HK1140462A

HK1140462A - Packaging machine and method

Info

Publication number: HK1140462A
Application number: HK10106931.7A
Authority: HK
Inventors: Andrew Jonathan Bray; Gary Fallon; Roger Beck
Original assignee: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Priority date: 2007-01-23
Filing date: 2008-01-16
Publication date: 2010-10-15

Description

Packaging machine and method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to packaging machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to machines, methods and systems for packaging tobacco industry products.

Background

The methods and machines of production and assembly vary significantly depending on factors such as product type, throughput and production speed, accuracy requirements, and cost constraints. For some applications, dedicated or single use machines are desirable. They provide the ability to produce the same product quickly and stably.

In a typical machine for packaging tobacco industry products, the products and packaging material are conveyed to a delivery point by a plurality of work stations for performing successive assembly operations thereon to load batches of products into individual packages formed from the packaging material.

Cigarette packaging machines capable of producing more than eight hundred packets of cigarettes per minute are well known. They are large, dedicated, expensive machines that, to be profitable, must be operated continuously at high speeds to produce large quantities of the same product with low down-time rates. Down time for repair, maintenance or for making product changes is minimized. Such high speed packaging machines are designed to maximize efficiency. The production line is compressed into a single fast moving track. The speed and synchronization of the various mechanical components is determined by how many passing products the components need to act on and how fast the products pass through, by the specific tasks performed by the various mechanical components at the various workstations along the track. The whole machine thus operates as a whole, the action of which is governed by the speed of the central track. In order to increase the production speed, it is known to provide similar parallel tracks to feed the same components into the production line for producing individual packages. For example, a single assembly track may be fed simultaneously by two tracks providing cigarettes, one line providing 12 cigarettes side by side in a bundle, the other line having 13 cigarettes in a similar bundle, the lines converging to form a single batch of 25 cigarettes, consisting of a bundle of 12 cigarettes lying flat above a bundle of 13 cigarettes.

However, a single-track, highly specialized machine dedicated to producing a packaging structure may require extensive rework to adapt it to product changes, and the extent to which changes are possible is limited, if at all. New products often require entirely new machinery and production lines that are expensive to design and build and require careful planning of months and even years to build.

The need for product packaging and labeling may change over time and may vary from market to market, thereby increasing the need to change product and packaging designs. Such package changes are expensive and time consuming to implement in conventional machinery.

The small batch production process of the product may be performed by a manual packaging process. However, hand packaging is slow, expensive, and produces a more inconsistent quality level than packaging processes involving high speed machinery.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a machine and method for packaging tobacco industry products in which the products and packaging material are subjected to successive assembly operations of the products into packages formed from the packaging material, and in which the products and packaging material may be selectively subjected to different sequences of assembly operations, whereby successive batches of the same or different products may be loaded into the same or different packages according to the selected sequence.

More specifically, according to the invention, the products and the packaging material are conveyed through a plurality of work stations for carrying out thereon successive assembly operations to load the products into packages formed from the packaging material, and selectively carrying out different sequences of assembly operations thereon at the work stations, so that successive batches of the same or different products can be loaded into the same or different packages according to a selected sequence.

By providing a plurality of work stations which can be selectively operated to determine different sequences of assembly operations for smoking products and packaging material, a flexible production system can be created which is particularly advantageous for medium-scale mechanized production of product packaging which is too long to be used for efficient production by hand packaging and where the type of product or packaging produced is constantly changing.

Preferably, at least one of the workstations performing one sequence of assembly operations may be arranged to perform its operations while the other workstations perform another sequence of assembly operations. In this way the period of machine down time between successive batches can be shortened.

Depending on the sequence of stations selected and the packaging material and products provided, the continuous run may contain the same products in different packages, different products in the same package, or different products in different packages. For example, successive batches of product may consist of cigarettes or cigars or cigarillos of different flavour, filter type or size. The packages may for example be in the form of a nested package or a tray package in one batch and a pre-formed package in the next batch, such as a tube or blister package, a clamshell package or a non-rectangular cross-section package (e.g. a triangular or diamond-shaped cross-section package).

More specifically, a machine for packaging tobacco industry products according to the invention comprises means for transferring the products into the machine, means for transferring the packaging material into the machine, and a plurality of work stations arranged along one or more transfer paths through the machine, the work stations being capable of performing successive assembly operations on at least one of the products and the packaging material to load the products into the packaging material to form finished products, wherein the machine comprises means and work stations for controlling the movement of the products and the packaging material along the transfer path in order to selectively perform a first sequence of assembly operations on the products and the packaging material to form a first finished product or a second sequence of assembly operations different from the first sequence to form a second finished product. One or both of the product and packaging material in the first finished product may be different from the product and packaging material in the second finished product.

The invention specifically comprises a machine for packaging smoking products, comprising means for conveying smoking products into the machine, means for conveying wrapping material into the machine, and a plurality of work stations for performing successive assembly operations on the smoking products and the wrapping material as they are conveyed through the machine to a delivery point to load the smoking products into a package formed from the wrapping material, wherein different sequences of assembly operations can be selectively performed on the smoking products and the wrapping material at the work stations, whereby successive batches of smoking products and wrapping material can be differently packaged according to the selected sequence.

The invention also specifically includes a packaging process for tobacco industry products, comprising selectively performing one or more assembly operations on the tobacco industry products at one or more work stations to provide units of tobacco industry products, selectively performing one or more assembly operations on packaging material at one or more work stations to provide packaging units, and then loading the units of tobacco industry products into the packaging units to provide finished products, wherein the tobacco industry products and the packaging material are selectively subjected to a first set of assembly operations to form a first finished product, or a second sequence of assembly operations to form a second finished product, the first sequence of assembly operations and the second sequence of assembly operations being different from each other. One or both of the tobacco industry product and the wrapper may differ between the first finished product and the second finished product.

To enable selection of the desired combination of stations, the preferred machine of the invention determines one or more transport paths or routes for the smoking product wrapper through the stations. In one embodiment of the invention, the work stations are arranged one after the other along a single transport path and operate selectively according to the specific packages to be assembled. For example, a first set of workstations suitable for assembling the sleeve and tray type packages may be provided on a conveyor line upstream or downstream of a second set of workstations suitable for assembling the blister type packages, the first set of workstations being disabled during the production process of the lid or sleeve type packages and vice versa, so that the packaging material and the products passing through the disabled workstations are not affected.

Alternatively, the products and the wrapping material may be selectively conveyed through the machine along a plurality of alternative delivery routes arranged in parallel, the workstation being arranged to selectively pack batches of smoking products into different wrapping materials according to the selected delivery route.

In some machines of the invention, the work stations for performing different operations are arranged in series along a common transport path, while the other work stations are arranged along transport paths operating in parallel.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a machine for packaging smoking products, comprising means for conveying smoking products into the machine, means for conveying wrapping material into the machine, a packer for loading smoking products into the wrapping material, and means for conveying the packaged smoking products to a delivery point, wherein the smoking products can be selectively conveyed through the machine along a plurality of selectable conveying paths, and the packer is arranged to selectively load batches of smoking products into different wrapping materials according to the selected conveying path.

In such an application of the invention, the delivery route may be selected for packaging a plurality of similar smoking products in respective separate units of similar packaging material, for packaging a plurality of similar smoking products in respective separate units of different packaging material, or for packaging at least one supply of a first smoking product and at least one supply of a second smoking product in separate units of packaging material, for example when the first smoking product has a first flavour and the second smoking product has a second flavour or when the first smoking product is of a first size and the second smoking product is of a second size.

The machine according to the present invention may further comprise a computer storage medium having a computer program programmed therein, for example for controlling the means for delivering smoking products, the means for delivering packaging material, the packaging machine, the means for delivering packaged smoking products, or any combination thereof.

The present invention includes an article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, wherein the computer readable program code means causes a computer to instruct a machine of the present invention to perform a packaging process in accordance with the present invention.

