Packaging machine and method

Abstract

A method and machine for packaging smoking articles or other tobacco industry products in which the products and packaging may be transported from selected product supply systems and packaging material supply systems selectively along a plurality of alternative transport routes through the machine through a series of workstations arranged to incorporate batches of smoking products selectively in different packaging materials according to the transport route selected.

Claims

1. A method of packaging tobacco industry products in which the products and packaging materials are subjected to successive assembly operations that incorporate products in packs formed from the packaging material, the method comprising: transporting a first batch of products, from a first supply system, through a set of workstations, the set of workstations being positioned serially along at least one of a plurality of non-overlapping parallel transport routes, each workstation of the set of workstations having a dedicated packaging material supply system, the dedicated packaging material supply systems collectively forming a second supply system; the method further comprising the following steps: supplying a first type of packaging material to a first workstation of the set of workstations from the corresponding dedicated packaging material supply system, the first type of packaging material forming part of a first finished product; supplying a second type of packaging material to at least one other workstation of the set of workstations from the corresponding dedicated packaging supply system, the second type of packaging material forming part of a second finished product; incorporating products of the first batch in the first type of packaging material at the first workstation by performing successive assembly operations at the first workstation to form the first finished product; incorporating products of the first batch in the second type of packaging material at the at least one other workstation by performing successive assembly operations at the at least one other workstation to form the second finished product; and transporting a second batch of products through a set of workstations along one of the plurality of transport routes and performing thereon successive assembly operations that incorporate the products in the packaging materials to form finished products, one of the products and the packaging materials of the second batch being transported or supplied from at least one further supply system and the other of the products and packaging materials of the second batch being transported or supplied from one of the first supply system and the second supply system, wherein said successive assembly operations comprises selectively operating workstations positioned serially along a single transport route according to the particular pack being assembled; and wherein the transporting and performing steps are carried out such that the first and second batches incorporate one of: said product in packs of different types, and different products in packs of the first type.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising utilizing a controller to cause products to be transported along a selected one of a plurality of sequences of assembly operations.

Description

(1) In order that the subject invention may be easily understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a first embodiment of a machine according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a sequence of assembly operations performed by workstations in the machine of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of a second embodiment of a machine according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic layout of a machine constructed according to FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 4a is a partial schematic layout of a modification of the machine illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, showing the modified part of the machine;

(7) FIG. 5 illustrates a further sequence of assembly operations performed by workstations in a machine of the invention; and

(8) FIG. 6 illustrates a still further sequence of assembly operations performed by workstations in a machine of the invention.

(9) In the drawings, like items in different embodiments are identified by like reference numerals.

(10) Referring to FIG. 1, the functional interactions of the major systems of a first embodiment of a machine in accordance with the invention are illustrated. The machine 10 comprises means 20 for transporting tobacco industry products into the machine, means 40 for transporting packaging materials into the machine, a packer 60 for incorporating batches of products in individual units of packaging material, and means 80 for transporting packs of products to a delivery point 81.

(11) The transporting means 20, 40, 80 and the packer 60 are operated by conventional electrical drives having digital electronic control systems that are operated in coordination with each other from a central programmable computer control device C. The control device C itself has a program code means installed therein, whereby the computer may instruct a machine to carry out any of the sequences of operation of the machine described herein. The construction of the control device C and the program code will vary according to the equipment used in each embodiment, but the design thereof will be within the capability of any person skilled in the art.

(12) The operation of this machine will be illustrated in a number of examples.

EXAMPLE 1

(13) In a first example of the operation of this machine, the machine 10 is configured to pack two alternative types of cigarette in a conventional flip-top pack. Further details of the pack and the process by which it is assembled are shown in FIG. 2.

(14) As shown in FIG. 2, the pack comprises an inner frame 101 and an outer frame 105. The inner frame 101 is of rectangular cross section, formed from a flat blank 102, held in a stack 103. Blanks 102 are extracted in succession from the stack 103, glued along one edge, folded as indicated at 104, erected, and closed by an end flap. The inner frame 101 is slidingly received in the outer frame 105, of rectangular cross section corresponding to that of the inner frame 101. The outer frame 105 is also formed from a flat blank 106, held in a stack 107. Blanks for the outer frame are extracted in succession from the stack 107, glued along one edge, folded, erected and closed at one end by a bottom flap 109 and at the other end by a flip-top lid 108. The pack incorporates a bundle 110 of cigarettes, wrapped in foil 111 and arranged, in this example, in three layers, the two outer layers having seven cigarettes, the inner layer having six. Other configurations for the bundle are of course possible, and the bundles may be wrapped in other materials than foil, or may not be wrapped In this example, the bundle 110 of cigarettes is first wrapped in foil, and then inserted into the erected inner frame 101, which is then in turn inserted into the erected outer frame 105. The ends and lid of the outer frame are then closed, as illustrated.

(15) Referring to FIG. 1, the means 20 for transporting products comprises a first product supply system 21 for transporting a first product into the machine for packing, in this case foil-wrapped bundles of twenty cigarettes 110, and a second product supply system 22 for transporting a second product in batches into the machine. In this example, the second product is also in the form of foil-wrapped bundles of twenty cigarettes.

