Abstract
A method for producing a rod (3) containing herbaceous material comprises the steps of: providing a sheet material (5) containing herbaceous material; shaping the sheet material into a rod-shape by conveying the sheet material along a conveying direction (7) through a funnel-shaped converging device (13); and dispensing an additive (21) onto the sheet material within the converging device.
Claims
1-16. (canceled)
17. A method for producing a rod containing herbaceous material, comprising the steps of: providing a sheet material containing herbaceous material; shaping the sheet material into a rod-shape by conveying the sheet material along a conveying direction through a funnel-shaped converging device; and dispensing an additive onto the sheet material within the converging device; wherein the sheet material is a cast of a slurry containing herbaceous material or of a paste containing herbaceous material; wherein the additive is dispensed as a liquid; and wherein the liquid flows on the sheet material.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sheet material comprises cut or ground herbaceous material.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sheet material comprises at least one of cellulose fibers and glycerin.
20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sheet material has a thickness of less than 1 millimeter, or of less than 0.5 millimeter, or of less than 0.2 millimeter, or of less than 0.1 millimeter, or of less than 0.05 millimeter.
21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the additive is dispensed within the converging device through an end section of a pipe.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein a wall thickness of the end section of the pipe varies around a circumference of the end section of the pipe, and wherein the pipe comprises a base section provided within the converging device upstream of the end section and a bent section connecting the base section with the end section.
23. A device for producing a rod from sheet material, comprising: a funnel-shaped converging device; a conveyor device configured to convey sheet material along a conveying direction through the funnel-shaped converging device; and a pipe having an end section configured for dispensing an additive from the end section within the converging device, wherein a wall thickness of the end section of the pipe varies around a circumference of the end section of the pipe; and wherein the pipe comprises a base section provided within the converging device upstream of the end section and a bent section connecting the base section with the end section.
24. The device according to claim 23, wherein an outer surface of the end section of the pipe has a non-circular cross-section.
25. The device according to claim 23, wherein an outer circumferential surface of the end section of the pipe has at least one flat portion.
26. Device according to claim 25, wherein an angle between a first flat portion of the end section of the pipe and a second flat portion of the end section of the pipe is between 50 degrees and 70 degrees, or between 55 degrees and 65 degrees, or between 80 degrees and 100 degrees, or between 85 degrees and 95 degrees.
27. The device according to claim 23, wherein an outer circumferential shape of the end section of the pipe is different from an outer circumferential shape of the base section of the pipe.
28. The device according to claim 23, wherein an outer circumferential surface of the bent section of the pipe comprises at least one flat portion.
29. The device according to claim 23, wherein an outer diameter of the pipe decreases along the conveying direction.
30. The device according to claim 23, wherein the end section of the pipe is coated, in particular with a friction reducing coating.
Description
[0075] Examples and embodiments will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:
[0076] FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a device for producing a rod from sheet material according to an embodiment;
[0077] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a converging device and an additive dispensing pipe of a device for producing a rod from sheet material according to an embodiment;
[0078] FIG. 3 shows schematic perspective views of the additive dispensing pipe according to two different embodiments; and
[0079] FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a converging device of a device for producing a rod from sheet material according to an embodiment.
[0080] FIG. 1 shows an overview over a device 1 for producing a rod 3 from sheet material 5 according to an embodiment. Preferably, the sheet material 5 contains herbaceous material, such as tobacco material. The sheet material 5 may comprise reconstituted tobacco material, for example. The sheet material may be cast leaf material, in particular tobacco cast leaf material.
[0081] The sheet material 5 is conveyed along a conveying direction 7 by a conveyor device 9, which is schematically shown in FIG. 1. Along the conveying direction 7, the sheet material 5 is first supplied to crimping rollers 11 that crimp the sheet material 5 to facilitate shaping the sheet material 5 into the rod 3 in a converging device 13 downstream of the crimping rollers 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor device 9 is provided at least partially downstream of the converging device 13 and is configured to convey the sheet material 5 along the conveying direction 7 through the converging device 13. In particular, the conveyor device 9 may pull the sheet material 5 through the converging device 13.
[0082] FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of the converging device 13. The converging device 13 is funnel-shaped and has a wall 15 defining a forming space 17. The sheet material 5 is conveyed through the forming space 17 along the conveying direction 7. A cross-sectional area of the forming space 17 in a sectional plane perpendicular to the conveying direction 7 decreases along the conveying direction 7. When the sheet material 5 is conveyed through the converging device 13 along the conveying direction 7, the sheet material 5 engages the wall 15 of the converging device 13 from inside the converging device 13 and is thereby shaped into a rod 3. Shaping the sheet material 5 into the rod 3 may comprise one or more of folding, bending and compressing the sheet material 5.
[0083] As illustrated in FIG. 2, it is not required that the converging device 13, in particular the wall 15 of the converging device 13, is fully closed circumferentially around the conveying direction 7. In the illustrated embodiment, the converging device 13 is open at its lower side. Preferably, a support may be provided below the converging device 13, for example in a form of a garnisher belt that is driven in the conveying direction 7 and may support the sheet material 5. It would, however, also be conceivable that the converging device 13 is fully closed circumferentially around the conveying direction 7.
[0084] As shown in FIG. 2, a pipe 19 is provided to supply an additive 21 to an inside of the converging device 13, in particular into the forming space 17. In the illustrated embodiment, the pipe 19 enters into the forming space 17 through the wall 15 of the converging device 13 from above. The pipe 19 may be connected to an additive reservoir 23 provided outside the converging device 13. A pump 25 may be provided to pump the additive 21 from the reservoir 23 into the pipe 19. The additive 23 may be supplied as a liquid. The additive 21 may comprise one or more substances to be added to the sheet material 5, such as flavor substances, in particular menthol, nicotine or glycerin, for example.
