Method and apparatus for tipping smoking articles

Claim 1

A cigarette tipping machine comprising: means for moving a non-circular filter plug along a predetermined filter plug path and for moving a non-circular tobacco rod along a part of said filter plug path in axial alignment with such filter plug; means for applying an adhesive tipping sheet to an assembly comprising such a filter plug and tobacco rod; rolling means for overlappingly wrapping such a tipping sheet around such an assembly to secure the filter plug and the tobacco rod together; said rolling means including a rolling drum adapted to receive such assemblies in a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart receiving flutes on the periphery of said rolling drum and to discharge such assemblies from a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart discharge flutes on the periphery of said drum, said discharge flutes being separate and distinct from said receiving flutes, the distance between adjacent ones of said discharge flutes being the same as the distance between adjacent ones of said receiving flutes; a first pressure element adjacent said rolling drum, said first pressure element and said rolling drum defining a rolling path therebetween; and means for driving said first pressure element and said rolling drum in the same angular direction but with different angular speeds about the axis of said rolling drum, for causing each such assembly to move along said rolling path by rolling relative to the periphery of said rolling drum, while subject to pressure exerted by said pressure element, from that one of said receiving flutes in which it is received to the first one of said discharge flutes following said one of said receiving flutes.

Claim 11

A method for rolling a non-circular cigarette assembly including a tobacco rod and a filter plug joined by a piece of tipping material to overlappingly wrap such tipping material around such cigarette assembly to secure such filter plug firmly to such tobacco rod, comprising the steps of: providing such a cigarette assembly at a feed point, with a first predetermined angular orientation, to a receiving flute on a rolling drum having a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart receiving flutes and a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart discharge flutes on the peripheral surface thereof, said discharge flutes being separate and distinct from said receiving flutes, the distance between adjacent ones of said discharge flutes being the same as the distance between adjacent ones of said receiving flutes; applying suction selectively from the interior of said drum exclusively to said receiving flutes in the region of said feed point; advancing said drum rotationally until said cigarette assembly contacts a first pressure element; deactivating said suction on said receiving flute; rotating said rolling drum in a first direction with a predetermined angular speed about the axis of said rolling drum; simultaneously moving said first pressure element generally parallel to said peripheral surface of said rolling drum with a second predetermined angular speed with respect to said axis, said second angular speed being different from said first angular speed, to roll said cigarette assembly along said peripheral surface of said rolling drum from the receiving flute in which it is received toward the first one of said discharge flutes following said receiving flute; advancing said rolling drum rotationally until said cigarette assembly clears said first pressure element; applying suction selectively from the interior of said rolling drum exclusively to said discharge flutes in the region in which said cigarette assembly clears said first pressure element; rotating said rolling drum until said cigarette assembly reaches a transfer point; deactivating said suction on said discharge flute; and transferring said cigarette assembly to a transfer drum.

Claim 12

A method for rolling a non-circular cigarette assembly including a tobacco rod and a filter plug joined by a piece of tipping material to overlappingly wrap such tipping material around such cigarette assembly to secure such filter plug firmly to such tobacco rod, comprising the steps of: providing such a cigarette assembly at a feed point, with a first predetermined angular orientation, to a receiving flute on a rolling drum having a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart receiving flutes and a plurality of uniformly spaced-apart discharge flutes on the peripheral surface thereof, said discharge flutes being separate and distinct from said receiving flutes, the distance between adjacent ones of said discharge flutes being the same as the distance between adjacent ones of said receiving flutes; applying suction selectively from the interior of said drum exclusively to said receiving flutes in the region of said feed point; advancing said drum rotationally until said cigarette assembly contacts a first pressure element; deactivating said suction on said receiving flute; rotating said rolling drum in a first direction with a predetermined angular speed about the axis of said rolling drum; simultaneously moving said first pressure element generally parallel to said peripheral surface of said rolling drum with a second predetermined angular speed with respect to said axis, said second angular speed being different from said first angular speed, to roll said cigarette assembly along said peripheral surface of said rolling drum from the receiving flute in which it is received toward the first one of said discharge flutes following said receiving flute; advancing said rolling drum rotationally until said cigarette assembly clears said first pressure element; applying suction selectively from the interior of said rolling drum exclusively to said discharge flutes in the region in which said cigarette assembly clears said first pressure element; rotating said rolling drum until said cigarette assembly reaches a transfer point; deactivating said suction on said discharge flute; and transferring said cigarette assembly to a transfer drum.