Patent GB-971491-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the production of mouthpieces for cigarettes
IPC: A24D3/02
Filed: 1959-11-26
Abstract: 971,491. Cigarette-making machines. MOLINS MACHINE CO. Ltd., and T. ROWLANDS. Nov. 25, 1960 [Nov. 26, 1959; Jan. 20, 1960], Nos. 40243/59 and 2074/60. Heading A2C. A continuous composite filter rod is formed by feeding filter stubs S, S<SP>1</SP> from hoppers 1, 2, Figs. 1 and 2, on a suction conveyer 3, to a screw-thread feeding device 15 which feeds the stubs S. S<SP>1</SP>, forward at correct spacing on to a wrapper 9 in which they are wrapped to form a continuous rod which is cut into multiple length sections by a cut-off 13. The filter stubs S, S<SP>1</SP>, may be identical and arranged with spaces therebetween to result in a composite rod as shown in Fig. 4a which is cut at points B-B to produce multilength sections which are ultimately cut into double length stubs consisting of two filter sections with a space therebetween, which double length stubs are attached to a pair of cigarettes L, Fig. 4c, and bisected at D to produce cigarettes with hollow-ended mouthpieces. The stubs S<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 2, are fed between the stubs S by a stubfeeding wheel 25 with fixed fingers 24, the stub-feeding wheel for the stubs S having cam-actuated fingers 24a. In a modification the stubs S, S<SP>1</SP> are of different construction and are fed by the wheel 15, Fig. 5, on to the band 9 so that they abut together, a second band 30 above the band 9 ensuring that the stubs remain abutted together. The resultant rod is divided into multi length sections and then into double length sections, Fig. 5c, which, on connection to a pair of cigarettes, Fig. 5c, are bisected at the centre of a stub S<SP>1</SP> so that each mouthpiece has portions of the stubs S and S<SP>1</SP>. In a modification Fig. 6, (not shown) the stubs S, Fig. 6b are composite and consist of two filter sections separated by a hollow tube, the resulting rod producing double length stubs, Fig. 6d, which when bisected after attaching to a pair of cigarettes provide hollow-ended mouthpieces each comprising two filter sections. In Figs. 9 and 10 the stub S<SP>1</SP> comprises two separate stub sections which are fed behind a longer stub S. The feed wheel 15 has an extension 32 arranged to hold the rearward section of each stub S<SP>1</SP> against a small bridge 33 over the conveyer 3 so that the two parts of the stub S<SP>1</SP> are spaced apart, the front section being fed forwardly by the screw-thread 16 along with a stub S and the rear half of the preceding stub S<SP>1</SP>. The three-piece sections are spaced apart and wrapped into a continuous rod which is cut into hollowended composite mouthpieces similar to those of Fig. 6d. In Fig 11 the short stubs forming the composite stub S<SP>1</SP> of Fig 9 are fed in line by a conveyer 22 and the leading section is lifted out of line by a ramp 36. Simultaneously a projection 38 of a rotatting wheel 37 lifts the next section so that a pair of short stubs is lifted out of line to be engaged by a pusher 24 and fed on to the suction conveyer. Specifications 467,999, 876,732, 971,492 and 971,493 are referred to.