Abstract: A continuous tow of filamentary filter material is advanced past a rotary applicator which delivers metered but variable quantities of a second filter material (such as granulated or pulverulent charcoal) into successive increments of the tow. The tow and the delivered second filter material are thereupon draped into a web of wrapping material to form a filter rod which is sub-divided into sections of desired length. The density and/or the mass of the filter rod or of successive filter rod sections is monitored and the results of such monitoring operation are utilized to regulate the rate of delivery of second filter material so that the mass or density of the rod remains constant. The draw resistance of the filter rod or of filter rod sections can be monitored to generate signals which are used to regulate the rate of advancement of the tow toward the draping station and to thus maintain the draw resistance at least substantially constant.

Abstract: Plain or filter cigarettes are tested at a first station by two or more testing devices each of which monitors the cigarettes for the presence or absence of a particular defect. The testing devices generate defect signals which are delayed by shift registers so as to ensure that the delayed defect signals are transmitted to a segregating mechanism which removes defective cigarettes from a path that is common to the satisfactory and defective cigarettes and delivers defective cigarettes to selected receptacles which are installed at a second station and each of which gathers only cigarettes exhibiting a particular defect. Actuation of a switch entails the removal of a selected number of samples from the common path for satisfactory and defective cigarettes, and such samples are gathered in an additional receptacle at the second station.

Abstract: One side of a running web of wrapping material of the tobacco processing industry is provided with adhesive by a nozzle which discharges a stream of minute droplets of liquid adhesive. The droplets are charged by a first electrode immediately after they issue from the orifice of the nozzle and the droplets of the stream are thereupon deflected relative to the running web by a pair of deflecting electrodes whose operation is controlled by an adjustable circuit so as to ensure that the application of adhesive can take place in accordance with variations of one or more parameters including the speed of the running web and/or the permeability of wrappers which are obtained from the adhesive-coated web.

Abstract: A composite tobacco stream which contains different types of tobacco is formed by converting fibrous material of a first type into a first succession of discrete batches and by converting fibrous material of a second type into a second succession of discrete batches. The two types of batches are thereupon shuffled in such a way that the resulting stream contains alternating batches consisting of first and second fibrous materials. The stream is equalized, draped into a web of cigarette paper and subdivided into cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length. The shuffling step can be carried out on a rotating wheel-shaped conveyor or on a foraminous belt conveyor.

Abstract: A fluted drum transports filter plugs and pairs of plain cigarettes in successive flutes past two rollers which cause the cigarettes to move inwardly toward the respective plug. In order to ensure the establishment of a cavity between each cigarette and the respective end of the corresponding plug, each flute contains two distancing elements whose width matches the acceptable width of the cavities. The outermost portions of the distancing elements taper in a direction away from the bottom portions of the respective flutes to allow for convenient introduction of filter plugs and cigarettes which are held by suction during transport past the rollers and on to the station where the groups of coaxial and properly spaced-apart filter plugs and cigarettes are removed from their flutes.

Abstract: A combination of production lines for the manufacture of filter cigarettes wherein the filter tipping machines form several groups. The number of groups exceeds by one the number of machines in a group. Each machine receives filter rod sections from one of two different pneumatic senders by way of one of two discrete pneumatic conveyors. Each sender has a hopper for sections and several pneumatic propelling units which deliver sections from the respective hopper into the corresponding conveyors. The possibility of feeding sections to each machine from either one of two discrete senders ensures that the machines need not be shut down in the event of malfunction of a given sender, of one of the two propelling units for a machine or of one of two conveyors for a machine.

Abstract: A composite tobacco stream is built at the underside of the lower reach of an air-permeable belt conveyor below a suction chamber by showering tobacco particles of a first type into the corner between one marginal portion of the lower reach and a first sidewall bounding a tobacco channel at the underside of the lower reach, by thereupon showering tobacco particles of the first type into the corner between the other marginal portion of the lower reach and a second sidewall so that the particles form a first tobacco layer having a concave underside, by thereupon depositing a relatively narrow core consisting of tobacco particles of a different second type on the underside of the first layer midway between and spaced apart from the two marginal portions of the lower reach, and by thereupon showering tobacco particles of the first type over the core as well as over the marginal portions of the first layer.