(16) The means 20 for transporting products also includes transfer equipment 24, e.g. in the form of a pick and place device, for transferring product selectively from the first or second product supply systems 21, 22 to the packer 60. Where the transfer equipment 24 is numerically controlled, it can be pre-programmed to operate in either one of these two modes, and the mode of operation can be changed quickly and easily by selecting the appropriate control programme, with minimum downtime of the machine.

(17) The means 40 for transporting packaging materials to the machine comprises first and second packaging material supply systems 41, 42 for the inner and outer frames 101 and 105 respectively. The two systems each comprise a hopper (not shown) for storing the stacks of blanks 102, 106, and a conveyor system for removing successive blanks from the hopper and transporting them one-by-one to the packer 60.

(18) The packer 60 comprises two work stations 25, 26 arranged in series, each of which performs a series of operations on the materials supplied to it. In the first work station 25, individual blanks 102 for the inner frame are transported from the hopper in the first packaging material supply system 41, glued along one edge, folded, and erected to from the inner frame 101, as illustrated in FIG. 2. A foil-wrapped bundle 110 of cigarettes received from either the first or second product supply systems 21, 22 is inserted into the inner frame. In the second work station 26, blanks 106 for the outer frame are transported from the hopper in the second packaging material supply system 42, glued, folded and erected to form a sleeve, as illustrated in FIG. 2. An inner frame 101 containing a bundle of cigarettes 110 is inserted into the outer frame, which is then closed at the bottom and the top. The assembled packs are then transported from the packer to the delivery point 81.

(19) By selecting the mode of operation of the transfer equipment 24, the machine 10 can be operated so that product is transported selectively to the packer 60 from either the first or second product supply system 21, 22 and from there to the delivery point 81 along either of the two transport routes A, B indicated by arrows in FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that the two transport routes are arranged in parallel from the first and second product supply systems 21,22 and then follow a common path through the packer 60 to the delivery point 81. The expression in parallel is used in relation to the systems 21, 22 to distinguish their configuration from an in series configuration, and not to describe the physical relationship between the transport routes. In practice, the physical locations of the components of the machine may define transport paths that, whilst being configured in parallel, are physically located to run radially, intersect, or along any other appropriate directions.

(20) In use, the first product supply system 21 is loaded with product of a first type, e.g. filter cigarettes without menthol flavouring, and the packaging material supply systems 41, 42 are loaded with inner and outer packaging blanks 102, 106. The machine 10 is then operated with the transfer equipment 24 in its first mode of operation so that which filter cigarettes of the first type are fed in to the machine, formed into foil-wrapped bundles, transported along the first transport route A, assembled into inner frames 101 in the first work stations 25, and then into outer frames 105 in the second work station 26. The assembled packs are then transported to the delivery point 81.

(21) If it is desired to change the production run to produce the same or similar packs containing a second type of product, for example cigarettes with a menthol flavour, the second product supply system 22 is loaded with menthol cigarettes. This step can be performed without interrupting the operation of the machine. The machine is then deactivated, the second packaging supply system 42 is loaded with blanks 106 suitable for menthol cigarettes, and the machine is reactivated with the transfer equipment 24 in its second mode of operation, so that the menthol cigarettes are now transported through the machine along the alternative transport route B from the second product supply system 22 to the delivery point 81 via the first and second set of work stations 25, 26. The changeover in production can therefore be effected quickly and easily without extensive down time of the machine 10 simply by configuring the machine as far as possible for the next production run whilst the current production run is in operation, and then configuring the transfer equipment 24 to provide the alternative transport route for the product through the machine.

EXAMPLE 2

(22) In a second example of the operation of the machine 10 of FIG. 1, the machine 10 is configured to package two tobacco industry products of different types in a single package material. The first product comprises single pouches of smokeless tobacco, and the second product comprises lozenges, and both products are packaged in blister packs of a similar construction.

(23) FIG. 6 generally shows an assembly procedure as applied to portions of smokeless tobacco, known as snus.

(24) In this example, the first product supply system 21 of FIG. 1 comprises a strip 161 of wrapper material composed of cellulose acetate fleece and formed into a series of discrete sealed pouches 163. Each pouch contains a portion of tobacco sealed in the wrapper material. Methods and machines for forming, packing, and sealing individual portions of smokeless tobacco or snus in a strip of cellulose acetate fleece are known to skilled persons. The strip 161 may be provided folded or wound to form a reel to facilitate use. The first product supply system 21 further comprises cutting means to separate the strip into discreet pouches. Alternatively, the pouches 163 may be provided to the machine as a plurality discrete, ready-divided units. The pouches 163 are transported via the transfer equipment 24 along the first transport route A and received at the first work station 25 of the packer 60.

(25) The first package material supply system 41 in this embodiment comprises a system for transporting a blister strip 165 into the machine 10. The blister strip 165 comprises a sheet of packaging material formed with rectangular recesses 167, each configured to hold a pouch of smokeless tobacco or another tobacco industry product such as a nicotine lozenge, or a nicotine patch. The blister strip 165 may be made from plastic materials, including multi layer plastics, or from foil, paper, cardboard, or other suitable material. The material may be selected for barrier-forming properties, such as moisture impermeability, and may be coated, opaque, transparent, and/or coloured, and may carry printed matter.

