as identifying an object by way of association, such as through the use of a lookup table. More specifically, the information provided by the indicia may be used in a lookup table to determine that the information provided by the indicia is associated with (e.g., points to) an identifier of the object. Accordingly, for each of the labels  58 ,  59 , its indicia may be read as information by a respective one of the automated optical scanners  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and that read information may serve as an identifier for the respective tray  36  or group of filter elements  70 , or that read information may be associated with an identifier for the respective tray  36  or group of filter elements  70 , such as through the use of a lookup table or any other suitable techniques. 
     Some aspects of the operating of the filter verification system  43  may be controlled by the computerized controller  46 . The instructions for operations controlled by the computerized controller  46  may be provided by one or more software modules that are executed on the processor  48  of the computerized controller. Alternatively, aspects of the operating of the filter verification system  43  may be controlled by any other suitable controller(s) such as, but not limited to, the computerized management system  44  and/or the subject software module(s) may be executed on any other suitable processor(s). Notwithstanding the fact that operations of the filter verification system  43  may be controlled in a wide variety of suitable manners, an example of a method of operating the filter verification system  43  is described in the following primarily with reference to the computerized controller  46  controlling the operations, in accordance with the first embodiment of this disclosure. 
     For each of the trays  36  and the group of filter elements  70  at least partially contained by the tray, the computerized controller  46  populates the database  50  by associating the following unique identifiers with one another: (i) a unique identifier of the tray, and (ii) a unique identifier of the group of filter elements that is at least partially contained by the tray. In the following, each unique identifier for a tray  36  may be referred to as a “tray identifier”, and each unique identifier for a group of filter elements  70  may be referred to as a “filter identifier”. 
     For example and not for the purpose of narrowing the scope of this disclosure, in the database  50 , the tray identifier for a tray  36  may be a designation, name, identification number, or the like; or as more specific examples, the unique identifier for a tray may be “tray no. 13”, or tray identifier may be a Universal Product Code (“UPC”) barcode number, such as 63938200039, or the like. Also for example and not for the purpose of narrowing the scope of this disclosure, in the database  50 , the filter identifier of a group of filter elements  70  may be a designation, name, identification number, or the like; or as more specific examples, the filter identifier may be “filter no. 11”, or the filter identifier may be a UPC barcode number, such as 63938700034, or the like. 
     The trays  36  are typically used repeatedly in the making and packaging system, and the trays may be loaded with different types of filter elements  70  depending upon the type of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes  10 ) being made. As one example, in the database  50 , there may be a single database record for each tray identifier, and for each of the records there may be a field for receiving the filter identifier for the group of filter elements  70  that is presently at least partially contained in the tray  36  identified by the subject tray identifier. The computerized controller  46  typically controls the database  50  in a manner that seeks to ensure that there is no duplication of tray identifiers/records. For example, the database  50  may include only one record (“tray record”) for each tray identifier, each record may have a specific field (“filter field”) for receiving a filter identifier, and the filter fields of the database may be updated each time a tray  36  is supplied with a new group of filter elements. For example, for each tray  36 , the filter field of the respective record in the database  50  may be updated each time the tray is proximate the upstream location that is schematically shown in  FIG. 3  as being where the pallet  38  is shown in solid lines. 
     More specifically, with the pallet  38 , which is carrying the containers (e.g., trays  36 ), in the upstream location represented by the pallet being shown in solid lines in  FIG. 3 , for each of the trays, the upstream automated optical scanners  52 ,  54  may be used to read the indicia of the tray-identifying label  58  and the associated filter-identifying label  59 , respectively. For each tray  36 , the information read from the indicia of the tray-identifying label  58  using the upstream automated optical scanner  52  is, or is associated with (e.g., via a lookup table), the tray identifier (e.g. designation, name, identification number, or the like) of the tray. Similarly, for each tray  36 , for the group of filter elements  70  at least partially contained by the tray, the information read from the indicia of the filter-identifying label  59  using the upstream automated optical scanner  54  is, or is associated with (e.g., via a lookup table), the filter identifier (e.g. designation, name, identification number, or the like) of the group of filter elements  70 . Alternatively, one of the scanners  52 ,  54  may be omitted, and a single scanner may be used to scan both types of labels  58 ,  59  at the upstream location. For each of the trays  36  at the upstream location, the tray identifier and the filter identifier for the filters  70  at least partially contained by the tray are “married together” or otherwise associated or correlated together by updating the tray&#39;s record in the database  50  to include the filter identifier for the filters presently contained in the tray/write over any filter identifier for the filters previously contained in the tray. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the correlated information may be used for preventing the unloader  40  from unloading the filter elements  70  from a tray  36  when it is determined that the incorrect filter elements are contained in the tray. In addition or alternatively, the correlated information may be used for other purposes, such as quality control or auditing purposes. 
