Patent GB-1076976-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for producing filter cigarettes, filter rods or other rod-like articles consisting of two or more component parts
Inventor: STELZER CARL
IPC: A24C5/47
Filed: 1963-07-22
Abstract: 1,076,976. Tobacco smoke filters. K. KÍRBER. Aug. 11, 1964 [July 22, 1963; Aug. 9, 1963; Aug. 19, 1963], Nos. 29014/63, 31553/63 and 32673/63. Heading A2C. Tobacco smoke filter components or a filter component and a cigarette length are spaced apart, partially enclosed in a wrapper and the gap filled with a powder or granular filter material. As shown in Fig. 9 filter rods 101 (Fig. 1A) are fed from a magazine 243 to a roll 245 which delivers the rods 101 to a cutting drum 246. A cutter 247 cuts the rods into two portions 102, 103 (Fig. 1B). The portions 102, 103 are then transferred to a further cutting drum 249 and axially separated by a shifter plate 251. Cutters 252, 253 then cut single plugs 104, 107 from the portions 102, 103 (Fig. 1C), and two further shifter plates 254, 255 move the plugs 104, 107 to the position shown in Fig. 1D. Three further cutters 256, 257 and 258 cut the remainder of the filter rod portions into double plugs and further shifter plates 259-261 move the cut filter plugs apart (Figs. 1E-1H). Connector sheets 114 are applied to the cut filter plugs on the drum 249 by a drum 273 (Fig. II). The sheets are cut from a web 264 which is drawn from a reel 263, passed gumming device 271, 272 and cutter 274. The cutter drum 249 presses the filter plug groups 275 into the grooves of a wrapping drum 276 so that the sheet 114 encloses the plugs 275 to the extent of about half their peripheral span (Fig. 1K). A gap filling device 277 inserts a measured amount of granulate in the pockets formed between adjacent plugs and the sheet 114 (Fig. 1L). The granulate is fed to the device 277 from a container 278 through a pipe 279. The connector sheet 114 is then completely wrapped around the plugs by blade-like elements on the drum 276 and the multiple rods 116 (Fig. 1M) thus produced are transferred to a testing device 280 which delivers them to a chain 281 for onward conveyance. In further embodiments various combinations of kinds of filter rod parts are used and the granulate may be inserted between the cigarette length and the filter component instead of between two filtered components. The filling device 277 comprises a stationary inner body 66 (Fig. 13) around which an outer body 67 is rotatably mounted. The outer body consists of a casing 68 and an end 69 connected by gearing 89, 91, 94, 95 to the wrapping drum 27. Passages 72 (Fig. 15) are provided in the casing 68 of which the volume is equal to the amount of granulate to be inserted into the pocket of a half wrapped group. Sliders 73 are provided with ports 75 which can register with the passages 72 then with ports 76, coincident with the passages 72 provided in holders 74 for the sliders 73. The inner body 66 includes a cylindrical part 80 having sectional cut away parts which accommodate the granulate, fed in from a funnel 88, and mixer devices. The sliders 73 are moved to an operative position at the appropriate time by rollers 99 on a triangular disc 96 fitted on the spindle 90 between the gear 91 and 94. The sliders are returned to their non operative position by a roller fixed at the same end of the device as the funnel 88. The rollers 99 may be rendered inoperative by raising a lever 401 which lowers the disc 96 out of the region of the sliders 73. The lever 401 can be operated automatically by a control lever which responds to the presence of sheets 408, filter plugs 407 or cigarettes 406 in the grooves 405 of the wrapping drum 27. After filling with granulate the connector sheet 420 (Fig. 15) is wrapped around the assembly by blades 409, 410. If the granulate is in the form of preshaped mouldings or pressings 473 (Fig. 19) a device comprising a channel 474 along which the mouldings are guided and a reciprocating slider 479 is used. Plungers 480-483 on the slider 479 push the mouldings into ducts 475-478 through which they are inserted between the plugs 470. The mouldings are prevented from falling out of the ducts by blade springs 484.