As used herein, "tobacco industry product" or "product" means any article manufactured or sold in the tobacco industry, including (a) tobacco used in pipe or hand-wrapping, as well as conventional smoking products such as cigarettes, cigarillos and cigars (based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes); (b) non-smoking products incorporating tobacco, tobacco derivatives, tobacco substitutes, expanded tobacco and reconstituted tobacco, such as snuff, smokeless tobacco (snus), hard tobacco and heated rather than combusted products (i.e. inhalation devices in which an aerosol is drawn from a source material, which may be tobacco-based, by applying heat to the material without combusting it for inhalation by a user); and (c) smoking cessation aids and other nicotine delivery systems such as patches, inhalers, lozenges, chewing gums and the like.

The preferred machine and method according to the invention are able to tolerate frequent, short-term and significant changes to the product and packaging, while still being able to produce faster than manual assembly. They can further facilitate a continuous production process in which products of the same type are packaged in different types of packages, or in which different products are packaged in similar types of packages. The time taken for completely changing the machine from one type of package is considerably reduced compared to the many types of machines, in particular cigarette wrapping machines, commonly used in the packaging of tobacco industry products.

The machine of the present invention may be used to package standard tobacco industry products such as cigarettes as well as alternative tobacco industry products such as smokeless tobacco and oral nicotine delivery products such as chewing gums, lozenges and patches. The packaging used on machines can also be of standard form, which for cigarettes is generally formed by folding and gluing flat blanks, usually made of cardboard. The package may also be in a non-standard form, such as a pre-formed, non-folded package, which may be formed by injection molding, vacuum forming, or by other molding processes. Generally, higher operating speeds and shorter downtimes will be experienced in the machine of the invention, wherein the different products are all of the same basic type-for example cigarettes of different flavors-and the packages are also of the same basic type, for example either different blister packs or packs formed from blanks of different folding patterns.

It will be appreciated that although embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to packaging standard products in standard packaging, the invention is clearly not limited to such products or packaging forms.

The preferred machine for wrapping smoking products according to the invention is made up of a plurality of components and workstations, each of which is involved in a specific task.

The machine of the invention incorporates means for transferring tobacco industry products into the machine. The means for conveying the products generally comprise one or more devices for storing a supply of the products, from which the products are fed into the machine. The machine of the present invention may include at least 2, 3, 4 or more such product storage devices.

The product may be stored in bulk form, for example as individual cigarettes in a quantity contained within a container, or in a pre-formed bundle that is contained in discrete units, for example, may be expanded or wrapped in aluminium foil, paper or other film material, or in pre-filled packs to be subjected to further packaging operations. Different types of storage systems may be used in conjunction with suitably modified conveying lines to deliver different products into the machine, and any of a variety of systems used in conventional machines for packaging tobacco industry products may be used. For example, the storage means may comprise one or more hoppers from which or from each of which the corresponding product may be fed into the machine. The hopper is suitable, for example, where the product to be packaged is a cigarette. Storage systems for other products may include an open-ended or open-sided box in which the product is contained, a vessel for the fluid, and a device for dispensing the fluid.

Alternatively, the means for conveying the product may comprise a direct or indirect connection to an outlet of the production device. For example, a machine for preparing products, such as a cigarette making machine, may be configured to feed products into the machine of the present invention either directly or through a storage area or buffer. The machinery used to prepare the products may be, for example, a cigarette making machine that provides cigarettes individually, or may include a mechanism for providing the products in batches or bundles, which may be wrapped in aluminum foil or paper or other material if desired. In other cases the products may be fed continuously to a conveyor means comprised in the conveyor device to enable the products to be taken out individually or in groups by additional mechanical means.

The means for conveying the products may be arranged to provide pre-shaped units of products, such as pre-processed, optionally wrapped bundles of cigarettes or individually pre-wrapped cigars.

The machine of the present invention further comprises means for transferring the packaging material into the machine, which delivers the packaging material to the machine. The packaging material can vary widely. For example, they may be in the form of blanks for forming "tray and sleeve" cigarette packs, blister packs and other packages. The machine of the invention may comprise at least 2, 3, 4 or more such means for conveying the packaging material. The structure of the package conveyor depends on the nature of the packaging material used. For example, the conveyor may be equipped with storage devices such as hoppers, which may be preferred when the packaging material is in the form of a blank of paper or any of a variety of boxes and cases that may be open-ended to allow a single mechanical component to remove items therefrom. Where the packaging material is in the form of a sheet or strip of material, the packaging storage means may be in the form of a roll of such material and the packaging conveyor may be in the form of a set of rollers on which the sheet or strip of material is suitably tensioned and conveyed to the machine. Other examples include a hopper capable of holding a blank, a tray having a plurality of open edges, and a conveyor belt or line having pockets configured to hold packaged articles.

The means for transferring the packages can be arranged to dispense discrete units of packaging material or batches of packaging material as required.

The wrapping material may be in the form of a unit that is pre-formed and ready for packaging, which does not require further assembly or handling by a workstation before being filled with the product, such as a clamshell pack, where the workstation will be set to select bundles, place them in the box, and then close the pack, or prepare a cigar tube for filling with cigars.

The means for conveying the packaging material may also be a connection to the outlet of the packaging material preparation unit. When so arranged, it may be preferable to have an intermediate buffer or storage area to ensure a mechanically stable and efficient supply of packaging material. The packaging material preparation unit may comprise equipment for printing, cutting or folding the blanks in-line, or may comprise equipment for producing packaging material made of plastic material, such as injection molding or vacuum forming equipment.

With regard to the other elements of the invention, known modules can be adapted for use in the machine according to the invention. For example, packaging material may be provided to the machine of the present invention by a rotary or linear conveyor system similar to those used to feed standard single track bulk packaging machines, which may include a plurality of interconnected packages and conveying impellers.

The preferred machine of the present invention also includes a plurality of workstations where products and packaging materials may be subjected to different sequences of assembly operations appropriate to the individual products and packaging materials being used. For example, a workstation or group of workstations may be configured to form cigarettes or other products into bundles; additional stations may then package the bundles within aluminum foil or other packaging material, or otherwise concentrate them into a desired configuration. Another station or set of stations may be configured to form the packaging material into the desired configuration, for example, by retrieving the blank, folding it into the package shape and then gluing one or more edges to seal the package. Another work station may then place the thus formed product batch into a packaging material unit.

The workstation can then perform additional functions along the transport path such as applying tax stamps, repackaging, boxing and loading.

In the preferred machine of the present invention, the packages are typically delivered to a shipping point.

The means for conveying the packaged products may take any conventional form, such as a set of inclined rollers pulled by gravity, over which the packaging material can roll freely. Another option is to provide a motorized conveyor belt or a set of discrete cups or cartons each carrying one or more pieces of packaging material. The cups or cartridges may be connected together, for example, by a chain or belt. Alternatively, the means for conveying the packaged product may comprise a wire or chain connected by cups or boxes adapted to the shape of the product. Any known material or method for delivering product, which is capable of quickly, accurately and reliably handling packaged smoking products, may be used in the present invention.

The preferred machine of the present invention conveys tobacco industry products and wrapping material through a plurality of stations where successive assembly operations are performed. In contrast to conventional high speed packaging machines, the machine of the present invention is arranged to allow for different sequences of assembly operations to be selectively performed on the products and packaging materials, depending on the particular products and packaging materials being processed at the time. To achieve this, the workstation may be arranged to determine a plurality of alternative transport routes through the machine for the products and the packaging material. With such an arrangement, the work stations along each transport path perform a different sequence of assembly operations, each transport path being suitable for producing packages with different combinations of products or packages.

The sequence of assembly operations performed on the product and the packaging material is preferably determined by the supply of the conveying device which receives the product and the packaging material as input and guides the product or the packaging as output in the machine of the invention. The input to the delivery device may comprise a single source of product or packaging material or multiple (2, 3 or more) sources thereof. Similarly, the output may be another single station or multiple (2, 3, or more) stations within the machine. The transfer apparatus may be selectively operated to transfer products or packaging material from a selected input and to a selected output according to the sequence of assembly operations being used. Any number of transfer routes can be determined between the workstations by arranging a plurality of transfer device units between successive workstations.

Preferably, the transfer device is robotic or digitally controlled. In a complex structure, the transfer device may for example comprise an articulated arm, the end of which can be positioned with respect to a three-dimensional cartesian axis and carries an end actuator which can manipulate the package or product about the three-dimensional cartesian axis with respect to the end of the arm, giving 6 degrees of freedom of action in the positioning of the product or packaging material. Simpler transport equipment may be used where the required transport operations are simpler. For example, when it is desired to move a product or packaging material from one or more parallel input lines to one or other of a plurality of output lines disposed in parallel with the input lines, a simple pick and place unit, or a lifting or sliding system operating in a single plane, may be used.

For example, a transport route may extend from a first hopper containing, in use, a first type of cigarettes (e.g. having a particular flavor or filter structure), through a first set of stations for wrapping the cigarettes into a first type of wrapping, such as conventional slip-on and tray wrapping, to a wrapper for wrapping the wrapper within the film, and then to a carton wrapping machine which wraps the film wrapped wrapper into a carton. A second transfer line may extend from the first hopper, through a second set of stations for wrapping cigarettes into a second type of wrap, such as conventional clamshell wraps, and then to the film wrapper and the box packer. A third transport route may extend from a second hopper for a second type of cigarettes (e.g. having a different flavour or filter configuration than the first type of cigarettes), through the first set of stations to the film wrapper and the carton packer. A fourth transfer line may extend from the second hopper through the second set of stations to the film wrapper and the carton wrapping machine. By selectively operating those mechanical components associated with the four transfer lines described above, up to four different combinations of packages and products can be produced with the same machine.

Furthermore, while one of the transport paths is in operation, the mechanical elements defining the other alternative transport path are ready for use. For example, in the machine described above, the second hopper and the second set of work stations are ready for use while the first transport route is in use. After the production process using the first route is completed, the next production process using the second transfer route can be started with the shortest delay.

It should be understood that the foregoing is a brief description of the assembly process for purposes of illustration only.

In the above apparatus, the transfer routes are arranged in parallel along at least a part of the routes. In some cases, it may be possible to configure the machine in such a way that a single transport route through the machine is determined by the workstation. For example, using the same stations as described above, the transfer line may extend from a first hopper, through a first set of stations, then through a second set of stations and then to the film wrapper and the carton packaging machine. The first product can be packaged in two different types of packages simply by selectively operating either the first set or the second set of work stations. By making the first and second hoppers interchangeable, a second type of cigarette can be loaded into any type of pack. As a further alternative, two hoppers may be arranged in parallel to feed product into the conveying line.

The preferred machine of the present invention can be configured to work efficiently even when the product and its packaging require different amounts of time or processing steps to assemble or otherwise process. For example, if the delivery route for the packaged articles provides the packaging material at a rate of one unit per second and the delivery route for the smoking products provides the smoking products at a rate of one unit per two seconds, two delivery routes for the smoking products may be provided and thus the efficiency of the machine is maximised.

The station for wrapping the articles into the wrapper may be arranged such that it is capable of selectively wrapping a plurality of batches of smoking products into different wrappers. This feature allows an unlimited combination of different articles to be packaged in different packaging materials, requiring only reconfiguration and adoption of new instructions to accommodate the changes along the conveying path and at individual workstations. The instructions may relate to directions on how and when to move the item to the workstation performing the packaging, and how the workstation should select and manipulate the selected target. The workstation may be arranged and programmed for manipulating a group of products into a first packaging material to form a packaging unit and subsequently enclosing the packaging unit into a second packaging material.

An example of this is a pack in which a bundle of cigarettes, which may or may not have been wrapped, is packed into an inner frame, and the inner frame containing the bundle of cigarettes is subsequently packed into an outer frame to produce the finished pack. The work station arranged to produce such packages may for example comprise units for fixing the packaging material and co-operate with means for forming the inner and outer frames and means for picking up the bundles and placing them in the inner frame and also means for picking up the inner frame loaded with bundles and placing them in the outer frame, suitable means such as vacuum-operated fixing devices, manipulator means for handling the packages and products, and pick-up means for picking up, placing or otherwise handling the relevant products and packages, all being well known to the person skilled in the art.

The machine of the present invention may include many other modules depending on the specific requirements of the goods to be packaged. For example, when a single packet of cigarettes is delivered to a delivery point, it is foreseen to further process it according to known methods. The transport route to the delivery point by machine may thus comprise stations for various functions such as marking, inspection, placing coupons or inserts, adding tax stamps, packaging, e.g. film wrapping including shrink-wrap film, vacuum wrapping or packing into shaped cartridges which may also be marked and wrapped and formed within the casing. These stations may be located adjacent to each other, or elsewhere integrated into any transport route through the machine of the present invention, depending on the particular range of products and packaging materials to be used on the machine.

One or more of the work stations in the machine of the present invention may be independently operated and controlled by independent control systems. Alternatively, or in addition, groups of workstations may be connected together by a control network that operates and controls the groups as mechanical subsystems. Preferably, the means for conveying the products, the means for conveying the packaging material and the work station comprise separate drive mechanisms controlled by a common control system, such as a central electronic control system or a computer. A central control is provided to allow efficiency and interchangeability. The common control system, preferably operated by computer code or software, determines which individual systems within the product and packaging material conveyors are active, which stations within the machine are active, the speed of operation, the sequence of operations and the operating scheme. In this way the computer is used to instruct the machine to perform different assembly operations. Programming the control of the workstation in this manner also enables the machine to be switched between different modes of operation with minimal delay.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that the desired finished product quantity may be entered into a common control unit, such as a computer, which then calculates the required material and consumable quantities from that quantity. The materials and consumables may include, for example, tobacco industry products, aluminium foil, thermoplastics, packaging paper blanks, tax stamps and the like. The central control system is able to generate instructions regarding the amount of different materials that should be supplied from a source, such as a warehouse, to each unit component requiring a material or consumable, taking into account the usual rejection rate, production faults, etc. This allows the production process to be set up with a reasonably predictable amount of each material required to produce the desired amount of end product and with the minimum amount of waste.

Particularly for production processes that may require additional material, the central control system is able to monitor the quality control conditions such as the number of units that are scrapped due to a malfunction or damage. The continuous calculation will allow for the adjustment of the amount of raw material actually needed for completing the desired amount of finished product. The control system may rely on sensors or monitors associated with each component or group of components.

In addition to other applications known in the art, the control system is also capable of determining the relative operating speeds of the workstations and ensuring that any material required by each workstation is delivered into position based on its operating speed. The machine of the present invention may be loaded into one or more buffer stations where the product, packaging material or partially packaged product may be collected and subsequently released at an appropriate rate. The buffer station may be arranged at the beginning of the transfer route or at any suitable location along any of the transfer routes. They may be suitable for allowing an operator of the machine to replenish the machine with material for processing, for example during extended production, thereby increasing the efficiency of the machine operator servicing the needs of each workstation.

In anticipation of a longer production process, it is possible, due to the modular system of the present invention, to determine which step or stage in the packaging process determines the operating rate of the unit and to provide components to influence that step or stage from multiple aspects. For example, if packaged, packaged products are gathered at the end of the production line awaiting transfer to a storage or conveying facility, additional forklifts or other suitable equipment may be provided to allow faster transfer of packaged goods and thereby increase overall unit speed.

Drawings

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

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a first embodiment of a machine according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a sequence of assembly operations performed by a workstation in the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of a second embodiment of a machine according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic layout of a machine constructed in accordance with FIG. 3;

FIG. 4a is a partially schematic layout view of a variation of the machine shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, showing a modified machine portion;

FIG. 5 illustrates another assembly sequence performed by a workstation in the machine of the present invention; and

fig. 6 shows yet another assembly sequence performed by a workstation in the machine of the present invention.

In the drawings, like elements in different embodiments are represented by like reference numerals.

Detailed Description

With reference to fig. 1, the functional interaction of the main systems in a first embodiment of the machine according to the invention is shown. The machine 10 comprises means 20 for feeding tobacco industry products into the machine, means 40 for feeding wrapping material into the machine, a wrapping machine 60 for loading batches of products into individual wrapping material units, and means 80 for feeding packs of products to a delivery point 81.