[0085] The pipe 19 comprises a straight base section 27 and a straight end section 29. The base section 27 and the end section 29 are connected by a bent section 31. At a far end of the end section 29, a dispensing opening 33 for dispensing the additive 21 is provided. Preferably, the additive 21 is dispensed through the dispensing opening 33 as a liquid. The dispensing opening 33 is provided at an end face of the pipe 19. The end section 29 of the pipe 19 extends in parallel to the conveying direction 7. Thus, the sheet material 5 is conveyed along and in parallel to the end section 29 of the pipe 19. Due to the narrowing diameter of the converging device 13 along the conveying direction 7, the sheet material 5 is compressed against the outer surface of the end section 29 of the pipe 19. Preferably, the end section 29 of the pipe 19 is positioned such that the sheet material 5 upon being shaped and compressed in the converging device 13 circumferentially surrounds the end section 29 of the pipe 19.
[0086] The additive 21 may be continuously dispensed through the dispensing opening 33. When a particular section of the sheet material 5 passes the dispensing opening 33 along the conveying direction 7, additive 21 may be dispensed onto the particular section of the sheet material 5 and may be taken along with the sheet material 5.
[0087] According to the illustrated embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the pipe 19 has a circular cross section. The base section 27 of the pipe 19 within the converging device 13 has an outer circumferential surface that also has a circular cross section. The outer shape of the pipe 19 changes at the bent section 31.
[0088] FIG. 3 shows two alternative versions of the pipe 19 differing from each other due to their outer shapes in the end sections 29 and the bent sections 31. The embodiment illustrated in part A of FIG. 3 essentially corresponds to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment of part A of FIG. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the pipe 19 comprises three flat portions 35 that extend along the end section 29 of the pipe 19 and into the bent section 31 of the pipe 19. The flat portions 35 are arranged one behind the other along the circumferential direction of the pipe 19. The flat portions 35 each extend from the free end of the pipe 19, which is part of the end section 29, against the conveying direction 7 and into the bent section 31 of the pipe 19. In the embodiment of part A of FIG. 3, the flat portions 35 are directly adjacent to each other (share a common border) along the circumference of the pipe 19. However, it would also be conceivable to, for example, have additional curved or flat portions between adjacent flat portions 35. In the embodiment of part A of FIG. 3, an angle 37 between adjacent flat portions 35 is 60 degrees. The flat portions 35 may, for example, be obtained by removing parts of a cylindrical pipe.
[0089] In the embodiment shown in part B of FIG. 3, the outer circumferential surface of the end section 29 of the pipe 19 has four flat portions 35, as compared to the three flat portions 35 shown in part A of FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown in part B of FIG. 3, curved portions of the outer circumferential shape of the pipe 19 lie between adjacent flat portions 35 with respect to the circumferential direction of the pipe 19. As an alternative, the flat portions 35 could be directly adjacent to each other along the circumferential direction of the pipe 19. In part B of FIG. 3, the angle 37 between two adjacent flat portions 35 is 19 degrees. As in part A of FIG. 3, the flat portions 35 shown in part B of FIG. 3 extend against the conveying direction 7 throughout the end section 29 of the pipe 19 and into the bent section 31 of the pipe 19.
[0090] In both parts A and B of FIG. 3, at the flat portions 35, the diameter of the pipe 19 is reduced as compared to the diameter of the pipe 19 at the base section 27. This leads to the end section 29 of the pipe 19 being less obstructive to the sheet material 5, when the sheet material 5 is conveyed through the converging device 19. Due to the flat portions 35, the sheet material 5 may be more closely compressed along the end section 29 of the pipe 19. As the flat portions 35 extend into the bent section 31 of the pipe 19, the sheet material 5 may smoothly part around the pipe 19 and move along the end section 29 of the pipe 19.
[0091] As can be seen from FIG. 3, a wall thickness of the end section 29 of the pipe 19 varies around the circumference of the end section 29 of the pipe 19. The wall of the end section 29 becomes relatively thin in the middle of the flat portions 35 when seen in the circumferential direction and becomes relatively thick near the ends of the flat portions 35 with respect to the circumferential direction. Comparatively thicker portions of the wall provide the end section 29 of the pipe 19 with stability. The comparatively thin wall sections allow the sheet material 5 to pass the dispensing opening 33 at a close distance.
[0092] The angle 39 defined between the end section 29 and the base section 27 of the pipe 19 may be between 140 degrees and 150 degrees, for example.
[0093] The end section 29 of the pipe 19 may be fully or partially coated with a friction reducing coating, such as a diamond-like-carbon coating (DLC coating).
[0094] FIG. 4 illustrates how the pipe 19 may be mounted to the converging device 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the converging device 13 comprises two parts 41, 43 that are arranged one behind the other along the conveying direction 7. Alternatively, the converging device 13 could comprise only one part or more than two parts. FIG. 4 shows a connecting section 45 of the pipe 19 extending through the wall 15 of the converging device 13 towards to an outside of the converging device 13. The connecting section 45 of the pipe 19 is configured to be connected with a fluid line 47 connecting the pipe 19 with the pump 25 and the reservoir 23. A heater 49 is provided at the connecting section 45 of the pipe 19 to heat the additive 21 within the pipe 19. The heater 49 is attached to the converging device 13 via the connecting section 45 of the pipe 19. Alternatively, the heater 49 could, for example, be directly connected to the converging device 13.
[0095] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood as A ±10 percent of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values that are within general standard error for the measurement of the property that the number A modifies. The number A, in some instances as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages enumerated above provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.
