Method for automatically controlling the quality of cigarettes produced in a manufacturing process
First Claim
1. A method for automatically controlling the quality of cigarettes produced in a manufacturing process which comprises the steps of:
- a. automatically sampling and testing at least one component part to be used in manufacturing completed cigarettes to measure the value of at least one quality parameter of said at least one component part;
b. automatically sampling and testing completed cigarettes to measure the value of at least one quality parameter of said completed cigarettes, wherein the quality parameter of said completed cigarettes has a desired relationship to the quality parameter of said component part;
c. communicating the measured values of the quality parameters measured for said component part and said completed cigarettes to a computer;
d. evaluating said measured values of the quality parameter measured for said component part and said completed cigarettes by said computer in relation to stored data enabling said computer to;
(i) determine, according to a first pre-establish algorithm, whether an adjustment of the operational controls of at least one machine in the manufacturing process is required so that the relationship between the measured value of the quality parameter of said component part and the measured value of the quality parameter of said completed cigarettes will be optimal and if so, to determine, according to said first pre-established algorithm, the degree to which an adjustment of the operational controls of said at least one machine in the manufacturing process should be adjusted, and;
(ii) send an electronic signal by said computer to said at least one machine in the manufacturing process to make said adjustment in such degree as was determined by said computer;
e. adjusting said one machine in the manufacturing process in accordance with said electronic signal sent by said computer.
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Abstract
A method is disclosed for controlling the quality of cigarettes produced in a manufacturing process by periodically extracting a sample of filter sections from a plurality of filter sections to be used to manufacture such cigarettes, testing the sampled filter sections to determine the value of certain specified quality parameters; by periodically extracting a sample of completed cigarettes from a plurality of finished cigarettes, testing the selected cigarettes to determine the value of certain specified quality parameters which are related to the quality parameters of the filter segments which have been measured, and; by adjusting the operational controls of the cigarette making machinery in the manufacturing process according to a pre-established algorithm to correct for any undesirable variance between the measured values of the quality parameters computed from the filter segments sampled and the measured values of the related quality parameters computed from the completed cigarettes sampled and by repeating this process to ensure the quality of cigarettes being manufactured.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for automatically controlling the quality of cigarettes produced in a manufacturing process which comprises the steps of:
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a. automatically sampling and testing at least one component part to be used in manufacturing completed cigarettes to measure the value of at least one quality parameter of said at least one component part;
b. automatically sampling and testing completed cigarettes to measure the value of at least one quality parameter of said completed cigarettes, wherein the quality parameter of said completed cigarettes has a desired relationship to the quality parameter of said component part;
c. communicating the measured values of the quality parameters measured for said component part and said completed cigarettes to a computer;
d. evaluating said measured values of the quality parameter measured for said component part and said completed cigarettes by said computer in relation to stored data enabling said computer to;
(i) determine, according to a first pre-establish algorithm, whether an adjustment of the operational controls of at least one machine in the manufacturing process is required so that the relationship between the measured value of the quality parameter of said component part and the measured value of the quality parameter of said completed cigarettes will be optimal and if so, to determine, according to said first pre-established algorithm, the degree to which an adjustment of the operational controls of said at least one machine in the manufacturing process should be adjusted, and;
(ii) send an electronic signal by said computer to said at least one machine in the manufacturing process to make said adjustment in such degree as was determined by said computer;
e. adjusting said one machine in the manufacturing process in accordance with said electronic signal sent by said computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for automatically controlling the quality of cigarettes produced in a manufacturing process which comprises the steps of:
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f. automatically sampling and testing at least one component part to be used in manufacturing completed cigarettes to measure the value of at least one quality parameter of said at least one component part;
g. automatically sampling and testing completed cigarettes to measure the value of at least one quality parameter of said completed cigarettes, wherein the quality parameter of said completed cigarettes has a desired relationship to the quality parameter of said component part;
h. communicating the measured values of the quality parameters measured for said component part and said completed cigarettes to a computer;
i. evaluating said measured values of the quality parameter measured for said component part and said completed cigarettes by said computer in relation to stored data enabling said computer to;
(i) determine, according to a first pre-establish algorithm, whether an adjustment of the operational controls of at least one machine in the manufacturing process is required so that the relationship between the measured value of the quality parameter of said component part and the measured value of the quality parameter of said completed cigarettes will be optimal and if so, to determine, according to said first pre-established algorithm, the degree to which an adjustment of the operational controls of said at least one machine in the manufacturing process should be adjusted;
(ii) generate a set of video displays to indicate the adjustment which should be made in the operational controls of said at least one machine in the manufacturing process, and;
(iii) communicate said set of video displays to a video display terminal;
j. displaying on a video display terminal said set of video displays indicating the adjustment which should be made in the operational controls of said at least one machine in the manufacturing process. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification