Apparatus and methods for manufacturing cigarettes

Abstract

An apparatus and method for manufacturing small quantities of cigarettes in a substantially simultaneous fashion while maintaining consistent quality between the cigarettes. The apparatus provides for arranging loose tobacco into tobacco charges and simultaneously inserting the charges into pre-formed tubular cigarette wrappers.

1 . A cigarette manufacturing apparatus, comprising: 
 a hopper for containing loose tobacco filler;    a plurality of receptacles beneath the hopper, each receptacle adapted to receive a portion of the tobacco filler;    a cartridge adapted to support a plurality of pre-formed tubular wrappers, each wrapper having a hollow region at one end for receiving the tobacco filler, the cartridge adapted to be placed adjacent the plurality of receptacles such that each of a pre-determined number of the wrappers is aligned with one of the plurality of receptacles; and    a means for delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the plurality of receptacles into the hollow region of each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the hopper comprises four walls in the form of a rectangle, an open top, and a bottom, wherein the plurality of receptacles comprises a plurality of wells in the bottom of the hopper.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of wells comprises a V shape.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the hopper further comprises a mechanism for detangling the tobacco filler.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a delivery passageway connected to each of the plurality of receptacles for guiding delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles into the aligned wrappers.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the cartridge further comprises a support configured to maintain the cartridge in a position adjacent the delivery passageways such that each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers can be transferred to the delivery passageways and back to the cartridge after delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler into the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the cartridge is movable upon the support and is removable from the support.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge is removable from the apparatus.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge further comprises a plurality of parallel surface grooves, each groove configured to support one of the tubular wrappers.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a particular number of the receptacles, and wherein the cartridge comprises a plurality of surface grooves for supporting at least the same number of the wrappers as the number of receptacles.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the number of receptacles is at least two.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the means for delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the plurality of receptacles into each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers comprises a plurality of auger conveyors, each auger conveyor capable of spiral movement and extending from one of the receptacles into one of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the means for delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the plurality of receptacles into each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers comprises a plurality of toothed blades, each blade capable of reciprocating movement and extending from one of the receptacles into one of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a means for controlling the portion of the tobacco filler delivered from each receptacle into each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the means for controlling the portion of the tobacco filler delivered into the wrappers comprises an adjustable tension arm in contact with an outer surface of each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers for controlling the rate of movement of the wrappers as the portion of the tobacco filler is being delivered therein.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising a pressure adjustment arm connected to a plurality of the adjustable tension arms and a weight movable on the pressure adjustment arm for simultaneously applying varying degrees of pressure to the plurality of the adjustable tension arms.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the cartridge is stationary, and    wherein the hopper, the plurality of receptacles, and the means for delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the plurality of receptacles into the wrappers are movable as a unit toward and away from the cartridge for transferring the pre-determined number of the wrappers from the cartridge into operative adjacency with the receptacles for receiving the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles.    
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the cartridge is configured to contain vertical rows of the pre-determined number of the wrappers, each of the wrappers in a bottom row of the wrappers aligned with one of the plurality of receptacles.  
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising a container for receiving each of the predetermined number of the wrappers after each of those wrappers receives the portion of the tobacco filler from an adjacent receptacle.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a motor for powering delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler from each of the plurality of receptacles into the wrappers.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a trimming device for trimming tobacco filler extending beyond the receiving ends of the wrappers in the cartridge.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , the trimming device further comprising: 
 a ledger bar having support surfaces adapted to support the receiving ends of a plurality of the wrappers and against which the cartridge can be abutted so as to align each of the wrappers in the cartridge with one of the support surfaces on the ledger bar;    a circular cutting blade rotatable in a vertical plane and movable back and forth perpendicularly to the longitudinal axes of the wrappers to trim the receiving ends of the wrappers extending beyond an edge of the ledger bar; and    a motor to rotate the cutting blade at a high speed.    
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a cartridge filling device for filling the cartridge with the plurality of wrappers without human contact directly with the wrappers.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , the cartridge filling device further comprising: 
 a wrapper supply assembly having a movable upper reservoir adapted to hold a pre-packaged container of the wrappers;    a wrapper hopper adapted to receive the wrappers from the upper reservoir and comprising a plurality of vertical passageways for guiding downwardly a vertically aligned stack of the wrappers one at a time;    a tray positioned beneath the wrapper hopper and comprising an upper surface having a plurality of grooves, each groove adapted to support one of the wrappers and aligned beneath one of the vertical passageways;    a cartridge loading platform configured to maintain the cartridge in alignment with the tray; and    a slider system comprising a plurality of pusher rods adapted to slide and push the wrappers from the tray onto the cartridge.    
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a package filling device for filling an open cigarette package directly from the cartridge.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , the cartridge further comprising a plurality of support surfaces, each of which is adapted to support one filled cigarette, and a push through opening in alignment with each of the support surfaces, the package filling device further comprising: 
 an upper platform suspended above a bottom frame at a distance to allow the cigarette package beneath the upper platform;    a plurality of substantially horizontal ejection rods mounted on the upper platform;    a cartridge positioning platform adjacent the ejection rods;    an inwardly sloping panel on each side of the positioning platform spaced apart to provide an opening sized to allow a pre-determined number of the cigarettes to drop substantially simultaneously through the opening; and    a carriage mechanism for controlling movement of the open cigarette package beneath the opening in the positioning platform,    wherein when the cartridge is moved on the positioning platform toward the ejection rods, the cigarettes in the cartridge are ejected onto the inwardly sloping panels, through the opening, and into the cigarette package.    
     
