Patent Publication Number: US-8522791-B2

Title: Device for filling cigarette tubes

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a U.S National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2009/058747, filed on Jul. 9, 2009 and which claims benefit to German Patent Application No. 20 2008 012 816.1, filed on Sep. 26, 2008. The International Application was published in German on Apr. 1, 2010 as WO 2010/034533A1 under PCT Article 21(2). 
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling prefabricated cigarette tubes having a housing, a tobacco chamber, a tobacco holder assigned to the latter, a movable pressing bar by means of which the tobacco introduced into the tobacco chamber is formed into a strand, an abutment for one end of the tobacco strand, the abutment being assigned to the tobacco holder, and a slider which can be moved relative to the housing to fill the cigarette tubes with the tobacco strand, wherein the length of the tobacco strand which is to be formed can be adapted to different filling-cavity lengths of cigarette tubes by virtue of the length of the pressing bar being changed. 
     BACKGROUND 
     DE 41 10 830 C1 describes an apparatus for filling prefabricated cigarette tubes. In order for this apparatus to adapt the length of the tobacco chamber to different filling-cavity lengths of cigarette tubes, the abutment is designed as a part which can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the tobacco holder and for which, corresponding to the number of different-length cigarette tubes which are to be filled, at least two predetermined latching positions are provided. 
     The disadvantage of this apparatus is that the adjustable configuration of the abutment renders it complex to produce. In addition, it has been found that, for the case where the user has accidentally moved the abutment into a position intended for a longer cigarette tube, in the case of a prefabricated filter tube, the tube is destroyed by overfilling, for example as a result of the filter being torn. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of the present invention is to develop an apparatus for filling prefabricated cigarette tubes of the type described above with an improved functionality. 
     In an embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatus for filling a prefabricated cigarette tube which includes a housing, a tobacco chamber with a tobacco holder, and a movable pressing bar configured so as to form tobacco introduced into the tobacco chamber into a tobacco strand. An abutment for an end of the tobacco strand is assigned to the tobacco holder, wherein a first length of the to be formed tobacco strand is adjustable to prefrabicated cigarette tubes having different filling-cavity lengths by adjusting a second length of the pressing bar. A slider is configured to be moved relative to the housing so as to fill the prefabricated cigarette tube with the tobacco strand. The tobacco holder is displacably arranged relative to the abutment in a movement direction of the slider by a distance which approximately corresponds to the different filling-cavity lengths. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described in greater detail below on the basis of embodiments and of the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view with the cover swung open; 
         FIG. 2  shows the same view of the parts of the housing, this time in an exploded illustration; 
         FIG. 3  shows the same view as in  FIG. 1 , but with the housing, tobacco holder, slider and cover illustrated individually, the cover being located in its closed position; 
         FIG. 4  shows the cover in a view according to  FIG. 3 , this time in an exploded illustration; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective longitudinal section through the apparatus set with cigarette tubes with a long filling cavity; 
         FIG. 6  shows the same view as in  FIG. 5 , this time adapted to cigarette tubes of shorter filling-cavity length; and 
         FIG. 7   a  to e show various views of the bushing with retaining plate. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Since the tobacco holder is mounted such that it can be displaced relative to the abutment, in the movement direction of the slider, by a distance which corresponds approximately to the difference in length of the different filling-cavity lengths, it is no longer necessary for the abutment to be configured such that it can be adjusted and latched in certain positions. By virtue of the tobacco holder being arranged such that it can be displaced in the movement direction of the slider, it displaces itself automatically into a position in which the length available for the tobacco is shortened when there is a force acting in the displacement direction which exceeds the force fit of the tobacco holder in the housing, as is usually the case when that end of the tobacco holder which is directed away from the abutment comes into contact with the filter of a filter tube. This type of “floating” mounting of the tobacco holder means that the length of the tobacco chamber can be adapted automatically to the filling-cavity length of the cigarette tube. 
     In order for it to be possible to adapt the length of the pressing bar to the filling-cavity length of the cigarette tube used in each case, the pressing bar may comprise a fixed part and a movable part, which optionally supplements the pressing bar. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a configuration of the apparatus can, for example, be one in which the movable part of the pressing bar can be pivoted through approximately 90°, about an axis running perpendicularly to the movement direction of the slider, between a position in which it has been drawn back into the contour of the cover and a position in which it extends the pressing bar. This measure means that the movable part of the bar is not obtrusive, or disruptive to the operation of the apparatus according to the present invention, in any position since it appears either as a part of the pressing bar which increases the filling-cavity length or as a component which does not project out of the outer contour of the apparatus. 