(26) The blister strip 165 extends into the first work station 25 of the packer 60, at which a single pouch 163 of smokeless tobacco is placed in each recess 167. The first work station 25 may also be provided with means to spray a humectant and a flavourant onto each pouch 163. The blister strip 165 is then transported to the second work station 26 which is also supplied with further packaging material from the second packaging supply system 42. This further packaging material is in the form of a sealing strip 169 which is used to close recesses 167 and seal the pouches within.

(27) The sealing strip 165 could be made from any suitable material, such as plastics, foil, paper or mixtures thereof as described for the blister strip. In this embodiment, the sealing strip 169 is formed from a multi-layer film. The first layer is an environmentally-impermeable plastic which is capable of forming heat-bonded seals with the plastics material of the blister strip 165. The second layer is a paper, adhered to the plastic, onto which information relating to the product inside is printed.

(28) The sealing strip 169 is preferably sized and shaped so as to register with the blister strip 165 portions without requiring trimming steps and without causing excess waste. It may include adhesive means to allow it to form a seal with the blister strip, alternatively or in addition it may be heat sealed, glued, crimped, or otherwise manipulated at the second work station 26 to form a seal over the blister strip. Either or both of the sealing strip 169 and the blister strip 165 may be pre-treated or treated at the work second station 26 to facilitate adherence, for example by scoring surfaces to make them rough and more receptive to a liquid adhesive. Where adhesive is used, means are preferably provided to align the portions of the sealing strip carrying adhesive with the non-recessed portions of the blister strip 165 and thus avoid contamination caused by contact between the tobacco industry product and the adhesive.

(29) The sealing strip 169 may be configured so that it can be peeled away from the recessed blister during use, for example by providing an unsealed edge which is easily grasped by a user; alternatively the sealing strip 169 may be of sufficiently deformable material so that the packaged tobacco industry product unit may be pushed through it. The sealing strip 169 may incorporate a backing to form a tamper-proof construction, and may be printed with any number of visual or tactile designs.

(30) The sealing strip 169 is sealed on to the blister strip 165 to produce a plurality of encapsulated single units which are then separated into individual units in the second work station 26 and passed on to a final delivery station 81. In this embodiment the strip is separated into units using a cutting tool, however, equivalent methods could be used such as pre-formed perforations or deformations.

(31) When the desired number of blister-packed smokeless tobacco pouches have been produced, a second set of assembly instructions is provided to the machine 10, which allow the machine to produce blister-type packages each containing a lozenge.

(32) For this purpose, the second product supply system 22 (FIG. 1) comprises a container with a plurality of lozenges. At the packer 60, the first work station 25 is configured to place a single lozenge in each recess 167 in the blister strip and the second work station 26 is configured to position the sealing strip 169 over the blister strip, and to separate them into units as described above. Each unit may contain a single blister. Alternatively blister strips may be cut into units containing two or more blisters.

(33) When it is desired to change over the machine from the packaging of snus to the packaging of lozenges, the second product supply system 22 can be loaded with lozenges whilst the machine is running, thus facilitating changeover, and reducing downtime. Similarly, where the transfer equipment 24 is pre-programmed with instructions to receive products from one or other of the supply systems 21, 22, its mode of operation can be changed with a minimum of delay.

(34) If desired, an additional product supply system (not shown) may be provided for the manufacture on the same machine a third product in a blister pack on the same machine, for example a nicotine patch, i.e. an adhesive patch which, when applied to a user, will release nicotine. In this case a third product supply system comprising a hopper containing individual nicotine patches is provided. With the first and second product supply stations de-activated, a third set of assembly instructions may be provided to the machine 10, which allow the machine to produce blister-type packages each containing a nicotine patch using a similar assembly process to that described above. At the packer 60, the first work station 25 is configured to place a single patch in each recess of the blister strip 165, and the second work station is configured to seal the sealing strip 169 to the blister strip, and to separate the blisters into units. Each unit may contain a single or multiple blisters, for example five blisters.

(35) Alternatively the additional product supply system may be constructed so as to be interchangeable with either or both the product supply systems for transporting the other products (cigarette bundles 110 or sealed pouches 163) to the machine, so that the machine can be prepared for the production of the third product, e.g. nicotine patches, whilst for example the first product is being manufactured using the first product supply system. In this case the second product supply system can be removed, and replaced by the third product supply system.

(36) The machine of FIG. 1 may be further modified to enable any of the packaged products described above to be re-packed into larger containers. For this purpose a third product supply system 23 is provided, indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1. The third product supply system 23 is adapted to transport into the machine 10 the blister packs previously produced on the machine by the process described above. A third packaging material supply system 43, also indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1, is provided which transports into the machine 10 blanks for the larger containers. A third work station 27 is provided for assembling the blanks for the larger containers, and filling them with the previously packaged products from the third product supply system 23. The larger containers may for example be rectangular and correspond to the outer measurements of the individual blisters such that ten sealed blisters may be placed in a stacked arrangement in one box. Other sizes, shapes, and configurations for the larger containers could be provided. The packed containers may be further coded, printed, labeled, and wrapped in a final assembly process (not illustrated).