     
         27 . A cigarette manufacturing apparatus, comprising: 
 a hopper for containing loose tobacco filler, the hopper comprising four walls in the form of a rectangle, an open top, and a bottom;    a plurality of receptacles beneath the hopper, each receptacle comprising a plurality of V-shaped wells in the bottom of the hopper and adapted to receive a portion of the tobacco filler;    a removable cartridge comprising a plurality of parallel surface grooves, each groove configured to support one of a plurality of pre-formed tubular wrappers, each wrapper having a hollow region at one end for receiving the tobacco filler, the cartridge adapted to be placed and movably maintained adjacent the plurality of receptacles such that each of a pre-determined number of the wrappers is aligned with one of the plurality of receptacles;    a delivery passageway connected to each of the plurality of receptacles for guiding delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles into the wrappers; and    a plurality of auger conveyors, each auger conveyor capable of spiral movement, extending from one of the receptacles into one of the pre-determined number of the wrappers, and adapted for delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from one of the receptacles into the hollow region of one of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.    
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the apparatus comprises a particular number of the receptacles, and wherein the cartridge comprises at least the same number of surface grooves as the number of receptacles for supporting at least the same number of the wrappers as the number of receptacles.  
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the hopper further comprises a mechanism for detangling the tobacco filler.  
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , further comprising a means for controlling the portion of the tobacco filler delivered into the wrappers comprising an adjustable tension arm in contact with an outer surface of each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers for controlling the rate of movement of the wrappers as the portion of the tobacco filler is being delivered therein.  
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , further comprising a means for aligning the receiving ends of the wrappers in the cartridge and a motorized cutting blade for trimming the tobacco filler extending beyond the receiving ends of the wrappers in the cartridge.  
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , further comprising a cartridge filling device for filling the cartridge with the plurality of wrappers without human contact directly with the wrappers.  
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , further comprising a package filling device for filling an open cigarette package directly from the cartridge.  
     
     
         34 . A method for manufacturing cigarettes, comprising: 
 introducing at least one loose tobacco filler into a hopper;    providing a plurality of receptacles beneath the hopper, each receptacle adapted to receive a portion of the tobacco filler;    providing a cartridge supporting a plurality of pre-formed tubular wrappers, each wrapper having a hollow region at one end for receiving the portion of the tobacco filler;    positioning the cartridge relative to the receptacles such that a pre-determined number of the wrappers is aligned with and adjacent to one of the plurality of receptacles;    delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the plurality of receptacles into the hollow region of each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.    
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising repeating the positioning and delivering steps to form a desired plurality of cigarettes.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the hopper comprises four walls in the form of a rectangle, an open top, and a bottom, and wherein the plurality of receptacles comprises a plurality of wells in the bottom of the hopper, the method further comprising introducing the portion of the tobacco filler into each of the plurality of receptacles.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising guiding delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles through a delivery passageway connected to each of the plurality of receptacles and into the correspondingly aligned wrappers.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising maintaining the cartridge in a position adjacent the delivery passageways such that each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers can be transferred to the delivery passageways and back to the cartridge after delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler into the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising detangling the tobacco filler.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles into the wrappers further comprises rotating simultaneously each of a plurality of auger conveyors extending from one of the plurality of receptacles into one of the pre-determined number of the wrappers, wherein the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles is delivered substantially simultaneously into each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein delivering the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles into the wrappers further comprises reciprocating simultaneously each of a plurality of toothed blades extending from one of the plurality of receptacles into one of the pre-determined number of the wrappers, wherein the portion of the tobacco filler from the receptacles is delivered substantially simultaneously into each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising controlling the portion of the tobacco filler delivered from each receptacle into each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein controlling the portion of the tobacco filler delivered into the wrappers comprises placing an adjustable tension arm in contact with an outer surface of each of the pre-determined number of the wrappers for controlling the rate of movement of the wrappers as the portion of the tobacco filler is being delivered therein.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising applying varying degrees of pressure to the adjustable tension arms by moving a weight on a pressure adjustment arm connected to the adjustable tension arms.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising powering with a motor the delivery of the portion of the tobacco filler from each of the plurality of receptacles into the wrappers.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising trimming tobacco filler extending beyond the receiving ends of the wrappers in the cartridge.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein trimming the tobacco filler comprises: 
 aligning the receiving ends of the wrappers to extend beyond an edge of the cartridge; and    moving a rotating cutting blade perpendicularly across the receiving ends of the wrappers extending beyond the edge of the cartridge.    
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising loading the cartridge with the plurality of wrappers without direct human contact with the wrappers.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein loading the cartridge with the plurality of wrappers comprises: 
 emptying a pre-packaged container of the wrappers into a wrapper hopper having a plurality of vertical passageways;    guiding downwardly through each vertical passageways a vertically aligned stack of the wrappers one at a time into a tray positioned beneath the wrapper hopper and comprising an upper surface having a plurality of grooves, each groove adapted to support one of the wrappers;    aligning the cartridge with the tray; and    sliding one of a plurality of pusher rods across each of the plurality of grooves in the tray to push the wrappers from the tray onto the cartridge.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising filling an open cigarette package directly from the cartridge.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein filling an open cigarette package directly from the cartridge comprises: 
 placing the cartridge adjacent an angled surface;    positioning the cigarette package below the angled surface; and    ejecting the cigarettes from the cartridge with a plurality of ejection rods and onto the angled surface such that the ejected cigarettes are directed into the cigarette package.