Method and a machine for manufacturing filters for tobacco products

Abstract

Filters for cigarettes are manufactured on a machine by which a web of activated carbon fiber fabric is decoiled from a roll, fed into a fragmentation device and broken up into filaments or particles. The fragments are gathered by a first unit into a continuous flow directed up and through the top outlet of an ascent channel into a further unit with a slidable and air-permeable aspirating belt such as will attract and retain the filaments or particles rising through the channel and shape them progressively into a continuous stream which is then released by the belt to the infeed of a unit equipped with a garniture section along which a strip of paper is wrapped around the continuous stream to form a continuous filter rod. Finally, the rod is fed through a rotary cutter and divided into sticks that will provide the single filter plugs for attachment to cigarettes.

1 . A method of manufacturing filters for tobacco products, comprises the steps of: 
 feeding a continuous stream of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers to the infeed of a unit by which a continuous filter rod is formed;    enveloping the continuous stream in a strip of wrapping material to form the continuous filter rod; and    feeding the continuous rod toward a cutter device by which it is divided into discrete filter sticks.    
   
   
       2 ) A method as in  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of collecting a mass of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers internally of a reservoir, transforming the mass into a continuous flow of such filaments or particles, and directing the continuous flow toward a unit by which the filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers are formed into the continuous stream.  
   
   
       3 ) A method as in  claim 1 , comprising the steps of feeding a web of fabric composed of activated carbon fibers along a predetermined path, subjecting the web of fabric to the action of a fragmentation device by which it is broken up into filaments or particles, forming the filaments or particles into a continuous flow, and directing the continuous flow into a unit by which it is gathered into the continuous stream of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       4 ) A method as in  claim 3  comprising a step, included between the fragmentation step and the step of forming the filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers into a continuous flow, of collecting the mass of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers internally of a reservoir.  
   
   
       5 ) A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the continuous stream of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers is obtained, beginning with a plurality of strands, through a step of feeding the strands into means by which they are formed into the continuous stream of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       6 ) A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the continuous stream of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers is obtained, beginning with a layer of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers, through a step of feeding the layer into means by which it is formed into the continuous stream.  
   
   
       7 ) A method as in  claim 1 , wherein the continuous stream consists in a rope or braid unwound from respective reel.  
   
   
       8 ) A machine for manufacturing filters for tobacco products, comprising: 
 a reservoir internally of which to collect and to contain a mass of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers; feed means supplying the reservoir; a unit by which the filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into at least one continuous stream; a unit by which the continuous stream is formed into a continuous filter rod; and cutter means by which the continuous rod is divided into discrete filter sticks.    
   
   
       9 ) A machine as in  claim 8 , wherein the feed means comprise means by which to decoil and guide a web of fabric composed of activated carbon fibers from a relative roll, and a fragmentation device by which the web is broken up into filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       10 ) A machine as in  claim 8 , comprising a unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous flow, interposed between the reservoir and the unit by which the filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous stream.  
   
   
       11 ) A machine as in  claim 10 , wherein the unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous flow comprises a carding device, first conveyor means feeding the carding device from the reservoir, an ascent channel in which the filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous flow and from which the flow is fed to the unit forming the continuous stream, and second conveyor means interposed between the carding device and the ascent channel.  
   
   
       12 ) A machine as in  claim 10 , wherein the unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous flow comprises an ascent channel inside which the filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous flow and from which the flow is fed to the unit forming the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers, and second conveyor means interposed between the reservoir and the ascent channel.  
   
   
       13 ) A machine as in  claim 8 , wherein the unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into at least one continuous stream comprises an aspirating conveyor belt looped around return pulleys and positioned at the top outlet end of the ascent channel supplying the unit by which the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers is formed into continuous filter rod together with a strip of wrapping material designed to envelop the selfsame continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       14 ) A machine as in  claim 8 , comprising means, interposed between the reservoir in which to collect and contain a mass of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers and the unit by which the continuous filter rod is formed, such as will form the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers directly from the mass of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       15 ) A machine as in  claim 8 , comprising a spinning unit, interposed between the reservoir in which to collect and contain a mass of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers and the unit by which the continuous filter rod is formed, such as will produce a plurality of strands consisting in filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers, and means by which to form the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers from the selfsame strands.  
   
   
       16 ) A machine as in  claim 13 , wherein the unit by which the continuous filter rod is formed with the strip of wrapping material comprises a beam along which the strip of wrapping material is closed around the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       17 ) A filter for tobacco products, characterized in that it is composed at least in part of filaments or particles consisting in activated carbon fibers prepared by the method as in  claim 1 .  
   
   
       18 ) A machine as in  claim 9 , comprising a unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous flow, interposed between the reservoir and the unit by which the filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into a continuous stream.  
   
   
       19 ) A machine as in  claim 9 , wherein the unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into at least one continuous stream comprises an aspirating conveyor belt looped around return pulleys and positioned at the top outlet end of the ascent channel supplying the unit by which the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers is formed into continuous filter rod together with a strip of wrapping material designed to envelop the selfsame continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers.  
   
   
       20 ) A machine as in  claim 10 , wherein the unit by which filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers are formed into at least one continuous stream comprises an aspirating conveyor belt looped around return pulleys and positioned at the top outlet end of the ascent channel supplying the unit by which the continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers is formed into continuous filter rod together with a strip of wrapping material designed to envelop the selfsame continuous stream of filaments or particles of activated carbon fibers.