(37) In use, the products in the sealed blister packs would be taken from the delivery point 81 and passed a second time through the machine 10 on a third transport route during which the sealed blister packs are packaged into the larger containers. The third packaging material supply system 43 and the third work station 27 can be prepared for use whilst the blister packed products themselves are still being produced. When the production run of the product comes to an end, the re-packaging operation can be initiated quickly with a minimum of downtime of the machine.

(38) As some products described in these Examples may be sensitive to certain environmental factors, a machine according to this embodiment preferably comprises appropriate means such as insulating material and/or temperature control means such that the products handled by the machine are maintained under desired ambient conditions. For example, some smokeless tobacco products are preferably maintained refrigerated, for example at or around 4 C. Furthermore, cigarettes are preferably packaged under conditions of standard relative humidity. To effect any necessary or desired product handling conditions, the entire machine 10 may for example be placed in a temperature-controlled environment, or temperature controlling means may be provided in and along the transport routes through the machine. The person skilled in the art will appreciate that machines built to process products of the kind described herein may preferably be built at least to the appropriate food-grade standards, be provided with materials, lubricants and the like which are approved for equipment involved in food handling and be maintained at a high level of cleanliness.

(39) FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of a more complex machine 10 according to the present invention. The operation of the machine 10 is illustrated schematically as a flow chart in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 illustrates one possible factory layout for the machine 10.

(40) The machine 10 is configured to pack up to five or more different types of tobacco industry product in three or more different pack types. Means 20 (indicated by the box 20 in FIG. 3) for transporting the tobacco products into the machine comprises five separate product supply systems, 22a-22e for transporting four different types of product into the machine. The construction of the supply systems will depend on the type of product being supplied, and any of the conventional systems used in the packaging of tobacco industry products may be used. For example the products may be supplied as a stream of individual cigarettes, or as bundles of cigarettes, with or without wrapping, or as pre-packed groups of cigarettes in open containers such as blisters, books, racks, or trays.

(41) In this example, the first and second product supply systems 22a and 22b are configured to supply cigarettes of different types into the machine in continuous streams. As illustrated in FIG. 4, these product supply systems may for example comprise conventional cigarette hoppers or feed trays coupled to conveyor systems which, when activated, feed cigarettes at a controlled rate into the machine. The third product supply system 22c is configured to transport cigarettes in pre-made foil-wrapped bundles into the machine. The fourth product supply system 22d is configured to transport pre-made packs of cigarettes into the machine for further packaging operations. The fifth product supply system 22e is configured to transport pre-packed groups of cigarettes in open blister packs or open drums into the machine. Additional product supply systems may be added to the machine from time to time, or installed in place of the then current supply systems 22 in order to permit still further types of product to be transported into the machine for packaging, according to varying manufacturing requirements.

(42) The products selected for packaging may be transported into the machine 10 along any one of the different transport routes from the product supply systems 22a-e, and are conducted through the machine by transport equipment appropriate for the products, for example conveyor belts, conveyor chains, gravity feed systems, pick- and place devices or any of the feed systems conventionally used in the packaging industry. The transport equipment is arranged in such a way that, by selectively activating the different components of the transport equipment, different transport paths may be established for the products through the workstations.

(43) As illustrated in FIG. 4, conveyors are used to transfer product from the supply systems 22a-e, from which products are picked either individually or in groups by a pick-and-place system illustrated as a robot arm 25. The arm has a base that is rotatable about a vertical axis, a lower arm section articulated to the base for movement about a horizontal axis, and an upper arm section articulated to the lower arm section for independent movement about a horizontal axis, permitting the end of the upper arm to be positioned in space relative to three orthogonal axes. The end of the upper arm section of the robot arm 25 carries a replaceable pick-up tool, or end effectuator, that is adapted to select and manipulate the products concerned. The end effectuator is articulated to upper arm section by a joint permitting movement in about three orthogonal axes relative to the end of the arm. The robot arm 25 is therefore capable of manipulating and positioning products with 6 degrees of freedom of movement.

(44) The end effectuator itself is selected from a range of interchangeable tools each adapted to pick up specific products in units that may consist of individual products or bundles of product. Any suitable commercially available type of robot arms and end effectors may be used, for example tools incorporating moveable blades operable by pneumatic cylinders could select and guide certain numbers of products, and vacuum cups selectively communicable with a vacuum source could retrieve, hold, move and release packages.

(45) The robot arm 25 picks up product units conveyed from the product supply systems 22a-22e, as required, in accordance with operating instructions programmed to control the robot arm, and transfers them on to either of two conveyors that transport the product to either of two further workstations 61, 68, the function of which will be described below. In one mode of operation, the robot arm 25 may pickup products from only one of the product supply systems. In another mode of operation, it may be programmed to pick up products from two or more of the product supply systems in a desired sequence and to combine the products into a larger groups for onward transport to the next workstation 61 or 68. This is particularly useful where mixed packs of products are to be manufactured, Thus, for example, if four of the supply systems 22a-22d are loaded with cigarettes of different strengths of flavours, the robot arm 25 may be programmed to pick op cigarettes in groups of 5 from each of the four work stations in turn and to assemble them into bundles of 20 for delivery to the next workstation 61, or 68.