     In order to make it possible for the user to displace the movable part straightforwardly between the drawn-back position and the position in which the movable part supplements the pressing bar, the fixed and the movable parts of the pressing bar are located on a cover which is articulated in a pivotable manner on the slider. This advancment means that both the tobacco chamber, for filling purposes, and the movable part of the pressing bar, for adapting the apparatus to different filling-cavity lengths, are particularly straightforward. 
     The actuation of the movable part of the pressing bar is simplified further if an actuating member for the movable part of the pressing bar is provided on the cover. This may, for example, comprise a toothing formation which engages with a toothing formation of the movable part of the pressing bar. This measure means that it is no longer necessary, for the purpose of displacing the movable part of the pressing bar, for the latter to be transferred directly from the one position into the other position, which poses particular problems, for example, when it is to be displaced out of the drawn-back position into the supplementary position; displacement can rather take place, for example, in an ergonomically advantageous manner, using the thumb, by actuation of the actuating member. 
     In order to convert the linear movement of the actuating member into the rotary movement of the movable part of the pressing bar, the actuating member and the pressing bar have interengaging toothing formations, the toothing formation of the slider being a linear toothing formation and that of the movable part being part of a gearwheel which has its axis of rotation coinciding with the axis about which the movable part of the pressing bar can be pivoted. 
     In order for it to be possible for the quantity of tobacco fed to the tobacco chamber to be adapted more easily to the filling-cavity length of the cigarette tube used in each case, the tobacco chamber can, for example, be assigned a covering with which optionally that region of the tobacco chamber which is adjacent to the abutment can be covered over a length which corresponds approximately to the difference in length of the different filling-cavity lengths. In the position in which a certain length of the tobacco chamber is covered, the volume located beneath the covering is at least substantially not filled during introduction of the tobacco, and therefore overfilling of the front cavity of the cigarette tube, or undesirably pronounced compression of the tobacco, is reliably avoided. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the covering can, for example, be arranged in the tobacco chamber such that it can be displaced in the movement direction of the slider, since the actuating directions of all the devices of the apparatus thus coincide with the movement direction of the slider. This renders the handling of the apparatus according to the present invention particularly intuitive and straightforward for the user. 
     For the purpose of securing a cigarette tube during the filling operation, the apparatus according to the present invention may comprise a bushing which can be arranged at that end of the slider which is opposite to the abutment, the bushing having an external diameter which corresponds approximately to the internal diameter of a cigarette tube and having substantially cylindrical inner volume. During the filling operation, the cigarette tube, then, is retained on the bushing by a protrusion, which is provided on the cover and acts on the cigarette-tube material from the outside, and drawn over the tobacco strand, which is located in the tobacco chamber and passes through the inner volume of the bushing during this displacement or filling operation. 
     The bushing can be fitted particularly straightforwardly on the slider if the bushing—is, for example, formed on a retaining plate which extends approximately perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the bushing. The slider, for example, then has two grooves which are arranged opposite one another on its side and into which the retaining plate can be pushed by way of its lateral peripheries. This design measure allows not just for particularly straightforward fitting of the bushing, but also for easy exchangeability in the event of damage. The bushing may furthermore be produced from a material which differs from that of the slider and has material properties which are particularly suitable, for example, for retaining the cigarette tube and for through-passage of the tobacco strand. 
     The operation of bushing a cigarette tube onto the bushing is facilitated if the free end of the bushing, this end being located opposite the retaining plate, is beveled laterally. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the bushing is one in which its inner volume, at the end region located opposite the free end, comprises a region which widens in the direction of the tobacco chamber. It has surprisingly been found that, on account of this measure, lower forces are necessary for carrying out the filling operation than if the inner volume of the bushing were of completely cylindrical design. The effect brought about by the widening region is particularly surprising insofar as the tobacco strand has already been preformed within the tobacco chamber on account of the pressure applied by the pressing bar. This particular configuration of the bushing thus also has inventive importance in its own right irrespective of whether the apparatus comprising such a bushing has the previously described features or not. 
     The region which widens in the direction of the transporting chamber may be of conical design. It can, for example, be designed to widen in a curved manner. 
     The apparatus, which is designated as a whole by  100  in the figures, comprises a housing  1  with a basic part  2  and with lateral grip parts  3 ,  4  inserted and latched therein. Both the basic part  2  and the lateral grip parts  3 ,  4  can be produced from a plastic material. The grip parts  3 ,  4  may be produced from a softer material than the basic part  2  and in a different color, in order to thus improve the visual appearance of the apparatus and to make it more convenient to handle. 
