Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Home production of cigarettes from a tobacco cuboid
The invention relates to a device, a method, a system and
a tobacco cuboid for home production of cigarettes, in
particular filter cigarettes, by the consumer. In
particular the invention relates to home production which
is to be regarded as an alternative to the production of
cigarettes by rolling them from loose tobacco (roll your
own), home stuffing of cigarettes from loose tobacco or
the known production of cigarettes from pre-manufactured
tobacco strands from tobacco rolls or stix (make your
own).
EP 0 647 411 B1 describes a multitude of tobacco cuboids
which are held in shape by internal and external
substances. Pre-portions are provided in these tobacco
cuboids. Different sleeves are also described.
EP 0 584 805 Bl describes a tobacco cuboid which has
greatly rounded longitudinal sides and a porous outer
sleeve. Furthermore it describes a device which is used
for home production of cigarettes from the tobacco
cuboids in sleeves also described therein. The sleeve is
not removed upon use of the described device, which can
have negative effects upon taste for the consumer.
Furthermore, the use of a knife to separate a portion of
tobacco from the tobacco cuboid is necessary, the limited
shelf life of which also limits the use of the whole
device.
It is the object of the invention to facilitate optimised
home production of cigarettes, in particular filter
cigarettes.
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This object is achieved through the subject matter of the
claims 1, 18, 20 and 28. The further claims define
embodiments of the invention.
A fundamental idea of the invention consists in providing
a device which uses a quantity of tobacco including
several portions for cigarette production, whereby each
portion is sufficient to produce one cigarette. This
multi-portion quantity of tobacco should be essentially
in the shape of a cuboid, which is why the term tobacco
cuboid is used.
As will become clearer below, the definition of the
tobacco cuboid is significant for the processability of
the tobacco cuboid with the different embodiments of the
device according to the invention.
The tobacco cuboid has a density, particularly being
homogenous, which does not substantially deviate from
that of the finished cigarette. In particular the density
of the tobacco cuboid is not more than twice that of the
finished cigarette and not less than half that of the
finished cigarette. A tobacco cuboid is preferred with a
density which is close to that of the finished cigarette.
The tobacco cuboid has a height and width which
correspond to the dimensions of the finished cigarette,
i.e. the height of the tobacco block corresponds to the
diameter and the width of the tobacco block corresponds
to the length of the tobacco strand of the finished
cigarette. With virtually identical density of the
tobacco block and the finished cigarette, the
corresponding dimensions are also virtually identical
accordingly. Should the density of the tobacco cuboid,
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however, deviate upwardly or downwardly from that of the
finished cigarette, this is compensated by the
corresponding adaptations of the height or the width of
the tobacco cuboid in order to be able to produce a
cigarette of high quality. The length of the tobacco
cuboid corresponds to the number of the portions of the
multi-portion quantity of tobacco in the tobacco cuboid.
The length is preferably orientated so that a whole
number of tobacco portions is contained in the tobacco
cuboid. In particular the number of tobacco portions
should be greater than 5.
The tobacco cuboid comprises a homogenous, loose mass of
tobacco which preferably has no defined structure. In
particular there are no strand-form pre-portions.
However, it is also conceivable for the tobacco cuboid to
have perforations on the corresponding parts of the
length of the tobacco cuboid without dividing the tobacco
cuboid. Such perforations can be introduced through
different methods. In particular, knives, circular knives
or water jet cutting methods are conceivable. These
perforations serve to facilitate the separation of a
tobacco portion from the rest of the tobacco cuboid.
The tobacco cuboid is preferably held together by
inherent forces. With long fibre tobacco sections this is
easily achieved through the length of the fibres. With
short fibre tobacco sections, this can be achieved
through the adaptation of the casing materials. In case
of need, the surface of the tobacco cuboid can also be
correspondingly treated, in particular being sprayed.
Irrespectively of a further re-packaging, the tobacco
cuboid can have a sleeve which guarantees the freshness
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of the tobacco cuboid, facilitates the handling of the
tobacco cuboid in home production of cigarettes and also
ensures the form stability of the tobacco cuboid. This
sleeve can enclose all sides of the tobacco cuboid or
only a few, in particular a single side.