     As one example, the tray-identifying labels  58  may be scanned using the scanner  52  while the trays  36  are being loaded onto the pallet  38 . In accordance with an alternative embodiment, at the same time as the trays  36  are being loaded onto the pallet  38  and the tray-identifying labels  58  are being scanned using the scanner  52 , the computerized controller  46  may be in more direct communication with the filter-making equipment for receiving the filter identifier for the filters in the trays being loaded onto the pallet (rather than receiving respective filter identifier by scanning a filter-identifying label  59  with the scanner  52 ), and the database  50  may be populated (e.g., updated) by associating the subject tray identifiers with the filter identifier received relatively directly from the communication with the filter-making equipment. 
     After the database  50  has been populated (e.g., updated) for the trays  36  and filter elements  70  supported by a pallet  38 , the pallet may be transported to proximate the downstream location (e.g., predetermined location) that is schematically shown in  FIG. 3  as being where the pallet  38  is shown in dashed lines. Then, the trays  36  may be manually or otherwise positioned onto the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40  one after the other. Each tray  36  may be positioned at the receiving area  41 , and the downstream automated optical scanner  56  may be mounted, so that, for the tray on the receiving area  41 , the label  58  on the tray is in the line of sight of the downstream automated optical scanner  56 . In response to the label  58  of the tray  36  in the receiving area  41  being in the line of sight of the downstream automated optical scanner  56 , the downstream automated optical scanner  56  scans (e.g., reads) the label  58  in the receiving area  41 , and the computerized controller  46  receives the read information from the optical scanner  56 . The information read from the indicia of the tray-identifying label  58  using the downstream automated optical scanner  56  is considered by the computerized controller  46  to be, or is associated by the computerized controller  46  with (e.g., via a lookup table), the tray identifier (e.g. designation, name, identification number, or the like) of the tray  36  located at the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 . Then, the computerized controller  46  queries the database  50  using the tray identifier of the tray  36  located at the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , and receives from the database the filter identifier associated with the tray identifier of the tray  36  located at the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 . 
     During a given production run, the computerized management system  44  of the making and packaging system may be configured to know the identity of filter elements  70  that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system for that production run, and in the first embodiment the computer controller  46  receives, as an input from the computerized management system  44  or any other suitable source, the filter identifier of the filter elements  70  that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system for the production run presently being carried out. For example, the filter identifier of the filter elements  70  (i.e., the filter elements that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system for the production run presently being carried out) may be, or may have been, input to the computerized management system  44  and/or the computerized controller  46  by a human operator using any suitable interface associated with the computerized management system  44  and/or the computerized controller  46 . 
     Each time a tray  36  is positioned in the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , in order to determine whether the proper filter elements  70  are contained in that tray, the computerized controller  46  determines whether there is a match between: (i) the filter identifier that the computerized management system most recently retrieved from (e.g., known from) the database  50  for the tray  36  located in the receiving area  41 , and (ii) the filter identifier for the filter elements  70  that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system for production run presently being carried, which may be received from (e.g., known from) the computerized management system  44  or any other suitable source. For each occurrence of the computerized controller  46  determining whether there is a match, the computerized controller  46  sends a signal instructing the unloader  40  to unload the tray  36  positioned in the receiving area  41  in response to the computerized controller  46  determining that the filter identifier received from (e.g., known from) the database  50  matches the filter identifier received from (e.g., known from) the computerized management system  44  or another suitable source. 