The conveyors 20, 40, 80 and the packaging machine 60 are operated by conventional electronic drives having digital electronic control systems operating in conjunction with each other by a central programmable computer control device (not shown). The control device itself has program code means installed therein whereby the computer can instruct the machine to perform any of the sequences of machine operations described herein. The construction of the control device and the program code may vary depending on the device used in each embodiment, but the design thereof is within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art.

The operation of the machine will be described in several examples.

Example 1

In a first example of operation of the machine, the machine 10 is arranged to pack two alternative types of cigarettes into conventional "clamshell" packs. More details of the package and the process of assembling it are shown in figure 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the package comprises an inner frame 101 and an outer frame 105. The inner frame 101 is rectangular in cross-section and is formed from a flat blank 102 held in a stack 103. The blank 102 is continuously withdrawn from the stack 103, glued along one edge, folded as shown at 104, set up and closed by end flaps. The inner frame 101 is slidingly received within an outer frame 105 having a rectangular cross-section corresponding to the inner frame. The outer frame 105 is also formed from a flat blank 106 held in a stack 107. The blank for the outer frame is continuously drawn from the stock pile 107, glued along one edge, folded, set up and closed at one end by the end flap 109 and at the other end by the flap 108. The pack contains a bundle of cigarettes 110 wrapped in aluminium foil 111 and arranged in this example in three layers, two outer layers having seven cigarettes and an inner layer having six. Other configurations for the bundles are of course possible and the bundles may or may not be wrapped in other materials than aluminium foil. In this example, the smoke bundle 110 is first wrapped in aluminium foil and then inserted into the erected inner frame 101, the inner frame 101 then being inserted in turn into the erected outer frame 105. The end of the outer frame and the cover are then closed as shown.

Referring to fig. 1, the means 20 for conveying products comprises a first product supply system 21 for conveying twenty bundles 110 of cigarettes, in this case aluminium foil wrapped, of a first type of product into the machine for wrapping, and a second product supply system 22 for conveying the second type of product in batches into the machine. In this example, the second product is also in the form of a bundle of twenty cigarettes in aluminium foil wrapping.

The means for transferring products 20 further comprises a transfer device 24, for example in the form of a pick and place device, for selectively delivering products from the first product supply system 21 or the second product supply system 22 to the packaging machine 60. Because the transfer apparatus 24 is digitally controlled, it can be pre-programmed to operate in either of these two modes, and the mode of operation can be quickly and easily changed with minimal downtime by selecting the appropriate control program.

The means 40 for transferring the packaging material to the machine comprise a first packaging material supply system 41 and a second packaging material supply system 42 for the inner frame 101 and the outer frame 105, respectively. Both systems comprise a hopper (not shown) for storing a pile of blanks 102, 106, and a transport system for continuously taking the blanks from the hopper and transferring them one by one to the packaging machine 60.

The packaging machine 60 comprises two work stations 25, 26 arranged in series, each performing a series of operations on the material supplied to it. At the first station 25, the single blanks 102 for the inner frames are transferred from the hopper in the first packaging material supply system 41, glued along one edge, folded and erected to form the inner frames 101, as shown in fig. 2. The aluminum foil wrapped bundle 110 received from the first product supply system 21 or the second product supply system 22 is inserted into the inner frame. At the second station 26, the blank 106 for the outer frame is transferred from the hopper in the second packaging material supply system 42, glued, folded and erected to form the sleeve, as shown in fig. 2. The inner frame 101 containing the cigarette bundles 110 is inserted into the outer frame which is then closed at the bottom and top. The assembled package is then transferred from the packaging machine to a delivery point 81.

By selecting the mode of operation of the conveyor 24, the machine 10 may be operated such that products are selectively conveyed from the first product supply system 21 or the second product supply system 22 to the packaging machine 60 and thence to the delivery point 81 along one of two conveyance routes A, B as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1. It should be understood that two delivery routes are provided in parallel starting from the first product-supply system 21 and the second product-supply system 22 and then following a common path through the packaging machine 60 to the delivery point 81. The term "parallel" is used with respect to the systems 21, 22 to distinguish their configuration from a "series" configuration, and does not describe the physical relationship between the transmission lines. In practice, the physical position of the mechanical components may determine whether the transport paths arranged in parallel are actually arranged to extend radially, crosswise or in any other suitable direction.

In use, the first product supply system 21 is filled with a first type of product, for example filter cigarettes without a mint flavour, and the wrapper supply systems 41, 42 are filled with an inner wrapper blank 102 and an outer wrapper blank 106. The machine 10 is then operated in its first mode of operation with the transfer device 24 so that the filter cigarettes of the first type are fed into the machine, formed into a bundle of aluminium foil packs, conveyed along the first conveying path a, packed into the inner frame 101 at the first station 25 and then packed into the outer frame 105 at the second station 26. The assembled packages are then transported to a delivery point 81.

If it is desired to change the production process to produce the same or similar package containing a second type of product, such as a cigarette having a mint flavor, the second product supply system 22 is loaded with mint cigarettes. This step may be performed without interrupting the operation of the machine. The machine is then shut down, the second pack supply system 42 is loaded with blanks 106 suitable for mint cigarettes, and the machine is then restarted and the transfer device 24 is put into its second mode of operation so that the mint cigarettes are now transferred along the optional transfer route B through the machine, from the second product supply system 22 to the delivery point 81 through the first set of workstations 25 and the second set of workstations 26. A change in production can thus be quickly and easily accomplished without requiring excessive down time of the machine 10 simply by setting up the machine for the next production run as much as possible while the current production run is running, and then setting up the transfer device 24 to provide an alternative transfer route for the products through the machine.

Example 2

In a second example of operation of machine 10 in FIG. 1, machine 10 is configured to package two different types of tobacco industry products into one packaging material. The first product is comprised of a single pouch of smokeless tobacco and the second product is comprised of a pastille, and both products are packaged in blister packs of similar construction.

Figure 6 generally illustrates the assembly process as applied to a smokeless tobacco portion known as snus.

In this example, the first product supply system 21 in fig. 1 comprises a strip 161 of packaging material formed from a cellulose acetate web and shaped into a series of discrete sealed pouches 163. Each pouch contains a portion of tobacco sealed within a wrapper. Methods and machinery for forming, wrapping and sealing individual portions of smokeless tobacco or snus within a strip of cellulose acetate web are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The strip 161 may be provided in roll form by being folded or wound to facilitate use. The first product supply system 21 further comprises a cutting device to divide the strip into discrete pouches. Alternatively, the pouches 163 may be provided to the machine as a plurality of discrete, cut-out units. The pouches 163 are conveyed by the conveyor apparatus 24 along a first conveying path a and received at the first station 25 of the packer 60.

The first packaging material supply system 41 in this embodiment includes a system for delivering blister strips 165 into the machine 10. The blister strip 165 is constructed from a sheet of packaging material having rectangular recesses 167, each recess being configured to receive a pocket of smokeless tobacco or another tobacco industry product such as a nicotine lozenge or nicotine patch. Blister strip 165 may be made of a plastic material, including multi-layer plastic, or may be made of aluminum foil, paper, cardboard, or other suitable material. The material may be selected for the function of forming a barrier, such as moisture barrier, and may be coated, opaque, transparent and/or colored, and may carry printed matter.

The blister strip 165 extends into the first station 25 of the packaging machine 60 where individual smokeless tobacco pouches 163 are placed into each recess 167. The first station 25 may also be provided with means for spraying the humectant and flavourant onto each tobacco pouch 163. Blister strip 165 is then transferred to second station 26 and second station 26 is also provided with subsequent packaging material from second package supply system 42. The further wrapper is in the form of a sealing strip 169 which is used to close the recess 167 and seal the pouch therein.