     A slider  8  is guided straightly in the movement direction S in the basic part  2  of the housing  1 , between the inner side walls  5 ,  6  thereof and the base wall  7  thereof. For the purpose of fixing the slider  8  perpendicularly to the base wall  7 , the slider  8  comprises, on either side, protrusions  9  which form an extension of the underside and engage in complementary grooves in the side walls  5 ,  6 . 
     A bushing  10  is provided on the slider  8  at the end which is illustrated on the left-hand side in the drawing, and is referred to hereinbelow as the front end, the bushing having an external diameter which is adapted to the internal diameter of a prefabricated cigarette tube such that the latter can be pushed onto the bushing  10  without a particularly large amount of play. In order to make it easier for the cigarette tube to be pushed on, the free end of the bushing  10  is beveled laterally. 
     The bushing  10  is formed on a retaining plate  32  by way of its end which is located opposite the laterally beveled, free end. For the purpose of fastening the bushing  10  with the retaining plate  32 , the slider  8  contains the groove  33  (see  FIG. 1 ) into which the retaining plate can be pushed by way of its lateral peripheries  34 . In order to avoid the situation where the retaining plate  32  accidentally comes out of the groove  33  of its own accord, but also while maintaining simultaneously straightforward insertability, extensions  36 , which project in a hook-like manner, are provided on the lateral periphery  34 , and these extensions interact in clamping fashion with the bases of the grooves  33 . 
     As can be seen in particular from  FIG. 7   b  and  FIG. 7   d , the inner volume of the bushing  10 , at the end region located opposite the free end, comprises a region  35  which widens in the direction of the tobacco chamber  13 . It has surprisingly been found that, as a result of this widening, the actuating forces which have to be applied for displacing the slider and basic part in relation to one another for the purpose of filling a cigarette tube are reduced in relation to a conventional, purely cylindrical configuration of the inner volume of the bushing. 
     At the rear end of the housing, this end being illustrated on the right-hand side in the drawing, a cover  11  is articulated on the slider  8  such that it can be pivoted about a horizontal axis X running perpendicularly to the movement direction S. 
     The slider has an elongate recess  12 , as seen in the movement direction S, which forms a tobacco chamber  13  and extends all the way through the slider in the vertical direction. 
     The base of the tobacco chamber  13  is formed by a tray-like tobacco holder  14  which butts laterally more or less against the side walls of the recess  12  and of which the lateral peripheries are covered over by longitudinal protrusions  15  in the tobacco chamber, thus avoiding the situation where tobacco passes between the lateral peripheries of the tobacco holder and the walls of the recess  12 . 
     The tobacco holder  14  is produced from a dimensionally stable material, for example metal, and is fitted in the rear region  16 , which projects out of the tobacco chamber  13 , on a pedestal  17  provided on the base wall  7  of the basic part  2 . This gives sufficient play between the underside of the tobacco holder  14  and the base wall  7  for it to be possible for the tobacco holder  14  to pass through the bushing  10  without obstruction when the slider  8  is displaced rearward. 
     A pressing bar  18  is formed on the lower side of the cover  11 , as seen in the closed state of the latter, and that side of the pressing bar which is oriented downward in the closed state is of hollow design, approximately with the same radius as the tobacco holder  14 . Furthermore, the pressing bar  18  is dimensioned such that, together with the side walls of the recess  12  and the tobacco holder  14 , it closes off the tobacco chamber  13  in the upward direction in the closed state such that the tobacco chamber is approximately round in cross section. 
     At the front end region of the cover, as seen in the closed state, the cover has fitted on it a handgrip  19  which can be displaced rearward counter to an elastic force. The handgrip has two extensions  20  which, when the handle has been displaced rearward counter to the elastic force, engage in complementary recesses  21  of the slider  8 . The engagement of the extensions  20  in the recesses  21  arrests the cover against swinging up about the axis X. 
     For the purpose of filling a prefabricated cigarette tube with tobacco, with the cover  11  open, the tobacco chamber  13  is filled loosely with tobacco. The open end of the prefabricated cigarette tube is then pushed onto the bushing  10  and the cover  11  is closed by virtue of being pivoted about the axis X. The cigarette tube (not illustrated in the drawing) is held in position on the bushing in that a pressure-exerting block  22  provided in the front region of the cover  11  presses the tube material, over part of its circumference, against the bushing  10 . In the closed position of the cover, the latter is arrested, by virtue of the handle  19  being actuated and the extensions  20  engaging in the recesses  21 , and then the cover is displaced rearward together with the slider, wherein the cigarette tube is drawn over the tobacco holder  14  and the tobacco is retained by an abutment  23 , which forms the rear end of the tobacco chamber  13 , and the cigarette tube is thus drawn over the tobacco strand located in the tobacco chamber  13 . 