     For each occurrence of the computerized controller  46  determining whether there is not a match, the computerized controller  46  sends a signal instructing the unloader  40  to not unload the tray  36  positioned in the receiving area  41  in response to the controller  46  determining that the filter identifier received from the database  50  does not match the filter identifier received from the computerized management system  44  or an other suitable source. That is, the if there is a mismatch between the filter identifier received from the database  50  and the filter identifier received from the computerized management system  44 , the computerized controller  46  may cause the unloader to stop operating, and thereby not unload the tray  36  positioned in the receiving area  41 , and the unloader may not resume operation until a correct tray  36  is loaded onto the receiving area of the unloader. The computerized controller  46  may also initiate other corrective action, such as by providing instructions to a human operator, such as a human responsible for serially loading the trays  36  on the receiving area  41 , or the like, by way of audio and/or video signals, such as signals provided to the electronic visual display  51 . For example, the human operator may be instructed to remove a tray  36  from the receiving area  41  and/or take other corrective action. 
     As an alternative to the computerized controller  46  causing the unloader  40  to stop operating in order to prevent the wrong filter elements  70  from being supplied, the computerized controller  46  may cause other action to be taken to prevent the wrong filter elements  70  from being supplied. For example, the trays  36  may be supplied to the receiving area  41  of the unloader by a motor-driven conveyor belt, or the like, and the computerized controller  46  may send a signal that ceases operation of the motor-driven conveyor belt, or the like, in response to determining that there is a mismatch for a tray being carried by the conveyor belt. 
     The above-described method of operating the filter verification system  43  and associated features of the making and packaging system is repeated substantially continually, and the type of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes  10 ) being made and packaged by the making and packaging system typically changed from time to time. Throughout, the filter verification system  43  operates in a manner that seeks to verify that the proper filter elements  70  are provided to the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system. At the same time as the filter-supplying equipment  34  is supplying filter elements  70  to the assembling equipment, the rod-supplying equipment is supplying tobacco rods  12 ,  12 ′ ( FIGS. 1 and 4 ) to the assembling equipment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a representative two-up cigarette rod  60  that may be formed by the assembling equipment, and the assembling equipment typically cuts the two-up cigarette rod along dashed line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 4  in order to provide two filtered cigarettes  62 ,  64  that each have the structure set forth in  FIG. 2 . To form a two-up cigarette rod  60 , two tobacco rods  12 ,  12 ′ are aligned at each end of a the two-up filter element  70  to form a precursor to a two-up cigarette rod. A layer of tipping material  74  (e.g., a so-called “patch” of tipping material) is wrapped around the aligned components of the precursor, such that the tipping material circumscribes the entire length of the two-up filter element  70 , and a portion of the length of each tobacco rod  12 ,  12 ′ in the respective regions thereof adjacent the two-up filter element. The tipping material  74  is typically attached to the plug wrap  72  and tobacco rods  12 ,  12 ′ with adhesive material. As such, a so called two-up cigarette rod  60  is provided. Optionally, that cigarette  60  can be air diluted (e.g., using laser perforation techniques) by applying at least one circumscribing ring of perforations  32 ,  32 ′ through the tipping material  74  and the underlying plug wrap  72 . If desired, additional layers of tipping material could be applied to form smoking articles with multiple layers of tipping material. The two-up filter element  70  is ultimately cut in half along dashed line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 4  to provide two finished cigarettes  62 ,  64 . 
     A second embodiment of this disclosure is like the first embodiment of this disclosure, except for variations noted and variations that will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In accordance with the second embodiment, one or more of the tray-identifying and filter-identifying labels  58 ,  59  may include or be replaced with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, magnetic strip, or any other suitable device that may be automatically read, and a respective one or more of the automated optical scanners  52 ,  54 ,  56  may be replaced by, or supplemented with, an RFID tag reader, magnetic strip reader, or any other suitable device for automatically reading the respective identifiers. 