The sealing strip 165 may be made of any suitable material such as the plastics, aluminium foil, paper or mixtures thereof previously described for blister strips. In this embodiment, the sealing strip 169 is formed of a multilayer film. The first layer is an environmentally-insulating plastic capable of forming a heat-bonded seal with the plastic material of the blister strip 165. The second layer is paper that is adhered to the plastic, on which information relating to the product to be contained is printed.

The sealing strip 169 is preferably sized and shaped to partially align with the blister strip 165 without requiring a trimming step and without causing additional waste. Adhesive means may be included to allow it to form a seal with the blister strip, alternatively or additionally it may also be heat sealed, adhered, crimped or otherwise manipulated at the second station 26 to form a seal to the blister strip. Either or both of the sealing strip 169 and the blister strip 165 may be pre-treated or treated at the second station 26 to facilitate adhesion, such as by scratching the surface to make it rough and more receptive to liquid adhesion. When adhesive is used, the means is preferably arranged to align the portion of the sealing strip with adhesive with the non-recessed portion of the blister strip 165 and thereby avoid contamination caused by contact between the tobacco industry product and the adhesive.

The sealing strip 169 may be arranged so that it can be peeled away from the notched blister strip during use, for example by providing an unsealed edge that can be easily grasped by a user; alternatively the sealing strip 169 may be of a sufficiently deformable material to enable the wrapped tobacco industry product unit to be pushed out through it. The sealing strip 169 may be backed to form a tamper-evident structure and may be printed with any number of visual or tactile designs.

The sealing strip 169 is sealed to the blister strip 165 to form a plurality of individual units which are packaged and then separated into individual units at the second work station 26 and sent to the final delivery point 81. In this embodiment the strip is divided into units using a cutting tool, but equivalent methods may also be used, such as preformed perforations or deformations.

After a desired number of blister-packaged smokeless tobacco pouches have been produced, machine 10 is provided with a second set of assembly instructions that allow machine 10 to produce blister-type packages each containing a chew.

To this end, the second product supply system 22 (FIG. 1) includes a container having a plurality of cuds. In the packaging machine 60, the first station 25 is configured to place one chew within each recess 167 in the blister strip, while the second station 26 is configured to place a sealing strip 169 on the blister strip and for separating them into units as described above. Each unit may contain a single chew. Alternatively the blister strip may be cut into units containing two or more chewy lozenges.

When it is desired to change the machine from wrapping smokeless tobacco (snus) to wrapping a chew, the second product supply system 22 can be loaded into the chew while the machine is running, thereby facilitating the change and reducing downtime. Similarly, since the transfer device 24 is pre-programmed with instructions to receive a product from one or the other of the supply systems 21, 22, it is possible to change its mode of operation with minimal delay.

If desired, a further product supply system (not shown) may be provided for processing on the same machine a third product, e.g. a nicotine patch, i.e. an adhesive patch, packaged in a blister pack on the same machine, which releases nicotine when applied to a user. In this case a third product supply system is provided comprising a hopper containing individual nicotine patches. Upon shut down of the first and second product supply stations, the machine 10 may be provided with a third set of assembly instructions that allow the machine to produce blister-type packages each containing a nicotine patch using an assembly process similar to that described above. In the packaging machine 60, a first station 25 is arranged to place one patch in each recess of the blister strip 165, while a second station is arranged to seal the sealing strip 169 to the blister strip and to divide the blisters into units. Each unit may contain a single blister or a plurality of blisters, for example five blisters.

Alternatively, the additional product supply system may be configured such that it is interchangeable with one or both product supply systems used to deliver other products (the cigarette bundle 110 or the sealed pouch 163) to the machine to enable the machine to prepare for the production of a third product, such as a nicotine patch, for example, while the first product is being processed using the first product supply system. In which case the second product supply system may be removed and replaced by a third product supply system.

The machine of fig. 1 may be further modified to enable repackaging of any of the above-described packaged products into a larger container. For this purpose, a third product supply system 23 is provided, which is indicated by dashed lines in fig. 1. The third product supply system 23 is adapted to deliver blister packs previously produced on the machine by the process described above into the machine 10. A third packaging material supply system 43, also indicated by dashed lines in fig. 1, is provided to deliver blanks for larger containers into the machine 10. The third station 27 is arranged to assemble blanks for larger containers and to load them with previously packaged products from the third product supply system 23. The larger container may, for example, be rectangular and correspond to the outer dimensions of an individual blister so that ten sealed blisters may be arranged in a stack in one box. Other sizes, shapes and configurations for larger containers may also be provided. The packaged containers may be further encoded, printed, marked and packaged in a final assembly process (not shown).

In use, the product in the sealed blister package may be taken from the delivery point 81 and passed through the machine 10 a second time along a third transport path during which the sealed blister package is packaged into a larger container. The third packaging material supply system 43 and the third workstation 27 can be prepared for use while the blister pack product itself is still being produced. When the production process of the product is finished, the repacking operation can be initiated quickly with minimal downtime.

Since some of the products described in these examples may be sensitive to certain environmental factors, the machine according to the present embodiments preferably comprises suitable means, such as insulating materials and/or temperature control means, so that the products processed by the machine are preserved under the desired environmental conditions. For example, certain smokeless tobacco products are preferably stored refrigerated, e.g., at or around 4 ℃. Moreover, the cigarettes are preferably packaged under conditions of standard relative humidity. To achieve any necessary or desired product processing conditions, the entire machine 10 may be housed in a temperature controlled environment, for example, or temperature control devices may be provided within and along the transport path through the machine. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that machines built for processing the types of products described herein preferably can be built to at least meet appropriate food grade standards, with materials, lubricants, etc. provided to the machines having been approved for use with equipment involved in food processing and maintained at a high standard of cleanliness.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic illustrations of a more complex machine 10 according to the present disclosure. The operation of machine 10 is schematically illustrated as a flow chart in fig. 3. FIG. 4 illustrates one possible factory layout for machine 10.

Machine 10 is configured to package up to five or more different types of tobacco industry products in three or more different package types. The apparatus 20 for conveying tobacco products into the machine, represented by box 20 in figure 3, includes five separate product supply systems 22a-22e for conveying four different types of products into the machine. The configuration of the supply system will depend on the type of product provided and any conventional system used in the packaging of tobacco industry products may be used. For example, the products may be provided in the form of individual streams of cigarettes, or wrapped or unwrapped bundles of cigarettes, or groups of cigarettes pre-packaged in open containers such as blisters, packs, shelves or trays.

In this example, the first and second product supply systems 22a, 22b are arranged to provide different types of cigarettes into the machine in a continuous stream. As shown in fig. 4, these product supply systems may include, for example, a conventional cigarette hopper or delivery tray connected to a conveyor system that, when activated, delivers cigarettes into the machine at a controlled rate. The third product supply system 22c is arranged to feed cigarettes, pre-processed into bundles of aluminium foil wrapped cigarettes, into the machine. The fourth product supply system 22d is arranged to deliver pre-manufactured cigarette packs into the machine for subsequent packing operations. The fifth product supply system 22e is arranged to deliver groups of cigarettes pre-packaged in open blister packs or open cartridges into the machine. To allow more types of products to be fed into the machine for packaging, additional product supply systems may sometimes be added to the machine, or installed to the machine in place of the current supply system 22, depending on the changes in production requirements.

Products selected for packaging may be conveyed into machine 10 along any of various conveying paths from product supply systems 22a-e and directed through the machine by conveying devices suitable for the products, such as conveyors, conveyor chains, gravity feed systems, pick and place devices, or any conveying system conventionally used in the packaging industry. The transfer device is set up in such a way that: by selectively activating different components in the conveyor apparatus, different conveyor paths can be established for products passing through the workstation.

As shown in fig. 4, a conveyor belt is used to convey the products from the supply systems 22a-e, whereby the products are picked up individually or in groups by a pick and place system, shown in the figure as a robot 25. The robot has a base rotatable about a vertical axis, a lower arm connected to the base for movement about a horizontal axis, and an upper arm connected to the lower arm for independent movement about the horizontal axis, allowing the upper arm to be positioned in space relative to a three-dimensional cartesian axis. The end of the upper arm of the robot arm 25 carries a replaceable pick tool or end actuator suitable for selecting and manipulating the relevant product. The end actuator is connected to the upper arm portion by a joint to allow movement about a three-dimensional cartesian axis relative to the end of the wall. The robot 25 is thus able to manipulate and position the product with 6 degrees of freedom of movement.