(46) Means 40 for transporting packaging material into the machine 10, indicate 25 pick up 5 cigarettes from each of the supply systems 22a-22d in turned in FIG. 3 by the two boxes 40, comprises seven separate packaging material supply systems 42a-g. The construction of the individual supply systems will depend upon the type of packaging required, and any of the conventional packaging supply systems used for tobacco industry products may be used. In this example, first and second packaging materials supply systems, 42a and 42b, are configured to hold stacks of blanks 102, 106 for the two-part pack described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and to transport them into the machine 10, the first system, 42a supplying blanks for the inner frames 101, the second, 42b, supplying blanks for the outer frames 105. A third packaging material supply system 42c transports foil 111 into the machine for wrapping bundles of cigarettes. A fourth packaging material supply system 42d transports empty pre-formed packs, (such as blister strips 165 as described with reference to FIG. 6), drums or other rigid containers, into the machine, which are closed using sealing foil or caps. The last-mentioned packaging materials are transported into the machine by the fifth and sixth packaging material transport systems 42e, 42f, the fifth system 42e transporting sealing material for blister packs (for example the sealing strip 169 illustrated in FIG. 6) the sixth system, 42f, transporting caps. A seventh material supply system 42g transports packaging material into the system for repackaging pre-made packs of cigarettes into multiple packs.

(47) The packaging material supply systems described above may be modified to provide any other desired packaging materials for the machine. For example the sixth system 42f may be configured to supply add-on items, such as promotional items, product information material or other rigid items to the packer 60 to be combined into the final the packs. Additional packaging material supply systems may be added to the machine from time to time, or installed in place of any of the then current material supply systems 42a-g in order to permit still further types of packaging materials to be transported into the machine, according to varying manufacturing requirements.

(48) A packer, indicated generally at 60 in FIG. 3 receives packaging materials from the packaging material supply systems and the product supply systems. The packer 60 comprises a number of different work stations 61-70 interconnected by the transport equipment for performing assembly operations on the packaging materials and products in selected sequences to incorporate particular products in particular packaging, as desired.

(49) A wrapping work station 61 receives foil or other wrapping material 111 from the third packaging material supply system 42c and is capable of wrapping bundles of cigarettes 110 received from either the first or second product supply system 22a or 22b, according to which transport route is selected for the products.

(50) An inner blank forming workstation 62 receives inner frame blanks 102 from the first packaging material supply system 42a, performs the assembly operations on the inner blanks described with reference to FIG. 2 and transports them to an inner frame filling workstation 63. This workstation 63 also receives foil-wrapped bundles of cigarettes 110 from the wrapping work station 61 and is capable of inserting each wrapped bundle 110 into an erected inner frame 101, as shown in FIG. 2.

(51) An outer frame forming work station 64 receives blanks 106 for outer frames 105 from the second material supply system 42b and performs the assembly operations thereon described with reference to FIG. 2.

(52) A pack assembly work station 65 receives filled inner frames 101 from the inner frame filling station 63 and erected outer frames 109 from the outer frame forming work station 64. The pack assembly work station 65 is capable of inserting the filled inner frames 101 into outer frames 105, and performing other operations to complete the assembly of the pack as shown in FIG. 2.

(53) Alternatively, pre-made foil-wrapped bundles 110 may be transported from the third product supply system 22c directly to the inner frame filling workstation 63 along a transport route that either bypasses the wrapping workstation 61, or, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and by the broken lines in FIG. 3, passes though it whilst the wrapping system is inoperative. In this mode of operation the end of the robot arm 25 illustrated in FIG. 4 will be provided with a tool adapted to pick up and place individual foil-wrapped bundles of cigarettes from the conveyor leading from the third product supply system 22c, rather than groups of cigarettes for foil-wrapping.

(54) The packer 60 further includes a pack combining work station 66 that is capable of applying further packaging to pre-made packs of products, for example to combine two or more standard packs of cigarettes into a single pack, known as a multi-pack. The further packaging materials for this operation are transported into the machine from the seventh packaging materials supply system 42g, through a further packaging material assembly work station 67, which glues and folds the further packaging as required, and thence to the pack combining work station 66. Pre-made packs of cigarettes, formed for example on a conventional cigarette packing machine (not shown) and stored in a hopper in the fourth product supply system 22d are transported from the fourth product supply system 22d to the pack combining workstation 66 along a transport route that bypasses (or passes through whilst inoperative) the wrapping work station 61, the inner frame filling station 63 and the pack assembly workstation 65, as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3. In this mode of operation, the robot arm 25 will be provided with a tool that picks up pre-filled packs from the fourth product supply station individually or in groups, depending up on how many are to be combined into a multi-pack, and the specific packaging operation to be used. At the pack combining work station 66, the pre-filled packs are packed in the further packaging material to form the multi-pack.

