Method for manufacturing inductively heatable tobacco products

Abstract

The method for manufacturing inductively heatable tobacco products comprises the steps of providing a tobacco product, providing a susceptor segment and positioning the susceptor segment in the tobacco product by moving the susceptor segment and the tobacco product relative to each other. Thereby the susceptor segment is pushed into the tobacco product.

Claims

1. Method for manufacturing inductively heatable tobacco products, the method comprising the steps of: providing a tobacco product, and providing a first receiving portion comprising a flute accommodating the tobacco product in the flute; providing a susceptor segment, and providing a second receiving portion comprising a receiving section accommodating the susceptor segment in the receiving section; positioning the susceptor segment in the tobacco product by moving the susceptor segment and the tobacco product relative to each other, thereby pushing the susceptor segment into the tobacco product; aligning a longitudinal axis of the flute of the first receiving portion with the receiving section of the second receiving portion, such that upon relatively moving the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion against each other pushing and positioning the susceptor segment of the second receiving portion into and in the tobacco product of the first receiving portion.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of positioning the susceptor segment in the tobacco product comprises positioning the susceptor segment in a central portion of the tobacco product.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein a length of the susceptor segment is smaller or equal to the length of a tobacco product.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco product comprises a tobacco segment and the susceptor segment is positioned in the tobacco segment of the tobacco product.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the susceptor segment has a pointed first end and a flat second end and arranging the susceptor segment in the receiving section such that the pointed first end directs versus the tobacco product.

6. Method according to claim 1, providing a plurality of tobacco products and providing a plurality of susceptor segments and positioning, each one of the plurality of susceptor segments in a corresponding tobacco product of the plurality of tobacco products.

7. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of keeping the tobacco product or a plurality of tobacco products stationary, while moving the susceptor segment or a plurality of susceptor segments during positioning of the susceptor segment in the tobacco product or during positioning of the plurality of susceptor segments in the plurality of tobacco products.

8. Method according to a claim 1, comprising the steps of: providing the first receiving portion comprising a plurality of flutes for accommodating a plurality of tobacco products; providing the second receiving portion comprising a plurality of receiving sections for accommodating a plurality of susceptor segments; aligning a plurality of longitudinal axes of the plurality of flutes of the first receiving portion with the plurality of receiving sections of the second receiving portion, such that upon relatively moving the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion against each other pushing and positioning the plurality of susceptor segments of the second receiving portion into and in the plurality of tobacco products of the first receiving portion.

9. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of retaining the tobacco product or a plurality of tobacco products in the flute or in a plurality of flutes of the first receiving portion by the provision of a retaining element.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the step of retaining the tobacco product or the plurality of tobacco products in the flute or in a plurality of flutes of the first receiving portion comprises clamping the tobacco product or the plurality of tobacco products between the flute or the plurality of flutes of the first receiving portion and a flute or a plurality of flutes of the retaining element.

11. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of actuating a movement mechanism for relatively moving the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion against or away from each other.

12. Method according to claim 1, providing in the first receiving portion 2 to 200 flutes, for accommodating the tobacco products.

Description

(1) The invention is further described with regard to embodiments, which are illustrated by means of the following drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus for insertion of susceptor segments into tobacco products;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an apparatus with separated retaining element;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a detail of the apparatus of FIG. 2 with tobacco product and susceptor segments;

(5) FIG. 4 shows the manufacturing step with entirely inserted susceptor segments;

(6) FIG. 5A is a plan view of a susceptor for use in a tobacco product;

(7) FIG. 5B is a side view of the susceptor of FIG. 5A.

(8) In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 an apparatus for susceptor segment insertion into a tobacco product is shown.

(9) The apparatus comprises a frame 30 with a first receiving portion 10 and a second receiving portion 20 arranged in the frame 30. The first receiving portion 10 is fixedly arranged in the frame 30 at a distance from a front side 300 of the frame 30 and at a distance to the second receiving portion 20. The second receiving portion 20 is movably arranged in the frame 30 and positioned at the front side 300 of the frame 300.

(10) A linear movement of the second receiving portion 20 is achieved by turning a lever 31 (indicated with arrow), which lever 31 is rotatably attached to the frame 20 via shaft 311. Offset to the position of the shaft 311, the lever 31 is rotatably connected to one end of a connection bar 32. The connection bar 32 is arranged parallel to and along a side of the frame 30. The other end of the connection bar 32 is fixed to the second receiving portion 20. Lever 31 and connection bar 32 thus form a moving mechanism for the second receiving portion 20.

(11) In FIGS. 1 and 2, the lever 31 is in a retracted position, which corresponds to a preparation status of the apparatus. Upon operation of the lever 31 (pressing downwards), the second receiving portion 20 is made to move versus the first receiving portion 10. The first receiving portion 10 provides an end stop to the second receiving portion 20.