The end actuators themselves are selected from a range of interchangeable tools, each suitable for picking up a specific product within the unit, and may consist of an individual product or a bundle of products. Any suitable commercially available type of robot and end-effector may be used, for example a pneumatic cylinder operated tool equipped with movable blades to select and guide a certain number of products, while a vacuum chuck in selective communication with a vacuum source is capable of retrieving, retaining, moving and releasing the packages.

The robot 25 picks up conveyed products from the product supply systems 22a-22e as needed according to operating instructions programmed to control the robot and transfers them to one of two conveyors for conveying the products to one of two subsequent stations 61, 68, the functions of which will be described below. In one mode of operation, the robot 25 may only pick products from one of the product supply systems. In another mode of operation, it may be programmed to pick up products from two or more product supply systems in a desired order and combine the products into larger groups for onward transport to the underlying workstation 61 or 68. This is particularly useful when a mixed packaged product is to be produced. Thus, for example, if four supply systems 22a-22d are loaded with cigarettes of different flavour intensities, the robot 25 may be programmed to pick up cigarettes from each of the four stations in groups of 5 cigarettes in turn and assemble them into bundles of 20 cigarettes for delivery to the next station 61 or 68.

Means 40 for transferring the wrapping material into the machine, instructing the robot 25 to distribute the 5 cigarettes picked up in sequence from each of the supply systems 22a-22d in figure 3 to two cartridges 40, comprising seven wrapping material supply systems 42 a-g. The configuration of the individual supply systems will depend on the type of package required and any conventional package supply system for tobacco industry products may be used. In this example, first and second wrapping material supply systems 42a and 42b are provided to receive a stack of blanks 102, 106 for the two-part wrapping described with reference to fig. 1 and 2 and for transferring them into machine 10, with first system 42a providing blanks for inner frame 101 and second system 42b providing blanks for outer frame 105. The third wrapping material supply system 42c delivers the aluminum foil 111 into the machine for wrapping the cigarette bundle. The fourth packaging material supply system 42d delivers empty pre-formed packages (e.g., blister strips 165 as described with reference to fig. 6), drums, or other rigid containers into the machine where they are closed with sealed aluminum foil or caps. The above-mentioned packaging material is fed into the machine by means of a fifth and a sixth packaging material feeding system 42e, 42f, the fifth system 42e feeding the sealing material for the blister packs (for example the sealing strip 169 shown in fig. 6) and the sixth system 42f feeding the caps. A seventh material supply system 42g delivers packaging material into the system for repackaging the prepared cigarette packages into a plurality of packages.

The packaging material supply system described above may be modified to provide any other packaging material required for use in the machine. For example, the sixth system 42f may be configured to provide additional items to the packaging machine 60, such as promotional items, product informational material, or other fixed items for incorporation into the final package. Depending on the changes in production requirements, additional packaging material supply systems may sometimes be added to the machine, or installed to the machine in place of any of the current material supply systems 42a-g, in order to allow more types of packaging material to be delivered into the machine.

A packaging machine, shown generally at 60 in fig. 3, receives packaging material from a packaging material supply system and a product supply system. The packaging machine 60 comprises a plurality of different work stations 61-70 interconnected by conveying means for performing assembly operations on the packaging material and the products in a selected sequence to pack a particular product into a particular package as required.

The wrapping station 61 receives aluminum foil or other wrapping material 111 from the third wrapping material supply system 42c and is capable of wrapping the bundle 110 of cigarettes received from the first or second product supply systems 22a, 22b depending on which delivery route for the product is selected.

The inner blank forming station 62 receives the inner frame blank 102 from the first wrapping material supply system 42a, performs the assembly operation described with reference to figure 2 on the inner blank and then transfers it to the inner frame filling station 63. The station 63 also receives the aluminium foil wrapped bundles 110 of cigarettes from the wrapping station 61 and is able to insert each wrapped bundle 10 of cigarettes into the erected endoframe 101, as shown in figure 2.

The outer frame forming station 64 receives the blank 106 for the outer frame 105 from the second material supply system 42b and performs the assembly operations thereon as described with reference to fig. 2.

The package assembly station 65 receives the filled inner frames 101 from the inner frame filling station 63 and the erected outer frame 109 from the outer frame forming station 64. The package assembly station 65 can insert the filled inner frames 101 into the outer frame 105 as shown in fig. 2 and perform other operations to complete the assembly of the packages.

Alternatively, the pre-processed aluminium foil wrapped bundle 110 may be conveyed directly from the third product supply system 22c to the inner frame filling station 63 along a conveying line that either bypasses the wrapping station 61 or, as shown by the dashed lines in fig. 4 and 3, passes through it with the wrapping system shut down. In this mode of operation, as shown in figure 4, the end of the robot 25 will be provided with means suitable for picking up and placing, on a conveyor belt leading from the third product supply system 22c, individual bundles of cigarettes already wrapped with aluminium foil instead of groups of cigarettes to be wrapped with aluminium foil.

The packaging machine 60 further comprises a pack combining station 66, which is capable of subsequent packaging of pre-processed product packs, for example combining two or more standard cigarette packs into a single pack, known as a multi-pack. The subsequent packaging material for this operation is conveyed from the seventh packaging material supply system 42g into the machine, through a subsequent packaging material assembly station 67, which bonds and folds the subsequent packages as required, and thence to a package assembly station 66. Pre-processed cigarette packs, for example formed on a conventional cigarette packing machine (not shown) and stored in a hopper of the fourth product supply system 22d, are conveyed from the fourth product supply system 22d to a package assembly station 66 along a conveying path which bypasses (or is shut down in transit) the packing station 61, the inner frame filling station 63 and the package assembly station 65 as shown by the dashed lines in figure 3. In this mode of operation, the robot 25 will be provided with tools that pick up the pre-filled packages individually or in groups from the fourth product supply station depending on how many packages are to be combined into multi-packs and the specific packaging operation to be used. At the package assembly station 66, the pre-filled packages are packaged in subsequent packaging material to form multi-packs.

In a variant, the machine of figures 3 and 4 is arranged to pack cigarettes in an alternative known flip-top pack, in which the outer frame with the flip-top comprises a cavity, optionally formed of plastic material, defining two separate spaces, each for containing ten cigarettes. Such a package is particularly suitable for use with mint cigarettes. In this variation, the seventh wrapper supply system 42g is configured to provide blanks for packaging the outer frame, while the fourth product supply system 22d is loaded with preformed bundles of cigarettes, consisting of shaped plastic cavities, each containing ten cigarettes therein. The robot 25 is equipped with tools which pick up the pre-filled packages in pairs from the fourth product supply system 22d and place them on a conveyor system to be conveyed by the aluminium foil wrapping station 66 to the package assembly station 66, the inner frame filling station 63 and the package assembly station 65 being shut down in this mechanical mode of operation. At the pack combining station 66, pairs of bundles are assembled with blanks for clamshell packaging delivered from the seventh material supply system 42g into the station 66.

If desired, the machine may be reconfigured to package two different cigarettes in a single package. In this configuration, consisting of shaped plastic cavities, a preformed bundle of cigarettes containing ten 3mg of mint cigarettes in each cavity is disposed in the fourth product supply system 22d, while a similar bundle of cigarettes containing ten 10mg of mint cigarettes is disposed in the fifth product supply system 22 e. The robot 25 is programmed to selectively pick up preformed bundles of cigarettes from the fourth and fifth product supply systems 22d, 22e and place them in pairs on a conveyor belt to transfer them to the pack combining station 66, the pairs of bundles containing different products being subsequently assembled with blanks for clamshell packaging transferred from the seventh material supply system 42g into the station 66.