It is, however, also conceivable that such a sleeve is
unnecessary.
For home production of cigarettes the sleeve is opened or
completely removed in order that the device according to
the invention can process the loose tobacco cuboid. It is
provided that as few parts of the sleeve as possible are
involved in the process of home production of the
cigarettes, in particular no parts thereof being
involved.
Paper and cardboard are just as conceivable for sleeve
materials as plastic, in particular film materials.
The invention is described in greater detail with the aid
of several embodiments by reference to the attached
drawing. It can include all features described herein
individually or in any meaningful combination and be
realised both as a device or a product (tobacco cuboid)
or also as a system of devices / products or as a method.
In particular the method features and the features for a
tobacco cuboid according to the invention follow from the
complete disclosure provided herein, in particular from
the described or logically consistent use of the parts of
the device. The drawing shows the following:
Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the device
according to the invention,
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Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the device
according to the invention,
Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of the device
according to the invention,
5 Fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the device
according to the invention,
Fig. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of the device
according to the invention,
Fig. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of the device
according to the invention,
Fig. 7 shows a further arrangement of an embodiment of
the device according to the invention,
Fig. 8 shows a seventh embodiment of the device
according to the invention.
The devices according to the invention can be divided
into two groups. Devices which separate individual
tobacco portions from the tobacco cuboid will be
described first of all. Devices which separate several
tobacco portions from the tobacco cuboid through one
process, preferably processing the whole tobacco cuboid
in one process, will follow. If no further details are
given concerning the conveying of the tobacco strand thus
formed, this will be achieved through known method steps
and device components such as tappet elements or spoon-
like sliding elements.
Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the device according to the
invention, schematically, wherein three work stages can
be seen, one below the other.
A tobacco cuboid 1 lies on a receiving area 3 of a base
body 2 of the device. Since a cutting die 5 is located
outside of a tobacco portion receiving area 7, the
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tobacco cuboid 1 can be pushed as far as a portioning
stop 9. If the cutting die 5 is pushed downwards, a
tobacco portion 11 is cut off. The cutting can thereby
take place simultaneously over the whole length of the
tobacco cuboid or through a joint element in the manner
of a pair of scissors. The form of the cutting die
provides concave forming means for the tobacco strand and
two separating edges 4 which, together with the edge of
the tobacco portion receiving area 7, form the cutting
edge for the tobacco portion 11. A knife for separating
the tobacco portion from the tobacco cuboid is not
necessary. The formed tobacco portion 11 can now be
conveyed out of the drawing plane by means which are not
shown into the cigarette tube.
In the further figures, components which are the same or
have the same effect have the same reference numerals as
in Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of the device according
to the invention, schematically, wherein three work
stages can be seen, one beside the other. This differs
from the embodiment according to Fig. 1 in that the
tobacco is supplied vertically, i.e. in accordance with
gravity. In both embodiments, however, a mechanical
conveying aid can also be provided which supports, for
example through prestressing of a spring, the transport
of the tobacco block into the stop position.
Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of the device according
to the invention, schematically, wherein three work
stages can be seen, one beside the other. The tobacco
cuboid 1 is again brought through a receiving area 3 into
the device and pushed against the portioning stop 9. The
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portioning takes place in this device, however, through a
clamping mechanism with two clamping halves 13 which are
arranged on a joint 14, in particular being force-locking
(for example closing through spring force). In the closed
state of the clamping mechanism the tobacco portion 11 is
formed whereby the portioning stop 9 together with the
two clamping mechanism halves 13 defines the tobacco
portion receiving area 7. The conveying of the tobacco
portion 11 (of the tobacco strand) into a cigarette paper
tube can take place as described above.
Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the device according
to the invention, schematically, wherein three work
stages can be seen, one beside the other. The tobacco
cuboid 1 is portioned between two forming wheels 15,
here, which comprise round, concave forming means 16
(notches) with separating edges 4 on their outer
periphery. By rotating (mechanically) the forming wheels
15 the tobacco is pre-portioned by means of 2 or 3
notches, cut and conveyed into the tobacco portion
receiving area 7. Here, the portioning stop 9, together
with the notches 16 of the forming wheels 15, forms the
tobacco portion 11. The conveying of the tobacco portion
11 (of the tobacco strand) into a cigarette paper tube
can take place as described above.
Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of the device according
to the invention, schematically, wherein four work stages
can be seen, one beside the other. In particular there is
a deviation from the embodiment in Fig. 4. In this
embodiment the tobacco cuboid 1 is fed to a single
forming wheel 15 in a housing 20 and the tobacco cuboid 1
is divided into portions in that the tobacco cuboid 1 is
separated through the separating edges (4) (webs) of the
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forming wheel 15 and formed with the housing wall 18 as a
counter bearing. As in the embodiment according to Fig.
4, the forming wheel 15 is further rotated mechanically.
In position 7 the tobacco portion has reached the
receiving area and can be conveyed as described above.
Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of the device according
to the invention, schematically, wherein four work stages
can be seen, one below the other. It is an embodiment
wherein the tobacco cuboid 1 is simultaneously divided
into several tobacco portions. This device consists
essentially of two forming halves 17 which can receive
the complete tobacco cuboid 1 and are connected at an
edge by a hinge element 19 or similar. Stops or markers
can be provided in the forming halves 17 in order to
correctly position the tobacco cuboid 1(not shown here).
The forming halves 7 have, alternately, dies 5 with
separating edges 4 and tobacco portion receiving areas 7,
whereby these elements are longitudinally offset in the
two halves. By folding together the two forming halves
17, the individual tobacco portions 11 are divided in one
movement but nonetheless partially offset in time, and
finished through the preformed semi-circles of the
tobacco portion receiving areas 7 in the forming halves
17. After the complete edging in the penultimate stage,
the tobacco portions 11 are formed which are indicated in
the last stage, whereby only two of them are indicated.
In this embodiment the formed tobacco portions 11 are
arranged in two planes, one more in the upper forming
half and one more in the lower forming half of the
device.
Fig. 7 shows the embodiment of a device according to the
invention which can be formed for example according to
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Fig. 6, schematically, in a closed state and with filter
cigarette tubes 22 placed on it. In Fig. 7, above, an
upper view is shown, below are two work stages in a
sectional representation for the arrangement of the
tobacco portion 11 in the sleeve 22. For each formed
tobacco portion 11 a slide element 21 is provided, with
which the tobacco portion 11 can be conveyed into the
cigarette tube 12 and which comprises a contact head
which projects through a slot 24 out of the top of the
device. It is obviously clear to the person skilled in
the art that the corresponding slide elements 21 can also
be arranged as rods on the side lying opposite the
cigarette tubes. It is also possible for all slide
elements 21 to be connected and all tobacco portions 11
to be simultaneously conveyed.
Fig. 8 shows a further embodiment of the device according
to the invention, schematically, wherein three work
stages can be seen, one beside the other. This
constitutes in turn a variant of the embodiment in Fig.
6. In particular, the upper forming half 17 is not
connected to the lower half by a hinge here. The tobacco
cuboid 1 is thereby separated at all separating points
simultaneously through partially lengthened separating
edges 4 of the upper half which can travel in the lower
counter element (lower forming half) into receiving slots
25. In this respect, great force application is necessary
and separating webs 23 are thus provided. It is likewise
preferable for the tobacco cuboid 1 to consist of
comparatively few tobacco portions in order to reduce the
force application. The conveying of the tobacco portions
11 (the tobacco strands) into a cigarette paper tube can
take place as described above.
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As the tobacco cuboid 1, as described, can have a higher
or lower density than the finished cigarette, means can
be provided in these embodiments which achieve a change
5 in the tobacco stuffing density during conveying. For
example there may be a reduction of the diameter in the
manner of a truncated cone which thus leads to an
increase in the stuffing density.
10 On the other hand surface structures in the conveying
channel may lead to the tobacco portion breaking up and
hence a reduction of the tobacco stuffing density. It is
preferable, however, for the tobacco cuboid to have a
density which lies only negligibly below that of the
finished tobacco strand, and the desired small increase
is achieved by compressing the tobacco portion during
conveying.