(12) First receiving portion 10 is provided with a plurality of flutes 11, for example, a few tens of flutes, for example, 20 flutes, for accommodating a plurality of tobacco products. This is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The flutes 11 are arranged equidistantly in the first receiving portion 10 and parallel to each other with their longitudinal axis parallel to the moving direction of the second receiving portion 20 (indicated by arrow). The second receiving portion 20 is provided with a plurality of receiving surfaces 21 for accommodating a plurality of susceptor segments 5 in the form of strips. The receiving surfaces 21 are arranged equidistantly in the second receiving portion 20 and parallel to each other with a longitudinally axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the flutes 11 of the first receiving portion 10. Horizontal, vertical and lateral position of the receiving surfaces 21 and the flutes 11 are adjusted such that upon insertion of the susceptor segments 5 into the tobacco products 4, the susceptor segment 5 is arranged in the tobacco product at a predefined position. Preferably, the predefined position corresponds to a central position of the tobacco product and in a tobacco segment 41 of the tobacco product 4 only. The tobacco product 4 as shown in FIG. 3 is a tobacco product that may directly be used in an electronic heating device with resistively heated heating blade. The tobacco product 4 comprises a filter segment 41 and a tobacco segment 41.

(13) In the flute, a tobacco end 400 of the tobacco product 4 is aligned flush with a front side of the first receiving portion 10. For insertion of the susceptor segment 5 into the tobacco product, a pointed end 50 of the susceptor strip directs to the tobacco end 400 of the tobacco product 4.

(14) The upper portion 26 of the second receiving portion 20 is movable along guide elements 23. By this movement all susceptor segments 5 are simultaneously pushed forward into the tobacco ends 400 of the tobacco products 4.

(15) An insertion position of first and second receiving portions 10,20 is shown in FIG. 4. In the embodiment shown, the insertion position is reached when the second receiving portion 20 abuts the first receiving portion 10. This is at the same time the farthest position the susceptor segments may be moved and inserted into a tobacco product if aligned as in FIG. 3. After insertion, the lever 31 of the apparatus may be operated again in the opposite direction and moved to its retracted position. By this, the second receiving portion 20 is moved back to its initial position at the front side 300 of the frame.

(16) As can best be see in FIG. 2, the first receiving portion 10 is provided with a retaining element 16. The retaining element 16 comprises a plurality of flutes 160, which number, size and arrangement may be identical to the flutes 11 of the first receiving portion 10. The retaining element 16 is removably mountable via screws 16 to the first receiving portion 10, By this, tobacco products 4 provided in the flutes 11 of the first receiving portion 10 are held in between the retaining element 15 and first receiving portion. Via screws 16 a clamping force acting on the tobacco products may be defined.

(17) After susceptor insertion, the retaining element 15 may be removed. The inductively heatable tobacco products may then be removed from the apparatus and, for example, packed for selling.

(18) The apparatus is now ready again for being provided with tobacco products 4 into the flutes 11 and susceptor segments 5 onto the receiving surfaces 21 for renewed manufacture of inductively heatable tobacco products.

(19) FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B illustrate an example of a unitary multi-material susceptor for use in a tobacco product according to an embodiment of the invention. The susceptor 5 is in the form of an elongate strip having a length of 12 mm and a width of 4 mm. The susceptor is formed from a first susceptor material 55 that is intimately coupled to a second susceptor material 54. The first susceptor material 55 is in the form of a strip of grade 430 stainless steel having dimensions of 12 mm by 4 mm by 25 micrometres. The second susceptor material 54 is in the form of a strip of nickel having dimensions of 12 mm by 4 mm by 10 micrometres. The susceptor is formed by cladding the strip of nickel 54 to the strip of stainless steel 55. The total thickness of the susceptor is 35 micrometres. The susceptor 5 of FIG. 2 may be termed a bi-layer or multilayer susceptor.

(20) The set-up of the apparatus may easily be adapted to different forms and types of tobacco products as well as to different forms of susceptor segments. This may, for example be done, by adaption of clamping forces, or a different positioning of first and/or second receiving portion, for example changing a relative distance between first and second receiving portion. Adaption may, for example, also be performed by replacement of one of the first or of the second receiving portion or of both, the first and the second receiving portion. For example, if thinner tobacco products shall be provided with a susceptor segment, the first or the second receiving portion, or both adapted to the new tobacco product and possibly also new susceptor size or form may be replaced.

(21) While the apparatus and method according to the invention has been described with the example of a manual apparatus, operation of the apparatus may also be performed automatically, for example, by means of a motor. Also, a supply of tobacco products and susceptor segments may be performed automatically, for example by an appropriate loading mechanism.