It should be appreciated that package assembly station 66 is selectively actuated so that it operates only with fourth product supply system 22d, seventh material supply system 42g, and subsequent packaging material assembly station 67 in either of the two previously described mechanical operating modes. Similarly, the pack combining station 66 is shut down when the machine 10 is operated in other modes, such as when the machine is used to package products according to the process shown in fig. 2. In this mode of operation, the pack combining station 66 allows the product to pass without any subsequent operation thereof.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that upon changing the mode of operation of the machine, the conveyor system or other conveyor systems within the machine may need to be reconfigured to provide bags or other containers for conveying different products or combinations of products in a desired orientation to a selected workstation for processing.

The work stations that are shut down during the production of a certain type of packaged product can optionally be removed. This may allow the products and packages to be more conveniently moved along the transport route and may provide opportunities for maintenance, repair, modification or replacement of the workstation. However, in some embodiments, the workstation is not easily moved and is only activated and deactivated when necessary.

The packaging machine 60 comprises a subsequent filling station 68 capable of packaging, for example, cigars, cigarillos or cigarettes in pre-formed rigid or semi-rigid packages, such as tubes, tubes or blister packs, closed by seals and/or lids. The assembly process for the blister package is similar to that described above with reference to figure 6.

In this example, blister packs capable of containing, for example, 10 cigars or 50 cigarettes are transferred from the fourth packaging material supply system 42d into the machine to the filling station 68. The filling workstation 68 also receives cigars or cigarettes from the first or second product supply system 22a or 22 b. The filled blister packs are then transferred to a sealing station 69 which seals the blister packs with sealing strips supplied by a fifth packaging material supply system 42 e. The sealed blister package may then be transferred out of the system by a sealing station 70 (described below) that is shut down when the machine 10 is set to produce blister packages.

The fourth material supply system 42d may be modified to provide other forms of containers such as tubes or cartridges or interchanged with equipment that provides such containers. The assembly process for this form of package is shown by way of example in figure 5. The cigarettes from the first supply system 22a or the second supply system 22b are transferred into the machine and are divided into bundles of 50 cigarettes by the robot 25, the robot 25 being provided with a pick-up tool suitably adapted to transfer the bundle 151 onto a conveyor belt to transfer the bundle into the filling station 68. This may be achieved by, for example, providing a recess on the conveyor belt shaped and arranged to accommodate 50 cylindrical bundles of cigarettes.

The filling station 68 also receives empty cartridges 153 from the fourth material supply system 42d into the machine. The barrel 153 is open at one end and closed at the other end. A bundle of 50 cigarettes was loaded into the canister in the desired orientation. The filled cartridge is then conveyed through a sealing station 69 where a sealing aluminum foil 155 from the fourth material supply station 42d is added and sealed to the open end of the cartridge, closing the cigarette bundle. The edge of the sealing foil 155 extending beyond the sealed barrel may be cut or otherwise removed, for example with a laser, to provide a smooth finished appearance. Alternatively, a pre-cut seal may be applied directly to the open end of the cartridge and sealed to avoid the need for cutting. The sealed cartridges are then transferred into a capping station 70, which is configured to add a closure 157 to the cartridges. The capped and sealed cartridge is then transported to a final assembly area 71.

Since the final assembly area can receive products from the conveyor system exiting the package assembly station 66 or from the conveyor system from the mouth station 70, the subsequent pick and place apparatus 80 is configured to selectively transfer product packages from one of these conveyor systems and place them onto the subsequent conveyor system to deliver the packages to the final assembly area 71, depending on the mode of operation of the machine 10.

Within the final assembly area 71, the packs emerging from the packaging machine 60 are subjected to a subsequent sequence of packaging operations conventionally used in the packaging of tobacco industry products. These operations are conventional and well known to those skilled in the art, and are therefore only briefly described in the present specification. In the case of cigarettes, as schematically illustrated in fig. 3, these operations generally consist in adding a code to each pack at a coding station 71a, for example by laser or ink-jet printing, adding labels to the packs at a labelling station 71b, inserting the coupons into the packs at a coupon placing station 71c, visually inspecting the packs at an inspection station 71d, adding tax stamps at a printing station 71e, wrapping the packs in film at a pack wrapping station 71f, grouping the packs into cartridges at a cartridge forming station 71g, adding a product code to the cartridges at a coding station 71h, wrapping the cartridges at a wrapping station 71i, boxing the cartridges at a cartridge forming station 71j, closing the cartridges at a closing station 71k and sealing the cartridges at a sealing station 71 l. The packaged product boxes are then sent to a delivery point 81 and transported away for delivery.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the above-described operations are described by way of example only, and that certain of the operations may be omitted or altered depending on the particular product being packaged. For example, one or more operations performed at the final assembly area may be performed at a workstation within the packaging machine 60, depending on the particular sequence of assembly operations desired.

The product supply system 22a, the robot 25, the pick and place device 80, the packaging material supply systems 42a-42g, the work stations 61-70 and the conveying means are operated by conventional electronic drives with digital electronic control systems, which drives are operated in conjunction with each other by a central programmable computer control device (not shown). The control device itself has program code means installed therein whereby the computer can instruct the machine to perform any of the sequences of machine operations described herein. The structure and program code of the control device will vary depending on the device used in each embodiment, but the design thereof is within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art.

Since the machine of the present invention is configured for packing cigarettes in alternative packs, the interaction between different types of cigarettes and packs should be considered. For example, flavoured cigarettes, particularly cigarettes with volatile flavourants such as mints, may tend to emit a flavour or aroma onto nearby products, and so it may be preferable to produce only products all with a particular flavour at the same time, and not products with different flavours at the same time.

Since the machine of the present invention is also intended for use with novel types of packages, it is envisioned that flavors or other volatile materials may be packaged or incorporated into a particular package, which may similarly emanate or affect nearby packages or smoking products, and thus their supply to the machine must be limited to certain times when other differently treated products are not being treated.

Similarly, when the machine of the present invention is used to package smoking products supervised by strict hygiene standards, such as chewing tobacco or snuff, which may be shown as a food product, or a chew capable of being used as a medicament, standards appropriate for these product grades are required. The machinery for packaging any such product can be easily set up, cleaned and maintained by those of ordinary skill in the art to meet the necessary constraints while still fully utilizing the benefits afforded by the novel structure of the present invention.

If the machine is to pack smoking products for different markets, similar deformations or adjustments may be made between production batches to ensure that the rules for each relevant market are met.

The machine described with reference to figures 3 and 4 can be provided with a plurality of supply, conveying lines and work stations to pack various tobacco industry products in various different types of packs. The following example describes one of many possible combinations.

Example 3

In this example, similar tobacco industry products, in this case cigarettes, are packaged in a plurality of different types of packages, namely standard packs containing 20 cigarettes per package and lidded cylinders containing 50 cigarettes per package. Although the conventional method would require two separate wrapping lines to be set up, a single machine according to the invention achieves both processes and is able to change between the two processes more quickly and with less down time compared to conventional high speed cigarette wrapping machines.

The central control system of machine 10 is first programmed to produce a clamshell package of 20 cigarettes using the packaging process of figure 2. In this configuration, cigarettes from either the first product supply system 22a or the second product supply system 22b are fed to the machine on a conveyor belt, inner and outer frame packs are fed to the machine from the first and second wrapping material supply systems 42a, 42b, and aluminum foil is fed to the machine from the third material supply system 42 c.

The robot 25 is equipped with a pick-up tool which selects groups of 20 cigarettes from the conveyor and arranges them in three parallel adjacent columns, the outer two columns each containing seven cigarettes and the inner column containing six cigarettes, and then conveys the bundle of cigarettes to a wrapping station 61 where it is wrapped in aluminium foil. The aluminium foil wrapped bundle of cigarettes is conveyed to an inner frame filling station 63 where it is inserted into an inner frame which has been conveyed from the first wrapping material supply system 42a to the same station 63.

The filled inner frames are transferred to the pack assembly station 65 where each inner frame is inserted into the outer frame received from the second packaging material supply system 42 b. As shown in fig. 2, the outer frame is closed around the inner frame and the assembled packages are then transferred by a pick and place device 80 onto a conveyor belt and transported to a final assembly area 71 for further processing according to the selected final assembly step.