     In order for it also to be possible to use the apparatus to fill cigarette tubes with tobacco-receiving volumes of two different lengths, the length of the pressing bar  18  can be changed. For this purpose, the pressing bar  18  has a fixed part  24  and a movable part  25 , which optionally supplements the pressing bar  18 . The movable part can be pivoted in the cover  11 , on that side of the fixed part  24  which is directed toward the axis X, through approximately 90°, about an axis Y running perpendicularly to the movement direction S of the slider and parallel to the axis X, between a position in which it has been drawn back into the contour of the cover  11  (see  FIG. 6 ) and the position in which it extends the pressing bar  18  (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     In order for it to be possible to carry out the pivoting movement, that end region of the removal part  25  which is located opposite the pressing surface  26  is provided with a toothing formation  27  extending over an angle of approximately 100°. 
     The toothing formation  27  engages with a linear toothing formation  28  of an actuating member  29 , which is mounted within the cover  11  such that it can be displaced perpendicularly to the axis Y and which can be displaced manually, through an aperture  30  in the cover  11 , by a distance which is necessary for it to be possible to displace the movable part  25  of the pressing bar  18  between the position in which it extends the pressing bar  18  (illustrated in  FIG. 5 ) and the position in which it has been retracted into the contour of the cover  11  (illustrated in  FIG. 6 ). 
     In order that, in the case of filling a cigarette tube of short filling-cavity length corresponding to the length of the fixed part  24  of the pressing bar  18 , the tobacco holder  14  does not project beyond the filling-cavity length, which can result, in particular, in the case of filter tubes, in the latter being torn off the bushing  10  or being destroyed, the tobacco holder  14  is mounted on the pedestal  17  such that it can be displaced relative to the abutment  23 , in the movement direction S of the slider  8 , by a distance which corresponds to the difference in length of the different filling-cavity lengths or to the length by which the pressing bar  18  can be extended or shortened by the movable part  25 . 
     This “floating” mounting of the tobacco holder  14  means that, during the filling operation, the holder is displaced automatically into the rear position by the friction with the tube and the tobacco strand located in the tobacco chamber, and therefore, at the end of the filling operation, even cigarette tubes of short filling-cavity length cannot be damaged, and, upon backward displacement of the slider for the purpose of drawing the filled tube off from the tobacco holder  14 , the latter is displaced into the drawn-out position again and is thus available for a further filling operation of the tobacco chamber  13 , even for cigarette sleeves of long filling-cavity length. 
     In order to avoid the situation where, in the case of cigarette tubes of short filling-cavity length being filled, the tobacco strand is compressed to an undesirably pronounced extent during the filling operation, the slider  8  has provided on it a covering  31  which is assigned to the tobacco chamber  13  and with which optionally that region of the tobacco chamber  13  which is adjacent to the abutment  23  can be covered over a length which corresponds to the difference in length of the different filling-cavity lengths or to the change in length of the pressing bar  18  which can be brought about by the movable part  25 . For the case where a cigarette tube of long filling-cavity length is to be filled, the covering is displaced into the position in which it releases the entire volume of the tobacco chamber  13  (illustrated in  FIG. 5 ). If a cigarette tube of shorter filling-cavity length is to be filled, then, prior to the tobacco being introduced into the tobacco chamber  13 , the covering  31  is moved toward the bushing  10  into the position which is illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
     The present invention is not limited to embodiments described herein; reference should be had to the appended claims. 
     List of Designations 
       100  Apparatus 
       1  Housing 
       2  Basic part 
       3  Grip part 
       4  Grip part 
       5  Side wall 
       6  Side wall 
       7  Base wall 
       8  Slider 
       9  Protrusions 
       10  Bushing 
       11  Cover 
       12  Recess 
       13  Tobacco chamber 
       14  Tobacco holder 
       15  Lateral protrusions 
       16  Region 
       17  Pedestal 
       18  Pressing bar 
       19  Handle 
       20  Extensions 
       21  Recesses 
       22  Pressure-exerting 
       23  Block 
       24  Fixed part 
       25  Movable part 
       26  Pressing surface 
       27  Toothing formation 
       28  Linear toothing 
       29  Actuating member 
       30  Aperture 
       31  Covering 
       32  Retaining plate 
       33  Grooves 
       34  Peripheries 
       35  Regions 
       36  Extensions 
     S Movement direction 
     X Axis 
     Y Axis