Method and apparatus for testing cigarettes or like rod-shaped articles

Claim 3

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said directing step includes discharging annular streams of sealing fluid substantially radially of the tubular wrapper between said sealing faces.

Claim 4

A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said annular streams of sealing fluid are at least substantially normal to the axis of the tubular wrapper between said sealing faces.

Claim 5

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of monitoring in the course of said passing step changes in at least one characteristic of the testing fluid, such changes being indicative of the quality of the article between said sealing faces.

Claim 6

A method as defined in claim 4, wherein said characteristic is the pressure of testing fluid and said testing fluid is admitted into both ends of the wrapper between said sealing faces.

Claim 7

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said passing step comprises admitting a stream of testing fluid into one end of the filler between said sealing faces and monitoring at least one characteristic of the stream of testing fluid after it issues from the other end of the filler.

Claim 8

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surrounds a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongated receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on the tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; mean for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; and means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces so that said sealing fluid opposes the escape of said testing fluid between said sealing faces and the respective end surfaces.

Claim 9

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surrounds a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongated receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on the tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; mean for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; and means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces so that said sealing fluid opposes the escape of said testing fluid between said sealing faces and the respective end surfaces.

Claim 10

A combination as defined iN claim 7, wherein said fluid directing means includes annular nozzles provided in said heating units and arranged to discharge annuli of sealing sealing againt the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means.

Claim 11

A combination as defined in claim 8, wherein each of said nozzles is arranged to discharge compressed gaseous sealing fluid substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of said receiving means.

Claim 12

A combination as defined in claim 7, wherein said fluid passing means comprises first conduit means for admitting testing fluid into one end of a wrapper in said receiving means by way of one of said apertured sealing faces, second conduit means for receiving testing fluid by way of the other apertured sealing face, and means for monitoring a characteristic of the testing fluid in said second conduit means.

Claim 21

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surrounds a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongated receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on the tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; means for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; means for maintaining the testing fluid in each of said units at a first predetermined pressure in the absence of leaks in the wrapper located in said receiving means; and means for maintaining the sealing fluid at a second pressure which at least approximates said first pressure.

Claim 22

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surrounds a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongated receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on the tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; means for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; means for maintaining the testing fluid in each of said units at a first predetermined pressure in the absence of leaks in the wrapper located in said receiving means; and means for maintaining the sealing fluid at a second pressure which at least approximates said first pressure.

Claim 23

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surround a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongatd receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on a tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; means for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; and means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces, including annular nozzles provided in said sealing units and arranged to discharge annuli of sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means, each of said Nozzles being arranged to discharge compressed gaseous sealing fluid in a direction which has a component normal to and a component parallel with the longitudinal direction of said receiving means.

Claim 24

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surround a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongatd receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on a tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; means for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces; and means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces, including annular nozzles provided in said sealing units and arranged to discharge annuli of sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means, each of said Nozzles being arranged to discharge compressed gaseous sealing fluid in a direction which has a component normal to and a component parallel with the longitudinal direction of said receiving means.

Claim 25

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surrounds a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongated receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on the tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; means for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces, comprising a source of compressed gaseous testing fluid, communicating first and second conduit means respectively connected with said first and second sealing units to admit testing fluid into both ends of a wrapper in said receiving means by way of the respective apertured sealing faces, and means for monitoring a characteristic of testing fluid in said communicating conduit means; and means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces.

Claim 26

In a testing apparatus for cigarettes or analogous rod-shaped articles wherein an open-ended tubular wrapper having two end surfaces surrounds a gas-permeable filler, a combination comprising a mobile conveyor having at least one elongated receiving means positioned thereon to support an article for sidewise movement in response to movement of said conveyor; a first sealing unit provided on said conveyor and having at least one apertured sealing face adjacent to one end of said receiving means; a second sealing unit including at least one tubular sealing element having an apertured sealing face adjacent to the other end of said receiving means; displacing means for moving at least one of said sealing faces toward the other sealing face during movement of said conveyor so that at least a portion of each end surface on the tubular wrapper of an article in said receiving means is engaged by the respective sealing face; means for passing a gaseous testing fluid between said sealing units by way of a wrapper in said receiving means while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces, comprising a source of compressed gaseous testing fluid, communicating first and second conduit means respectively connected with said first and second sealing units to admit testing fluid into both ends of a wrapper in said receiving means by way of the respective apertured sealing faces, and means for monitoring a characteristic of testing fluid in said communicating conduit means; and means for directing annular streams of a gaseous sealing fluid against the exterior of the wrapper in said receiving means in the region of said sealing faces while the end surfaces of the wrapper are engaged by said sealing faces.