Methods for manufacturing cigarettes

• US 7,117,871 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Original Assignee: R J Reynolds Tobacco Company (R. J. Reynolds Tobacco)
• Inventors: Barnes, Vernon Brent, Nelson, John Larkin, Ademe, Balager, Seymour, Sydney Keith, Greene, Carl Carlton Jr., Hancock, Lloyd Harmon
• Primary Examiner(s): LOPEZ, CARLOS N
• Application Number:
  US10/326,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20040118418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 131/35, 131/37, 131/65, 131/67, 131/68, 131/84.1
• US Class Current: 131/65
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/00 Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/1807 with compressing means, e.g. garniture
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/20 Reels; Supports for bobbins; Other accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/28 Cutting-off the tobacco rod
• CPC Class Codes: A24C 5/3412 by means of light, radiation or electrostatic fields A24C5/3406 takes precedence

Abstract

Cigarettes are manufactured using modified automated cigarette making apparatus. Those cigarettes possess smokable rods having paper wrapping materials having additive materials applied thereto as patterns. The additive materials, which can have the forms of liquid or paste formulations, can be applied to the paper web using application apparatus possessing rollers. One of those rollers can have a series of pockets in its roll face to receive additive formulation from a reservoir and to define the pattern of the formulation on the paper. A radiant dryer can be used to dry the additive material that has been applied to the paper web. The radiant dryer can be located on one component of a two component assembly that is used to manufacture cigarettes. Spectrometric techniques can be used to ensure proper registration of the additive material on the cigarette rods so manufactured, and to ensure proper quality of those cigarettes.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing cigarettes using an automated cigarette making apparatus, the method comprising:

controlling rate of supply of a continuous strip of paper web of wrapping material and location of application of additive material to that wrapping material;

detecting location of the additive material on the wrapping material;

providing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping tobacco filler in the wrapping material and controlling speed of formation of that continuous cigarette rod;

cutting the continuous rod into a plurality of cigarette rods of predetermined lengths, each cigarette rod being cut at a controlled location; and

controlling location of additive material application on the wrapping material relative to the location at which the continuous rod provided from that paper web is cut.

2. A method for manufacturing cigarettes using an automated cigarette making apparatus, the method comprising:

controlling rate of supply of a continuous strip of paper web of wrapping material and location of application of additive material as a pattern to that wrapping material;

detecting location of the additive material on the wrapping material;

providing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping a tobacco filler in the wrapping material and controlling speed of formation of that continuous cigarette rod;

cutting the continuous rod into a plurality of cigarette rods of predetermined lengths, each cigarette rod being cut at a controlled location and possessing the tobacco filler wrapped in wrapping material having additive material applied thereto;

selecting a desired location of a pattern of additive material on the wrapping material of each cigarette;

controlling location of the pattern of additive material application on the wrapping material relative to the location at which the continuous rod provided from that paper web is cut;

rejecting each cigarette having a pattern that is not in the desired location; and

accepting each cigarette having a pattern that is in the desired location.

3. The method of claim 2 whereby the automated cigarette making apparatus comprises a first component and a second component, the first component comprising (i) a source of a continuous strip of paper web, (ii) means for applying additive material to the paper web, and (iii) means for directing the paper web to the second component;

and

the second component comprising (i) means for receiving the paper web from the first component, (ii) a source of tobacco filler, (iii) a garniture means for manufacturing a continuous cigarette rod by wrapping the tobacco filler in the continuous paper web.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first component further comprises means for controlling heat to which the paper web is subjected.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the means for controlling heat is located downstream from where the means for applying additive material is located.

6. The method claim 4 wherein the means for controlling heat is a means for providing radiant energy.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the means for controlling heat is a means for providing radiant energy.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the means for controlling heat is a microwave unit.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the means for controlling heat is a microwave unit.