Patent Application Titled "Cigarette Filter Manufacturing Apparatus and Cigarette Filter Manufacturing Method" Published Online

Source from:  4-traders 01/03/2014

According to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by VerticalNews journalists, a patent application by the inventor KATO, Katsuo (Tokyo, JP), filed on August 20, 2013, was made available online on December 26, 2013.

The assignee for this patent application is Japan Tobacco Inc.

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a cigarette filter including a string impregnated with a flavoring or the like, and a method of manufacturing the cigarette filter.

"For example, a cigarette which achieves unique flavor by extending a plurality of threads impregnated with menthol through a filter, and an apparatus of manufacturing the cigarette filter are disclosed. The cigarette filter manufacturing apparatus comprises a duct-like tongue having a tapering shape, a convergence guide which is provided more upstream than the tongue and configured to supply a filter tow to the tongue, a plurality of cylindrical needles which supply threads impregnated with menthol or the like into the tongue, and a stuffer jet which feeds the filter tow to the convergence guide by using air pressure.

"The needles are arranged from the outside of the tongue into the tongue, in an oblique direction, not a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the tongue. A plurality of threads which are fed through the needles are conveyed together with the filter tow, and arranged in predetermined positions in the filter.

"In addition, there is a cigarette filter manufacturing apparatus which supplies a thread to a filter tow by a thread supply tube. In this example, in the tongue, a thread is supplied from below to the filter tow, and thereby a filter in which the thread extends through a cross section thereof is formed.

"In the same manner, there is another example of a cigarette filter manufacturing apparatus, which supplies a thread to a filter tow by a thread supply tube. In the apparatus, a thread is supplied from above to a flow of the filter tow, and thereby a filter in which the thread extends through a cross section thereof is formed."

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent application, VerticalNews editors also obtained the inventor's summary information for this patent application: "Technical Problem

"In Patent Literature 1, however, the filter tow in the tongue is continuously pulled downstream by a garniture tape. Thus, when the needles are simply arranged obliquely toward the inside of the tongue as described above, the threads tend to gather toward the central axis of the tongue. So, it is difficult to arrange the threads to disperse at regular intervals in a cross section of the filter.

"In addition, although a plurality of threads may be supplied by using the single thread supply tube in the apparatuses of Patent Literatures 2 and 3, no measures can be taken for the density of the filter tow, and consequently the threads undesirably crowd. In addition, since the apparatuses have the structure in which a thread is supplied to the filter tow from above or below, there is the problem that a plurality of threads are concentrated to a peripheral part of the filter.

Solution to Problem

"A cigarette filter manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a stuffer jet which feeds a tow together with air, a tongue which molds the tow into a bar, a convergence guide which is provided in a position between the stuffer jet and the tongue, and converges the tow while guiding the tow toward the tongue, and a plurality of thread introducing tubes which extend in a position between an outlet of the stuffer jet and an introducing part of the tongue such that intervals between the thread introducing tubes are gradually reduced toward the downstream, and supply respective threads into the tow from their downstream distal ends.

"A method of manufacturing a cigarette filter according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: supplying a plurality of threads from distal ends of thread introducing tubes which extend in a position between an outlet of the stuffer jet and an introducing part of the tongue such that intervals between the thread introducing tubes are gradually reduced toward the downstream; and molding the tow including the threads into a bar in the tongue.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

"According to the above structure, it is possible to provide a cigarette filter manufacturing apparatus and a cigarette filter manufacturing method, which enable arrangement of threads at regular intervals in the filter. Enditem