After a desired number of standard packs of 20 cigarettes have been produced, the central control system of machine 10 is reprogrammed for cigarettes packed in a cartridge containing 50 cigarettes using the assembly process described above with reference to figure 5. In this configuration, cigarettes are provided to the machine from the first or second product supply system 22a, 22b, the drum is provided to the machine from the fourth packaging material supply system 42d, and sealing material and a lid for the drum are provided to the machine from the fifth and sixth material supply systems 42e, 42 f. The robot 25 is equipped with a pick-up tool which transfers groups of 50 cigarettes to a conveyor belt for transport to the cylinder filling station 68. The machine then operates as previously described to effect filling, sealing and cylinder sealing at filling station 68, sealing station 69 and sealing station 70 as described above.

The filled, sealed and capped cylinder is then transferred by being passed through a pick and place device 80 onto a conveyor belt and the cylinder is transported to a final assembly area 71. It should be apparent that the mode of operation of pick and place apparatus 80 differs in this mode of operation of machine 10 in that workstation 70 provides an input to apparatus 80 instead of workstation 66. At the final assembly area 71, the cylinders are labeled, coded and over-wrapped as necessary, packed into suitable bulk containers and transported to a delivery point 81 for shipment.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the workstation of the packaging machine may need to be altered when the operation of the machine 10 is switched between the two package production modes. However, many of the modifications required for one mode of operation may be made during operation of the machine in another mode, particularly to load the packaging material supply system. Moreover, the robot 25 and pick and place device 80 can be preprogrammed to selectively operate in any of the above-described modes and change from one mode of operation to another by selecting the appropriate control program. The down time when changing the operation mode between production processes can thus be shortened.

The machine of fig. 3 and 4 may be equipped with one or more additional work stations for selectively performing packaging operations on the products.

For example, cigarettes having a filter end are typically assembled into a package such that the filter end is presented to a consumer when the package is opened. However, some cigarettes have a closed end, that is, they have a wrapper over the opposite end of the filter, obscuring the presentation of the tobacco. For cigarettes having a closed end, it may be desirable to provide some packs with the filter end facing downward to show the closed end to the consumer when the pack is opened.

It is problematic to produce packs of cigarettes having an orientation in one of two directions on conventional cigarette production equipment, because conventional machinery is arranged to fix the cigarettes in only one orientation relative to the packs. The slight difference in diameter of the cigarettes at the filter end and at the tobacco end is sometimes exploited in the mechanism of high-speed packaging machines, which eliminates the possibility of simply feeding the cigarettes in the opposite orientation into the machine.

In a variant of the machine of figures 3 and 4, the inner frame filling station 63 comprises a mechanism, for example a numerically controlled automated system, which, when activated, rotates the aluminium foil wrapped bundle 110 (see figure 2) by 180 °. By selectively activating the mechanism, the product can be packaged in either of two orientations. The machine may be equipped with a workstation comprising a similar selectively activated automated system, which may be used to orient individual cigarettes or groups of cigarettes within a larger group prior to packaging.

A further variation of the machine of figures 3 and 4 is shown in figure 4 a. In this variant, the subsequent robot 25a is arranged to selectively transfer the products in three different modes. In the first mode, the robot transfers the products from the frame filling station 63 to the package assembly station 65, so that the machine performs the same sequence of operations as previously described. In the second operating mode, the robot 25a transfers the product again from the sealing station 69 to the closing station 70 to be able to ensure the performance of the same assembly operating sequence as previously described. In the third mode of operation, the robot arm 25a transfers the blister pack from the sealing station to the pack assembly station 65. In this third mode of operation, the package assembly station 65 is arranged to package blister packages into larger packages.

The machine can be quickly and easily switched between producing a clamshell package as shown in fig. 2, a blister strip and blister strip package as shown in fig. 6 with minimal downtime.

Modules and devices not specifically described herein may be standard equipment known in the industry, but as new and improved devices and methods become available, they may also be incorporated into the machines of the present disclosure. For example, film wrapping apparatus and films used herein are well known and are provided in a variety of different sizes, speeds and configurations. Existing and improved overwrapping machines may be used as the workstation. Since the film wrapping may be provided in a novel manner or may not be required at all, although the machine is specifically intended for use with a number of different wrapping types.

For example, the invention may be applied to a packaging cigarette case, which can be provided in a shape such as a rectangle. The rectangular box may be film wrapped in much the same way as a rectangular cigarette pack. However, the box may also be spherical, which necessitates adjustment of the film wrapping and the manner in which it is added to the package. Alternatively, where the carton is shaped to be sealed from the internal environment, and/or where the smoking articles therein have been packaged to protect the products from the environment, the need for a film wrapper is eliminated.

Other process options chosen by one of ordinary skill in the art include determining whether the machine is arranged along a single axis and delivers different parts into a central delivery route, or whether the machine is arranged in a series of interconnected parallel routes, or some other configuration. In the described configuration, the machine can process about 1500 and 4000 cigarettes per minute, preferably 2000 cigarettes, when handling cigarettes. Given that many units preferably comprise 20 cigarettes, the machine is therefore capable of packing about 50-200 packs per minute, more particularly 75-150 packs per minute, and even more particularly about 100 packs per minute. Thus, while the traditional straight-line, inflexible way of production may retain a preferred solution for a large batch of rarely changed standard materials, the machine according to the invention may preferably be used to fulfill the requirements not met in the prior art and in situations where the packages used are limited, possibly in the form of printed materials on standard packages for a limited period of time, containing a limited amount of non-conventional articles in conventional packages, etc.

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 modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A machine for packaging tobacco industry products in which the products and packaging material are subjected to successive assembly operations of the products into packages formed from the packaging material, and in which the products and packaging material may be selectively subjected to different sequences of assembly operations, whereby successive batches of the same or different products may be loaded into the same or different packages according to the selected sequence.

2. A machine according to claim 1, comprising means for conveying tobacco industry products into the machine, means for conveying wrapping material into the machine, a packer for loading tobacco industry products into the wrapping material, and means for conveying the packed tobacco industry products to a delivery point, wherein the products can be selectively conveyed through the machine along a plurality of selectable conveying routes, and the packer is arranged to selectively load successive batches of the same or different tobacco industry products into the same or different wrapping material according to the selected conveying route.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2 including a plurality of workstations for performing successive assembly operations on the products and materials as they are conveyed through the machine to a delivery point to encase the products in packages formed from the materials, wherein different sequences of assembly operations can be selectively performed on the articles and materials at the workstations.

4. A machine according to claim 3 wherein at least one of the workstations performing one sequence of assembly operations is arranged to perform its operations at the same time as the other workstations perform another sequence of assembly operations.

5. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4 comprising means for delivering a first wrapping material into the machine, means for delivering a second wrapping material into the machine, a first station for loading tobacco industry products into the first wrapping material unit, a second station for loading packaged batches into the second wrapping material unit.

6. The machine of any one of claims 1 to 4, including a transfer device that selectively receives products or packaging material as input from one or more sources of supply and selectively directs the products or packages into one or more sequences of assembly operations.

7. The machine of claim 6, wherein the transfer device is a robot.

8. A method of packaging tobacco industry products whereby the products and packaging material are subjected to successive assembly operations in which the products are packed into packages formed from the packaging material, and in which the products and packaging material are selectively subjected to different sequences of assembly operations whereby successive batches of the same or different products can be packed into the same or different packages according to the selected sequence.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising: the products and packaging material are conveyed through a plurality of workstations for performing successive assembly operations thereon to incorporate the products into packages formed from the packaging material, and at which the products and packaging material are selectively subjected to different sequences of assembly operations so that successive batches of the same or different products can be incorporated into the same or different packages according to the selected sequence.

10. A method according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein a first sequence of assembly operations is performed in which the tobacco industry product and the wrapper are selectively subjected to a first set of assembly operations to form a first finished product, and a second sequence of assembly operations is performed in which the tobacco industry product and the wrapper are selectively subjected to a second set of assembly operations to form a second finished product, the first sequence of assembly operations and said second sequence of assembly operations being different from one another.