(55) In a modification, the machine of FIGS. 3 and 4 is configured to package cigarettes in an alternative known flip-top pack in which an outer frame with a flip-top contains a cavity, optionally formed of plastics material, that defines two separate wells for holding ten cigarettes each. Such packs are especially suitable for menthol cigarettes. In this modification, the seventh packaging materials supply system 42g is arranged to supply blanks for the outer frame of the pack, and the fourth product supply system 22d is provided with pre-formed bundles comprising a formed plastic cavity each containing ten cigarettes. The robot arm 25 is provided with a tool that picks up pre-filled packs in pairs from the fourth product supply system 22d and places them on to the conveyor system that transports them to the pack combining work station 66 via the foil-wrapping workstation 66, the inner frame filing station 63 and the pack assembly workstation 65, which are deactivated in this mode of operation of the machine. In pack-combining workstation 66, the pairs of bundles are assembled with the blank for the flip-top pack that is transported into the workstation 66 from the seventh material supply system 42g.

(56) If desired, the machine can be re-configured to pack two different cigarettes in a single pack. In this arrangement, pre-formed bundles comprising a formed plastic cavity each containing ten 3 mg menthol cigarettes are provided in the fourth product supply system 22d, and similar bundles containing ten 10 mg menthol cigarettes are provided in the fifth product supply system 22e. The robot arm 25 is programmed to pick pre-formed bundles alternately from the fourth and fifth product supply systems 22d and 22e and to place them in pairs on the conveyor that transports them to the pack combining work station 66. The pairs of bundles containing different products are then assembled with the blank for the flip-top pack that is transported into the workstation 66 from the seventh material supply system 42g.

(57) It will be appreciated that the pack combining work station 66 is actuated selectively so that in either of the foregoing modes of operation of the machine, it operates only in combination with the fourth product supply system 22d, the seventh material supply system 42g and the further packaging assembly station 67. Similarly, the pack combining work station 66 will be inoperative when the machine 10 is being operated in other modes, for example, when the machine is being used to pack products in accordance with the process illustrated in FIG. 2. In this mode of operation, the pack combining workstation 66 allows the products to pass through without performing any further operations thereon.

(58) The person skilled in the art will appreciate that when changing over the mode of operation of the machine, the conveyor systems or other transport systems within the machine may require re-configuration to provide it with pockets or other retainers for conveying the different products or combinations of products to the selected workstations in the desired orientations for processing.

(59) Work stations that are deactivated during production of a certain type of packaged product may alternatively be removed. This may allow for more expedient movement of product and packages along the transport route and may offer an opportunity for maintenance, repairs, alteration, or replacement of the work station. In some embodiments, however the work stations are not easily moved and are merely activated and deactivated as necessary.

(60) The packer 60 includes a further filling work station 68 which is capable of packaging products such as cigars, cigarillos or cigarettes in pre-formed rigid or semi-rigid packs that are closed with a seal and/or cap, for example tubes, drums, or blister packs. The assembly process for blister packs is similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 6.

(61) In this example, blister packs capable of holding, for example, 10 cigars or 50 cigarettes are transported into the machine from the fourth packaging material supply system 42d to the filling workstation 68. The filling workstation 68 also receives cigars or cigarettes from the first or second product supply systems 22a or 22b. The filled blister packs are then transported into a sealing work station 69, which seals the blister pack with sealing strip supplied from the fifth packaging materials supply system 42e. The sealed blister packs may then be transported out of the system via a capping work station 70 (described below) which is deactivated when the machine 10 is configured to produce blister packs.

(62) The fourth material supply system 42d may be modified to supply, or interchanged with equipment that supplies other forms of container, for example tubes or drums. An assembly process for packs in this form is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 5. Cigarettes from the first or second supply systems 22a or 22b are transported into the machine and are grouped into bundles of 50 by the robot arm 25, which carries an appropriately adapted pick-up tool for transferring bundles of cigarettes 151 on to the conveyor that transports the bundles 151 into the filling workstation 68. This may for example be achieved by providing conveyors with recessed wells sized and configured to hold cigarettes in cylindrical bundles of 50.

(63) The filling workstation 68 also receives empty drums 153 transported into the machine from the fourth material supply system 42d. The drums 153 are open at one end and closed at the other. The drums are filled with the bundles of 50 cigarettes in the desired orientation. The filled drum is then transported through the sealing work station 69, which at which a sealing foil 155 from the fourth material supply station 42d is applied and sealed to the open end of the drum, enclosing the bundle of cigarettes. The edges of the sealing foil 155 extending beyond the sealed drum may be cut, such as with a laser or otherwise removed to provide a smooth finished appearance. Alternatively pre-cut seals may be applied directly to the open end of the drum and sealed thereto, avoiding the need for cutting. The sealed drums are then transported into the capping workstation 70, which is constructed to apply caps 157 to the drums. The capped and sealed drum are then transported to a final assembly area 71.

(64) Since the final assembly area can receive product either from the conveyor system leading from the pack combining workstation 66 or the conveyor system from the capping workstation 70, a further pick- and place device 80 is constructed to transfer packs of product selectively from either of these conveyor systems, according to the mode of operation of the machine 10, and to place them on to a further conveyor system that transports the packs into the final assembly area 71.

