A cigarette pack in the form of a sealing pack consisting of an inner pack in the form of a foil block and an outer pack in the form of a hinge-lid box. An opening aid of the foil block is provided with a removal opening which is formed as an open recess as a result of punching during the production of a blank for the foil block, in particular in the region of a continuous foil web. Said removal opening, which is free right from the start, is closed by a closure tab which is able to be opened and closed multiple times on account of a corresponding glue connection. The closure tab is preferably connected permanently to the inside of a lid front wall of the outer pack by means of an actuating tab.

A processing method for automatically opening a slide-open package of tobacco articles with a hinged lid; the processing method including the steps of: mechanically clamping an outer container of the package; exerting pull on the lid to rotate the lid into an open position by means of a first actuator, which contacts a top wall of the lid, and has a suction head which engages the top wall by suction; and, simultaneously and in coordination with the step of exerting pull on the lid, exerting thrust on an inner container of the package, to slide the inner container axially with respect to the outer container, by means of a second actuator, which contacts a wall of the inner container through a window formed through a corresponding wall of the outer container.

A processing method for automatically opening a slide-open package of tobacco articles with a hinged lid; the processing method including the steps of: mechanically clamping an outer container of the package; exerting pull on the lid to rotate the lid into an open position by means of a first actuator, which contacts a top wall of the lid, and has a suction head which engages the top wall by suction; and, simultaneously and in coordination with the step of exerting pull on the lid, exerting thrust on an inner container of the package, to slide the inner container axially with respect to the outer container, by means of a second actuator, which contacts a wall of the inner container through a window formed through a corresponding wall of the outer container.

An embossing device comprises a first embossing roller and a second embossing roller forming a passage for a web of wrapping material to be embossed, which has a main line of extension and a direction of feed; the first embossing roller comprises on its outer surface toothings to make an imprint on the web; a first toothing having a first impression to imprint on said web a first segment of a reference for identifying a section of the web and a second toothing to imprint a decorative pattern on the web; the second toothing comprises a zone without teeth for defining on the web a second, unembossed segment of the reference; the first toothing and the zone without teeth are offset from each other along a directrix of the first roller.

An embossing device comprises a first embossing roller and a second embossing roller forming a passage for a web of wrapping material to be embossed, which has a main line of extension and a direction of feed; the first embossing roller comprises on its outer surface toothings to make an imprint on the web; a first toothing having a first impression to imprint on said web a first segment of a reference for identifying a section of the web and a second toothing to imprint a decorative pattern on the web; the second toothing comprises a zone without teeth for defining on the web a second, unembossed segment of the reference; the first toothing and the zone without teeth are offset from each other along a directrix of the first roller.

An image of the filter end faces of a bundle of cigarettes arranged side by side with axes thereof paralleled is acquired as an inspection image, and the diameters of the individual cigarettes of the bundle in the inspection image are obtained and compared with normal diameters associated with the respective cigarettes in the inspection image, to determine axial displacement of cigarettes from the bundle (first determination section). Also, the centers of gravity of the end faces of the individual cigarettes are obtained, and based on the difference between an inter-center-of-gravity distance which is the distance between an outermost cigarette in the bundle and its adjacent cigarette, and an inter-center-of-gravity distance which is the distance between adjacent cigarettes located in the central part of the bundle and belonging to the same tier as the outermost cigarette, axial displacement of the outermost cigarettes is determined (second determination section).

The invention concerns a device (1) for producing portion packets (2) of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product, comprising a forming arrangement (3) configured to form portion packets of the product from a supply of product material, a packaging arrangement (4) configured to fold and seal a packaging material (5) around the portion packets and comprising a unit for transversal sealing (11), a sensor member (12, 13) configured to generate information useful for identifying defect portion packets during operation of the device, a rejection system (7) configured to reject selected portion packets during operation of the device, and a control system (8) configured to receive the information generated by the sensor member and to control the rejection system. The sensor member is capable of generating data of at least a part of an individual portion packet during operation of the device, and the control system is configured to i) carry out a comparison between a) the data received from the sensor member and b) reference data and to ii) control the rejection system depending on a result of the comparison. The sensor member is arranged in association with the unit for transversal sealing, such as to be capable of generating data of portion packets that have been folded into the longitudinally folded strip of packaging material. The control system is provided with information on where on the strip of packaging material transversal seals (9) generated by the transversal sealing unit will be or have been placed. The invention also concerns a method for producing portion packets of a smokeless tobacco product or non-tobacco snuff product.

A method to set up at least one moveable operating member of an automatic machine for manufacturing consumer articles and comprising the steps of defining a first motion profile of the movable operating member and defining a corresponding second motion profile of an electric actuator system, which moves the moveable operating member with the first motion profile. The method calls for the further steps of: determining possible imperfections in the processing of the articles caused by the movable operating member; correcting, by means of an interface device and on the basis of the possible imperfections, the first motion profile, thus obtaining a first changed profile of the moveable operating member; and calculating, through a control unit, a reverse kinematics of the first changed profile so as to obtain a corresponding second changed profile to be commanded to the electric actuator system.

A diagnostic method for analysing the operation of an automatic machine which processes products in the tobacco industry includes the following steps: introducing into the machine an endoscopic probe whose shape and size correspond to the shape and size of the products the machine is designed to process and which the machine processes as if it were a real product. During processing in the machine, the probe acquires data through a sensor of its own. The method also includes determining the positions adopted by the probe while it is being processed in the machine and associating them with the data acquired by the probe while it is being processed in the machine.

A diagnostic method for analysing the operation of an automatic machine which processes products in the tobacco industry includes the following steps: introducing into the machine an endoscopic probe whose shape and size correspond to the shape and size of the products the machine is designed to process and which the machine processes as if it were a real product. During processing in the machine, the probe acquires data through a sensor of its own. The method also includes determining the positions adopted by the probe while it is being processed in the machine and associating them with the data acquired by the probe while it is being processed in the machine.