Abstract: A composite tobacco filler is formed in three stages by showering or otherwise depositing the particles of a first tobacco type at one side of a first air-permeable suction conveyor to form a narrow core one surface of which contacts the first conveyor; by thereupon depositing on the first conveyor a first layer which consists of another type of tobacco, which overlies the core, and whose marginal portions extend laterally beyond the core; by thereupon transferring the core and the first layer onto a second air-permeable suction conveyor so that the one surface of the core becomes exposed and the first layer directly contacts one side of the second conveyor; and by thereafter showering a second tobacco layer of the other type onto the exposed surface of the core and onto the marginal portions of the first layer to thus complete the formation of a filler wherein the core is completely surrounded by the material of the two layers.

Abstract: A homogeneous tobacco stream is built upon an air-permeable conveyor in a channel which is adjacent to one side of the conveyor and is bounded by two sidewalls. Particles of tobacco are admitted against the concave side of an arcuate guide wall, whose discharge end is adjacent to the channel and remote from the one side of the conveyor, together with streams of compressed air which accelerate the particles of tobacco and transport them toward and beyond the discharge end of the guide wall. The concave side of the guide wall has three guide faces each of which directs a discrete partial stream of tobacco particles against a different portion of the one side of the conveyor whereon the particles are retained by suction.

Abstract: A spread out foraminous tow of tensioned filamentary filter material is transported through a housing between an upper and a lower rotating cylindrical brush. The upper brush propels atomized liquid plasticizer against the upper side of the tow whereby a certain amount of plasticizer penetrates through the tow and is gathered in the housing within the range of bristles on the lower brush which propels the gathered plasticizer against the underside of the tow. The rate of feed of plasticizer to the upper brush is varied in response to changes in the speed of the tow, and the brushes are arrested when the transporting rolls for the tow are brought to a standstill. The lower portion of the housing constitutes a trough which surrounds the lower half of the lower brush and from which the gathered plasticizer is evacuated when the brushes are idle.

Abstract: Plain or filter cigarettes are tested at a first station by two or more testing devices each of which monitors the cigarettes for the presence or absence of a particular defect. The testing devices generate defect signals which are delayed by shift registers so as to ensure that the delayed defect signals are transmitted to a segregating mechanism which removes defective cigarettes from a path that is common to the satisfactory and defective cigarettes and delivers defective cigarettes to selected receptacles which are installed at a second station and each of which gathers only cigarettes exhibiting a particular defect. Actuation of a switch entails the removal of a selected number of samples from the common path for satisfactory and defective cigarettes, and such samples are gathered in an additional receptacle at the second station.

Abstract: A junction zone between the first and second sections of a conveyor system for sidewise transport of cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles communicates with the first opening of a reservoir which normally constitutes a surge bin for temporary storage of those articles which are delivered by the first section but cannot be accepted by the second section. The reservoir has a second opening which is normally separated from the first opening by a reciprocable partition but is free to discharge articles into a tray filling machine when the reservoir is filled to capacity and the rate at which the first section delivers articles continues to exceed the rate at which the second section removes articles from the junction zone.

Abstract: The magazine of each of an entire battery of filter tipping machines receives filter rod sections by way of two discrete pneumatic conveyors whose inlets receive filter rod sections from discrete sources by way of pneumatic propelling units and whose outlets admit files of axially moving filter rod sections into discrete receiving units having devices for converting the files into rows and for forcibly feeding the rows into spaced-apart portions of the respective magazines below the upper surfaces of the supplies of filter rod sections in such magazines. Each propelling unit can be started or arrested independently of the associated propelling unit, and each receiving unit can feed filter rod sections at less than maximum capacity and/or intermittently.

