Abstract: An apparatus for filling a prefabricated cigarette tube includes a housing, a tobacco chamber with a tobacco holder, and a movable pressing bar configured so as to form tobacco introduced into the tobacco chamber into a tobacco strand. An abutment for an end of the tobacco strand is assigned to the tobacco holder, wherein a first length of the to be formed tobacco strand is adjustable to prefabricated cigarette tubes having different filling-cavity lengths by adjusting a second length of the pressing bar. A slider is configured to be moved relative to the housing so as to fill the prefabricated cigarette tube with the tobacco strand. The tobacco holder is displacably arranged relative to the abutment in a movement direction of the slider by a distance which approximately corresponds to the different filling-cavity lengths.

Abstract: The present invention is directed at various apparatus, systems and methods for forming a sealed concentric or sealed concentric hollow core tobacco rod. The methods of the invention at least comprise passing a trimmed column of metered tobacco and paper between a tongue and garniture to form a concentric shaped tobacco rod or tobacco rod with an inner hollow core; maintaining the concentric shape; and outputting a sealed concentric tobacco rod or a concentric hollow tobacco rod.

Abstract: Cigarette rolling and forming devices include parallel cylinders extending between a pair of support plates, and a looped belt trained therearound. One cylinder is moveable relative to the other for alternately receiving and compressing loose tobacco into a tobacco rod with the belt. In some devices, a pair of slots allows movement of the cylinder, and guard plates are disposed to prevent tobacco from the belt from entering the slots. Some devices include two pairs of slots and two moveable cylinders. Some devices include a support trough disposed to prevent sections of the belt from contacting each other. Some devices include a folding device configured to engage and fold the edge of a piece of paper received between the cylinders and rolled around the tobacco rod. Some devices include a nozzle to retain a pre-formed tube and a pushing device adapted to push a formed tobacco rod into the tube.

Abstract: A distributor or hopper is part of a cigarette production machine and serves for dressing the tobacco in the provision of a continuous tobacco strand. An integral part of a distributor is a metering system which prepares the tobacco for the production of the tobacco strand. To separate out undesirable constituents, such as foreign bodies, stalks or ribs, from the tobacco, at least one sifter (15) is provided. The latter precedes the metering system of the distributor in the working direction, in particular is arranged outside the distributor, so that sifted tobacco is introduced into the distributor.

Abstract: Apparatus for making one or more rod-like fillers of shredded tobacco for use in the making of cigarettes or the like employs one or two pneumatic conveyors having endless foraminous belts trained over pulleys and including elongated stretches below communicating parts of a common suction chamber. A shower of intermixed tobacco shreds and smaller particles including tobacco dust and coarser particles is directed against the undersides of the elongated stretches. The shreds are attracted to and advance with the respective belts to form streams which are ready to be trimmed and thereupon draped into cigarette paper or the like. At least some smaller particles penetrate through the respective belts into the corresponding parts of the suction chamber. The contents of the suction chamber are evacuated by suction and are returned to the undersides of the elongated stretches of the belts for classification.

Abstract: The distributor of a cigarette rod making machine employs a zig-zag sifter which receives a mixture of tobacco ribs and shreds from a reservoir by way of a duct or an elevator conveyor. The shreds leave the uppermost stage of the sifter and are conveyed, by a Coanda separator, into an upright gathering duct which discharges shreds for delivery onto the concave surface(s) of one or more guides serving to direct one or more streams of shreds against the underside(s) of one or more foraminous belt conveyors which advance the stream(s) past one or more trimming devices serving to remove the surplus and to thus convert each stream into a rod-like filler which is ready to be draped into a web of cigarette paper. The removed surplus is returned into the reservoir or directly into the zig-zag sifter.

Abstract: The filler of a cigarette rod has a tubular portion made of shredded tobacco and surrounding at least one row of spherical inserts made of aromatic material or aerosol. The tubular portion is made by feeding tobacco shreds against the underside of the horizontal lower reach of a foraminous conveyor belt advancing beneath a suction chamber to accumulate a first layer of shreds. The inserts are delivered to the underside of the first layer and are attracted thereto by suction. A second layer of shredded tobacco is assembled by showering shreds against the underside of the first layer where the second layer underlies the spherical inserts. The thus obtained filler is draped into a web of wrapping material to form a cigarette rod ready to be subdivided into sections of unit or multiple unit length. The spherical inserts are expelled from a revolving receptacle under the action of centrifugal force to form a row which is conveyed toward the underside of and advances with the first layer.