     A third embodiment of this disclosure, which may be like the first and/or second embodiments of this disclosure, except for variations noted and variations that will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, is described in the following. At the beginning of a production run, or when manually requested, the computerized management system  44  downloads to the computerized controller  46  the identity of filter elements  70  that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment of the making and packaging system for that production run. Alternatively, the computerized controller  46  may receive the identity of the filter elements  70  that are supposed to be used in a production run in any suitable manner, such as manually by way of the upstream automated optical scanner  52 . In the third embodiment, the optical scanner  52  may be a hand-held scanner, and the other upstream automated optical scanner  54  may be omitted. 
     As mentioned above, for each of the trays  36 , its tray-identifying label  58  may be mounted to the polymeric body of the tray, and the filter-identifying label  59  for the filter elements  70  within the tray may be mounted to the sword (e.g., a removable portion of the tray, such as a removable sidewall) of the tray. In the third embodiment, the database  50 , or a portion of the database, has (only) twelve records, and only twelve of the trays  36  may be loaded onto the receiving area  41  (infeed conveyor belt) of the unloader  40 . Different numbers of database records and different numbers of the trays  36  being loadable onto the receiving area  41  are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, typically more than twelve of the trays  36  will be used in a production run, and the database  50  may include a record for all of the trays (e.g., as discussed above) and/or trays that have been previously emptied. 
     For each of the trays  36  loaded onto the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 : both the tray-identifying label  58 , which is mounted to the body of the tray, and the filter-identifying label  59 , which is mounted to the sword of the tray, are read or were previously read by the optical scanner  52 ; the information read from the indicia of the tray-identifying label  58  using the optical scanner  52  is, or is associated with (e.g., via a lookup table), the tray identifier (e.g. designation, name, identification number, or the like) of the tray; and the information read from the indicia of the filter-identifying label  59  using the optical scanner  52  is, or is associated with (e.g., via a lookup table), the filter identifier of the filter elements  70 . For each tray  36  positioned on (or to be positioned on) the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , a record in the database  50  is populated with both the tray identifier, the filter identifier for the tray, and optionally also the date and time that the corresponding tray-identifying label  58  and/or the filter-identifying label  59  were scanned. That is, for each of the trays  36  loaded onto the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , the tray identifier of the tray and the filter identifier of the filter elements  70  in the tray are “married together” or otherwise associated or correlated together in the tray&#39;s record in the database  50 . Thereafter, for each tray  36  positioned on (or to be positioned on) the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , the sword is removed from the body of the tray to facilitate unloading of the filter elements  70  from the tray. 
     The information read from the indicia of the tray-identifying label.  58  using the downstream automated optical scanner  56  is considered by the computerized controller  46  to be, or is associated by the computerized controller  46  with (e.g., via a lookup table), the tray identifier (e.g. designation, name, identification number, or the like) of the tray  36  located at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 . Then, the computerized controller  46  queries the database  50  using the tray identifier of the tray  36  located at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  to determine whether the tray identifier for the tray  36  located at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40  is included in one of the (e.g., twelve active) records of the database  50 . If the tray identifier for the tray  36  located at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40  does not match the database  50  (e.g., is not included in one of the (e.g., twelve active) records of the database  50 , and thus is not identified in the database in a predetermined manner), or if the optical scanner  56  cannot read the tray-identifying label  58  of the tray  36  located at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40 , then the computerized management system  44  sends a signal instructing the unloader  40  to not unload the tray  36  positioned in the receiving area  41 . The computerized management system  44  may send the signal instructing the unloader  40  to not unload the tray  36  positioned at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  in response to other criteria, such as if the filter identifier that is associated in the database  50  with the tray  36  located at the downstream end of the receiving area  41  of the unloader  40  does not match the identity of the filter elements that are supposed to be used in the assembling equipment for the present production run (e.g., as discussed above). In response to the signal instructing the unloader  40  to not unload the tray  36 , or the like, the computerized management system  44  may initiate other corrective action, such as by providing instructions to a human operator, such as a human responsible for serially loading the trays  36  on the receiving area  41 , or the like, by way of audio and/or video signals, such as signals provided to the electronic visual display  51 . For example, the human operator may be instructed to remove a tray  36  from the receiving area  41  and/or take other corrective action. 
     The above examples are in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that while the present disclosure has been discussed above with reference to exemplary embodiments, various additions, modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.