(65) In final assembly area 71 the packs emerging from the packer 60 are subjected to a further sequence of packaging operations conventionally used in the packaging of tobacco industry products. Since these operations are conventional, and will be familiar to a person skilled in the art, they will be described in outline only in this specification. In the case of cigarettes, as indicated schematically in FIG. 3, these operations typically include the application of a code, for example by laser or ink jet printing, to each pack in a coding station 71a, applying labels to the packs in a labelling station 71b, inserting coupons in the packs in a coupon placement stations 71c, performing a visual inspection of the packs in an inspection station 71d, applying a tax stamp in a stamping station 71e, wrapping the packs in film in a pack wrapping station 71f, loading packs in groups into cartons in a carton forming station 71g, applying product codes to the cartons in a coding station 71h, wrapping the cartons in a wrapping station 71i, loading cartons into cases in a case forming station 71j, closing the cases in a closing station 71k and sealing the cases in a sealing station 71l. Cases of packed products are then delivered to a delivery point 81 and removed for transportation.

(66) The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the above operations are indicated by way of example only, and some of the operations may omitted or varied according to the particular product being packed. For example, depending on the particular sequence of assembly operations required, one or more of the operations performed in the final assembly area may be performed at a workstation in the packer 60.

(67) The product supply systems 22a, the robot arm 25, the pick and place device 80, the packaging materials supply systems 42a-42g, the workstations 61-70 and the transport means, are all operated by conventional electrical drives having digital electronic control systems that are operated in coordination with each other from a central programmable computer control device (not illustrated). The control device itself has a program code means installed therein, whereby the computer may instruct a machine to carry out any of the sequences of operation of the machine described herein. The construction of the control device and the program code will vary according to the equipment used in each embodiment, but the design thereof will be within the capability of any person skilled in the art.

(68) Where the machine of the invention is constructed for packing cigarettes in alternative packs, consideration should be given to the interaction between the different types of cigarettes and packages. For example, flavoured cigarettes, particularly with volatile flavourants such as menthol, may tend to leach flavour or scent onto to nearby products such that it may be preferred to only run products having a particular flavour all at once, and not with dissimilarly flavoured products

(69) As machines of the invention are intended for use with novel packaging types as well, then, it is foreseeable that there may be flavourants or other volatile materials incorporated in or applied to certain of the packaging which might similarly leach or affect nearby packaging or smoking products such that their supply to the machine might be limited to certain times when other dissimilarly treated products are not being processed.

(70) Similarly, when a machine of the invention is used to package smoking products which are governed by strict hygiene rules, such as chewing tobacco or snuff which can be deemed a food stuff, or lozenges which can be regulated as a pharmaceutical, standards applying to these class of goods would be required. A machine packaging any such product can easily be configured, cleaned, and maintained by a skilled person to comply with the necessary limitations while still taking full advantage of the benefits of the novel configuration of the invention.

(71) Similar modifications or adjustments can be made between batch runs if a machine is packaging smoking products for different markets, to ensure compliance with the rules from each relevant market.

(72) The machine described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 can be configured with a plurality of supplies, transporting routes and work stations so as to package a variety of tobacco industry products into various different packaging types. The following Example describes one of the many combinations available.

EXAMPLE 3

(73) In this example, similar tobacco industry products, in this case cigarettes are packaged in a plurality of different packaging types, namely in standard packs holding twenty cigarettes per package and in lidded drums holding fifty cigarettes per package. Whereas conventionally one would need to set up two separate packaging lines, according to the invention a single machine can carry out both procedures, and can be changed between the two procedures more quickly and with a reduced downtime for the machine compared with conventional high-speed cigarette packing machines.

(74) The central control system of the machine 10 is first programmed to produce cigarettes in flip-top packs of 20 using the assembly process of FIG. 2. In this configuration, cigarettes are provided to the machine on conveyors from the first or second product supply systems 22a or 22b, inner frame and outer frame packaging is provided to the machine from the first and second packaging material supply systems 42a and 42b and foil is provided to the machine from the third material supply system 42c.

(75) The robot arm 25 is fitted with a pickup tool that select groups of twenty cigarettes from the conveyors and configure them in three parallel adjacent rows, the outer rows containing seven cigarettes each and the inner row containing six cigarettes, and delivers the bundles to the wrapping work station 61 where they are wrapped in foil. The foil wrapped bundles are transported to the inner frame filling station 63, where they are inserted into inner frames that have been transported to the same station 63 from the first packaging material supply system 42a.

(76) The filled inner frames are transported to the pack combining work station 65 where each inner frame is inserted into an outer frame received from the second packaging material supply system 42b. The outer frame is closed around the inner frame as indicated in FIG. 2, and the assembled pack is transferred by the pick-and-place device 80 on to a conveyor that transports the packs into the final assembly area 71 to be further processed according to the selected final assembly steps.

(77) After producing the desired number of standard packs of 20 cigarettes, the central control system of the machine 10 is re-programmed to produce cigarettes in drums containing 50 cigarettes, using the assembly process described above with reference to FIG. 5. In this configuration, cigarettes are provided to the machine from the first or second product supply systems 22a or 22b, drums are provided to the machine from the fourth material supply system 42d, sealing material and lids for the drums are supplied to the machine from the fifth and sixth material supply systems 42e and 42f. The robot arm 25 is fitted with a pick-up tool that transfers cigarettes in groups of 50 to the conveyor that feeds the drum filling workstation 68. The machine is then operated as described above to effect filling, sealing and capping of the drums at the filling, sealing and capping workstation 68, 69 and 70, as described above.