Abstract: A spread out foraminous tow of tensioned filamentary filter material is transported through a housing between an upper and a lower rotating cylindrical brush. The upper brush propels atomized liquid plasticizer against the upper side of the tow whereby a certain amount of plasticizer penetrates through the tow and is gathered in the housing within the range of bristles on the lower brush which propels the gathered plasticizer against the underside of the tow. The rate of feed of plasticizer to the upper brush is varied in response to changes in the speed of the tow, and the brushes are arrested when the transporting rolls for the tow are brought to a standstill. The lower portion of the housing constitutes a trough which surrounds the lower half of the lower brush and from which the gathered plasticizer is evacuated when the brushes are idle.

Abstract: Filter cigarettes with multiplex filter mouthpieces wherein at least one filtering element constitutes an unwrapped filter plug having a reinforced porous peripheral layer are produced in a machine which is equipped with a perforating device for tubular envelopes connecting the mouthpieces to the respective plain cigarettes, or with a device for making holes in the web of wrapping material which is subdivided into uniting bands. The holes are provided in those portions of tubular envelopes which surround the reinforced porous peripheral layers. Filtering elements which constitute unwrapped filter plugs may be disposed at the free ends of the mouthpieces or adjacent to the plain cigarettes.

Abstract: The wrappers of filter cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles which constitute or form part of smokers' products and wherein portions of the wrappers have perforations are tested while moving sideways in the flutes of an endless conveyor. The testing involves establishing a less pronounced pressure differential between the interior and exterior of unperforated wrapper portions and a more pronounced pressure differential between the interior and exterior of perforated wrapper portions. An electropneumatic transducer generates first signals which denote the rate of fluid flow through the perforated and unperforated wrapper portions. Such signals are compared with first and second reference signals which respectively denote the maximum permissible and minimum acceptable permeability of wrappers, and the articles wherein the permeability of wrappers exceeds the maximum permissible permeability or is less than the minimum acceptable permeability are segregated from other articles.

Abstract: The mass of successive increments of a wrapped rod-like filler of filamentary filter material is monitored by a beta ray detector and the signals which are generated by the ionization chamber of the dectector are utilized to adjust the ratio of a variable-speed transmission which regulates the rate of delivery of a stretched tow of filamentary material to the gathering horn of a filter rod making machine.

Abstract: Filter cigarettes of double unit length are tested in the filter tipping machine in a selected portion of their normal path of sidewise movement toward the discharge end of the machine. In such selected portion, successive filter cigarettes are arrested and simultaneously rotated about their respective axes. During rotation, a first optoelectrical unit scans the wrappers of the cigarettes for the presence of protuberances, and a second optoelectrical unit scans the wrappers for the presence of open seams, holes, frayed ends and/or smudges. On detection of defects, the transducers of the respective units generate signals which are used to segregate the respective cigarettes from other cigarettes.

Abstract: A running tow of filamentary filter material is banded by a plurality of streams of compressed air which issue from the orifices of plenum chambers forming a row which extends transversely of the direction of transport of the tow. The streams which issue from the plenum chambers band discrete strip-shaped portions of the tow. The density of such strip-shaped portions is monitored at or downstream of the banding station, and the pressure of air in one or more chambers is increased or reduced when the monitored density of the respective strip-shaped portion or portions deviates from a desired density. The monitoring devices can utilize optoelectronic or electropneumatic transducers.

Abstract: Trays containing stacks of cigarettes are moved to an evacuating station above a vertically movable platform which descends as soon as the movable bottom of a filled tray is moved to its open position. The platform then lowers a stack of cigarettes from the interior of a filled tray onto the upper stretches of two intermittently driven endless belts in a magazine. The latter serves for temporary storage of such stacks prior to transport of cigarettes into a reservoir which feeds cigarettes into the hopper of a packing machine. The supply of cigarettes in the reservoir is monitored.[.,.]. and.Iadd., .Iaddend.when the supply is depleted to a certain minimum permissible value, a switch produces a signal which starts a motor for the belts so as to transfer a stack from the magazine into the reservoir.