Abstract: A method and unit for forming a tobacco bead, whereby a forming conveyor conveying the tobacco bead cooperates with a pressing device for compacting portions of the tobacco bead equally spaced with a given spacing, and cooperates with a shaving device; and whereby a distance between the pressing device and the forming conveyor is regulated independently of a distance between the shaving device and the forming conveyor, and as a function of a linear travelling speed of the forming conveyor or a physical quantity related to it.

Abstract: Garniture tongue of a garniture device of a rod machine arranged for compressing a material. The garniture tongue includes a rod guide surface and the garniture tongue being composed at least in part of a steel alloy with high titanium carbide content. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Abstract: The filler of a cigarette rod has a tubular portion made of shredded tobacco and surrounding at least one row of spherical inserts made of aromatic material or aerosol. The tubular portion is made by feeding tobacco shreds against the underside of the horizontal lower reach of a foraminous conveyor belt advancing beneath a suction chamber to accumulate a first layer of shreds. The inserts are delivered to the underside of the first layer and are attracted thereto by suction. A second layer of shredded tobacco is assembled by showering shreds against the underside of the first layer where the second layer underlies the spherical inserts. The thus obtained filler is draped into a web of wrapping material to form a cigarette rod ready to be subdivided into sections of unit or multiple unit length. The spherical inserts are expelled from a revolving receptacle under the action of centrifugal force to form a row which is conveyed toward the underside of and advances with the first layer.

Abstract: A belt-type compression molding apparatus for a tobacco stream includes a compression belt integral with a tobacco band for forming the tobacco stream, and the compression belt extends from the tobacco band toward a wrapping section of a cigarette manufacturing machine. The compression belt defines a compression molding passage for the tobacco stream in cooperation with a molding groove of a molding bed for guiding wrapping paper. The compression belt travels at the same speed as the tobacco band and serves as a movable ceiling wall of the compression molding passage.

Abstract: A continuous rod with a composite filler having a core constituting a small-diameter cigarette rod and a tube surrounding the core and being confined within a converted web of cigarette paper has axially spaced-apart densified sections in the core as well as in the tube. When the continuous rod is converted into a series of discrete cigarettes, it is severed simultaneously across the densified sections of the core as well as across the densified sections of the tube. If the densified sections of the core are not confined within the densified sections of the tube, a trimming device of the maker of the core is adjusted to shift the locations of the thereafter formed densified sections of the core until such densified sections register with those of the tube.

Abstract: Apparatus for making one or more rod-like fillers of shredded tobacco for use in the making of cigarettes or the like employs one or two pneumatic conveyors having endless foraminous belts trained over pulleys and including elongated stretches below communicating parts of a common suction chamber. A shower of intermixed tobacco shreds and smaller particles including tobacco dust and coarser particles is directed against the undersides of the elongated stretches. The shreds are attracted to and advance with the respective belts to form streams which are ready to be trimmed and thereupon draped into cigarette paper or the like. At least some smaller particles penetrate through the respective belts into the corresponding parts of the suction chamber. The contents of the suction chamber are evacuated by suction and are returned to the undersides of the elongated stretches of the belts for classification.

Abstract: The invention relates to a suction strand conveyor of a cigarette strand machine, which is guided around a contact wheel in an inlet area of a shaping arrangement. A plurality of suction air channels connect an inner bearing space of the contact wheel and an outer surface of the contact wheel with a suction chamber of the suction strand conveyor belt and provide a permanent removal of tobacco dust.

Abstract: A cigarette manufacturing machine having a shaving device for shaving at least one bead of tobacco, wherein two superimposed, mutually contacting disks with respective serrated outer edges are rotated about a common axis at different peripheral speeds to shave the bead of tobacco fed against the disks.

Abstract: In a cigarette manufacturing machine, a device for compressing and molding a filler stream includes a tongue, which defines a part of a compression-molding passage. The filler stream passes the compression-molding passage. The device further includes an ultrasonic vibration system for vibrating the tongue. The tongue functions as a horn of the ultrasonic vibration system.

Abstract: This invention provides a smoking article (1) having reduced sidestream smoke in the inter-puff period. A smoking article (1) according to the invention may comprise segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material (5) interconnected by segments of low level of tobacco-containing material (6) which are capable of maintaining smoulder in the inter-puff period and re-igniting the segments of a high level of tobacco-containing material (5) in the puff period. Alternatively, a smoking article according to another aspect of the invention may comprise a lengthwise, axially extending, tobacco-containing fuse portion (46) which sustains smoulder in the inter-puff period when surrounding tobacco material (45) is substantially extinguished and which re-ignites the extinguished material on puffing of the smoking article (1).