(78) The filled, sealed and capped drums are then are transferred by the pick-and-place device 80 on to the conveyor that transports the drums to the final assembly system 71. It will be evident that the mode of operation of the pick-and-place device 80 differs in this mode of operation of the machine 10 in that the workstation 70 provides the input to the device 80 rather than workstation 66. In the final assembly station 71, the drums are labeled, coded, and over-wrapped as necessary, packed into suitable bulk containers and transported to the delivery point 81 for transport.

(79) As will be evident to skilled persons, the work stations of the packer may require modification when the operation of the machine 10 is switched between the two packaging production modes. However, many of the modifications required for one mode of operation can be performed whilst the machine is operating in the other mode, in particular the loading of the packaging materials supply systems. Furthermore, the robot arm 25 and the pick-and-place device 80 can be pre-programmed to operate selectively in either of the above modes and changed from one mode of operation to the other by selecting the appropriate control programmes. Downtime of the machine when changing the mode of operation can therefore be reduced between production runs.

(80) The machine of FIGS. 3 and 4 may be provided with one or more additional workstations for selectively performing packaging operations on the product.

(81) For example cigarettes with filter tips are usually assembled into a pack so that the filter tip is displayed to the consumer when the pack is opened. However, some cigarettes have closed ends, that is, they have wrapping paper across the end opposite the filter, obscuring the view of the tobacco. With closed end cigarettes, it may be desired to provide some packs with the filter end facing downward so as to display the closed end to the consumer when the pack is opened.

(82) To produce packs having cigarettes oriented in either direction on conventional cigarette manufacturing equipment is problematic because conventional machines are configured to hold cigarettes in one orientation only with respect to the pack. Small differences in the diameter of cigarettes at the filter end versus the tobacco end are at times exploited in the mechanism of high-speed packing machinery, which excludes the possibility of simply feeding cigarettes into the machine in the opposite orientation.

(83) In a modification of the machine of FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner frame filling station 63 includes a mechanism, for example a numerically-controlled robotized system, which, when activated, rotates the foil wrapped bundles 110 (see FIG. 2) through 180. By selectively activating this mechanism, the products can be packed in either of two orientations. The machine may be provided with a workstation that includes a similar selectively-activated robotized system may be used to orient individual cigarettes or groups of cigarettes within a larger group before packaging.

(84) A further modification of the machine of FIGS. 3 and 4 is illustrated in FIG. 4a. In this modification, a further robot arm 25a is positioned to transfer products selectively in three different modes. In the first mode, the robot arm transfers product from the frame filling workstation 63 to the pack assembly workstation 65, so that the machine performs the same sequence of operations as previously described. In the second mode of operation, the robot arm 25a transfers product from the sealing workstation 69 to the capping workstation 70, again to enable the performance of same sequence of assembly operations as described previously. In the third mode of operations, the robot arm 25a transfers blister packs from the sealing workstation to the pack assembly workstation 65. In this third mode of operation, the pack assembly workstation 65 is configured to package blister packs into larger packs.

(85) The machine can quickly and easily be switched between the production of the flip-top packs as illustrated in FIG. 2, blister strips as illustrated in FIG. 6, and packs of blister strips with a minimum of downtime.

(86) Modules and means not specifically described herein can be standard equipment known in the industry, however, as new and improved means and methods become available they may be incorporated into a machine of the present invention. For example, film wrap equipment and the film used therein are well-known and provided in a plurality of different sizes, speeds and configurations. Existing or modified over-wrapping machines may be used as work stations. Because the machine is specifically intended for use with a multitude of different packaging types, though, film wrap may preferably be provided in novel ways or may not be required at all.

(87) For example, the invention is applicable for packing cigarette cases, which could be provided in a shape such as rectangular. A rectangular case could be film wrapped in generally the same manner as a rectangular pack of cigarettes. However, the case could be spherical, which could necessitate some adjustments to the film wrap and the manner of applying it to the packages. Alternatively, where the case is formed to seal shut so as to isolate the inner environment, and/or where the smoking products therein are already wrapped so as to protect them from the elements, no film wrap may be needed.

(88) Other process choices to be elected by the skilled worker include determining whether the machine is configured along a single axis with different elements feeding into a central transport route, or whether it is configured in a series of interconnected parallel routes, or in some other configuration. At the described configuration, when handling cigarettes the machine may process about 1,500-4,000, preferably about 2,000 cigarettes per minute. Given that many units preferably comprise 20 cigarettes, the machine could therefore pack approximately 50-200 packs per minute, more specifically 75-150 packs per minute, more specifically about 100 packs per minute. Thus, traditional straight line, non-flexible manufacturing might remain the preferred solution for large volumes of standard materials which rarely change, whereas a machine according to the invention might better be utilized to fulfil unmet needs in the art, and used where there are limited use packages, possibly in the form of limited duration printed material on a standard package, limited amounts of unconventional articles in conventional packaging, or the like.

(89) The foregoing description and examples have been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and are not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the described embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed broadly to include all variations within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.