Abstract: A cigarette filter attachment machine with a wrapper testing facility includes means for feeding pieces of tipping paper each of which is wrapped around associated tobacco and filter portions to join those portions to one another; means for testing the wrappers of the cigarettes for leaks; an upsetting device for momentarily upsetting the filter tipping operation to produce at least one cigarette with a deliberate leak in the joint between the tobacco and filter portions; and an ejection device arranged automatically to eject the deliberately faulty cigarette or cigarettes regardless of whether or not the wrapper tester detects the deliberately faulty cigarettes.

Abstract: This invention is concerned with cigarette making systems including a testing device for detecting bad quality cigarettes. Basically, the cigarette testing device is itself tested by deliberately making test cigarettes containing predetermined faults and checking whether the test cigarettes are detected by the testing device. The deliberate faults may be holes deliberately made in the cigarette wrappers. The holes may be made either on the cigarette paper web before it is wrapped around the filler in a continuous rod cigarette making machine, or the holes may be made in the wrappers of finished cigarettes.

Abstract: In continuous rod cigarette making machinery waste tobacco is collected from various sources (in particular from a stripping device for rejected cigarettes) and is fed to a separation box where non-tobacco waste is removed. The waste tobacco is then conveyed to a small hopper in which a carded drum meters the tobacco into the main tobacco shower at a point such that the surplus tobacco subsequently trimmed by the ecreteur does not consist of any waste tobacco, thereby minimising tobacco degradation. Waste tobacco may also be collected from the filter plug assembler by means of an inclined chute mounted over a conveyor which feeds the waste to the separation box.

Abstract: A cigarette testing device comprises means to apply positive or negative pressure to one end of each cigarette; means defining a chamber around at least part of the cigarette, with seals around the cigarette to restrict communication between the interior of the chamber and atmosphere; and means to detect the pressure in the chamber during testing; and including means defining a predetermined deliberate leakage path between the chamber and atmosphere.

Abstract: A cigarette testing device comprises a conveyor drum which is arranged to carry cigarettes sideways through a testing station, and which includes a pair of axially spaced sets of sprocket teeth, the cigarettes being carried in the recesses between the teeth; a suction or pressure chamber which is mounted adjacent to the conveyor drum and is arranged to communicate with spaces formed between the two sets of sprocket teeth, so that at least part of each cigarette is surrounded by predetermined suction or pressure during testing; a second pair of rotating axially spaced sets of sprocket teeth which overlap with the first pair of sprocket teeth so that the cooperating sprocket teeth together form two axially spaced seals around each cigarette restricting communication between the chamber and atmosphere; and a device for sending the air flow through the wrapper of each cigarette produced by the suction or pressure in the chamber.